80cc Class

[Stewy138]

My local BMX club recently added a new 'fun' class to the race line-up: no kids (30+), no trophies, no points etc, just old blokes having fun.  It ran the first time last night and we had a blast and entertained the spectators: best race night ever.

Anyway that got me thinking - about having fun on the mx track and I reckon an 80cc class would be THE most fun of all.  Yes we are all a bit larger nowadays but ask anyone who has ridden Dodgy's XR75 and I bet they would tell you how much fun it is to ride.  For many of us the glory days of MX riding was an 80cc bike.

Other benefits of an 80cc class would include:
- expanding the 'circle of preservation' for our wonderful vintage motorcycles. (like that one ?  )
- providing an outlet to show and ride minibikes that are already in peoples sheds, ready and able to ride.
- giving us reason to invest in restoring minibikes, and to own (and actually use) the same models as we used to ride
- providing opportunities for our kids to get into vintage bikes (ie they can ride and love them too).

Just an idea and would take a progressive club to introduce such a class.

Stewy.

[VMX247]

Go for it stewy138,get ya mates together over a cold one.
Should make it a compulsory class along with the legends at Classic Dirt 8 
cheers

[Mike52]

Believe it or not in late 1983 , early 84 a few of us enduro guys were wondering if we could drum up some interest in the 80,s for the upcoming Aust ISDE. There was a 80 class in it but all the new kids raced 125,s when they first came to enduro,s.
Always thought that they would be better off on 80,s.
And yes we raced them.
There were at least 3 at Kogan in 84 all RM80H,s. [Big wheel,s]
Also got conned by a kid to race in a pony express with him on a KX80.
What a hoot. Sore knees though.
Great idea

[Rossvickicampbell]

geeez - have soem cosndieration for the 80's though would ya 

[PERM250]

hey sound great they could add it in to double the dirt? what 80 do you have stewy? there some nice little 80 out there betric has some great one,s and john tate yz80b dodgie has xr and doc rm 80 i have 3yz80c 2yz80d and 4 xr75 think this would be a great day of fun l.o.l

[All Things 414]

I'm doing a YZ80J up at the moment (well, getting all the bits together) and I reckon it's gunna be a ton of fun when it's finished! Although some bits are proving hard to come by, the bikes themselves are a-plenty and when you look at the early eighty ones, they were a pretty trick bit of gear.

A lot of stuff for them is reasonably cheap (brand new Works Performance shock for for under $400.00 delivered ex USA) and I picked up a complete motor, just re-built but not fired up with a heap of other stuff for four hundred bucks! Wow!

I was talking with another Viper member the other day and we both agreed about how grouse it'd be to race and show off some of the pre-85, 80 cc weapons.
Now all I have to do is convince Works Performance to valve the shock for an 80 kg rider......

[All Things 414]

Example......

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/Honda-CR-80-/220642041166?cmd=ViewItem&pt=AU_Motorcycles&hash=item335f4a5d4e

[monaro308]

Stewy,we always hear "not another class" this and that in VMX but i always think to myself,hang on?
Isn't that the class and reason that 90% of us got in dirtbikes? Yet it always misses out being shown what animals/fun they were.
Plus i'm biased with a YZ80K(engine on my Kart)which would go back in and an 80H thats missing alot of bits

[TooFastTim]

Kewl! Can I ride one of these (if I can find one):

[Hoony]

or how about this one Wasp took a pic of in Switzerland.

Kriedler 50cc

[mudguard]

Stewey138,
I love it. Release the 80's out of the pool room.
 Would there be enough starters to enter in the same format as the big bikes, Pre 75,78 Evo & Pre 85, as my 76 YZ80 will get smoked by later models? Which event would support this class? Could be a S#!t load of fun.

[monaro308]

I could imitate Gianluca Facchetti (the little italian kid from youtube)on the start line.....A 45 y/old doing the sign of the cross 50 times,banging my helmet and cross pad and swearing in italian.....right up my alley
cheers...mario

[Stewy138]

Thanks fellas, now all we need is an official to get on board  .

I rode an XR75 against all the great 2 stroke models in Adelaide in the late 70s and always dreamed of owning a YZ80.  I thought that god had decended the first time I saw the YZ80E model.  A few years later, it was a similar thing when Kawasaki took the class by storm, I think that must have been the first big wheel and or watercooled model - I cant quite recall because being 17 my mind at the time was on 'models' of a different kind.  But it was so fast and great to watch and suited the taller riders.

For the 80cc  class it wouldnt matter about getting flogged I reckon - the emphasis would be more on participation and having fun.  Well I can say that now since I havent got my race face on.

Right now I dont have an 80, and only would get one (which I would love to do) if I can actually ride it somewhere.
Cheers,

[SAABCOMBI]

Why don`t reenvent the whole vintage movement , the mini bike where alway`s part of vmx, we only need the two clubs VCM & CSC to come together resolve differents and bring back the 6 round or 8 round Victorian Vintage Motocross Championship on the best natural terrian tracks in Victoria which would included Mini bikes, pre 78. pre 75. it not rocket science.

[monaro308]

Stewy,my mate has a KX80 that he bought for his kid to ride on their 5 acre property.
He loves riding it,even though he can't ride for shit and one day he flipped the bike and knocked himself out for about 1 minute.
When he came to,he had lost about 10 years of memory asking who my kids were....i said they are yours idiot!
He said he didn't have any kids....this went on for about 9 hours before his memory came back.
Imagine a full starting grid of grown ups flipping their bikes at the start