[Closed] Anyone ride MX or Twinshock MX?

Twinshocks, they are the reason some many ex-MXers have knackered knees 😳

Can't imagine the RM is worth bothering with, esp. since you can get a decent 85cc B/W for just over a grand.

I borked my knees, but it wasnt the twinshocks that did it, it was the 1985 CR500.. I got some huge leg caliper style knee braces for riding MX now.

The RM is just cos I had one as a kid in schoolboy MX.. but dont confuse it with newer 100's a 1980 one is full size bike.

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PROJECT!
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NEW IN 1980

Ah a classic RM 😀

Knackered knees due to twinshocks uh ok if you insist 🙄

Vintage and Classic MX is very popular and friendly.

Check out http://mxtrax.co.uk/

Thanks pigface, I do have an mxtrax account. Its not like STW though.

You ride?

I don't do Twinshock but I do race modern MX. Likewise I have an MXtrax account but
a) It's activity meter currently reads 1.
b) It's hard to draw out some conversation of any substance.

Not many places are like STW 😆

Not riding currently but was messing around on a KTM 300 a few weeks ago so much nicer than a 4 banger. I keep telling myself I am to old and to leave it alone but I am like a moth to the flame

When my numbers come up Maico only will be building me a 440 😀

I also dont do twinshock. Dont race either coz i;m dog slow but i love my little KTM smoker to bits. Never fails to bring a mahoosive smile to me face.

Really should get out on it more but my R6 is where the heart is. Nothing comes close to the buzz of a sprint race start!!!!

Used to, but banned by g/f from riding after a jump accident broke my navicular, which was misdiagnosed as a sprain (me making a fuss about nothing) by local A&E 'nurses', operation and pinning a week alter, 3 months off work, loss of job, nervous break down, loss of house.

Still, I'll bring the g/f around eventually. 😉

Pigface, I agree with you mate. While roadbikes are way better being 4 bangers, if you are playing off road then a 2 smoke is without doubt the best.

Just wish they hadnt got rid of Castrol R...thems were the days

Big money that one pigface!

My last ride was on a KTM a pal lent me for the day, it was the enduro one 250 2 stroke, and it had been about a year since I had ridden & 8 years before that, being the enduro model I thought it would feel tame, but it was absolutely, flipping massively scary fast.

As expected I was strong for 2 laps then my hands felt like they was going to fall off.

Tuckeruk, at least you used a smiley!

I have to agree, I prefer 2-strokes too, although I accept that modern high revving 4-strokes are more competitive.

Castrol R has been withdrawn???? OMG.

My mates dad gave me the nick name Dynamite Dick and the short fuse kid 😆 I was really quick for a few laps then would start to think about it and blam be on my ear every other corner.

Not so sure about the bigger 4 strokes but had the chance to ride a YZ250F and it was just so easy to ride, I would think the ease of use would have you turning lots faster lap times than lots of extra power.

Nah you can still get Castrol R, the scooter boys all seem to run it.

Modern 4 strokes, whilst still the most competitive, are having a hard time amongst the amateur ranks. Fields that were once full of four bangers are now awash with 2 smokers. And have you seen re-sale values of 2nd and four strokes now? Can't give them away.

Personally I hate the things. I love my SX 250.

Not so sure about the bigger 4 strokes but had the chance to ride a YZ250F and it was just so easy to ride

450's are still relatively easy to ride but if you want to to ride them at a respectable pace you really need to be able to muscle them around. They quickly become hard work.

As no one else is sharing bike pics here is a couple of Project Bultaco. Now if I could just find the time to put it back together!

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Its the cost of engines in the 4 strokes, when they break it writes the bike off.

2 stroke is relatively inexpensive to fix.

I don't think competition 4-strokes sit well with amateurs because of the high servicing costs and frequency.

Maybe because I was raised on 2 strokes and the only 4 strokes were CCMs but much prefer 2 strokes, lighter and just more fun. The KTM 300 is so smooth, have raced XR 400 Wr 250 and a memorable affair with TM450 that was scary but so much fun. Shame it grenaded itself regularly.

