EVO class

[090]

Probably because the next person will take it to the next level. For a stupid example, I have a 1990 cr motor sitting on the bench at home. I have no money so I want to put it in a cr250 rz roller I have that only cost me a carton. I am pretty handy and the cr480 air cooled barrel and head sitting on the other bench I could make fit ( full compliment of hammers to do this) to the 1990 bottom end. So it will look right and fit the air cooled drum brake scenario. The other guy over there has a later cr front end on and I think he has a 480 motor in it. So why cant I do this? Hey and Im poor, so let me do it or I will go fishing instead, then where will you guys be. That wasn't a stupid example, more like a ridiculous one. Purely to make a point.
I think the more guys in vmx the merrier. But if you and I can get into the vmx scene and ride appropriate bikes, why can't the next guy?
Being poor is a 'poor' excuse for anyone to use, to go outside the rules.
Talking about taking it to the next level. There has been an instance where a 480 was converted to twin shock that I know about wanting to race in evo. There have probably been more. Some guys just want to do those sort of things. I must say that there are plenty of grey areas, but not just in evo. I think it would be safe to say that just about all era's have their own grey area.

Evo is pretty good just as it is

I agree.

You would see a lot more bikes on the track if the basic rules were adhered to without being under the microscope. 

Would you not think that there would be some Frankenstein bikes out there? A dutch twin shock type of bike fits the criteria.
I think you fall down in expecting others to be as fair about it as you are.
My posts are getting too long. I really hope work picks up soon!
 

[worms]

a bit longwinded, like your trophies, they go on, and on, and on , get to the point will ya

cheers Trev

[bigk]

The dutch twin shocks are totally different than putting a 30 year old air cooled 480 engine in an RZ (pain in the arse) or RA (easy) as they are single shock bikes coverted back and cannot be called EVO. An original twin shock chassis with a 30 year old air cooled engine, and conventional forks which had drum brakes originally (not converted 50mm Magnums) should IMO, be OK. The one bike which no-one objects to (here I go again) are those frickin HIDEOUS HL replica's which have nothing old on them except a fuel tank and engine, yet are evo legal. You can't buy a legit HL, so if you want one, (something I can't understand), you make one using all new the new shit you can get your hands on, and away you go with a pat on the back for doing a good job. You can't buy an RC450/500 but if you make one using a 30 year old chassis, engine & components, you get bagged for cheating. The rule legal way is to use a YZ465H or Husky 500 engine, but then you don't have your Honda. What's the difference between 30 year YZ465 and CR480 engines anyway? Nothing other than one of those bikes has a linkage in the rear suspension, I'm still at a loss at how that affects the engine. Personally I don't really care, or maybe I do, but the day the rules are eased up, is the day the numbers at the nationals will increase. Air cooled, non linkage, no disc brakes, should be that simple. Alas it's not.
K

[BAHNZY]

[motomaniac]

Tossa,
The evo class was introduced years ago, before pre 78, before pre '85 and pre '90 as a class for people with bikes older than pre '75.
I could only assume that at the time it would have been considered the last class to be introduced to vintage.
It's very easy today to say, "they should have done this" or "they should have done that" but hindsight is a wonderful thing.
[/quote]

Where was that? Where I come from an Evo class was first run in 1997 in the VIPER series .Pre 78 ,pre 80 and pre 85 had already existed for some years. In the beginning the Evo class was a single allpowers class that ran as well as the 3 pre 80 capacity class's. The Evo moto's were like the Elite class where all the best riders from the pre 80 and pre 78 class's entered.

[JohnnyO]

I'm with evo550, in Qld the evo class came in before pre 78 and way before pre 85.

[JohnnyO]

Where was that? Where I come from an Evo class was first run in 1997 in the VIPER series .Pre 78 ,pre 80 and pre 85 had already existed for some years. In the beginning the Evo class was a single allpowers class that ran as well as the 3 pre 80 capacity class's. The Evo moto's were like the Elite class where all the best riders from the pre 80 and pre 78 class's entered.

I actually think viper brought in the evo class later than '97.
I rode the thumper nats at Barrabool in '97 and ALL the Victorians were on pre '80 bikes, while all the rest of us doing the series were on Evo bikes.

