To be or not to be....90”s or Modern?

That bike rules... If you are having fun, then keep on keeping on. A new bike can be had whenever you ultimately see fit.

BR8ES wrote:

That bike rules... If you are having fun, then keep on keeping on. A new bike can be had whenever you ultimately see fit.

HA, thanks man...your right, I’m having fun and really don’t miss having a new bike. When I had a modern bike I was putting way too much unneeded pressure on myself to ride to my limits. Wanting to reset my outlook I sold that bike and took on a project that really helped me step back and appreciate riding again. I used to chuckle at the guy on the 76 Bultaco but now I applaud those guys and have way more appreciation for riding than I ever had??

BR8ES wrote:

That bike rules... If you are having fun, then keep on keeping on. A new bike can be had whenever you ultimately see fit.

DJBobbyD wrote:

HA, thanks man...your right, I’m having fun and really don’t miss having a new bike. When I had a modern bike I was putting way too much unneeded pressure on myself to ride to my limits. Wanting to reset my outlook I sold that bike and took on a project that really helped me step back and appreciate riding again. I used to chuckle at the guy on the 76 Bultaco but now I applaud those guys and have way more appreciation for riding than I ever had??

Good stuff Bobby, an outlook I need to adopt. Thing is, i always enjoyed seeing the guy who doesn't GAF and just rides what he has. Love the old stuff. Enjoy it.

"I just can’t help but feel a little silly riding a 25 year old bike out on a track fillled with Pro’s and modern bike?"

This is me on my 1980 yz250 last week at the othg race at perris. I nearly holeshot all the new $9,000.00 450 4 strokes ridden by younger guys and beat 1/2 of them on the track and I'm 62 years old. Not a single one of them laughed at me, lol.

Here is a short video someone at the track took of my start and posted on their facebook page. I shifted a little too early and bogged the engine after around 30 feet but slipped the bejesus out of the clutch with the throttle and got it going again.

https://www.facebook.com/1007676807/posts/10214035541375078/

Get a modern bike, but don't you dare sell that one!! My vintage racing organization just opened up 125 classes for 80s and 90s bikes, maybe yours will too? I picked up a 93 RM 125 in June, I've been having a blast with it. Now that it is getting dialed in, I am usually between 4-6 seconds off of the lap times I do on my 250F (on a roughly two minute long track). But it's so fun to ride a 125!

That bike is awesome....I would rip that bike all day long....I really miss the 125 class.....

This is one stud of a bike , I have so much appreciation for zook 2 strokes . Even though I bleed red ... I'd say keep this one as long as your riding. I'd love to RIP it atleast once.

"I just can’t help but feel a little silly riding a 25 year old bike out on a track fillled with Pro’s and modern bike?"

I feel exactly the opposite. As long as you have (and you do) an awesome (or just decent) vintage bike, you will pretty much be the center of attention (in a good way).

Nobody pays attention to that mega-bucks modern bike, when a rare and nice vintage bike is around.

OMG, race it in the vintage revolution class and you will have a blast right alongside of other bikes of that era. Best thing is next year you dont have to get the newest latest and greatest because the vintage class years never change!

OK, I will defenirly take all of your advice and just have fun with riding and not care what people are thinking. It’s really cool to hear that there are guy that share my feelings for “retro” dirt bikes and actually get out and race! Thanks for the motivation dudes??

I think you will find out when you show up at a track day with a retro bike as squared away as your RM is, you will get more looky lou's in your pits than any other. Showed up at a track day last month with my YZ465 and had to beat em off with a stick.

I feel silly riding my old bikes too. I feel most silly wearing 90s gear- which sucks, because it goes with the bike. The OTHG stuff isn't as judgy IMO. I always feel if I bring my newer bike and leave it in the truck, people can see I'm just doing some test-n-tune on the 90s bike.

The only draw back to the 90s dirt bikes are the sub par inverted forks. By then the shock, linkage, geometry, brakes, etc are not far off from the current crop of bike components. The forks really didn't get figured out till the later 90s and honed in to what we have now in the mid 00s (don't get me started on air forks). IMO find a later year RM front end and swap it and be happy. I'd argue the 49mm forks on the 97-98 RMs were awesome if you don't mind the conventional look. Otherwise I'd look in the early 00s.

I recently picked a 02 GasGas MC125 with full Ohlins suspension and it is a hoot to ride. I feel like a hero on it compared to my 450 as I can just ride it pinned nearly every where I go. LOL

The early 90s were good years for the RMs with great chassis and motors..

