Posts
10040
Joined
4/1/2008
Location
Newark, OH
US
Rupert X
8/2/2021 12:24pm
8/2/2021 12:24pm
Edited Date/Time
8/10/2021 12:41pm
Did you, like me, ever try to race an XR650 in the plus 40 class ? Or, perhaps you owned a very silly Cagiva and decided that would be a fine Moto-Weapon ? Tell us your stories, I know you tried racing some wild P.O.S at some point in your wonderful Moto life….
My entry to this unconventional discussion is a 1996 XR400 with an IMS 440 bigbore kit, Pro Circuit exhaust, 50mm Marzocchi forks, Custom Emig tripple clamps, modified swingarm for axle block adjust rather than the stock snail chain adjuster.
I pulled MANY holeshots with that tractor! I raced this during the era of concrete start pads and while all of the 250 2-strokes were spinning tires I would lurch from the pad (thanks to all of that flywheel weight) with a bike length lead just past the start gate...then fade to mid pack
The most unconventional bike I've raced would probably be my '81 Honda Twinstar in a vintage XC race. I bought the bike non running for around $200, cleaned the carb, put pit bike bars on it and some knobbies and it was good to go. Although not legal due to age restrictions, my two buddies on Triumphs (the only other class entries) wanted me to race with them in the open twins class so I signed up. We had some great bar to bar racing for the first 30 mins until my buddy got stuck in a mud pit for several minutes and I continued on for the win. By the end of the race the rear brake pedal was bent beyond useable, the headers got dented, the rear fender snapped off, speedo cable got ripped out, and it threw the chain 4 times but it still got the job done.
I've also done NASA rally racing on my Versys 650, including riding it 475 miles to the event, racing, then riding home. The 17" front wheel really wants to push and made for tiring rides and lots of sketchy moments. It wasn't a great choice for bike but it's what I had at the time.
Likewise, I did a rally sprint on my buddy's clapped out KLR after smoking the motor in my Versys the week before the race. I was unsure what tires to run since it was half paved - half dirt; ended up with a D606 front and a Shinko 705 ADV tire on the back since I had those laying around.
I've done a few MX races this season my WR250F which I really don't think is that weird. People get tripped up about the headlight but it has the bones of a YZ250F. My woods valving isn't the best for the larger jumps, even with my clickers turned all the way in, but I do all the jumps that Vet C class is running so it's not really holding me back.
Had 5 demos.
My only regret was not keeping one of my demos.
6 holeshots
4 moto wins
The Shop
I had intentions of trying to qualify for LL'S that year. It was pouring rain and turnout wss way down so I figured I could go ahead and get my qualifier out of the way. All I had to do was finish half the laps of the winner and take the checkered flag
The problem was that I hadn't expected to race, so I left my bike 2 hours away.
No problem, we had a bw 200 Yamaha we used for running around and do pit patrol and parking. For those not familiar, this is a motorcycle with atv tires.
I thought it would be great in the mud, having ridden plenty around in the pits.
The thing I did not consider was ruts and berms.
If you get into a rut the tires just stay on top in the greasy stuff, but you can't get out of the rut.you could turn the wheel full stop and still be chugging along in the top 3" of the rut.
Meanwhile, if you tried to use a berm as a cushion to turn the front end would just push over it and keep going straight on to the slimy stuff that is thrown to the outside at a mud race.
I must have fell 20 times trying to finish the 3 laps I needed to do for half the laps of the leader, and picking up that fat tired pig was not easy.
I have raced 2 hour hare scrambles that didn't wear me out like those 3 laps.
in 1986 I raced a 1973 Bultaco Alpinia right side shift in the 250B class and finished midpack
Bike was strong but then I realized I was on drum brakes. Scary for me.
Then my dad buys it for me, sticks me on it. I'm probably 100lbs at this point, runt, and the suspension wouldn't budge. I'm talking a garden hose with low pressure laid across a dirt road would have stung my wrists.
Naturally I spent the next foreseeable period slapping the gas tank in third gear, deflecting off everything. Everything prob looked great inside the forks on that bike, only the first 1/2" ever got used unless I was whiskey'ing something to flat ground. Then it would get like 3" of boing and jump another 3" off the ground on rebound, it felt like. Was such a tease too, because I was so stoked to ride that thing, then after one ride I wanted my RM80 back baaaaad.
It was a klx300 with a stroker racing bore ans stroke kit , with a. Kx subframe, seat , tank and suspension ,
Was awesome to ride , but fucken god it was a nightmare to start hot , Manuel decompressor and all
Still glad my dad didnt raise me to sandbag classes though lol
{ because i missed my vintage mx class }class }
H
Pit Row
A mechanic at the local Honda shop had set up an XR250R for MX racing ver novice. I didn’t race it but I rode it for a session on a practice day. It was ridiculously fun, like riding a full sized pit bike. I bottomed it so hard the right footpeg bracket and frame flexed enough to get my boot wedged between the footpeg and the frame spar.
2002 CRF450RR
The bike though strange was really good, the only downfall being that it wasn’t that powerful, but it had a sweet powerband. If I remember correctly, John Martin (JMart snd AMarts dad) actually ported it himself? Anyway, it handled really really nice, like most slow bikes do 😂
I remember me and my friends rode it into the ground. We ended up with these short front pipes and a friend once fell off it, which set fire to the bracken it lay against.
Bid regrets now we didn't just restore it, but when you are twelve you use anything that's available.
It was easily the tallest bike I ever owned and I’m a short arse, so I could never even get close to touching the ground. Which made it interesting at the start gate. An experience that was made worse by it being left hand kick, with a kick starter that looked like it came off an 80 and was placed about level with my rib cage.
The engine had heaps of grunt, but vibrated like Shakin Stevens with Parkinsons. A porous water pump, so the gear oil was always milky. A Bing carb that didn’t like to stay in the manifold. Clutch plates that were apparently aluminium, but melted like butter. Forks that didn’t move, paired with a rear end that was saggier than the breasts in national geographic.
But at least it looked good, because I painted the expansion chamber white 😳
I really must find an old photo of that marvellous piece of engineering.
Post a reply to: Tell US, About The Most Unconventional, Most Unusual Bike, You Ever Raced ?