Pre 85 Legal Modifications

[Ji Gantor]

My eyes were opened up at the nationals about USD forks and disc brakes on Pre 85 bikes.
The image below was taken at Coolum in 2006.
This YZ 490 was not ridden in a race but was prepared for Scott Bishop to ride a few laps.
I will contact Scott and ask where he got the front end from. From my memory Scott asked Yamaha to supply the parts which became a gift to the bike owner afterwards.

Are these modifications legal like Glenn Bells bike?

Ji

[firko]

Would that be Billy Nolan talking up the big Yamaha there?

[Ji Gantor]

Hi Firko,
The only people I know in that image is the fellow closest to the camera on the right hand side, that is Scott Bishop.
The fellow in the back ground with the red cap and yellow sleeves lent me a nut that secured my YZ490 kick lever to the gear box. Thanks mate if you are on the forum.

Ji

[Ji Gantor]

USD forks and a two piston disc brake calliper.

Ji

[magoo]

The degenerate in the red cap and yellow sleeves lurking in the background would be OZVMXs resident hippy Holeshot Buddy, aka Russ Williamson, and yes Firko, that would be young William Nolan yakking away in the foreground.

[Ji Gantor]

That is right the two Steves in the bus told me his name was Russ.

Ji

[Ji Gantor]

We should widen this topic to include all classes.
Take for instance these CNCed triple clamps for a Pre 78 Maico.
How on Earth are these legal?
The original Maico clamps only have one row of bolts top and bottom.
They also do not clamp from the side.

Ji

[Ji Gantor]

This is what the original Maico clamps look like.

Ji

[paul]

if it works why change it

[Nathan S]

The Americans are a lot more tolerant of CNC'd bling on VMX race bikes than we are. Don't know what their rules say, but ours don't actually prohibit it (or, at least don't effectively prohibit it).
We seem to depend a lot more on peer pressure to stop this sort of eyesore on our race bikes - and there seems to be a lot more tolerance of it on the later era VMX bikes (for better or for worse).

[paul]

ji if your going to put those monstrositities tripple clamps on can i have the old ones for a real maico  ;)i/ll
find some thing for them to go on one day

[Ji Gantor]

Hi Paul,
This is the same forks, frame and triple clamps.
After the Ji Gantor treatment of course.

Ji

[JohnnyO]

Ji the bike Scotty rode at Coolum that day is another one of Geoff Holmes bikes.

[paul]

thank god for that lol can you post a pic off the finished bike please

[lms6201]

i think a mod that should be legal  in pre 85 is fitment of a disc front as long as it is within the realms of the period , my view comes from a safety point , running a bike with drum against disc bikes (esp. the faster classes)can be hazadous , unless u want to just follow them around , i guess at club level it doesn,t matter too much , the caliper on the 490 L above seems to be yamaha ,s 84  xt 600 , comments anybody ?