OzVMX Forum

Clubroom => Foto Forum => Topic started by: John Orchard on August 17, 2012, 01:45:35 pm

Title: My Trail & Track covers, looking for more.
Post by: John Orchard on August 17, 2012, 01:45:35 pm
(http://i1093.photobucket.com/albums/i423/JohnnyRacer89/Apr84-1.jpg)

(http://i1093.photobucket.com/albums/i423/JohnnyRacer89/July84.jpg)

(http://i1093.photobucket.com/albums/i423/JohnnyRacer89/Jan84.jpg)

(http://i1093.photobucket.com/albums/i423/JohnnyRacer89/Feb84.jpg)

(http://i1093.photobucket.com/albums/i423/JohnnyRacer89/Sept84.jpg)

(http://i1093.photobucket.com/albums/i423/JohnnyRacer89/Nov84.jpg)

The above are the issues I've been able to find, still looking for more  :-)
Title: Re: My Trail & Track covers, looking for more.
Post by: John Orchard on August 20, 2012, 07:23:44 am
Hi  :-)  Thanks for your message; Most people want to keep their copies, I'm interested in any copies that were printed while I worked there in 83,84 & 85.

It'd be cool if I could get a scanned or a photo copied version of any front covers which I am on the front of, and maybe photo copies of any of my written articles.

Most of the magazines that I've been able to find has had the centre poster removed  :-(  I guess I should take that as a compliment lol
Title: Re: My Trail & Track covers, looking for more.
Post by: Canam370 on August 20, 2012, 12:39:29 pm
Hope your ridings improved over the years John.......you are all over the place on the bikes in the pics - lucky to be on some of them at all!  ::) ;D
Title: Re: My Trail & Track covers, looking for more.
Post by: GMC on August 20, 2012, 01:06:39 pm
I've got nearly a full set.
Stopped buying them in the later years as it turned to such crap.
Some of the photo's it was hard to tell if it was a picture of a bike let alone what model.

Happy to scan them for you, just gotta find the time to find them and do it.
Don't think I have many past 85 / 86
Title: Re: My Trail & Track covers, looking for more.
Post by: John Orchard on August 20, 2012, 01:15:56 pm
Hope your ridings improved over the years John.......you are all over the place on the bikes in the pics - lucky to be on some of them at all!  ::) ;D


I'm just spewin I never got any chances to test some Canam's.  Maybe I can test yours and we send the article to VMX magazine?  ;-)
Title: Re: My Trail & Track covers, looking for more.
Post by: Montynut on August 20, 2012, 02:25:59 pm
Almost all the cover shots have a rider that can only use one foot peg at a time ;D ;D ;D  :P Whats the story  ;D
Title: Re: My Trail & Track covers, looking for more.
Post by: Canam370 on August 20, 2012, 02:28:07 pm
Almost all the cover shots have a rider that can only use one foot peg at a time ;D ;D ;D  :P Whats the story  ;D


Yeah, that was my point too!
Title: Re: My Trail & Track covers, looking for more.
Post by: John Orchard on August 20, 2012, 02:42:46 pm
Ha ha I never thought about that before  :-)
Title: Re: My Trail & Track covers, looking for more.
Post by: D project on August 20, 2012, 09:16:29 pm
Almost all the cover shots have a rider that can only use one foot peg at a time ;D ;D ;D  :P Whats the story  ;D

And a fresh set of the latest gear.What a dream job :D
Title: Re: My Trail & Track covers, looking for more.
Post by: John Orchard on August 20, 2012, 09:38:37 pm
Almost all the cover shots have a rider that can only use one foot peg at a time ;D ;D ;D  :P Whats the story  ;D

And a fresh set of the latest gear.What a dream job :D


Yeh but I didn't get paid very much, usually around $200 per week, even back in 1984 that wasn't very much.  I would spend a day or two testing a bike, a day or two writing an article and a day or two doing graphic artwork in the office.

