Age versus era of bike ridden

[Yamaboy]

Yamaboy age 57.
I started racing at the Amaroo Park in 1973 on a horrible little AT1 Yamaha. I quickly moved to a TM125 and than a CR250m Honda. A quick flirt with a 400 Maico and then I got the best bike I ever owned, a Yamaha 400 B. I raced that bike for three years, way past its use by date and it never let me down. I retired in '78 to enter the business world and didn't sit on a dirt bike until I ran into Firko at the rugby in '88 and he told me all about this vintage thing he was trying to set up. I managed to buy back my old 400B but found out it was too new so I got an MX360A FOR $100. I rode at the first meeting at Amaroo Park in 1988 and rarely missed a meeting until the last Condo in '99. I now find motocross a little too much for my old footy and MX ravaged body and limit my rides to Classic Dirt or the occasional dirt track.

Oldest race bike..1967 BSA B44 and 1962(?) Francis Barnett trials bike
Favourite race bike..1974 Yamaha YZ250A
Newest race bike..1981 Yamaha YZ465 H (recently sold when I realised that it wasn't my bag) so I guess it's my trusty 400b
projects..Mead framed B44 GP pre 65 bike, '74 TY175, Maico 250 square barrell basket case, DT1 Yamaha, Triumph 650 Bonny desert sled,  1968 Mustang Bullit replica.

[Tim754]

50+  ............ Do not compete , love too build tinker and play about, spectate and bullshit to like minded people. Most of my treasured bikes with a sad feeling have been sold on. Still they may be back on the track !!! Hmm Honda754 (OK sometimes 736cc or 788cc or 802cc mostly 836/840cc but can be 1012..) Homebuilt /Wasp mixture VMX Pre75 Sidecar , Honda 754 pre75 classic speedway sidecar. , Kawasaki W1 650cc pre68 VMX Sidecar, SL Hondas 70, 100, 125 Solos. Yamaha Champion 750cc Flattracker.
Oh the really ugly old Kawasaki needs a new owner that will get her back on the pre68 track .

[paul]

thank god for that yamboy im    paul  only 52
started raceing mini bike (honda dax) AT WALLAN  WENT ON FROM THERE
LOST INTEREST  FOR A LONG TIME  THEN WAS LOOKING AT A NEW KTM ONE DAY AND SAW THREE RESTORED RMS IN THE PLACE ON DISPLAY GOT TALKING TO THE GUY AND HE TOLD ME ABOUT THE VMX RESURGANCES
GOT KEEN TO RELIVE MY YOUTH AS YOU DO AND HAVE BEEN  BUYING A FEW BIKES HERE AND THERE  AT THE MOMENT  1981 MEGA 2 /490
AND A MAICO  74.5 440  GP WHICH WILL BE FINISHED SOON  
AND NOT SURE WHAT WILL BE NEXT  BUT ONE THING IS FOR SURE THERE WILL BE A NEXT

[Phil]

Old Phil aged 58.
I started racing dirt track in 1970 or so at the old Londonderry track on a 350 BSA slider my older brothers mate owned. It was a piece of shit but I was hooked. I soon bought a Bultaco MK3 boat tail and started doing a bit of club day MX at Amaroo as well as racing dirt track all over. I moved to Maicos in 1974 with an LTR 400 and then in 1976 and AW 440. I went road racing in 78 and didn't return to racing on the dirt until I discovered vintage in 89. Still throw a leg over three or four times a year but enjoy the cameraderie much more these days. It taked a week to recover at my age.
My Oldest race bike would have to be my 1968 GYT DT1.
Newest vintage bike 1977 AW250 Maico  or the 1985 CR500 Honda I'm too old to use in MX but it's cool DT bike.
Modern.. bike My Xmas pressy to myself 05 Husky 570
favorite track-Amaroo Dirt Track, what a ripper that track was.
Projects- 1965 Triumph 650 Metisse, Yamaha TD1B, Suzuki TM 400, Kawasaki KX 420, small block SVO Ford powered Sunbeam Alpine Tiger replica.

