VMX issue 36

[Marc.com]

Kind of like throwing a straving Ethiopean a piece of wax fruit. Good grief are there any more forgotten 125s in Mexico or Earles forked pseudo Mountain Goats that nobody had the good sense to bin. It wasn't until page 59 and that gaggle of Van Vans that I started to see some bikes I recognised. Maico 4 was cool, best of the MC490 and HL500 perhaps.

Finally however Firko's column put it all in perspective, things have to be kept relevent and bought forward. Remember 'new bike fever', you would be dashing off to the dealer every year, imagine if VMX moved forward at the same pace. An annual injection of new 20 year old bikes and the guys who lusted for them when they couldn't afford them.

I mean whats cooler, YZ250U or a Hercules GS125, CR500 or Van Tech, KTM350 or Alder. At least issue 37 promises an IT250 and sweet looking Mugen.

[mainline]

are you saying you're not interested in looking at the off beat stuff? I reckon it'd get a bit boring looking at It250s all day

[Marc.com]

No I guess what i am really saying is we would have far more scope for some interesting bikes if we started moving forward as Firko suggested. I have all 36 issues and know that all the good stuff like HLs and MC490 was covered to death earlier on and its hard to come up with fresh bikes.

But maybe including 'Future Classics' (CR500, YZ250U, RMX250) that kind of thing would spare VMX looking more like Classic Bike.

[090]

I miss read your post as well Marc.
I am with you and cant wait till the 80's stuff makes the mag. Especially the big bores. I love anything that is printed in vmx don't get me wrong. The mag for me is more of a history lesson thus far as i am an 80's guy. Even 81 when the mighty mc490 , yz465 and the like were running around, i was on a mini bike and had my blinkers on it seems as not much soaked into the brain back then. It will be good to read something and say to myself, yeah! thats right! Instead of, oh! is that right!
Im always up for a history lesson though .

[HuskyPete]

Brad,the only history lesson you have had is under the lid of a twist top

[mainline]

I'm on the same page now Marc

I suppose with all these bikes, whether they're "rare" or not, I'm probably more interested in the story behind them a lot of the time. I don't have the time, money, or skill to resurrect and then maintain a 70's Mexican mx'er, but how cool is it that someone did, after finding it rusting away in a basement after being submerged in a river somewhere. Or old mate who found that near new Hercules.

And those 50cc italian jobbies were completely out of my league in terms of the amount of effort required to find and then restore/rebuild something from that part of the world given I don't speak the lingo, but jeez they were some of the prettiest bikes I've ever seen!

I suppose I agree with you that the mag needs to keep widening the net to include other bikes that may not seem "vintage" but as long as the stories that go with them keep being as interesting as they have been I'm happy.

[Marc.com]

I don't have the time, money, or skill to resurrect and then maintain a 70's Mexican mx'er, but how cool is it that someone did,

I agree ....the 'story' is why I love the specials, or better yet a shootout, like the 250 one a few issues ago.

For most of us from the 80s the bump and grind used to be Japanese MXers, and Japanese / European Enduro. Nice KDX200 story or TT600 saga would be cool, or restage the 175 Enduro shootout.

[LWC82PE]

yes i too would like to see some big feature on KDX's and a feature on the 83- last of the 80's model TT 600's. there hasnt really been enough every day enduro type bikes in the magazine that more people can relate to, but im not really complaining about it. good things will come to those that wait. we have an IT250 article comming next issue so that will be something different.

[firko]

Thanks for the kind words re: the column Marc. If you liked that one, I'm taking it a step further next issue.
I personally like the mix of the magazine, even though I may be a bit biased. I think the Van Tech piece by Smithy was a gem. We all know about YZ/RM/CR/KX models because of their mass distribution. Let's face it, as nice as those bikes are, they're not exactly exotic and rare, or in some peoples eyes interesting. I've always believed that one of lifes pleasures is learning about new and different things which in the world of VMX translates into discovering what makes a Carabela tick or learning just how amazing a factory Adler were in the fifties (my piece next issue). Remember also that VMX has a strong European readership and those "odball" bikes mean as much to those folks as a PE means to Frosty of a CR Honda to Magoo. In my opinion the oddball little known bikes have as much relevence in our sports history as the mass produced machines from Japan.
It's all about spreading the mix.

[LWC82PE]

Adlers were good bikes, they were very well built and high quality for their time, ive restored a few, you can see 2 of them (black one and hi-pipe green sports one and also done another low pipe green one for the same owner) in the current issue of Old Bike Australia. They formed the basis of the very first yamahas so many bits are the same/interchangeable. National Adler rally is comming up soon.

[LWC82PE]

something like that or just make it thicker so more of each different type of bikes can be included, to get things balanced so more enduro/trail bikes, more jap big bore MXers or whatever and have it all in same issue. There does seem to be a lot of oddball stuff lately but i guess it had to happen as we had a lot of HL500/TT500 stuff.

[Marc.com]

hmmm anyone know what the best selling issue of all times was ?, best cover has to be the HL500 in all its glory.

[LWC82PE]

probably some of the early sold out ones ones. im still trying to get issues 3,4,5,6 they are the only ones i cant find yet to complete my set.

[E74]

hmmm anyone know what the best selling issue of all times was ?, best cover has to be the HL500 in all its glory.

No, No, No, the best selling issue was no 33 with that stunning YZ250F on the cover...... :'(

[VMX247]

Your all wrong........ it was the Birth, NO1 Andy Caldecott TM Ravenswood.