Have ridden a yz250 in H+H that had a lot of engine work and was so smooth with lots of bottom end and a nice hit on top.

Oh God stop talking about dirt bikes la la la la la la not listening.

Tinsy +1

Also get kids coming off a 85 onto a 250 4 stroke and they ride them like the 85 ie rev the tits off of it.

I don't think competition 4-strokes sit well with amateurs because of the high servicing costs and frequency.

Yeah, sadly it took many a long time to realise what a scam 4 strokes are.

[i]I don't think competition 4-strokes sit well with amateurs because of the high servicing costs and frequency. [/i]

I was having the same type of discussion on Sunday at the Red Bull Pronationals - good day out if near you.

And I understand 2-strokes having been brought up on RD's.

At the end of the day you can't beat screaming the nuts of a little 2 stroke. They make you feel alive. I've been known to doze off on a four stroke.

Anyone going to Hawkstone for the Brit Champs this weekend?

4 strokes got forced on us by the US emissions rules I beleive.

There always was a 4 stroke hardcore though, running specials with Yam 500 and Honda 600 motors Aberg's and Curtis to name 2 but those engines are quite simple in comparison to a modern one.

I was having the same type of discussion on Sunday at the Red Bull Pronationals - good day out if near you.

I try to avoid dirt bikes at all costs: out of sight out of mind (so God only knows why I'm in this thread :roll:).

Doesn't help that one of the neighbours has what sounds like a 250 (2-stroke naturally) in good fettle.

TuckerUK
Did you really suffer all that stuff from an off?

I thought I was resilient to the downsides, but the smell of 2 stroke must really light your fire!

I aspire to being not totally hopeless at enduros. Rode a KLX300 for a while but it weighed a ton and kick starting needed a run up! One fall and I'd expend 6 laps of effort getting it up and running again.

Now I have a YZ 250 crosser, the 'wrong' bike, but a real good price as it was a bit tatty. Fitting a flywheel weight, sticker set, bark busters, skid plate, quiet pipe (sic), and 18 inch wheel and it will still be a good price.

I've now re-learnt how to move around the bike without ending up straight armed and flat out. (I left the course at full throttle and cartwheeled into a hedge once.)

Saw a Suzuki twin shocker at Cheddar MX a while ago; he'd have beaten me any day. 😆

I borked my knees, but it wasnt the twinshocks that did it, it was the 1985 CR500.. I got some huge leg caliper style knee braces for riding MX now

I used to have a 85' CR500 and whole load of other crossers and road bikes since. The CR500 was a real monster, explosive acceleration that seemed to never end. Was a real love hate relationship as it was a pig to start, broke a few kickstarts, and nearly impossible to bump. Every bike I have ridden since seems tame. I was gutted when it was stolen but no doubt what ever scrote stole it would have ended up in hospital if they could get it started.

They spent the next 10 years* trying to tame that engine, with ever longer silencers etc.

(might not have been 10 but the engine was around a long time)

I got into moto after tryout day at a stag do, then again for my birthday and have done practice days, enduros and raced at Peaty's Battle Royle (you can see me stalled on the start line in 'Made' DVD 😳 )

When I started it was all 4 strokes. There's more and more 2 strokes at the track now, I think tighter cash and big service bills are turning the tide. Hopefully the sport hasn't shot itself in the foot by stopping development of what's a competetive fast and fun bike!

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A few photo's I've taken:

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I tried to lower the compression to make it easier to start, didn't do much to help really. A lad I knew raced one for TeeBee and he had much respect for CR500's plus a full time knee brace 😯 He could throw it around like I could only dream of doing.
I had a YZ250 straight after the CR500 and it felt like a toy. I hankered after another CR500 for while when Supermoto came on the scene but never got one. Maybe now is the time to try and get another to realise that I don't bounce as well as I used to.

