Pre-90 for HEAVEN?

[supersenior 50]

Interesting thread----my proposal to split the Nats included a new class for Pre90 and was a means to achieve this without disadvantaging the older classes. The only club that opposed the proposal [backed by MNSW] was HEAVEN.

[suzuki43]

Given I was once a seven year member of Heaven I feel I can can comment, and blow me, to those who think not .....
Pre 90 is the future of the sport -AMEN

[STW996]

Craig, you should give it up mate I think you have made your point loud and clear. Those of us who know you can atest to what you are saying but you can only press your point so far without coming across as being a bit one minded.

Rest assured pre 90 will come to all tracks in Australia like it or not.

I have been a member of the QVMX for 7 years now and have seen a lot of members come and go and it is the newer members that will push for the newer bikes (post classic not vintage). Nathan and Bahnzy some it up very well in their posts as to the reason why pre 90 will come and it will be down to cost and availability of bikes. A lot of older members are holding onto their bikes and rightly so but with thining numbers clubs need to look to new classes to keep fields big and want people (new members) to ride. I have a pre 90 bike (well 2 bikes) and a lot of pre 85 stuff because that is what I like to ride. I do have 2 Evo bikes and a pre 75 bike but I don't run them as much (well the pre 75 not at all) due to the cost of the bikes (and my fat little body struggles to ride them!).

I have been to a couple of CRC events put on by the Heven club and found them to be great meetings and all likeable guys. We all have our own axe to grind and that will always continue as will vintage and post vintage racing.

Shane

[suzuki43]

Shano,roger that,over and out comrade.

[VMX247]

a pre 75 bike but I don't run them as much (well the pre 75 not at all) due to the cost of the bikes (and my fat little body struggles to ride them!).

ahh excuses excuses.. 
cheers

[LWC82PE]

There are the Classic Dirt and Bonanza weekends and various other fundraising show and shine type events that you can go to if your not a fan of the 'racing concept'

I think eventually Classic Dirt will embrace  pre 90 too to accomodate the guys with pre 90's that dont want to or are unable to race (money, health reasons etc) but still love the bikes and then they will have the opportunity to showcase their pre 90 bikes at CD and perhaps do a parade lap or too but not feel pressured about 'racing'

[VMX247]

I think eventually Classic Dirt will embrace  pre 90 too to accomodate the guys with pre 90's that dont want to or are unable to race (money, health reasons etc) but still love the bikes and then they will have the opportunity to showcase their pre 90 bikes at CD and perhaps do a parade lap or too but not feel pressured about 'racing'

That is the worst concept I've heard of for the year..sorry 
but as they say "different strokes for different folk's"
show case yes !! but ride...
I would of though the officials and volunteers had enough to deal with, let alone another 200 odd bikes....
oh for the days of CD 3 
oops back to the Heaven topic
cheers

[Nathan S]

"Old modern" is an interesting term, Wasp.
Ask twenty different people where the cut-off between "old modern" and "vintage" is, and you'll get 25 different answers... No club will possibly be able to keep everyone perfectly happy on this topic, so the club has to make a decision as to what is best for the club and its members. Bringing in spin by using terms like 'old modern' doesn't actually help the debate move forward.

There's no doubt that pre-90 is a different type of bike to pre-75. But pre-75 is significantly different to pre-65, and to Evo too. They're all old dirt bikes that are totally obselete in modern MX - exactly the same as pre-75 bikes were back in the late 80s.

[Nathan S]

And FWIW, a mini-update on my '89 KX125 to keep the colour in the thread.




Top end is back together, albeit with the rooted power-valve drum (its on back-order). If I hadn't left the exhaust pipe at work, I'd have tried to fire it up today. Compression is good, spark is strong.

UFO fork protectors were $80. They fit fine but I'm not super happy with the semi-translucent colour - I expected a stronger white.
Piston kit, little end bearing and top end gasket kit were ~$240.
Also made an air filter.

Stuff that's not here yet:
Seat cover, UK Epay ~$80.
Swingarm bearings, US Epay: ~$60.
Still gotta buy a shock seal head from US Epay: ~$65.

After that, I've gotta work out why the rear brake doesn't work and I think that's all? Its all been so easy compared to dealing with older bikes.

[Power Stand]

My two cents, I not on the east coast and the pre90 discussion in WA seems dead.
I ride an 86 model bike because I bought it in 86. I want to race my old horse.

The pre85 club in WA isn’t into allowing a newer class so that means I race natural terrain events and lucky for me the west coast and T&E club has 4 events a year so I get what I desire but I am up against modern bikes.
Do I care,,,,,,,,,, no, but it’s a shame I cant ride on a day with a bunch of other riders battling on equally or simular old bikes and I cant walking around perving at classic bikes & talk about them (I love that aspect).

So I bring the same good will to the modern event and have fun.
I ride against myself, I have nothing to prove all but having a good time, I let the faster riders by and pace with those who end up grouped with me.

