Italjet cx50R

[worms]

just need some help with this one, the bike is a 1977 limited edition CX50R Italjet motocross bike, factory special with Marzoochi leading axle forks, triples and shocks, alloy barrell and radial fin head. there was 2 bikes made the S( Factory std) and the R ( hand built, limited race bike) has anyone got any info that can help me with resto!

Cheers Trev

[DR]

ya lucky bugger Trev! I did look long and hard at the Italjets when I was a nipper. Had they not been priced out of my reach and had poor parts back up, which incidentally was totally opposite of what the ADB test reported in the West, things today may not be so yellow in my garage The test of the '78 model below has the bike quite overrated as I ran against a couple of the Italjet '80's' in 1978 and they were no quicker nor that much better than my '77 RM80. The dealer in Bris. was a local marine shop which no longer exists and parts nowadays, as they were back then, are not overly abundant great little bikes loaded with super trick features and had they been priced inline with the jappers the whole mini scene may have changed.

The 'blurred' test below was for the '78 model RX50.

http://cid-86267c09a3452a71.skydrive.live.com/self.aspx/Classic%20Mini%5E4s%20XR75%5EJJR50%5EJMR50%5EJRM80%20etc/1978%20Italjet%20RX50%20Test%20-%20Ray%20Ryan%20ADB/1978%20Italjet%20RX50%20Test%20-%20by%20Ray%20Ryan%20ADB%20002.jpg#resId/86267C09A3452A71!1671

[firko]

I found an Italjet 50 (or 80, can't remember)in a skip bin about 15 years ago and removed the Magura throttle and passed the rest on to a mate who tried to fit an XR75 engine only to discover that the frame was heavier than the XR's and was made out of the same rust prone sub standard Russian steel that had turned every Italian car of the 70's into mobile rust breeding farms. The Italjet engine (Minarelli?)eventually went into another skip bin and the roller to the tip. Sorry to be so negative about one of my beloved Euro bikes but these little buggers were shite.

[Hoony]

if i remember correctly, back in about 77/78' in Vic Erik's mini bike centre ( no longer around) was an agent for these bikes. i think Vic Mini Bike ace at the time Shane Millbourne may have had one as i recall seeing him at the old Dandenong Mini Bike track at the end of Hammond road in about 78 with one.

as rare as they are, i reckon someone on here may have one or know of one around. Try PM'ing some of the mini bike collectors on here Trev like Betric as they are very knowledgable in this area.

sounds like a very challenging resto.

[worms]

Have you still got the throttle Firko,

sorry to hear your lack of love for them, but hey i will do some donuts round ya at CD7

Cheers Trev, the Wiltec squashed worm (no more comments for me :'()

[firko]

Don't take it so badly Trev...I don't really have much of a love of anything sub 250. I really wanted to like the little Italjet but......you know the rest.
A few years later I fell in love with Anthony Sutters Italjet 350 trials bike, the one with the Rotax 4 stroke engine. Such a pretty bike and very cool with it's big Rotax engine....Yep, I wanted (no needed) it so badly. That was until I rode the damn thing. In a nutshell, it was f*cking awful. Heavy, didn't turn, had a huge lag in the power delivery and bad ergos, the footpegs were too far forward (or was it too far back?). On the same day I rode Anthonys fantastic Fantic 300 which did everything absolutely right and a few of his Sherpas and finally his modern Sherco. All of these bikes helped bury the Italjet into the shitbox section of my brains filing cabinet..........However I digress, it was minibikes we were talking about wasn't it?

[All Things 414]

In 1979 Ricky Murphy's dad bought a super trick Erik Kehoe Italjet PR 50 into the country  . It flogged everything around at the time and I often wonder what happened to that trick little bike.  I'm wondering if KB or someone else might have a decent pic of it. I'm sure T&T did a story on it....

[worms]

Thanks for all the feedback guys, maybe not Firko's, because this is one trick little bike and i would like to do it justice.

Hey i cant say too much, as the worm stomper is lurking.

Cheers Trev

[RED ALERT]

A mate got a couple of Italjet PR50's sent from the states last year. They were definately the fastest bike in the 50 class in the late 70's when we raced, but like all Italjets seemed temperamental.
The PR's had a monoshock rear end, gold akront rims and won a lot of races here in WA. Terry Nock had a PR50 and a rarer PR80 and did well on both. 'PR' I think stood for 'Paul Dennis Replica'

[firko]

Trev..All stirring aside, I reckon the little Italjet would make a very cool pitbike but I reckon you'd have to be 5'2" and under and weigh in at around 45kg to avoid your knees hitting the handlebars .

I'm a product of my era in the fact that by the time decent minibikes hit the scene in the early seventies, I was already on proper big bikes so missed the mini revolution There was little or no mini racing in NSW, the only outlet being the Police Boys Club gymkhanas which to us was the last place we'd like to be seen, especially with my dad being a cop. You won't find too many folks over 55 into minibikes these days I'd reckon.

The Italjet I found in the skip was a twin shock bike from memory, not the trick looking little thing shown below and yes I still have the throttle Trev, it's on my TM250.
         

[DR]

I do know someone with a PR50 roller but I do not know if it's for sale or still even on the 'future project' list. The person in question is none other than Brent J in Darwin. The bikes that whipped the competition down south and over in the West during the late-ish 70's weren't the same bikes you could buy over the counter and they had the gun riders aboard. They were practically mini works bikes with the price tag to match. After about 1979 there wasn't much that would hold a candle to the jap bikes and the Italjets faded into mini mx obscurity. I personally think the PX and the PR's 'looked' pretty trick for the era

[russvr4]

I think Phil Sargeant tested one in adb at some stage dont know if he raced them though

[ba-02-xr]

I think Phil Sargeant tested one in adb at some stage dont know if he raced them though

I remember seeing this not long ago. Cant remember where . Yes it was ADB. There was a 50 somthing in Inverell years ago. I had a quick ride on it. I was way to big but it frightened the s**t out of me . I dont know why they put a throttle on them. Just need a switch. On off .

[Rossvickicampbell]

we only had one in our local scene in Tassie around 75/76 but I think it was an 80 "enduro" type model rather than an MX and didn't stand a chance once the YZ 80C came out.

Sorry - not much help there.

Rossco

[jimson]

Worms if you need parts for the engine contact Road & Race at Newcastle N.S.W I haven't got the ph number just google the name. They did the work on my minarelli engine and thats what you have in your bike. jimson