Looking forward to having a Margarita in Kamp Kevlar at CD5 and flying to Tassie to watch the Nats in June. The latest debates on the future of VMX have been terrific. It's good to see passion. 
 

[no.13]

Jeez am I glad Firko and a few others got in before me. Age 55 good years young although it just looks like I"ve had a hard life. Started racing at 16 with St. George club on a 90cc Honcho which we promtley kitted with the 100cc race kit(went twice as fast and still came last) Been racing in one form or other ever since. Current race bike 125cc Sickman --Suzuki 1973.  RMS 125cc --1976. Hopefully this year get to finish Ossa Pioneer 250cc --1972 and race it. May if insanity prevails get to monkey on a pre 1975 sidecar with 500cc honda with good buddy Russell this year also. Rode 8 club events  2 Aussie titles and 4 other away events last year but will probably cut back somewhat this year.

[VMX Andrew]

 well here goes....im 34 years old been into interested in the vintage scene the last 4 years...had a variety of different brand bikes over the last 20 years or so..honda z50 xr250 99,suzuki rmx250 97 rm250 82, ts400 76,  yamaha yz250 89 yz490 83 tt250 86, tt600 84,kx125 92, rm125 95(which appeared in adb nov 97 issue cause i won a total makeover competion...new plastics etc etc),current bikes are yz250h 81 first ever resto and last...and honda cr500 84 and pw50 my young fella rides.....over the years (before i got hitched and had kids) i raced pony express and the adb thumper nats which was the best races ever...sort of the same thing with the vintage movement(laidback and no pressure racing).... thats whats so attractive about it....    

[brent j]

Brent, ex kiwi (but really will always be a bloody kiwi eh?)

48 next month. Got re-interested in old bikes when I saw the first issue of VMX.
I sort of raced a TM125 in the mid 70's but mostly trail rode up till I left NZ in 88 for the last time.

We have no vintage racing in Darwin so I race my XT in C grade at natural terrain meets against the moderns, I don't get anywhere but I have more fun now than I ever did in the past.
I like to get away down south every year or so to a proper two day vintage meet if I can.

Currently I have a Suzuki TM125 to rebuild for pre 75 and a fleet of XT500 Yam's. Funny thing is I never owned an XT/TT before 2000.
Currently I have a pre 78 500, finishing a pre 80 500, building an XT based vinduro bike, a 95% complete unmolseted 80 (G) and a 80% basket case 76 (C) model. I currently poses enough spares to last my lifetime and then some.
Other bikes are a Honda CRF230 for my wife and an XR200 powered KTM for my trail bike.
The realities of trying to build and run so many bikes is sinking in so the XT/TT fleet could be culled somewhat in the future, probably to be replaced by something else.
I've still got a hankering for a Suzuki TS90MX, my first ever motorbike!

Brent

[gator]

That's ok wombat i have only one bike too .43 first bike yz80e $599 brand new then yz125h cr25087 mdl haven't raced for 18 year's went to a  viper meeting one day at monza park ballarat to see a mate race viper i was that excited i was like a young pup pissing every were .so i found a rm400n but then broke my knee 6mths ago hoping to be ok for CD5 and viper 08.ps. look out hilly.

[yzhilly]

Just watch yourself Gator if you think i'm gonna give up 2nd last without a fight your wrong. I got my YZ80E s/h from BTX .trevor flood . It was $325 and had been ported & polished what a forken rocket

[Husky500evo]

I am 45 years old . I have a '74.5 Maico 250 & 400 for pre '75 racing . '77 Husqvarna CR250, 390 & an Auto for pre '78 racing . Evo bikes include '81 Maico 250 & 490 , as well as '84 Husqvarna 250 ,CR500 ,500 Auto & 510 fourstroke . Sometimes it is hard to choose which evo bike to race , but it usually comes down to which one is not pulled apart at the time . My most modern bike is a  '98 Husaberg 600, but I like oddball bikes like my ATK605. My only road bike is a Ducati S2 Mille , which is the last of the bevels. I am thinking of selling the pre '75 bikes as there is no class for them where I live & it is a bit hard to justify owning bikes that I would only ride once or twice a year when I travelled to title meetings .

