MX 360A

[firko]

It's a small old world Graeme....Our Las Vegas mate Bob Neilson, the bloke who I bought my B&S TM400, Alans upcoming Redline Honda, Ray Sullivans ex Dave Tanner ex Cozzie Cheney TM400 and my new Hindall DT1 actually owns that Cycle Guide cover bike. Bob's a real VMX detective, managing to uncover some of our sports rarer and more historically relevant bikes and I'm currently getting ready to do features on two of his more interesting bikes for an upcoming VMX issue. His latest finds are the 250 Suzuki X6 Hustler dirt tracer that won Sante Fe short track national in 67 & 68 with Jimmy Odom and then Mark Brelsford riding. In the same deal Bob also got the 250 Triumph rigid Sonic that Gene Romero rode in 69 & 70. I'll post pics when Bob sends them on.

The lightweight MX360 idea actually grew legs last night, thinking about it on the car journey home from dinner and later in bed as I faded off into Noddyland. The Hindall frame is just what the MX needs and it'd be cool to actually weigh everything and build the lightest bike possible (as in the Cycle Guide piece) as a forum "Lightweight Yamaha for Dummies" piece or even a magazine article. I reckon weighing every component, picking between Ceriani, Betor, Yamaha or even Maico forks, different tank and seat combos, wheel and tyre choices between stock Yamaha or CZ, Rickman, REH or anything else we can find, and so on down the line. My Boyd and Stellings TM400 comes in at around 185lbs (84kg) so I reckon that'd be a good target weight. Any further thoughts and ideas?

[Davey Crocket]

84 kg's for a  modded TM400 is very light Firko, std would have been closer to 110 kg's....even DT's RN400 weighs about 89 kg's....would be a rocket on the track. If you could get the MX360 down there it would be a giant killer.

[firko]

84 kg's for a  modded TM400 is very light Firko, std would have been closer to 110 kg's....even DT's RN400 weighs about 89 kg's....would be a rocket on the track. If you could get the MX360 down there it would be a giant killer.

John we did an informal lift and push comparo between Dave's RN and the B&S at CD7 and were surprised to find the Boyd and Stellings felt and looked noticably lighter. The bike is almost TM125 sized in overall dimensions. When I got home curiosity got the better of me and I weighed it using my digital bathroom scales and got the 85 kg figure. I'd be pretty sure the scales aren't all that scientifically accurate with a bike on a stand sitting on them so I'd vary that 85kg result 10% either way, even 90-95 kg is desirable. Once you take a look at the Boyd and Stellings you can see how the weight was achieved, by making everything as light and scaled down as feasible. I can pick the frame and swingarm up with one hand and hold it over my head with no discomfort. Try that with a stock Suzuki or Yamaha frame. The forks are machined down YZA items, alloy swingarm, plastic everything bodywise and titanium bolts (sorry Ji)throughout, except for the axles and swingarm pivot which I replaced with steel stockers because the Ti items were a bit second hand looking.

I think the Hindall frame would be slightly heavier than the B&S item going by the 'lift over head test' but it's still shitloads lighter than a stocker. I'd like to keep the bike still identifiable as an MX360 which would mean keeping the stock steel tank or finding a silver grey Clark Plastics replica item. This morning a mate suggested a Suzuki RM tank painted silver with the stock Yamaha graphics would look pretty right....Maybe!

Here's a link to a few of the Barry Watkins "lightweight" project bikes he build in Cycle Guide and Cycle World magazines in the early seventies. These articles are regarded as bible to cut and shut hot rod builders like me and Vegas Bob. Read them and you'll get an idea of what I'd like to do with the MX360 and see that my 85kg goal is achievable. http://www.eurospares.com/graphics.htm#Vintage Dirt Bikes

[bazza]

can vouch for firko the boyd and stelling 400 light as Daves RN400 possibly lighter to lift

[firko]

Thanks to this thread, the other yellow MX360 is now also enroute to Australia (no,  not to me or Jonesy either!).