[motomaniac]

I actually think viper brought in the evo class later than '97.
I rode the thumper nats at Barrabool in '97 and ALL the Victorians were on pre '80 bikes, while all the rest of us doing the series were on Evo bikes.
[/quote]
Nope it was 97 .Scott Henshaw won it . In 96 my brother started on a 77 yz250 .He won the pre78 and got second to Scott in pre80 250.In 97 my brother won both those classes - he didnt race against Scott becuase Scott choose to do the Evo class that was introduced. The guys that were in the Evo class and at the TNats were as you said on pre 80 bikes , as that what the best riders in the series were already running. The Evo class was supposed to open up rides for guys that had post 79 bikes that were also twinshock etc.Before the Evo class there were afew 80/81 bikes that got turned away.A friend of mine was getting into it a a sweet 425G and was told he wasn't eligible so he quit.There were a few like that.Once Evo started  a few 81 Maico's etc entered but you didnt see any post 79 Evo bikes at the TNats because in the beginning the guys serious enough and good enough to ride the TNats already had pre 80 bikes but Evo class and some bikes did exist in VIPER in 97/98.BTW I can't remember who won on what bike every year since then but the ones that I do remember ,except for maybe one,were all on pre 80 eligible bikes.

[motomaniac]

Here are the winners and bike sthat I can remember

Scott Henshaw 79KX,79CR 97/98
Noel Clarke 79 360Mugen 99 or 00
Malcolm Watson TT500  0 omething
Shawn Baker 79RM, ??Maico early 0's
Simo (??Simpson) 79 RM EARLY 0's
 at some stage the EVO class was dropped and pre 80 was run until 08 when pre 80 was dropped and EVO in 3 capacities and grades came in . The last two EVO expert winners were Nick Smith 79CR and SimonHealy 79 KX .I think Jody Smith won it in 07 on an 80 Mugen.

[JohnnyO]

I know Scotty well, raced against him a lot in T Nats.
Noel Clarke won the series on my old '79 250RZ, think he bought it about '99?
Victoria must've got the other classes well before us.
In '96-'97 Qld only had pre '75 and Evo, the sport was small here then.

[VMX247]

Gee whizzzzzzzzzzz ...slow down...we only just got pre85   

[motomaniac]

I know Scotty well, raced against him a lot in T Nats.
Noel Clarke won the series on my old '79 250RZ, think he bought it about '99?
Victoria must've got the other classes well before us.
In '96-'97 Qld only had pre '75 and Evo, the sport was small here then.

I was spectating with  a mate at Albury in 98? That was an awesome 2 motos with you Scotty and Geoff and yes you guys were on bigbore evos ,scotty on the 79 250.
Noel had a cr250 at first but he won the titlle on the mugen which was a sponsored ride .He might have won it on the 250 and then the 360 the following year but I only witnessed the mugen win .It was Mick Downeys bike and the first Mugen in the series.

[JohnnyO]

Yeah Albury '97 that was a good race, Scotty always rode hard.
Mike Downey bought my 360 Mugen but that was after the first one he had that Noel rode, mine was the Fox bike. Sold all my good bikes to Victorians!
Some of the best races i ever did were the Evo's at the Thumper Nats, too bad that died.

[firko]

Scott Henshaw 79KX,79CR 97/98
Noel Clarke 79 360Mugen 99 or 00
Malcolm Watson TT500  0 omething
Shawn Baker 79RM, ??Maico early 0's
Simo (??Simpson) 79 RM EARLY 0's

Didn't Dave Simpson (Simo) win the series on a Montesa 360 VB hybrid thing one year? I remember Noel Clarke racing a really trick Mugen owned by Mike Downey. I went to a meeting billed as the ViperNats in what must have been '98/'99 at Broadford that was held on  dustbowl called the "Channel 10 Track". The meeting was canned after one race because of dangerous dust. Prior to the Vics running Evo they introduced the pre '80 class around '94/95, maybe earlier. I went to Ravo to race and they had a pre 90 class tacked onto the pre '75 meet. I think Peter Bowen won on a Magnum Maico.

Scotty Henshaw sure was fast too. I saw him hammer Jummy Ellis at one meeting down there and Ellis was on good equipment (I think it was an MX6 CanAm)while Scotty was on a pretty ordinary KX Kawasaki.

[motomaniac]

Yeah Albury '97 that was a good race, Scotty always rode hard.
Mike Downey bought my 360 Mugen but that was after the first one he had that Noel rode, mine was the Fox bike. Sold all my good bikes to Victorians!
Some of the best races i ever did were the Evo's at the Thumper Nats, too bad that died.

The Fox bike is still around and in good shape.The first Downey mugen went OS im pretty sure and the 3rd one ,the RA went to ? Qld I think.