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Ormond Beach, FL
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Tbteam
2/23/2018 7:20pm
2/23/2018 7:20pm
Edited Date/Time
8/21/2019 7:01pm
I've been drooling over these bikes for too long. I finally found just thee right one. 83 with repro swingarm, aluminum subframe/airbox assembly, Excel rims, Pro Circuit pipe, Carbon fiber silencer...I'm pretty pumped.
Now, if anyone can't direct me to some factory suspension or some conventional Ohlins forks???
Now, if anyone can't direct me to some factory suspension or some conventional Ohlins forks???
Good for you Mark
I hope you ride the wheels off that thing and use it as it was made for
It's quite the thing to finally get.
You can put anything you want on it, but , as far as I can recall, Ohlins Conventionals didn't exist when that bike was made, and / or campaigned. Ohlins USDs were before the RWUs. The conventionals it has, were the period appropriate things. I think Lucky Nino has Mugen Kit RWU forks (if yours aren't Mugen kitted) on one of his VRP / Mugens, but they are a few years younger than this bike.
But, a modern(er) fork and a disc would certainly be a performance upgrade.
Either way, congratulations on getting what you wanted!
The Shop
Was maybe about 5-10 bikes I reckon that I remember like this from that time in UK. Quick riders who had this bike or similar here were Mark Banks (Son of John Banks) and Paul Bickers (son of Dave Bickers) and a few others, who also did quite good. May have been alot more (Mugen kitted bikes) but they were expensive, the kits and stuff- as they are now! I maybe recall seeing about 5-10 maybe back at the time.
Think Mark Banks won quite abit on Mugens very much like this in 1983/84 before he went onto adults and then onto the GP's.
.I've a set of 44s hanging on the wall, plus the original box they came in and other bits. I ran them on my RM/XR hybrids, and a few other bikes.
By doing a caliper carrier along the lines of the rear type we are all familiar with, you can fit a disc brake - that's what I did when I got fed up with the Dual Leading Shoe front brake I had. I would Never weld any sort of mount to the forged legs - ever. The 'baby' Brembo ( the caliper Huskies / Cagivas first used on the front) I initially fitted, was almost as bad - it flexed open by well over a mm as you used the lever. A Gold Line rear Brembo Caliper sorted things out..
Sports Motorcycles, now based in Un Zud, have externally adjustable Emulator type kits, but they cost a whole bunch of money .http://sportsvalve.com/sports-valve-fully-adjustable-damping-control/
They need to know the I.D. of the fork tube they are to go into. Bit 'iffy' that they have something for that size, though, as this listing goes to an ID of only 39mm - but if they make them, they could surely machine a bigger body and piston ring = $$$$$$$
biilyslad above might be the 'go to' guy for the shock you want.
Are you coming to Atlanta?
Pit Row
On the forks, I went away from that soft negative pressure spring/air setup and stepped up to a set of Race Tech springs on mine. Eventually sent them in to be modded and emulators installed. They work way better than the other set I used to race with.
PhilG was just commenting on his own 'scene', as was I. There's quite the chance of European Mugens' having come across to Britain. Europe was / is a Massive market for MX that Americans just don't seem to grasp. A lot of Mugens / Mugen parts were there, just as stuff like Genuine HRC kits and parts were sold there.
Of the 5-10 or so I remember seeing/ racing against in 1983-1984, think nearly all of them were 'just' kitted Mugens. I think 'a built by Mugen/ Mugen' hardly existed then, may have possibly in GP's/ or Japan... not sure- but think all the ones I remember were just kitted- even Mark Banks one possibly also, may have just been a 'humble kitted one' ... despite his obvious talent and connections. Think most of them were kitted and I expect the numbers grew years after, because of the leftovers/ unsold kits/ parts as Newmann has stated. So yes, there may have just been a handful around in 1983-84 but if people bought parts years after then for sure the numbers may grow, whether parts/ kits bought in from Europe or wherever.
The only 'real Mugen/ built by Mugen' I remember was one of the white Johhny O ones- however that was way back in about 1980 with twin shocks. The UK DG Importers(way back in the day)) Son raced it around the Southern Areas/ regions in UK back then. Super cool bike it was for sure. That the only 'real' proper genuine Mugen I remember.
Jason Bonhams (son of Led Zepplin legend drummer John)- yea he had some super cool exotic bikes also, including a Mugen. Again though, it may have only been a 'kitted one', despite his connections and his Dads wealth. He was a pretty handy rider also, was Jason.
Even a kitted one was for sure a super desirable bike, as it still is today.
I'll take one or two if given the chance!!
Enjoy the bike- bet she rips if it is all setup nice!
Keep us updated on how the Fox Forx come along, and thank you for sharing!!
Newmann- yes, superb- never seen some of those pics/ literature before and also you must know really quite alot about these bikes etc. You own about 3 of them don't you?! How cool is that!
Yes- the only 'real Mugen, the' 'White one', that was in UK. back then , I think was a 1980 ME125, Water Cooled but still twin shock then- think it was probably one of the original hand built of the 5 Mugens(?) that were sent to America and then came to UK, via the DG importer for his son.... or at least that's how I remember it, although the old memory is becoming abit foggy now as was coming on 40 years ago!
Not sure what the exact specs were of other bikes like the OP's bike of 1983, think they were all pretty much 'kitted' to varying degrees/ specs(or at least the ones in UK), although maybe some may have been more Mugen made and 'less kitted' than others... not totally sure. I do remember though the lads who had these Mugens, 'kits or not/ whatever' were generally damn fast!
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