Author Topic: English Bikes.......What Bikes did you Race in the Early Days ?  (Read 7464 times)

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Offline Purple Dave

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English Bikes.......What Bikes did you Race in the Early Days ?
« on: December 04, 2012, 07:52:00 pm »
Like many riders from my era 60's/70's my first English bike was a BSA BANTAM ( 1959 150cc )
Dirt Track Racer late 60's/throughout 70's

Offline Purple Dave

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Re: English Bikes.......What Bikes did you Race in the Early Days ?
« Reply #1 on: December 04, 2012, 07:56:09 pm »
In 1968 I had 350cc AJS ( '46 motor in a '59 frame........complete with speedway style tank....so cool !! )
Dirt Track Racer late 60's/throughout 70's

Offline jimg1au

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Re: English Bikes.......What Bikes did you Race in the Early Days ?
« Reply #2 on: December 04, 2012, 08:01:33 pm »
my first english bike for dirt track was a tiger cub given to me by my bro(jap454).sid willis rebuilt the motor it ran well but leaked oil onto the mountian cub pipe.
rode it at nepean when i was 15 to 17 novice race only.no mimi bikes then
jim
now i have 3 british bikes to race dirttrack with when i finish then.if you count an antig it 4
1 spanish
1 chec
1 italian
2x jap/usa halfcasts
some jap bikes as well

Offline Purple Dave

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Re: English Bikes.......What Bikes did you Race in the Early Days ?
« Reply #3 on: December 04, 2012, 08:03:55 pm »
Next in 1970 my first mistake......I call it THE ROTTEN COTTON !!......maybe I just had a bad one...'62 model I think ?
Dirt Track Racer late 60's/throughout 70's

Offline Purple Dave

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Re: English Bikes.......What Bikes did you Race in the Early Days ?
« Reply #4 on: December 04, 2012, 08:10:32 pm »
Hi Jim, in my club Central MCC, I could compete with the Tiger Cubs on Scrambles and Grasstracks, but they were too fast for me on Short Circuit......and BOY !! they sounded soooo good !!
Dirt Track Racer late 60's/throughout 70's

Offline Purple Dave

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Re: English Bikes.......What Bikes did you Race in the Early Days ?
« Reply #5 on: December 04, 2012, 08:22:48 pm »
Great Yamahas followed, until my next mistake.......a Hagon-JAP that was passed its use-by date......

In 1975, Purple Dave's Purple JAP !!

Dirt Track Racer late 60's/throughout 70's

Offline Slider29

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Re: English Bikes.......What Bikes did you Race in the Early Days ?
« Reply #6 on: December 04, 2012, 08:25:27 pm »
 When I was 16 I got a Hagon Jap 500,..... bit quicker than my tm 125 suzy.
 That was  1974
   cheers Mark

Offline Slider29

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Re: English Bikes.......What Bikes did you Race in the Early Days ?
« Reply #7 on: December 04, 2012, 08:27:57 pm »
Hey Dave, I bet you wish you had the Jap 500 now. They are bringing some big bucks.

Offline Purple Dave

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Re: English Bikes.......What Bikes did you Race in the Early Days ?
« Reply #8 on: December 04, 2012, 08:28:17 pm »
Then back to Yammys until I retired in 1979.....and lastly my 2001 model Triumph RS Sprint......It's a rocket ship !!
Dirt Track Racer late 60's/throughout 70's

Curly3

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Re: English Bikes.......What Bikes did you Race in the Early Days ?
« Reply #9 on: December 04, 2012, 08:30:48 pm »
I went from a TM 125 to a Speedway 2V Jawa in 74, now theres a coincidence Mark.
Where is that foto of you on the 350 AJ taken Dave?
Great fotos that most of us can relate to.

Offline Purple Dave

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Re: English Bikes.......What Bikes did you Race in the Early Days ?
« Reply #10 on: December 04, 2012, 08:32:31 pm »
Hi Mark.......you are not kidding.......I wish I'd kept ALL my bikes.....It's funny, when I went to Australian Bike Museum at Nabiac a few years ago...ALL MY OLD BIKES ARE THERE.....the same models I mean....
Dirt Track Racer late 60's/throughout 70's

Offline smed

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Re: English Bikes.......What Bikes did you Race in the Early Days ?
« Reply #11 on: December 04, 2012, 08:34:34 pm »
Those purple leathers look like they have gone up a few sizes over the years Dave ;),cool pics :)

Curly3

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Re: English Bikes.......What Bikes did you Race in the Early Days ?
« Reply #12 on: December 04, 2012, 08:36:13 pm »
That's called, been in a good paddock Smed, I'm glad you said it first ;)

albrid-3

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Re: English Bikes.......What Bikes did you Race in the Early Days ?
« Reply #13 on: December 04, 2012, 08:39:32 pm »
Purple leathers was all the go in the 60`s, black with purple strips, even my brother weddings suits were purple.

Offline Purple Dave

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Re: English Bikes.......What Bikes did you Race in the Early Days ?
« Reply #14 on: December 04, 2012, 08:39:52 pm »
Hi Steve. I grew up in Belfield.......that was a practice track that we used, right alongside George's River Road.......it was Water Board land that was vacant.....Belfield Speedway !!....Bob Levy lived opposite.....we used to have probably 20 to 30 people sometimes, standing, watching us....no mufflers...MEGAPHONES !! They'd lock you up and throw the key away these days !!
Dirt Track Racer late 60's/throughout 70's