Went to motocross event tonight

[Mike H.]

What a blast...the little pee wee races were just as cute as could be...i cant believe the power in some of those little 50cc bikes today..Just a blast to watch...Rooted for my Team Yamaha as usual..saw Yamaha take 2 class wins..One in 450cc quad and a YZ250 2-stroke taking a 250cc open class.

I think its time to get back riding again

 

[Zamazam]

a while back I used to race 400cc 2 cycle Husqvarna Enduro's. Fun times.

 

[Mike H.]

a while back I used to race 400cc 2 cycle Husqvarna Enduro's. Fun times.

Classic bike...Nice.

 

[Zamazam]

Yea, I miss it. Ran mine till it fell apart.

 

[Mike H.]

Yea, I miss it. Ran mine till it fell apart.

Those huskys were power houses...I recall some Bultaco's as well and a company called Stein..Also CanAm....Grew up with yamaha...My step dad bought a 74 yamaha DT100 enduro...pulled all the lights off and put dirt bike tires on it.

I was all of maybe 6 or 7 when i rode that bike...when i started and stopped someone had to be there to hold it up..couldnt touch the ground at all..Learned by watching my big brothers as i rode on the back for many years .

Since then owned a few yamahas..some YZ 125's and 250's.
and a yamaha warrior 200 cc 2 stroke quad...Need to get something again

 

[Zamazam]

Those huskys were power houses...I recall some Bultaco's as well and a company called Stein..Also CanAm....Grew up with yamaha...My step dad bought a 74 yamaha DT100 enduro...pulled all the lights off and put dirt bike tires on it.

I was all of maybe 6 or 7 when i rode that bike...when i started and stopped someone had to be there to hold it up..couldnt touch the ground at all..Learned by watching my big brothers as i rode on the back for many years .

Since then owned a few yamahas..some YZ 125's and 250's.
and a yamaha warrior 200 cc 2 stroke quad...Need to get something again

My buddy had a CanAm. The Husky's were scary powerful for the time, a frame from a 250cc beefed up for enduro with a 400cc 2 stroke.

 

[OBDave]

Forgive me, Yamaha faithful, for the reddish color of the crossbar pad...I only picked it up to toy around with taking the training wheels off before deciding that, although fun, I was gonna stick with my Banshee...



2 smokes for life...just wish I had time to get out and ride more often...

 

[Mike H.]

Those banshees are bad ass..350cc of kick ass 2 stroke...a 421cc kit make them insane..lol

 

[Mike H.]

I have to make a correction..the quad i had was a yamaha Blaster..not a warrior....but it was a 200 cc 2 stroke.

 

[OBDave]

I have to make a correction..the quad i had was a yamaha Blaster..not a warrior....but it was a 200 cc 2 stroke.

Blaster was the first quad I ever rode - 190 cc 2-stroke billed as a 200 - I'm a big guy (5;11", 225 lb), was bombing down hills grabbing every gear I could and then dropping like mad to reach the top of bowls in the dunes with 2nd (sometimes 1st) gear screaming just to make it up. Fun times, though! Still better than the 350 cc 4-stroke Warrior, dated a girl who had one of those and it couldn't get out of its own way.

My 'shee only has a slight bore, with a little bit of stroke added in a full teardown I did a few years back - not much above the 350 cc stock displacement, but the long-travel suspension did more for me than the engine build, still pushing about 78 whp on a dyno...I built my bike to handle, not shoot hills or drag strips.

 

[Mike H.]

Sounds like fun

 

[OBDave]

Where do you go play, @Mike H. ? Glamis in SoCal was my sandbox, hence the Banshee, but I always had more fun in hard-pack and trails with a more compact ride like the Blaster or a 400EX...

 

[OBDave]

Oh, and lest these pics of me as a kid send the wrong message, a couple very important disclaimers, in no particular order:

1. If you must drink beer, don't drink crappy beer. These days, many reputable brewers are putting their beverages in cans - in the bad old days, barely-drinkable domestic macro-swill was a last resort, not a preferred option.

2. Don't drink and ride, just like you damn well better know not to drink and drive. It's only God's desire to use my life as a cautionary tale that I still exist after all the stupid stuff I did in my 20s...

 

[Mike H.]

Where do you go play, @Mike H. ? Glamis in SoCal was my sandbox, hence the Banshee, but I always had more fun in hard-pack and trails with a more compact ride like the Blaster or a 400EX...

Unfortunately im not playing anywhere at this time...in a new state and just found the local races here..Theres a few tracks and alot of trails as im finding out so, after having watched some local races its sparking my interest again..Im in west virginia bordering ohio which seems to be big on motocross.

Im going to check out a first class facility called Fast traxx in Nelsonville, Ohio..Gonna start looking for something used to ride as well and maybe enter some local events. http://www.fasttraxxracing.com/

 

[huntervaperkid100]

Where do you go play, @Mike H. ? Glamis in SoCal was my sandbox, hence the Banshee, but I always had more fun in hard-pack and trails with a more compact ride like the Blaster or a 400EX...

I'm a 2 stroke guy but just had my banshee stolen and got it back and realized I want to get a 4 stroke for a little more speed so I was thinking maybe a raptor what do you think about getting one used?

 

[Mike H.]

The raptor is the best 4 stroke they have...think you can get upto a 660cc or something like that.

The YZF 450 Quad is the racing beast.

 

[huntervaperkid100]

The raptor is the best 4 stroke they have...think you can get upto a 660cc or something like that.

The YZF 450 Quad is the racing beast.

Cool thanks

 

[Mike H.]

Did you get back a stripped banshee or is it all there still?

 

[huntervaperkid100]

Still there with new wheels and tires and seat all brand new. My favorite thief ever by far

 

[OBDave]

I'm a 2 stroke guy but just had my banshee stolen and got it back and realized I want to get a 4 stroke for a little more speed so I was thinking maybe a raptor what do you think about getting one used?

I think you should build your Banshee to make it faster.

That said, I couldn't stand any of the Raptors I rode - too tall and narrow, very tippy. the motor sits high in the frame, making it hard to get a good center of gravity. That, and any of the 450s out there will blow the Raptor 660 away speed wise, with less weight and better handling.

When I can afford to get out riding again, I'll probably set my daughter up on a Blaster, my wife on a Honda or Yami 450, and just rebuild the top end on my 'shee for myself - after dropping $15K into it back in the days when I was a single banking junior executive I can't imagine that there's another quad out there that could be as cool as the one I loved as a kid...which is why I've refused to sell it all these years.

 

[OBDave]

To put it another way: if you like big, powerful, high-displacement cars with power immediately available when you hit the gas, you want a 4-stroke. If you like turbo-powered cars that take a second or two to spool up and then punch you in the gut with a "holy shit where did that come from and how am I blowing by this guy that just hole-shotted me?!?" blast of power, you want a two-stroke.