Hi everyone,
I'm interested in getting involved in vintage motocross racing and am hoping to get some insight to the nuances of riding machinery from yesteryear from those of you who are familiar with it (my youth is showing 
). I love the idea of the bikes, the culture, the history, and the chance to get into motocross (I come from woods racing and trials), but my concern is that--having come onto the scene only in the past decade--I might not get along with the vintage machinery. Can someone who rides both modern and old bikes tell me more about the skillset required to ride each, and about how you transition from one to the other? How do the differences in the clutches, brakes, and suspensions change the techniques you use and the way you navigate the track? Can you take a vintage bike around a modern track without any trouble?
What other advice do you have for someone interested in getting into the vintage world? I would love some advice on what eras and models of bikes to look for (I'm a 130lb gal, for reference, so no need for monster displacement). I've heard glowing things about the culture of the vintage community and really look forward to getting involved.
Thanks in advance!
Me too! Plan on some Cross Country and MX.
Years ago, I raced an ACR vintage MX ('87 KX125) and an AHRMA vintage XC ('81 Honda CM200T) race just to try it out. I'm no expert but my takeaways from ACR and AHRMA are:
The vintage community is super welcoming, more so than the regular MX and XC races I frequent. They are all about comradery and just having a good time on cool bikes.
If you can ride a modern bike around the course without issue, then navigating it on a vintage bike should not be an issue. The tracks tend to be tamed down and they even rerouted around big jumps.
Bike preservation is an important aspect of vintage racing. I cracked both rims and destroyed a damper rod on the KX by doing all the jumps that I normally did on my 2001 YZ125 at the track. The CM200T is a street bike I put knobbies on to race against by buddies on vintage triumphs; the exhaust, center stand, rear fender, and brake pedal were all smashed/destroyed by hitting rocks and small jumps at speed during the race and their dirt prepped Triumphs usually need attention as well.
The skill classifications do not line up with A/B/C levels you find at a typical AMA race. The Novice level in vintage races truly is novice; sandbagging did not seem to be an issue (other than me signing up for Novice at the first one since I was an AMA C rider). The expert level does have some true experts and sometimes even former pros.
If you plan on racing, find your local series and check their class rules. See where your possible bike purchase fits. Half the battle is keeping them together for a whole season.
Vintage bikes can be money pits if you pick one that's to far gone to restore. Your mechanical skills will be tested
Obscure models can be more of a headache. Harder to find parts for them and info on setting them up and what broke.
One year only parts is more common.
The term NLA (no longer available) will be a crushing defeat at times when ordering parts.
You will learn how to better search by parts numbers and trying to cross them over from other models.
If you want to experience it to where it feels not like a modern bike. Late 70's early 80's without disc brakes.
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These old air cooled two strokes are awesome sounding when they’re ripping. Make sure you’re screaming it and you’ll need to shift a lot to keep it up in the RPM. That’s the biggest difference compared to a modern two stroke. You’re going to load it up if you lug it.
Other than that you just have to realize you’re running drum brakes so the power isn’t anything like modern bikes meaning your braking points are going to be much different. Try to coast/flow in the corners more than hard braking as that’ll help not load the bike up, too. The old short travel bikes are surprisingly a lot of fun to jump. As long as you’re hitting the downsides smooth, you can jump a lot of stuff even on a modern track. Get some upgraded suspending though. Buy new adjustable shocks and put race tech emulators in the forks.
I wish I still had time to race vintage. I had a hell of a lot of fun doing it.
I currently race both modern XC and "vintage" moto/gran prix. I have a 2023 KTM XCF 250 and a 1980 Husky OR 390. The older bike have a few quarks, brakes suck, suspension sucks, heavy, hard to start, clutch pull suck or it slips but, there is no better filling than passing a modern bike on the old one.
There are two technique changes that I have to be mindful of when I race the Husky - back the corner up and stand up as much as possible. The best mod you can do to the older bikes is work on the suspension. My Husky has air shocks on the rear and 45mm Marchozzi forks.