[Rossvickicampbell]

Rossco - 46.5 and from the sounds of things I must be BigK's brother .  Started racing with a 78 CR250 (have restored one) and finished with an 82 RM250Z (got one of them to) so I probably classify myself as now riding the era I did ride.  However have fallen in love with pre 75 because thats what everybody rides here in the west and cant believe how much fun my 73 CR 250 is and dying to get my Yz360 out (hasn't spoken in anger yet!).

Top thread - I am not alone in my Old Farts status!!!!!!!!!!!!

Rossco

[jimg1au]

hi
just turned 50 2nd Jan.started riding in 70s on my older brothers bikes.just bought it of him for my birthday
oldest 1940 Ariel 350
newest hagon yamaha tt500 on fuel
73 cr250
74 antig mx360 yamaha
76 500cc dohc longtrack jawa
4 other speedway bikes on the way from usa

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[Doc]

well shit! I totally missed the jump on this thread..typical 

anyway, 44y/o been riding since 7. First bike Suzuki MT50, it was affectionately known to me  'The Blapper'. I've owned many bikes including some roadies but nothing overly flash or terribly exciting..my toys are pretty much all orphaned models few seem to bother with. These include '65 Hillbilly, '69 TS250, '71 TS/TM125, '73 F11 kawa, '74 TM125, '74 RL250, '76/'77 RM125, '76 TS400 '77 RM80, '78 RM400, '78 JR50, '81 KLX, '82 RM80 and the '82 DR500SZ my prodical son. Projects underway, pre '78 RMS/TM125, '74 TS/TM250. I only ride a few times a year and rarely competitively. Raced once when I was 14 and one dirt track attempt at about 30ish but I'm more so a Joe Average trail rider who loves nothing better than a long ride with a few mates. First vmx race at Coff's in May '07 and it rates right up there as a major highlight of my otherwise mundane life First time I'd ridden a TM125 in over 25 years also and it was so much FUN I'm now hooked on the little screamers! Looking forward to getying in a bit more riding this year than I have in previous years be it VMX or just trail riding so long as the body remains willing 

[eno]

I'm 44 yrs vintage, still got the rotten remains of my first bike - 1966 CZ175, at the time I dreamed of tearing up the farm on a CZ400 which I finally did at age 39.
If you are into CZ's there's a very strong chance you will be locked forever in the "golden era" of pre-75.

I have been actively competing here in NZ for 5 years now, a five round champs series (how sad it has never made it to the pages of VMX mag) and a few extra meetings here & there thru the year. 2005 would be my most active year, I did just about anything that was going that year. These days I'm pruning back some of the meetings I would otherwise attend, a little more laid-back lifestyle sort of thing....Dang it...it's this stinkin 'lectric guitar & a JD bottle has taken over me. I shall return with the "Moto blues band".

Hey interesting looking at the ages, bet you could fill a start gate with 1963 

[Rosco86]

Rosco86, 49yrs, started in sub juniors in Vic on a KTM 125, then elsinores, maicos, dirt track hagons and finsihed in 82 on speedway solos and sidecars. Raced VMX in Vic from 88-93 and then moved to Mt Isa in Qld which put me into retirement. Since 99 have been in North Qld riding the events I can get to. present bikes, lounge queens original 63 Triumph 500 Metisse and 73 CCM. Race bikes 71 400 Sqaure barrel maioco and 250 73/74 conversion maico plus hagon jap, weslake elstar and 2 valve jawa. (Not much speedway or dirt track action up here so they get only an occassional outing.