American Graffiti

[firko]

We had a bit of fun yesterday unpacking our latest little pile of American rust. Below are some of the stuff. We've got another shipment next week.


1972 DT250 Yamaha looks rough but is in surprisingly good nick. The missing bits are in another box.



Jonesys two GRM trials bikes. Made in Mexico, these are essentially a trials Cooper. The complete bike is unrestored and immaculate. The other bikes is missing only its forks and front wheel (Cerianis obviously robbed for an MXer) and is also pretty good. These things are rare with a capital R!

My unusual variable swingarm pivot Trackmaster flat track frame to house an XS650/750 Yamaha engine. (long term project, maybe next year.

[vmx42]

You really are enjoying retirement aren't you?

[firko]

More..


Jonesys cool new pit bike, a Steens 100cc Hodaka Ace.This is a very nice little bike if you're into early 16"wheel minibikes.

My early American Eagle (Sprite) frame. I got it for nothing off Mark Holloways Swapmeet, and I now know why. It's been to hell and back. It appears to have had a Triumph engine in it at one stage and has been professionally modified and gusseted. That's the good stuff. It's also been bent and broken a few times and most of the repairs have been done by stick welder, an indication to the wall thickness of the frame. the swingarm has been extended 4"! Not to worry though, I'm a boilermaker and we can fix anything! It'll get a 250 round barrel Maico engine for pre '65 250. (see engine sitting loosely in frame)

35mm Ceriani front end from a Can Am complete with triples and wheel, bought for $50 on the Swapmeet. These are $400 forks every day of the week



Early 60's Maico 250 Iron barrel engine destined for the Sprite frame. The engines locked solid (rust) but I'll be fitting later square barrel crank/rod and oval iron barrel. The ignition is something I've never come across before, it appears to be a distributor rather than a maggy. The cases appear to be immaculate and in reality, that's all I'll be using.The engine cost me only $20 of eBay so I wasn't expecting much. It's older that it'd been described which suits me better.

[firko]

You really are enjoying retirement aren't you

Retirement has it's downside Jeff but overall, I sure am enjoying it. I really like resurrecting these old dungers, it's my retirement hobby. I don't see any challenge in starting a resto with a running bike.

A punter once told me that I was being a lair with my bling, shiny bikes that were out of reach to the average bloke. That really got under my skin as 90% of my bikes start their lives as unloved dungers like these, bought for shit money. My Cheney was little better than the DT2MX yet it now looks a treat for surprisingly little monetary outlay.

[SAABCOMBI]

Hi mark, that yamaha mx 250 was the same model that l race in 1972 the bike l rode was an x Geoff Taylor bike, if my memory serve me well that came from Millage Brothers south melbourne. it was a very pecky bike to ride, but once you got use to it and its habits it was a tame pony.

[vmx42]

A punter once told me that I was being a lair with my bling.

When was the last time you gave a toss what a Punter said?

[Ji Gantor]

More VMX bike in Australia.
Thats the way.
Those Yanks don't appreciate them anyway.

Ji

[firko]

When was the last time you gave a toss what a Punter said?

I've manned up a bit since those days Jeff, especially after I saw the shitboxes the bloke in question owned.

Hi mark, that yamaha mx 250

Dave, it's not and MX250, it's a DT2MX, a far more rare and desirable bike. As Mr 'Know-it-All always said..."you should have known that!"

[SAABCOMBI]

Yes, my mistake, your right, the seriel number was DT250F MX OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT.

[Mick D]

The ignition is something I've never come across before, it appears to be a distributor rather than a maggy.

Firko, That exact unit was still used upto and on early round case road and enduro Squaries(the only ignition case that it will fit into).
The heart of that unit is a DC generator(complete with armature and commutator).
The bobbin in the bottom left corner, is the adjustable voltage regulator.(you will be able to trace one of the wires back to a carbon generator brush, the other brush will be to earth).
The coil situated at top left is the high voltage ignition coil, hence the casting relief on the rear RH lower square barrel fins for the routing of the high tension lead up the rear of the cylinder.
These systems were battery pionts ignition which produced a solid spark at kick start revs. The rusty unit in the middle is equipped with two centifical weights and is actually an automatic mechanical ignition advance. It is NOT to be thought of as solely an ignition advance, but rather a unit that retards ignition timing at rest and kicker RPM so these engines could be started without fear of kickback.
They were a great road/enduro system In their day.  That is, if they were kept ventilated, dry and maintained. 
   

[DR]

I love the little Steen/Hoddy

[firko]

The ignition is something I've never come across before, it appears to be a distributor rather than a maggy.

I mean't to write generator but for some reason my fingers wrote distributor! Thanks for the info Mick, I'd never seen that setup before. Whatever it is, it'll eventually be replaced with something a little later. I also said I was going to fit an iron barrel but I'm actually going to fit an alloy oval barrel. I'm accumulating parts right now to build a pre 65 Maico using the Sprite frame bin all honesty won't get to the project for a couple of years.