When you go to purchase an older bike first look at the class list for the series you plan to run, find a bike that you like and research to see if you can find parts before you buy the bike. Husky's seem to be the easiest older bikes to find parts for. I've had over 30 older bikes ranging from my 1980 Husky to a 1997 CR 125 and I feel like the Honda was actually harder to find parts for.
Everyone in vintage racing are super nice, most of the time it is older folks who don't want to go out and race a newer bike super fast but still want to go out and have a good time.
Thought I saw last year that my 2001 YZ250 would be considered vintage legal for I believe it was AHRMA races.
I have never raced a "vintage" race. But I did start out racing a mid 70's bike.
You will need to stand up more on a vintage bike.
Learn the tricks of the time to keep drum brakes working properly, like sanding off shiny spots etc.
One thing you always need to remember at all times. Vintage bikes do not have padding on the gas tank.
Hard to believe how much of a difference "safety" seats made at the time. I swear my scrotum still has an imprint the exact size of the aluminum tank of my 1976 yz100c.
The hardest thing to recalibrate your brain for is drum brakes. I've nearly ended up in a heap a few times stepping straight off a modern bike and being caught out by the brakes. They're easy enough to ride on modern tracks as I've jumped over the top of people on modern bikes on a YZ465, just remember that while it may clear a big table top, if the downside is close to a corner you may not be able to slow it down at that pace.
My pick would be a 1977-78 YZ125 as they're not loads of money. Lots of engine parts available as the bottom end and pistons are shared with DT models that ran until the 1990s, and the RT that Yamaha only stopped building a couple of years ago. A lot of parts for the rolling chassis are available too for the same reason.
Around here you'd land in an Evo class, or modern bikes.
About 15 years ago I took my 84 cr500 to a vintage race, and lined up with a bunch of 4 stroke 450s because it came with a front disk brake.
If you start, don’t think you HAVE to join AHRMA first. Check around your area for vintage clubs/regions and see what their rules are. Some will allow to race without ahrma but you just won’t earn ahrma points. I joined for one year but am only able to race once or twice. Year end points weren’t a concern but the fun certainly was. Good times!
What was good back in the day… is still good… I have lots of old bikes, 70”s and early 80”s bikes are too delicate for the way I want to ride. Late 80”s early 90”s bikes that are in good mechanical condition can still get it done on most tracks. I just ripped this 89CR250 yesterday, doing all the same jumps as my 23 300Sx.
I should have clarified, it was 2009ish when I did the vintage MX, so my '01 YZ125 was still a relevant bike for normal racing.
I think you would have to run it in modern bike support class for AHRMA unless they changed things. ACR has a vintage 2000s class, 125 2-stroke, and a Modern class it would all be eligible for.
Nice Fox Forx, dude!
Brakes are the worst thing to get used to switching to old bikes. It can be a blast riding them and you never know who you are riding with. After a race last summer, I went to shake the hand of the dude that (soundly) beat me and found myself talking to two-time world champion Trampas Parker.
You will have way more fun in the pits than you have at modern races, that's for sure.
If only they were Fox Forx. The forks are 45mm Marzocchi's off of a mid 90's KTM. I wanted them to look period correct and appear to match the Fox Air Shox that I have on the bike.
Ha! Had me fooled-the axle mounts looked right to me, but I've rarely seen them in person (maybe twice).
Pick a bike you can keep going with parts , so YZ250 /RM250/ CR250 from 89 up, lots of years share parts , and lots of aftermarket stuff available.
And ride them at the right races, the wont want SX type tracks, but nice natural stuff will show you how an old bike handles.
Dont expect brakes and suspension to be great , compared to modern stuff, but they can still be decent.
We went out earlier in the spring with and 89 RM 125 and 250 , and a YZF250, guy in the next truck to us couldnt fathom how we could just rotate from one bike to the other.
I never had a problem jumping on anything and racing it, i rode Rewind in 2019 on a borrowed KX500 and i had never even sat on one till the friday races, and never raced a Kawasaki at all, you just suss it out as you go, and that is half the fun .