Oh well, if we are showing off photos 😀

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Lovely pictures, just what I wanted to see.... But while I was at work!

Will get a few really old pics sorted out for tomorrow.... My recent pics don't exist!

I started racing towards the end of the twin shock era, 78, on an RM125C, but the only photos I've left are from the last couple of years, racing open class.
Most interesting bike I raced was a DR370 4 stroke engine, converted to methanol by one of the guys who later went on to work with Britten, the engine being shoehorned into an RM250 chassis. Only really suitable for what we called miniature TT- don't know what it's called here- basically racing round a flattish grass field.

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Raced for a bit over the past couple of years, not so much now. There has been a resurgence of 2 strokes in recent times but at the start of the season most years the first race was rammed full of people with brand new 250f's and 450's. The 2nd hand market for mx stuff seems dire in general (but older 2nd hand 4 strokes don't sell well at all!) too many people seem to be giving up and selling everything so the markets flooded. Current bike is a little Kx125 really fun to ride but both of the previous 250f's I had were not only quicker but so easier to ride (IMO 250f's would be the quickest bike under most people, unless you really know what your doing but most races round here are "open" class so you loose out on the start attracting people to 450's.) Off the MX tracks and into the woods though and the 2 strokes I think offer an advantage.

My winter project will be tarting up the 125 and probably getting a 144 kit as the KTM and TM 150/144's seam to get a good rep as fun bikes. If I went back to racing I'd be buying a 250f or a 450, put a wee bit of time on all the 2010 250f's models back in 2010 and surprisingly liked the Yamaha (ancient engine carb and all) best. Both my previous 250f's were Honda's (best ergos and quality by far IMO) but the new chassis seemed a little unstable and nervy but on a flat turn you could nip it round on a sixpence (then get thrown over the front coming into the next rutted corner as I did!)

Iain

TuckerUK
Did you really suffer all that stuff from an off?

Yes, silly isn't it. 👿 😳 🙁

Stupid off, all my fault. First time I'd ever broken a bone. Well pee'd off at myself. Accused of making a fuss by two female nurses in A&E (me, who never ever goes to the Doctors or A&E! 8O) and sent away. Living on my own an unable to move around house. Then finding out a week later (when it started going black) it was shattered and now ****ed due to no prompt treatment. Yeah, I just didn't cope at all well. Minor injury in the big scheme of things.

All's well that ends well though, tuned out I've always suffered from Bipolar Disorder and the breakdown was just waiting for an excuse to happen. Foot all fixed now (walk without a limp despite surgeons insistence that wouldn't be possible), and mental health A1 too. 😀

vinnyeh, love photo 4, reminds me of when I used to read Crash and Burn and whatever the serious US MX sister magazine was.

I've just found some bits from when i used to ride mx.

Is there a market for some old JT racing bubble peaks and chin guards 🙂
and a boeri kidney belt that must be for a 26" waist the joys of schoolboy MX
Iain

Got my Maico 250 which gets an outing once in a while. Does that count?

Poor quality pics as photos of photos on a not good phone camera.
Suzuki RM100 B 1977
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HAGON SUZUKI RM100 1979 (trick or what, Fox Shocks & all)
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1983 RM125 (seem to be getting a face full of roost)
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Oooh Fox shocks in the trophy photo. Yes folks its where Fox started 😀 look for photos of Fox Cr 250 Elsinore for a thing of real beauty.

Crash and Burn was in Dirt Bike Magazine. The deputy editor was a guy called Paul Clipper who I met at the 6 days in 1983 and he gave me a bunch of stickers. I am still a sucker for stickers. A lot of Rick Seimens editorials under the name of Super Hunky are still around to read. His story of crashing at the LA Coliseum is still hysterical.

Yeah the super hunky stuff is on the net, back then Dirt Bike mag was a truly treasured read, they had a crash & burn page each month but there were a few dedicated crash & burn mags, sadly I lent mine to someone & they didnt come back.

I see TMX is still going here in the UK, bought one the other day, still a dull read.

