Dirt Bikes Back In the Day

The late 50's through the mid 80's were the heyday of SoCal desert racing.  I got into it a bit late, with my first AMA district 37 enduro in 1970.  Just after I rode the first enduro I joined the club that put it on.  The Chaparrals M/C was just getting started.  It was created by a couple of out-of-work aerospace employees looking for something to do.  They also happened to live close to where I lived in Corona, CA.  From 1970 until about the mid 80's I was hooked on enduro competition......most were in the desert, but not all.  I used to buy a new motorcycle every couple of years, and I found the following photos of some of them.  These pictures were usually taken by a guy who went out on the course and took the pics and then, using the riding number for identification, would get the address of the rider and attempt to sell the pictures. 

This was a 1974 Yamaha DT 250.  It was the third bike I rode in competition after the DT 125 that was in my first or second blog entry.  Almost all Japanese dirt bikes at that time were street legal "enduros" that are now called "dual sport" bikes.  They usually had to be modified quite a bit to make them competitive.  The small number 5 on the number plate was my ranking in the district from the previous year's scores.  This was the highest ranking I ever got to. 

A 1976 Yamaha TT 500.  This was the first year this bike was made, and it was the biggest dirt bike I ever had.  The previous bike was sort of under powered and the TT 500 was my attempt to rectify that.  However, with horsepower comes weight, and that thing was heavy despite all my efforts to remove stuff and make it lighter.  It could also be a bitch to start.  This was one of the first Japanese dirt bikes that was not sold as a street legal bike. 

A 1978 Suzuki PE (for "pure enduro" ha ha) 175.  I went from big and heavy to small and light.  The only thing I remember about this bike is that after a year or so, it didn't run quite right and I never could figure out what the problem was. 

1980 Kawasaki KDX 175.  This was a good handling and relatively powerful bike.  It was the first of any motorcycle to my recollection that had a single rear shock, which Kawasaki called "Uni Track".  Now all bikes except Harleys and other cruisers have single shocks.  I have owned more KDXs than any other motorcycle.  It was my first Kawasaki and started my preference for them.  (Edit:  I have been reminded by one of my other old fart riding buddies that Yamaha was actually the first with a single shock by a year or two, which they called the "Monoshock".  Also, Harley Davidson makes a cruiser with a single shock, the FXDXWGHMBV or something "Softtail".)

1983 Honda XR 350.  This was the only bike that ever quit on me during a race.  (I did break a couple and get flats, but those were my fault).  It also had other problems due to overheating and a weak transmission.  I ended up selling it as a non-running parts bike.  Honda at that time, and to some extent still, was known for trying new ideas, some of which worked and some did not.  The new ideas on this bike were two carburetors on a single cylinder (dumb), and a radically steep steering head angle that gave it some dangerous handling traits in high speed desert situations.  I note now that four of the five motorcycles I show here were first year models.  Why did I buy first year models?  Because I was young and foolish and believed the magazine's hype.  Only Kawasaki makes good first year models.  (Actually not always.)

1986 Yamaha IT 200.  It was the last air-cooled bike I owned.  I liked this bike a lot and owned it for 10 years.  I rode a few enduros on it but not many.  By this time land use restrictions were cutting into desert competition and the Chaparrals club was fading.  This is the bike I owned when I moved to Southwest Washington and discovered a whole new world of dirt bike riding........on real dirt, not rocks and sand.  Looking at this picture now, I realize I have definitely lost a bit of muscle mass in the past 25 years.  But, hey, I'm still riding!