RM370 progress

[Hoony]

I hate HL's.................some guys like fat sheilas for christ's sake. Anyone with me?
Cheers,
K

with the HL's part or the Fat sheila's part K Man. 

[090]

C'mon mate ! I love 'em!!
HL's are alright too 

[E74]

I hate HL's. In my opinion they are the ugliest, most over rated, glorified farm bike montrosoties ever built. Frankensteins monster is an oil painting compared to a HL! I guess we all have different tastes though, some guys like fat sheilas for christ's sake. Anyone with me?
Cheers,
K

Yep, I'm with ya 100% 

[Hoony]

C'mon mate ! I love 'em!!
HL's are alright too 

that's because they make us look good Brad! 

[Graeme M]

You know, I love the looks of the RM370 but I have never ridden one and I have no idea how they perform. But... I have owned an HL. It was (still is I guess) a ProFab framed version with a 76 TT engine. As setup when I got it, it ran 79 RM400 forks and S+W Stroker shocks, for 11" front and just a shade under 9" rear.

I'll be honest and admit that it was never as good as I imagined it would be. The forks were harsh and never really matched the weight of the bike, and the arse end was horrible. It sent every jolt straight up my spine. It was heavy and hard to start as well!

That said, I loved the look of the thing with its cobby look and that big lump of an engine. It also handled OK, especially in a straight line over rough ground where it tracked dead straight. It was fast off the line (I guess it just got the power down OK) and I actually beat everyone to the first corner more than once, including Maico 490s and the like. That surprised the heck out of me!

I kinda miss it, but in a nostalgic sort of way. I actually far prefer riding my 75 RM125M! I have no idea how an HL goes setup with really good forks and shocks, but for me at least mine would have been far better restored to original and sitting in my loungeroom...

[paul]

some girls like fat blokes

[Rossvickicampbell]

some girls like fat blokes!!!

I can only hope so!!

But I am another one that doesn't think much of the HL - in fact I even reckon the RM370 looks better - just grew up around that model of RM I suppose!

Rossco

[E74]

. I think that the dark horse in the pre '78 open class is the VB360 Montesa , as it was way ahead of its time & came standard with 10 inches travel at both ends ( compared to the RM370's 7.5 to 8 inches ) .

Wouldn't that make the VB360 Illegal for pre '78 racing in the US and Australia  . I was under the impression that 9" of travel was the limit for AHRMA and MA pre'78 categories.

[Husky500evo]

Thats right . The MA rulebook doesn't even list the VB Cappras as an eligible machine in pre '78 , even though they are a legitimate '77 model bike . The US rules ( which the Aussie rules were a dead set copy of )  have recently been amended to include the '77 VB Montesa ( & the '78VB , as it was virtually unchanged ) , but the wheel travel has to be restricted to 9 inches . As I have posted before , I think that the limit should have been set at 10 inches as there was plenty of bikes around at the time that came out standard with more than 9 inches of travel . I am going to have to see how to go about putting a proposal to MA to have the rule changed , rather than just complaining about it all the time  .

[E74]

Thats right . The MA rulebook doesn't even list the VB Cappras as an eligible machine in pre '78 , even though they are a legitimate '77 model bike . The US rules ( which the Aussie rules were a dead set copy of )  have recently been amended to include the '77 VB Montesa ( & the '78VB , as it was virtually unchanged ) , but the wheel travel has to be restricted to 9 inches . As I have posted before , I think that the limit should have been set at 10 inches as there was plenty of bikes around at the time that came out standard with more than 9 inches of travel . I am going to have to see how to go about putting a proposal to MA to have the rule changed , rather than just complaining about it all the time  .

Yep, something needs to be done, I have a set of NOS Kayaba forks out of the 77 DG catalouge for my RM125B, they are 10" travel forks, seems ridiculous that I have to restrict them to 9" travel..

[bigk]

The following is a slight change to an old question, (it used to be Honda step thru).
Q. What does a Yamaha HL500 & a fat sheila have in common?
A. They're both unreal until one of your mates catches you on one!
HL's aren't that unreal though.
Cheers,
K

[Marc.com]

I hate HL's. In my opinion they are the ugliest, most over rated,Anyone with me?
Cheers,
K

I seem to remember Heffo doing quite well on one against the then current YZ426.

[holeshot buddy]

firstly firko i actually dont mind maicos
i have owned them before i just said that to get em goin touchy lot
you might be right what you said in the states in 77
but over her
everyone was on yammy 400s
or rm370s
and my original post said a modified 370 would run with them
and yes the monty 360 was a great bike
i used to race ron dinsdales old 360 it was a jet
maybe i am wrong dunno
did husky monty maico ktm win any titles back in 77
i am with k on the hl
original ones are ok but all the modified ones are a bit over the top
and i have ridden an original hl

[firko]

Sorry Marc.....I did the 2007 ADB shootout between Gary Benns very trick ex works HL and the CDR YZ450 and there was no comparison. The HL wasn't in the hunt on any level. When Gally and Heffo were hooting around at CD2 in their HL V YZ426 display there was a fair bit of showbiz involved, both riders realising they had a captive vintage audience who wanted to believe the HL was good enough. If they'd been fair dinkum the YZ would have blitzed.
Having said that, I like HLs but only in genuine pre '78 mode.  Finally, I realised you were taking the piss Holeshot. The smiley was a good hint
Below, the bikes and riders from my ADB shootout at Broadford.
                         
Below, the actual '77 Bengt Aberg Luxembourg GP winner. Note much lower stance and smoother appearance.
                         

[holeshot buddy]

hey wouldnt a  vmx shootout between
all the pre 78 open bikes be cool 
maybe at cd6
there would be no shortage of bikes
marks husky brads maico my 370
yammy, monty, cz  kx 400 etc etc
even an original pre 78 hl if there is an animal

whatdo ya reckon


now that aberg bike is a real hl