I am not sure what the motives are of other rides but I am sure it’s the same spirit of having fun. It’s a shame politics gets in the way of common sense and the true sprit of why we do this.

My vote is for Pre90 and one day we will be discussing pre2000 class and looking at keeping pre65 & 75 due to dwindling numbers and lack of bikes & parts available. If clubs don’t modernise and turn away willing members then they will end up like the church.

[Dan-166]

My two cents as a HEAVEN member,
I believe that Pre 90 will happen as a natural progression of the sport but as to when, I am unsure of that. One thing for sure is that when the majority of HEAVEN members decide that they want Pre 90 in the club as a class to "race", then it will become reality. At the moment (from what I observe), there are approx 8-10 members who have a wish to see Pre 90 added to the HEAVEN race program. Let's not forget that Pre 90 bikes can be ridden all day on the Saturday's that the club has rec riding.
The members asking for Pre 90 equate to approx 5% of the club membership.
The other issue is if Pre 90 is introduced, what would the race program be? HEAVEN already has a packed race program for race days. What class would loose out to make way for Pre 90?
As Shoey has said on other posts, if the people wanting Pre 90 put together a plan for how it could happen and then present this to all the members, then this I believe would be the first step to gaining some momentum for the Pre 90 movement.
Personally, I am happy to ride the current classes available, but having said that, when Pre 90 does eventuate, then I will probably buy a Pre 90 bike to ride as well. Reason, era that I grew up, raced and would give me two extra rides at a race day. Truth be told, I already am looking for the bike that I have picked for Pre 90 ( Honda XR600 ) and when I find the right one, I shall buy it regardless of whther or not Pre 90 is in the HEAVEN race program or not.

Just my thoughts.
Dan

[odd1]

And using that arguement would you take your 15 year old holden to a modern day race? No one is asking you to race against them with an earlier bike they just have there own class . Lets be fair an 86 Ferrari probably be out handled by a diesel VW Golf, but both still desirable cars.

[Stevo17]

Hi guys, for what its worth I have been a member of Heaven for many years but am now a Viper member after moving to melbourne last year.  I can see the pro's and con's of both race and class formats that the different clubs run.  They are both very different and both have their good points. 

The last few Heaven races that I attended were great fun as usual, but the grids on the older classes were dwindling.  There were also very large grids in the pre-85 class.  Maybe Heaven could combine some of the older classes and split the pre-85's?  Making some room for pre-90's is definitely the way forward.  Heaven have 5 lap races most of the time.

Viper run two classes of pre-85. A 125/250 class and Big Bore class.  Plus pre-90 class.  Viper also have full modern class - and even had Fast 50's at Wonthaggi?? WTF.  Are these needed because of the invitational club workings or requirements? Viper have 4 lap races most of the time. Viper have some age classes and expert/non expert classes. Pre-85 125/250 also seems to be the biggest class.  The older bikes also have thin grids with some races only having 5 or 6 bikes at most.

I don't race pre-90 but it is great viewing at the Viper meets.  In both states it seems that the older classes are struggling for numbers.  I think that pre-90 is the way to go for Heaven and it can be achieved by streamlining some of the classes.

Don't shoot me down - its just an opinion.
stevo

[odd1]

Because some of us love to race and not sit there talking about it!

[firko]

I've been sitting back watching the latest burst of enthusiasm for this debate, a little frightened to add my 2 bobs worth for fear of being misinterpreted as 'anti pre 90' as I have been in the past. To clarify my position yet again, my opposition to the introduction of pre 90 at the moment is based purely on the observation that the Evo and Pre '85 classes are currently a country mile from reaching their potential. Theoretically I reckon that those classes should be presenting full grids in all capacities and age groups. During the nineties pre 75 boom time all capacities featured full grids in three distinct age groups plus the all in 4 stroke class, two capacity pre '70 and reasonable grids in pre '65.

 I reckon something is not working within the structure and promotion of todays classic motocross if that 90s entrant enthusiasm can't be matched. With the vastly improved communication within our sport with internet and VMX magazine (not around during the vintage boom period), the huge number of after market suppliers that also didn't exist during the pre 75 boom and the fact that the bikes are much more rider friendly...Vintage Motocross should be going off big time. In reality, it's just going through the motions with the clubs still unable to attract significant entries in the 125 classes, and mediocre entry roll ups at anything less than the fanfare meetings.

I still maintain that by continually adding new divisions to the sport while the older (Evo, Pre 85) classes are plodding along, the "vintage gene pool" is being weakened. All that happens is that more classes with even thinner fields are added to the program weakening support for those lesser classes and complicating and lengthening the race program. Instead of adding newer classes at a rate not compatible with the sports growth, more thought and promotional pizzazz has to be put into gaining more support and rider numbers for what we've got now. It's inevitable that pre 90 will eventually be needed but I reckon that introducing it at the moment would be detrimental to the sport as a whole. Fix what you've got first.