All time great bikes?

[Nathan S]

I used the term "one of the all time great bikes" in another thread... I know we'll never get a 100% concencus on what bikes should be on (or off) the list, but should be interesting anyhow...

What are the real land-mark vintage dirt bikes - the ones that are milestones/high points in their class/the future of dirt bikes because they worked well. Not so interested in the technical innovators that didn't really work, just the ones that stood out simply because they worked!

I'll start, but feel free to add to/correct the list:
68 DT1.
74 CR125.
76 YZ125C.
78 CR250.
80 YZ250 and 465.
81 Maico 490.
87 CR125/250.
98 YZ-F400.

[Anthony.522]

93-96 CR250? The bike that Jeremy McGrath ran a absolute clinic on, I reckon i would get some weird looks if I just said 93 CR 250 but Jeremy used the 93 frame all the way up to 96 and nearly cried when he had to ride the 97 aluminum frame CR.

[mx250]

"the ones that are milestones" - the mother of all milestones, the Yammy DT1.

Upon it release, overnight, the whole world chanaged. The impact on motorcycling, the market, society and the world at large can't be overstated.

.....and not to forget I grew up on the evil, poorly suspended 'I'm about to kill you' handling pieces of shite.

[Graeme M]

That's a pretty good list Nathan. Here's a couple of others that cover a different base:

TY175 - brought trials to the masses and even today it's a bloody good thing
DT 'Monoshocks' - 125/175/250/400 - took 'trailbike' to a new level
TT500 - most successful playbike ever?
SL100/125 - who didn't have one of these?
Husky Autos - is this the only auto dirtbike that ever worked?
XR Hondas - best 4-stroke trailbikes for about 20 years

[Freakshow]

XR Hondas - best 4-stroke trailbikes for about 20 years

and probaly the single largest model that cracked heads and shat stem seals for seemingly no reason, well every one i was stupid enough to own from 1980- 86

[cyclegod]

My list of all-timers:

1, Every 1969 model Yamaha, from RT1-DT1-CT1-AT1-LT1-HT1... etc a bike for everybody at every skill level
2, Suzuki TM125, not a world beater but they were cheap to buy, reliable, cheap to maintain and an easy start for a budding racer
3, Suzuki 1977 RM-B series all the foibles of the A models sorted they were a screaming yellow menace to anyone not on one
4, Yamaha YZ250/465G Kings of the hill albeit for 1 year
5, Maico 490 mega2, enough said
6, Suzuki Full-Floaters best rear end ever
7, Yamaha TT250/350 1986 Honda XR's big wake up call (wasn't it amazing to see how reliable they became after the TT's came out)
8, The Chinese pitboss mini  , Yes we bag them and hate them but they took a cynical youth off their skateboards/bmx's/drugs and put them back on two motorised wheels. Sure most of them thrashed trashed and thrown away but if we get another Chad Reed or Casey Stoner out of it then they were a good thing, they certainly stung the Japanese into providing a more diverse and up to date range of entry level bikes than had been available for years but sadly never will we see the likes of 1969 again 

[Tahitian_Red]

I don't know if they sold down under, but here in the States the Hodaka dirt bike line sold like hot cakes. (Cheap dirt bikes for the masses)  Almost all the early US MX stars owned a Hodaka at one time.

The DT-1, the first Elsinores and the 76-77 RM's caused quantum leaps in the industry. 

[fatboyracing]

My all time favorates and bikes that just keeps going are

XL350 Honda 1972/3 Great road bike ,come trail bike great allrounder
RT 1 Yamaha first of the big bore Jap Bikes Great trail bike
XR 600 great trail bike
Honda Postie bike most sold bikes in the world

Cheers
Fatboy

[caps 999]

for me the top bikes of their time were
1) tm250 rh67
2)dt1 rt1
4)cr250m 74
5)cr250 red devil
6)yz250j heavy and a liittle bit clumbersom they did although have a very indiviual design to them
7)rm500d
8)cr250 85 mdl
9)yz250 91
10)yzf400
11)crf450
12)crf250

[Rossvickicampbell]

not one mention of the 1982 Suzuki RM 250 Z - still one of MXA's all time favourite motocrossers - shame gents shame!!!  Of course I like em - I got one.