450exc115 wrote:

The only draw back to the 90s dirt bikes are the sub par inverted forks. By then the shock, linkage, geometry, brakes, etc are not far off from the current crop of bike components. The forks really didn't get figured out till the later 90s and honed in to what we have now in the mid 00s (don't get me started on air forks). IMO find a later year RM front end and swap it and be happy. I'd argue the 49mm forks on the 97-98 RMs were awesome if you don't mind the conventional look. Otherwise I'd look in the early 00s.

I recently picked a 02 GasGas MC125 with full Ohlins suspension and it is a hoot to ride. I feel like a hero on it compared to my 450 as I can just ride it pinned nearly every where I go. LOL

The early 90s were good years for the RMs with great chassis and motors..

Those 89 KX 46mm conventionals were very good too.

RyanLester761 wrote:

I feel silly riding my old bikes too. I feel most silly wearing 90s gear- which sucks, because it goes with the bike. The OTHG stuff isn't as judgy IMO. I always feel if I bring my newer bike and leave it in the truck, people can see I'm just doing some test-n-tune on the 90s bike.

never feel silly riding an older bike, especially a well prepped clean bike. Now the 90"s riding gear is different story....

RyanLester761 wrote:

I feel silly riding my old bikes too. I feel most silly wearing 90s gear- which sucks, because it goes with the bike. The OTHG stuff isn't as judgy IMO. I always feel if I bring my newer bike and leave it in the truck, people can see I'm just doing some test-n-tune on the 90s bike.

"The OTHG stuff isn't as judgy IMO"

Well, I also raced my 1980 yz250 at trans world mx at perris 6 weeks ago which is regular mx with younger guys and all newer 4 stroke bikes, and i had several people take photos of themselves with me and the bike and a couple took videos, and i even had a cheering section, it was hilarious, therefore, my experience so far is that it doesn't matter what club i race it at, there are always several people that like seeing the older bikes.

Almost nobody is going to go to a race that has newer bikes with their newer bike and have people stop and look at it and ask them about it, cuz it looks similar to all the others.

"Hey, look kids, that guy has a newer bike that looks just like ours, let's go ask him if we can take photos of ourselves next to it.", lol.

Also, there is nothing good about feeling like one has to keep up with the "Jones's". Fark them if they don't like your smokey little $1500.00 bike.

.

Having a blast racing my 99 CR125. Its jazzed up inside and out where it counts but looks 99 for sure. Love dicing with the new bikes and I see the looks when I come in. I have the 450 for sale now.
Enjoy it!

450exc115 wrote:

The only draw back to the 90s dirt bikes are the sub par inverted forks. By then the shock, linkage, geometry, brakes, etc are not far off from the current crop of bike components. The forks really didn't get figured out till the later 90s and honed in to what we have now in the mid 00s (don't get me started on air forks). IMO find a later year RM front end and swap it and be happy. I'd argue the 49mm forks on the 97-98 RMs were awesome if you don't mind the conventional look. Otherwise I'd look in the early 00s.

I recently picked a 02 GasGas MC125 with full Ohlins suspension and it is a hoot to ride. I feel like a hero on it compared to my 450 as I can just ride it pinned nearly every where I go. LOL

The early 90s were good years for the RMs with great chassis and motors..

"The only draw back to the 90s dirt bikes are the sub par inverted forks."

My 1980 yz250 doesn't even have those and I love em. Sub par suspension is all part of the fun cuz it's more of a challenge. Putting newer parts on a vintage bike defeats the purpose of riding it. One might as well just get a newer bike if they don't like how their 1974 kx 400 works.

450exc115 wrote:

The only draw back to the 90s dirt bikes are the sub par inverted forks. By then the shock, linkage, geometry, brakes, etc are not far off from the current crop of bike components. The forks really didn't get figured out till the later 90s and honed in to what we have now in the mid 00s (don't get me started on air forks). IMO find a later year RM front end and swap it and be happy. I'd argue the 49mm forks on the 97-98 RMs were awesome if you don't mind the conventional look. Otherwise I'd look in the early 00s.

I recently picked a 02 GasGas MC125 with full Ohlins suspension and it is a hoot to ride. I feel like a hero on it compared to my 450 as I can just ride it pinned nearly every where I go. LOL

The early 90s were good years for the RMs with great chassis and motors..

barnett468 wrote:

"The only draw back to the 90s dirt bikes are the sub par inverted forks."

My 1980 yz250 doesn't even have those and I love em. Sub par suspension is all part of the fun cuz it's more of a challenge. Putting newer parts on a vintage bike defeats the purpose of riding it. One might as well just get a newer bike if they don't like how their 1974 kx 400 works.

The 38mm and 43mm back in the 80s are better than the first generation inverted forks found on the early 90s bikes. I don't mind the 36mm forks on my 77 RM and race it often. Not sure if I would line up next to a modern bike thought. My 91 CR250 with later model Showa TC forks was awesome and just as fast as my 450.