I have an offer of a 1974 CR250 to try , from a mate of mine, which i really fancy a run out on.
I did the same with 98 Showas. With the gold off it fooled a few people. I think the castings on your forks make them more like Fox Forxs
Pit Row
Those 45 Zokes would almost certainly work better than Fox Forx - I've got some (44Fox Forx) , that I ran on a few bikes over the years. If I were to use them again, I'd find a way to fit an emulator system in them. And, get a rebuild kit from Thor. They were last on a XR / 83 RM 125 Hybrid, that I used through to 89. I'd like to put that back together, but, the 83 frame was starting to crack everywhere. It would need a healthier frame to use safely again, and it's highly doubtful one could be found.
I've seen some Big arguments about what is appropriate / legal to run, when at Vintage races. And that has put me off of the 'scene', a bit. Interesting that mid 90s(?) Zokes can be used in the era that the OR390 qualifies to be in - I assume they are Damper Rod forks? With Rebound on one side, Compression on the other?
I really don't get running stickers on something that isn't what the stickers indicate. They're 'Zokes, so 'Zoke stickers.
I've my 89 CR125 chassis that I last had an XR engine in that is hanging up nearby, and the motor is in parts under the cupboard below the computer I'm tapping this out is on. That was Great bike, and I guess it would be in an EVO class of some sort. Being that it would be lucky to have 28 / 30HP, I'd sure as heck not win on it, but Fun could / Would be had. But, I doubt I'll ever put the bike back together.
You are correct, rebound on one fork and compression on the other.
Around here the rules are pretty loose in vintage racing, they don't inspect the bikes or anything like that. They have to appear to be period correct, which is one reason why the forks have the Fox stickers. But even though they have to "appear" period correct there is a lot of riders who have older bikes, especially Huskys, with billet triple clamps, modified frames and other stuff like that.
I raced my RM465 last week. Often times my motos are back to back with the Modern class that I race with my 21 Rockstar 450. Adapting is pretty easy. Biggest difference is the forks. (I have Cone Valves on the Husky because I'm a Vet Lol) To be honest, the Full Floater rear is way better than my 450's rear suspension. The legend is true.
As far as setup, I'd re-spring your vintage ride for your weight, Get some good shocks or rebuild yours, maybe get some Gold Valves in the forks, and run it. As far as choosing a bike, Think of a bike, then go on Partzilla and see what wear items are actually still available oem. Then go to Ebay and look for the discontinued stuff. There's a lot of stuff out there. I'd also consider getting a parts bike to grab stuff off of in an emergency (I needed a Stator real quick one race).
Have fun. Some of the best memories I have are from traveling to all the ACR Vintage races back in 2018. Rode some legendary bikes on some legendary tracks and met some great people.
That thing is sweet, Steve!
If winning was a picture
Your Full Floater is sweet!
I have more fun just tinkering in the garage playing with these older bikes. My 84 YZ was in a basket (thus basket case) and tracking down parts was half the fun.. long as you're not in a hurry.
The biggest difference between bikes if adjusting from 20 years of riding 4-strokes back to 2-strokes, the overall layout and feel and the brakes! The YZ drum brakes were the best back in the day, but now a Chinese. pit bike offers more stopping power.
The 78 just feels strange - I have no idea how those guys rode so fast on those bikes BITD
I have a 78 too, Rick. My son trashed the crank and I've got it in the line-up about three bikes back for restoration.
Yours looks very nice!
Thanks, Thats how she was pulled out of the garage, all OEM. .. Tires, grips, levers, all stock. Than she was in a fire.. so instead of being a "garage queen/show bike, shes going to be a nice VMX Race bike.
You guys got me looking and now I’m drooling over this. 1982 YZ490.
https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/769843634565830/?ref=search&r…
Race Tech sells an emulator to upgrade FFF. You do have to lop off a part of the Fox damping rod.
Its amazing how people are drooling over bikes now, that they wouldnt have ridden for free back in the day.
Coming from a guy that wants a WR500
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