Rossco

[crs-and-rms]

for me there are three bikes that stick out , 77 rm 125 just a model that i have so many good memories of  started racing on it in 79 ,but as for domanating bikes of the time rm125 x  it did every thing so well and the honda cr 250 re 84 model same and that front disc brake was so good

[firko]

1963  TRIUMPH METISSE This is the first truly purpose built motocross bike that actually worked and the Triumph engine is still the only twin cylinder donk to be have any success in the sport. Most importantly though, the Metisse is absolutely beautiful from every angle and encouraged the theory that scrambles bikes can look good.
1966 CZ250/360 TWINPIPEThe CZ was the bike that changed motocross for three decades. It was the two stroke bike that finally knocked the four stroke off the motocross mountain and introduced Joel Robert and Roger DeCoster to the world. It'd be another 27 years before a 4 stroke would win another world title
1968 YAMAHA DT1 None of us would be doing what we do today if it wasn't for this little beauty. The DT1 changed the world of off road motorcycling by making it accessible to the masses.
1971 HONDA XL250 The XL took the dual sport market created by the DT1 to a new level. The bike featured innovation never before seen in a dirt bike like Magnesium castings, overhead camshaft, four valve technology, ribless alloy rims and a finish that left the other manufacturers in shame. The engine was bulletproof, performed way out of its class and showed the world that the four stroke was far from dead.
1974 HONDA CR125 Without doubt the most devestatingly successful motocrosser ever. They made every other bike in the class obsolete overnight and were still competitive for years after. If you raced in the 125 class and weren't on an Elsinore you were up against it. The "wall of grey bikes" still exists in the vintage 125 class today.
1974 MAICO 400/440 The '74 Maico range started the trend towards suspension development that snowballed over the next 10 years. The bike was the first long travel bike and the 440 version the sports first horsepower brute.
1975 YAMAHA MX400B The 400b was the first truly competitive open class Japanese bike. They were better than anything else out of Japan and even better than most Euro bikes. Being the prettiest girl in the class didn't hurt either.
1981 MAICO 490 The bike that continuously lives up to it's hype as the "best open classer ever made". The 490 was so bloody simple in an era of ever increasing over complication that it proves the less is best theory. There was never an open class 2 stroke engine anywhere as good as the Maico was in its era.
CR500 HONDA Honda took the theories provided by Maicos 490 and turned the CR500 into the most successful open class bike ever with 16 world titles and unlimited sucess in desert, flat track and road racing. They're still the 2 stroke big banana.
1992 HUSQVARNA 610 The Husky is now overlooked in the four stroke resurgence but Jacky Martens 500 title win in '93 opened the door for the Yamaha YZ400F. The Husky changed the way a new generation looked at 4 strokes.

NEARLY LEGENDS: YAMAHA Pee Wee, Honda XR75, Yamaha YZ400F, Yamaha XT500, Suzuki TS90, '74 Husky 250 Mag, 'MK11 Sherpa T Bultaco, Yamaha TY175, Yamaha DT200, 1975 Husky 360 Auto.

[AjayVMX]

OK, here are some I would pick as having some kind of impact on the scene when they were released.

Honda Z50A  - the bike that started it all for so many of us

1973 Honda CR250 Elsinore - Changed the whole motocross scene forever....

Yamaha YZ250/360B - The advent of the monoshock.

Honda XR75K0 - the bike that everyone wanted when it came out

Suzuki RM125C - the "perfect" 125 and so superior to it competition at the time that it was embarassing.

Honda CR250R - The first Red Rocket was truly desireable (even if they had crap suspension)  Everyone could be Marty Smith.

Yamaha IT400C - The first serious Jap Enduro weapon

Yamaha TT500C - The beginning of a legend.

Kawasaki KDX175 - Enduro for the masses.

Suzuki RM125X - Redefined the term: "plush rear suspension"

Maico 1981 490 - for the reasons Firko explains above.

Kawasaki KLX250 - The ultimate play bike (see other thread on this forum for people who still believe...)

Kawasaki KX125/250C  - My personal favourites.  When Kawasaki really "arrived" as a competitive force in MX bikes  (yes I'm biased  )

Just to name a few!

[Doc]

okies not biased in this view but I believe the RM125A of 1976 did to MX what the CR125M did in the earlier years..it decimated the competition (The Great Gaston Rahier (RA125) also played a huge part in this success story). In saying that I am not saying if you rode one it guaranteed you success but these 2 bikes changed the face of the sport immeasurably and brought about many changes to the way bikes were ridden and designed. The new injected DRZ may well be another of these innovative models. Only time will tell.

[All Things 414]

The VR Montesa. Developed from the bike ridden by Kalevi Vehkonen. In 1974 there weren't many 250 starting gates around the world that didn't have three or more in them. Then they went and screwed it up with the model with the clutch on the crank.....(sob) :'(