Talkin' bout Old School

[Gerard De Ruyter (Twistandshout)]

The ACT motorcycle club has announced a new class for 2008: 'Old School'.  Its open to all off-road bikes that didn't come standard with USD forks or rear disc brakes.  So that means lotsa '80s MXers, most if not all '80s off road bikes and a fair few '90s trail bikes.  The club has done this to encourage people with all them old school bikes to bring em out and have a go.  They're keen to get enough on the start line so the handful of the current 'pre-85' class guys can enjoy all the fun of a full grid start of our own. 

Some of you will think that's too modern for ya, but i can assure you, a start line full of conventional forked bikes means only one thing to the 96% of other riders at club meets - 'old school'.

The best thing is, and its the same elsewhere in VMX-land - its all just for fun and a great way to meet new people, bench race, without bothering too much with the bling and the bubba scrub and the rankings.

See http://www.actmcc.com/mx/mxnews.htm for more info.

[Nathan S]

Just when I was getting fired up about using my 87 CR125 in the pre-88 class... :?
Oh well, I'll just have to use the CR in with the moderns, and the YZ in the 'old school'.

[Graeme M]

Interesting concept. I kinda like it, I must say, but not sure of the effect. How many bikes pre 1990 had disk rears or USD forks? What was the spec for the 87 CR125 Nathan? I guess it's a rear disk?

I hope it makes for a bigger class - it'd be great to see a decent grid. I will probably have a few rides on the 75 RM125 - last Heaven meeting there I found the 125 an absolute blast, and with the engine rebuilt and the suspension set up good it should be even better.

[Nathan S]

Hondas got rear discs for 1987 (yes, including my 125).
Kawasaki had them for 86 (or earlier?).
Yamaha got them in 1988.
I think Suzuki got them in 1988.

KTM had USD forks from ~1985 (depending on the model - and they were an option even earlier).
'All' the Jap MXers got USDs for 1989 - the main exception was the 89 CR125RK, which kept RWU forks.
Even Husky/Cagiva has USDs on their MXers from sometime in the late 1980s.

[Graeme M]

So... this is effectively Pre 85 plus SOME Pre 90, plus a few trailies and enduro bikes from later eras then?

[magoo]

Basically. I always found that the more rules you impose, the harder it all gets. You've got Pre '85 so what's next? Pre '85 plus a couple of bikes so long as they don't have rear discs, blah blah blah. Just go Pre '90 and make it simple. Simplicity is what makes Evo so good, air cooled, non linkage suspension and drum brakes. So simple even I can understand it.

[Graeme M]

Well, yes I guess so. But the ACT guys aren't trying to appeal to a purely vintage audience. We have tried that for two years and other than the occasional visitor, the class is usually just the same 5-6 people. So the idea here is to come up with a class that has wider appeal, most likely in the local area. Partly I think the idea is to attract guys with trailies, like old XRs etc. This way we can still loosely have vintage bikes, but we may also get more entries. Sort of like the old Dungers or Buckets class but without the negative overtones of such a name.

And really, it's EASIER than Evo in that there are just TWO criteria - NO rear disk, NO USD fork. Seems easy enough, even if it does exclude some obvious 'vintage' class(es).

It can only be good I think. The class has finally gained a general acceptance at ACT and the guys are actually looked on in almost a fond way, a lot of which has to do with Mr Myers incredible, infectious enthusiasm. 

[magoo]

True. I hate it when I get shot down by common sense and logic. As for Mr Myers, I'll have what he's having. An enthusiastic, down to earth good bloke he is.

[Nathan S]

XRs got rear discs in 1990.
KDX200s got them with the start of water-cooled models (89?)
DT200s all had them (ignoring the rare white-red DT200N).

What had rear drums 1990+?
TS250X, XR200, DT175, XL185, TS185, TT250/350/600... None of which area patch on a CR-RG, YZ-T, etc...

I think the intent was good, but remind me who we're going to gain by writing the rules as such?

[Graeme M]

Well, I do kinda see your point. It *is* pretty unlikely anyone with an old trailbike/enduro bike is going to want to come and race around a track with table tops and whoops. But at least a few of the later than 1985 MXers are eligible with those rules. And Gezza's 86 CR250 will definitely be IN, even if he is OUT with Heaven. But look, that's what they've decided to go with.

So, Old Skool it is (note hip spelling - I'm 'with it' dude)

[Gerard De Ruyter (Twistandshout)]

Like all things Nathan, its a compromise.  We asked the current pre 85 regulars at Canberra what they'd be happy with/would put up with in terms of opening up the eligibility, and basically they drew the line at rear disc and USD's.  So in order to keep them coming back and not feeling too outclassed, we go with that.  I would have preferred pre-90, but realise those late 80s mx'ers handled real good, were fast as, and stopped pretty good as well, and would definitely outshine some of the older bikes that regularly ride.  So, mid eighties and earlier mx'ers and dungers it is, for 2008 at least. 

And yes, i am grateful that my new mount gets a guernsey....

[evo550]

QVMX seem to be fairly flexible with the pre '85 rule as well, you will always see some '85/'86's rotating at the same time. Smiles all round.

[Nathan S]

Gezza, don't get me wrong, I'm not bitter and twisted - basically I'm just unconvinced that this is the best way to go, rather than being Angry Man (TM).

I've already said that I'm happy to race the CR (and get hosed) among the moderns, and this gives me two rides (YZ-L in Old-Skool, CR-RH in moderns) rather than one, so it isn't a total loss. I'm just a bit frustrated that they've locked in a set of rules that appear to be somewhat half-arsed.

[Graeme M]

I was talking to Gezza about this today, and apparently he's looking forward to 08 here in Canberra with the new rules. I believe he's sooo keen that he's even cut one side out of the back of his nylons...

The more I think about it, the more I am inclined to take the RM out for a whirl in a few club days. This 'pre 90' sort of thing is fine but really those bikes look a lot like a modern, don't they? Nope, I reckon anyone on a '75 downpiped twin shocked slow old dinosaur will really get the crowd's vote - that's dinky di Old School, not a pretender like blokes on 86 CRs or whatever. And just imagine if I actually beat one of these nancy boy single shock, water cooled disk braked gay bar loiterers?

(Note to self - do lots of riding and training over Christmas)

[fsc]

It's great to hear that the ACT club is opening up the gates for older bikes. However being halfway through rebuilding a 1989 CR125 and a 1987 CR125(hondas), think that I have just missed the boat. As the 87,89 have a rear disc brakes with normal forks. Pre 90 would have been nice and I thought thats the way we were heading.