Border Dog

[firko]

Here's a weird one that throws a spanner in the works of every theory involving which was the first disc braked MX bike or the first long travel bike. It's a Rob North Border Bandit from 1973/74. I'm trying to find info about them but I've had no luck so far. The disc brakes appear to be Honda cable operated and I'll bet the pipe is wrong, it looks like a leg burner to me and going by the other neat details of the bike it's decidedly hokey. Check out the cool dual tubed swingarm. Rob North was the guy responsible for the road race frames for the Triumph and BSA factory triples.

[Tim754]

Hmmm you find more about this one Firko, but then again................

[pokey]

I like that swingarm. Just makes sense  i think your correct with that pipe, it is a bit on the "Fat" side  and dont quite look period

[Freakshow]

someone will have to rewrite yet another rule.

if its a pre 74 bike id love to see a picture of the shock set up

[DJRacing]

The motor looks very yamaha and the front hub looks all most bicycle but bigger. It is one cool bike.

[YUMASTEPSIDE]

Another shot.

[Doc]

anyone thinking of fitting a mechanical disc brake such as the early Honda or Kawa caliper should seriously think of retaining the drum or buying caliper brakes off a pushbike..simply because they'll work better  played with both honda and kawa mechanical drums over the years and would never consider them again..a little hydraulic setup off a 350/4 would have been better suited and readily available in 1974..looks too Yamaha-ish for my likings but it is different to the norm and that I do admire jeez I woke up in a critical mood today..better go take a happy pill with breakfast

[vmx42]

So if it truely is from 73-74 does that make it the first single shock [semi] production bike?
It is amazing what is still out there!!!
VMX42

[Tim754]

Doc my hydraulic disk brake front wheel I am fitting is from a 1969 model Honda... and very Pre75 legal   in sidecars. 

[Freakshow]

Nothing wrong with a disk brake,  got original airheart Hydrolics on the rear of all the FT, thats how they came out 72 onwards, legal every day of the week. 

just took a while for the MX guys to get into it

[firko]

I've got to admit that those cable operated drums are pretty scary. They don't work at all. The scariest were Hagon cable operated brake that used the sprocket at a disc. Almost as bad are Airheart hydraulic discs. They either locked the wheels up or didn't work at all. I own a Rokon and the Airheart brakes on it are woeful. The master cylinders were too small and it didn't take much racing action for the brake fluid to boil. It was a similar story with early seventies Girlock brakes. The drums of the time were infinitely better in the dirt, that's why the factories took so long to change over to discs, and even then they weren't as good as a good twin leading drum for the first few years.

[Freakshow]

The twin disks front on the 73+ TX 650/750 werent too bad either i cant understand why it didnt get legs ealier at least on enduros. Cant say i have boiled a rear but then again im a dragger rather than a MX stop and turn, then again Rokon werent noted for being at the front of the pack :O)

[firko]

What's being at the front of the pack got to do with braking? You obviously know zero about Rokons.

[Freakshow]

I know if it has a pull starter i mow my lawn with it. 

Sorry... i though we where talking about why mainstream MX didnt pick up disk brake technology till much later.    Obviously as you point out Rokon didnt get it right for mx either if they were boiling (if as you say) and yet werent riden hard at the front of the pack, that was my referance to your remark.  

I own a Rokon and the Airheart brakes on it are woeful. The master cylinders were too small and it didn't take much racing action for the brake fluid to boil.

however I do understand that the RT340 was successful in enduro and desert racing and infact got a silver in 74 italian ISDT so in the right area where you dragged the brake rather than stomped on it every corner, the disk brake should have come onto mainstream dirt bikes/enduro's earlier.  

I know there was at least 3 factory Rokon's in the Dirt track series and being able to hold the front on and wind up the centrifical clutch on the start line, wheel smoking before the gate dropped got them hell holeshots for the first part of the race but they seemed to flake out after a few laps.

FWIW.  NOt being able to get into the mainstream competitveness probally inpart delayed that technology advancing, because the rest of it was holding it back so to speak and the other players looked at the package rather than the bits with potential.

[Yamaboy]

Does anyone know how the Border Dog rear end works? The photos aren't clear enough. What an interesting little bike. Those brakes would scare me though.