His story of crashing at the LA Coliseum is still hysterical.

That's when he broke his back?
Funny the stuff that stays in your mind after years and years. 🙂
Like this photo from the cover of Dirt Bike. I had a real hankering to try and recreate this, but a mixture of common sense and cowardice meant I never had a go..

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MX was definitely the precursor of mt b.'s upgradeitis, driven largely by the yank mags. Single sided air boxes, boyesn reeds, those fork damper kits whatever they were called, safety ceets, integrated rear mudguards and number plates, Lectron carbs- the potential was endless.Those airshocks were pretty much out of favour soon as they came out though, heated up too much. I had Fox Factory Shox (the coil jobs) on one bike, and they were no better than the stock ones.

Danny Magoo Chandler on the invisible Maico 😆

Such a tragedy what happened to him.

Yes it was where Super Hunky broke his back, his description of assuming the classic jumping position then his eyes assuming the classic position. He recovered so it is funny.

Bah, trying to find that Super Hunky LA Crash article on the net, and not finding it. Wouldnt have a link to it would you?

Loving the shots all you ... "gents of significant experience" have of yourselves when younger and dumber on those two shock monsters. God knows how I'd have managed trying to lob one of those about.

Reminds me of On Any Sunday (I've got the DVD), the motocross bit is just amazing. You guys are probably all in it!? 😆

Crash and Burn was in Dirt Bike Magazine.

DBM, that's the one! 🙂

...back then Dirt Bike mag was a truly treasured read, they had a crash & burn page each month but there were a few dedicated crash & burn mags,

Ah yes, it all comes back to me now! 🙂

Tinsy can't find it either, his column was called In the saddle ( i think)

slightly o/t anyone ever had a pit bike like the crf70 here

http://www.welshpitbikes.co.uk/

was toying with one for messing around in some forests and lanes in Ireland. Don't realy need a full size crosser

Been following this and really enjoying it.

There is also another clip about Loretta Lynns where a guy is racing a 8 yr old KX that is worth watching.

Mate's dad still has a twin shock Maico 400 with alu angular fuel tank lying in his garage. Twin plugs in head if I remember correctly.

Used to play around on stripped down trail bikes until our Dad's chipped together to buy a 495 Ktm for us. Must have been around 1984. Still get nightmares related to first ride. It was significantly different to the Dt175 and Er 250 we had been used to.......open throttle and hold on bet you could.

Never really been tempted by a bike since, but neighbour runs a neat 450 Ktm 4 stroke. He's been doing events in uk and overseas so it's an oddball being nos carb model. He wanted that for ease of fixing after issues with elects on his bigger 690. Sounds fantastic.

It was significantly different to the Dt175 and Er 250 we had been used to

Ah yes, I had a DT175MX from new. You could bend the forks just by showing it some rough ground! 😆

Remember the introduction of the 125cc learner limit got us a very nice xr200r Honda too. Not mx obviously but it was a pukka toy.

It was far and away my favourite at the time. Easy to ride and with the lights could muck about well after dark.

When we became old enough to get a nifty 50 we stuck a crashed Ae80 motor, into muckers Ae50. Seemed to last a bit longer than the other lads who used the CDC malossi (think that is what they were called...long time ago) big bore kits and expansion chambers. I sense such things may no longer available.

Christ we must have been an anti-social bunch....

Funny how we still like chucking away standard and upgrading our bikes stil....

DT 175 to KTM 495 is a very steep learning curve 😀

Tell me about it......it got sold on fairly quickly.....our Dad's realised the error of their ways and we were poo scared of it in reality.

Our Dad's had different trades and barter was quite often the way for 'homers' they did. Recollect the Ktm came that way. We were fortunate to live in a fairly rural area and the local Policeman was a sound lad. Stern words and sent on our way if we strayed....kick up the x if we became too much of a pain.

Sure asbo ans social services would be the way now.

Enjoyed this clip about Loretta Lynns, Ricky Carmichael is racing again there this year.