old dirt bike memories

[747mopar]

kid 4 houses down has a dirtbike and been tearing up the neighborhood.......Karen next door says she's gonna call the cops..... I convinced her not to, next time out I'm gonna make me a new friend

Good for you!

 

[eldubb440]

Good for you!

glad to see you posting..... I was curious how close you are to the train wreck

 

[beanhead]

My old dirt bike memories are of bee stings riding through the orchards, a broken ankle, broken collar bone, and maybe some bruised ribs here and there.
Those days sure were fun, though!
Out on the farmland we had quads, 3-wheelers and lots of bikes...but I noticed after about 35 or 40 years old bumps and bruises were taking a bit longer to heal plus they hurt more so I don't ride much anymore.

 

[eldubb440]

My old dirt bike memories are of bee stings riding through the orchards,

mentioned this before, maybe in this thread..... we invented a game, riding through the orchards, apples and peaches, with a passenger...... the passenger would grab apples (or peaches) off the trees and throw them at the other bike(s)......inspired by the movie "Roller Ball"......good times!

 

[beanhead]

mentioned this before, maybe in this thread..... we invented a game, riding through the orchards, apples and peaches, with a passenger...... the passenger would grab apples (or peaches) off the trees and throw them at the other bike(s)......inspired by the movie "Roller Ball"......good times!

Oh heck yes!

 

[eldubb440]

Oh heck yes!

I vividly remember turning my head and seeing an apple coming right at my face, and my buddy Jeff , riding shotgun, swatted it away...... I'm sure it happened more than once, but this one I can see like it was yesterday

 

[mopar5150]

Me at 16yo with a 450 Maico with the coffin tank.

 

[eldubb440]

Me at 16yo with a 450 Maico with the coffin tank.
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hell yeah.....a widow maker lol,,,,here's my 76 250

 

[VANDAN]

I'm always asking around for anyone with older bikes, especially off-road. Nice to find complete bikes, as searching for missing parts is tough, like some old Mopars...

 

[Scott Engelhardt]

Them big singles vibrate so much. Pipes and frames crack. I raced hare scrambles on a P.E. 400 and an ATK 406. I was constantly welding up the pipes, the Suzuki cracked the frame at the motor mounts. The Suzuki is long gone but I still have the ATK

 

[cosgig]

In my world there was a natural progression to manhood. First you had a bike, or 2 or 3, and you tinkered with them, changed out the wheels, banged some extra forks on the end of yours and made a chopper, stuff like that. Then you were handed the keys to the lawnmower, learned how to start it and cut the lawn. Put gas and oil in it and stuff like that. Then you got yourself a mini bike and off you went. When the time was right you got yourself a bigger bike, usually a 125, then a 250, and eventually a 500. Once you got yourself a car, there was no looking back and the bikes got shelved or sold. I had an old Kawasaki K-1 175, and rode that thing everywhere, but my riding started with this little gem. Still have it after all these years, although it’s on loan to my neighborhood friend, so he can learn to ride.

 

[Seth Jones]

Working on a Bultaco Astro 250. All I had to start with was a frame and #’s bottom end, NOTHING ELSE lol! Been scrounging parts for a couple years. Had to have a new swingarm made since originals are non existent.

 

[snakeyes]

Working on a Bultaco Astro 250. All I had to start with was a frame and #’s bottom end, NOTHING ELSE lol! Been scrounging parts for a couple years. Had to have a new swingarm made since originals are non existent.

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hell of a good bike have several still

 

[Grabbergreendream]

I got into rebuilding mid 80's MX bikes about 20 years ago when complete non-runners were $200. My cousin saw some of the bikes I re-did and when it came time to get rid of his 85 CR250 basket case he just gave it to me back in the summer of 2020. He got sick & died suddenly in Feb 2021. He did see pics, but never saw it in person after I finished it.. I will probably never be able to let it go.

 

[azblackhemi]

My old dirt bike memory is when I was 12 asking my dad if I could get a dirt bike if I earned the money myself. He said yes probably because he didn't think I'd do it. So I got a paper route and then took over the other two routes in my town. Within a year I said come on dad we need to go get my dirt bike, I have the money. He was a little shocked but said OK. When we got to the shop I plucked down my money, $320 (mostly in 5's 10's and ones) for a brand new 1970 Kawasaki 90. Being too young to realize there was sales tax on top of the price. Luckily my dad paid the $20 or so in tax. And off i rode into the world of things with engines!

 

[6PKRTSE]

I feel the memories every day. Two knee surgeries on one knee and the other one needs replacement. Now with age, I enjoy quads better with my kids and now grand kids.

 

[Don Frelier]

I got into rebuilding mid 80's MX bikes about 20 years ago when complete non-runners were $200. My cousin saw some of the bikes I re-did and when it came time to get rid of his 85 CR250 basket case he just gave it to me back in the summer of 2020. He got sick & died suddenly in Feb 2021. He did see pics, but never saw it in person after I finished it.. I will probably never be able to let it go.
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Wow. Just like new.
My son has an 86 he bought when he was 13, it had no compression.
We cleaned up the cylinder with a ball hone, put a new piston in it and fly cut the head just a bit.
It was ported and some other performance stuff was on it.
Wow is it fast.

Just about everything on the bike was kinda broke.
It was good for about 3 broken arms but he loves that thing.

 

[Budnicks]

stock photos of some of the bikes I had
77 kx250

79 Yamaha IT400 with desert tank
(had another earlier one too, don't remember the year, had a Clarke desert tank & pipe too)

80 KDX 450 enduro, fun bike

82 KTM 495 MX
freaky fast hurt myself on it bad July 4th 1984-ish at like 1 am in Anchorage area
sort of racing a buddy he was on my old IT,
he was a great rider, fast rider
I was passing him on the hi-side of a banked corner
that had a bunch of whoopty doos, down low wasn't bad pretty close apart
up high they were like 6'-10' & in the middle about 12' apart
& got bucked off it, flying thru the air, landing into floating muskeg & a bush
I had a stick go thru under my right kneecap
that was a long time to heal & out of work

another KTM 1984 250 MX (water cooled)
my young nephew road it mostly
got it on a trade for some labor/carpentry

another bike I got in the same trade 84 KTM 420 GS
(the guy I got them from was afraid of them, in over his head)
fast fun bike too, a torquey bike, really finicky on the pipe
came on real hard
I ended up selling to a friend
3 dirt bikes 3 racecars was enough at the time

 

[Budnicks]

last quads I had were 1996 Banshee 350 2 stroke
had a big desert tank on it (see a theme here)
had a FM 4-1 s/st polished pipe & 4-1 = big carb set up & hot reed-valve too,
had wider rims & taller 21" (IIRC ?) chevron mud tires on the rear
& taller 22" (IIRC ?) tires on the front, long travel arms & shocks
more a trail runner, fun fast quad
than a race bike/MX quad,
I built it for the Quad Jamboree Piute Trail in Utah,
did 1200 miles on it at the Jamboree week
the one below looks nothing like it, after it was done

stock photo

a 2000 Warrior 350, 4 stroker, FM pipe, dial a jet, different tires, long a-arms & shocks
the reverse was nice, taller wider rear tires & taller fronts
more of a putter around the pits at the track/dragstrip
but very capable quad, kids loved it, electric start

again stock photo

 

[beanhead]

Last of the collection here, Husky 450 close-ratio....pops bought it in '71 from Malcolm Smith in Riverside Ca.
So it isn't going anywhere!

(And no, that's not my R/T in the background...that one's moms!)
Good times......!!