Best Vintage Enduro's

[frostype400]

No worries good to hear other peoples vinduro projects good luck dad had a tm125 when he was younger they are apparently pretty flighty do you think it would turn out to be a good vinduro motor or would it foul up the minute its off the pipe.

[Marc.com]

CG I'm using a TS185 pipe std motor.
I reckon the pipe and heaatshield look great with the yellow tank. And they are so indecently slim through the middle, memories..................................
Brent

Yeah mine was slim until I fitted 74 TS pipe, chrome heat shield looks good though. None of us are indecently slim in the middle these days. 

[brent j]

When I did mine the first time (about '75) I "eased" the frame tube in to give the pipe clearence and used a different oil tank. I had to make a different airbox as well. I'll keep mine on std suspension but use good shocks and some work on the forks.

Frosty, we're all using TS185  motors so no fouling plugs as we (I anyway) chug around.

Brent

PS I'm building up the TM125 race bike at present but hope to start the 185 over Xmass. I'll try and get some piccies as I go.

[frostype400]

Ok sorry i thought you were going the other the way round that should make a good little vinduro would definetly like to see pics the tm's are weapons i would love to have one.

[OSSA PHANTOM]

 If one were looking at it from a strictly enduro riding, out of box, no modifications standpoint a 350 Jawa ISDT would be hard to beat.

[GMC]

remember those articles in ADB on how to blow up your MXers tank by pouring hot water in it.  

I tried that in 87 with my KX 125, couldn't get it to work. It may be possible but I nearly scolded myself trying.
The little KX was great in the bush, spose it's considered modern though. My 86 KDX 200 was a great bike too, no, that's modern too.
My vote would go to the infamous KLX 250, considered a slug by many but it had the ability to flow through bush tracks nicely. I could go one of these for Vinduro's

[Colin Jay]

Husky61 mentioned the 390 and 420 auto Huskies.

In 1978 I trade my IT250D in on a shiny new 390 AMX after seeing Porky Eldridge on his auto Husky at the Cessnock 4 Day over Easter that year. I got it registered (those were the days when registering a MX bike was fairly easy) and rode it for the next 3 years in a variety of enduro events ranging from desert races in Broken Hill (where I lived) through to a couple attempts at the 4 days. In deep sand in the desert races it was not so good as the trannie offten could not make up its mind on what gear to be in and would continually change gears, gennerally between 3rd and 4th.  In the tighter, east coast enduro that I rode, it was brilliant, and it was my riding abilities that let me down and saw me not finish an event in two years.  The tranny was not up to the longer events like the 4 day, as gennerally towards the end of two days riding the tranny would start to "slip" in first gear, especially if there was a lot of tight going and hills (Cessnock). For the 79 and 80 4 day's, I had organised a spare tranny that I intended to fit during the 10 minute work period at the start of day 3, I had it down to about 8 minutes to do a full tranny swap, however I retired on the 2nd day in both events.

I still have the bike, the engine has been in pieces in a box in the shed for the last 25 years and the frame is fitted with a 500 Yamaha engine. I intend to get the old girl back together again one day, and have bought another frame so I can still have the 500 engine in a husky frame and use the original frame for the rebuild.

During 1978, my cousin bought a 360 H6 Montesa and a friend of my older brother had a 78 GS400 KTM.  I rode both these bikes in a couple of events and the Monty was great in the tight and hilly going and the KTM was the typical mixture of awesome and scariy in the desert races as we would gear it for about 100mph flat out in top.  My older brother bought the KTM from his mate in 1980ish and it has lived in his garage for the past 25 odd years with out being ridden. I have been trying to talk him into giving/selling it too me for years, but he still hasn't come around, hopfully next year he might relent!

CJ

[frostype400]

All sound like awesome bikes thanks cj its hard to get time to do bikes up its a shame when they sit unridden though i hope you can convince your mates to sell them so they can be ridden my PE400 was sitting under a tree for eight years i have been waiting till i was tall enough to ride it to do it up i did it up last year but im doing it up again i just got plastics back its a fun bike for a 16 year old thanks Michael.