Back in those days I would cut-up the strips on editorial, stick em on to a page to be copied, so old school by todays standards.  When I started there we were doing the type on the front cover with letraset, it was really 'small-time' .... as we could all tell.
Title: Re: My Trail & Track covers, looking for more.
Post by: John Orchard on August 20, 2012, 09:39:54 pm
And Bert Flood would only dress me in Sinisalo gear for the KTM pics, then he'd take it home with him lol
Title: Re: My Trail & Track covers, looking for more.
Post by: John Orchard on August 21, 2012, 09:59:46 am
Cool thanks  :-)  ...... T & T stuff-up?  nah  ;-)

Poor old Les Swallow, you gotta respect him for even having a go, it was a trash mag but I guess better than nothing.
Title: Re: My Trail & Track covers, looking for more.
Post by: John Orchard on August 21, 2012, 06:32:18 pm
Cool, thanks, yeh that's me on the CR250RE but Trevor Brooks on the KX500; I tested it but we used him for the pics.
Title: Re: My Trail & Track covers, looking for more.
Post by: John Orchard on August 22, 2012, 10:24:55 am
I remember that 125 KTM was so peaky, the Maico was such a fantastic bike, for a 500 it was so easy to ride, and ride fast!  Front brakes were bad and clutch pull was a killer, that's the bikes owner Chris Humphreys on the bike.

Yeah it was good; go to the importers, pick up the very newest model that wasn't even on the showroom floors yet, take it to a track and thrash it for a day or two.  I had no money but I was having fun .... story of my life; 'live for today, forget about tomorrow' .... hence I have no money, no house, no family, a body full of steel & titanium and a walking stick.  People ask me "would I do it all again" I say "shit yeh!"  LOL
Title: Re: My Trail & Track covers, looking for more.
Post by: John Orchard on August 22, 2012, 11:10:19 am
That CR250RF at the top of this page is my own bike, that was my last motocross racebike before switching to roadracing.  I then had an RM500D that I practised on and tried to roadrace; with the buckled 18/21 inch wheels lol; I soon decided that the Yam FZ750 that I was also roadracing handled a bit better  lol
Title: Re: My Trail & Track covers, looking for more.
Post by: John Orchard on August 22, 2012, 01:55:59 pm
The Yam YZ250N was a great bike in '85; it had a lot more top-end but would still rip from low-down.

I think in the late 90's the government made all tax (GST) 10%, that pulled the price if bikes down a bit.

I remember a few years back new bikes were over $10K but they have come back down a bit now.

I just swapped my 2010 YZ250 2-stroke for a 2011 RMZ450, I'd swear neither of them handled or performed as good as my '82 RM250Z (except brakes).

If you could still get a brand new 20 year old bike, it would be just as good as todays bikes I reckon.
Title: Re: My Trail & Track covers, looking for more.
Post by: John Orchard on August 22, 2012, 06:28:58 pm
Yeh I was hoping for a big improvement in bikes, after 25 years away from dirtbikes I was expecting them to go by themselves lol, maybe me being 25 years older is the difference?!!  LOL
Title: Re: My Trail & Track covers, looking for more.
Post by: John Orchard on August 23, 2012, 10:38:55 am
Thanks a lot GT, that's the first time I've seen those pages in 28 years  :-)
Title: Re: My Trail & Track covers, looking for more.
Post by: John Orchard on August 23, 2012, 10:44:31 am
Boy I never realized how much work I use to put into testing bikes back then!  I'm surprised how much I thought I knew for a 24 year old LOL
Title: Re: My Trail & Track covers, looking for more.
Post by: GMC on August 23, 2012, 01:06:33 pm
I went an looked at brand new 250 mx a couple of years later, and the price was around double of that 85 KX! Thanks to the Gov taxing the hell out of imported vehicles I guess.
I think the "import tax" came in 1985?

Taxes didn’t change, 85 was when the bottom fell out of the dollar.
Overnight it went from high $0.80’s to mid $0.50’s
Bike and parts prices soared after that and so did fuel prices which made MX a rich mans sport.
Its only in the last couple of years that the dollar reached (and passed) the same levels of 84



Good scans BTW.
Title: Re: My Trail & Track covers, looking for more.
Post by: John Orchard on August 23, 2012, 04:57:46 pm
Wow GT, I had forgotten all about those issues  :-)  Thankyou so very much GT, if I can ever do anything for you please keep me in mind.

Are you in S.A. ?  I'm coaching at Mallala on Sunday Sept 2; are you nearby?
Title: Re: My Trail & Track covers, looking for more.
Post by: John Orchard on August 23, 2012, 08:23:49 pm
I'm not sure about the mx track out there but I instruct at Champions Ride Days (road).

Thanks, I'll buy you a beer or two when we catch up  :-)