Topics

31

Photos & Videos / Some Good Oldies Circa 81

« on: March 02, 2010, 09:03:34 PM »

I happened to notice that someone posted an old video from '96, so I decided I'd post the link to the old USGP at Carlsbad, 1981.  This site also has the 1982 and 1983 races, as well as a bunch of other races filmed trackside.

http://motorbikearchives.com/Video-Gallery/High-Resolution/1981-500cc-Motocross-USGP.html

32

Photos & Videos / Video from Honda

« on: February 28, 2010, 05:41:23 PM »

The title says it all.

Failure: The Secret to Success

The video goes through a bunch of people talking about failures made by Honda, and how that was a good thing.  The tone of the video makes you think they actually care about advancing engine technology by figuring out what works and doesn't work.  As though Honda would fail, learn from their mistakes, then come back and beat the competition.  What they don't mention, is that Honda likes to beat the competition by telling the rule-makers to eliminate the competition.

http://dreams.honda.com/#/video_fa

33

General Two Stroke Talk / What to Say?

« on: February 21, 2010, 02:45:30 AM »

Alright, here's the deal.

As some of you may know, I'm writing a big paper on two- versus four-stroke engines for English this year.  On the section about costs, I was going to cite Super Hunky's thing about $3500 rebuilds and lasting only 30 hours and all that.  Unfortunately, 'Hunk's only ever said any of this on websites, such as TSM and SuperHunky.com, and websites are off-limits for citing in this project (yeah, that sucks.)  So, I figured I'd just re-create his results by calling up some dealers myself.  Problem is, that requires I describe to them the nature of the problem with "my bike," and I honestly don't know jack about what a blown-up four-stroke would look like.  Hell, I don't even know what a blown-up anything would look like; no one in my family's ever had a bike that needed to be "rebuilt."

So that's where you guys come in.  What do I say to these clowns about the new CRF I just "bought," and the mess I "found" when I "opened it up."

34

Vintage Two Strokes / The Fastest Man at Woodland

« on: February 08, 2010, 10:00:11 PM »

This Saturday, my dad and I went up to Woodland MX just North of Portland for a vintage race, and a chance to drool over all the beautiful bikes.  There were no less than three that I was just awe struck to behold.  These were all Magnum Maicos in perfect shape, with only one or two little tiny personal-preference things I'd change on them.  So perfect.

Anyway, the really astonishing thing about this race was the guy who seemed to be having the most success.  Some dude took some Yamaha with long-travel twin-shock suspension (long-travel YZs were monoshock, so that was kinda weird) but it had a gigantic 500cc 4T stuffed into it, with a muffler about the size of naval artillery sticking out the back.  Even with that five-times-bigger-than-anyone-else's silencer, the thing was loud enough to shake the ground and was often the only bike in the race that could be heard when the pack was on the other side of the field.  Every few seconds, when slowing into a turn, great flames would come out the back, accompanied by an ungodly explosion as the thing tried to blow itself up rally-car style.  Watching the guy race, you could tell that he was a seasoned expert who knew how to go and go fast.  He was constantly battling with a 1980 Maico (either a 400 or 440, not sure which) with a rider that was never on the pipe and never seemed to take the right line.  Everyone would watch intently as the Maico man chased this great Walrus of a bike around the track, wondering how in the Hell someone could be so fast with such a motor disadvantage.  I can only imagine how unfair it would've become if the two riders switched bikes.

One thing is clear.  Only the best of the best can even think about being competitive in vintage racing on a 4T.  It's like taking a '69 Charger to Le Mans and winning.

35

General Two Stroke Talk / The Most Magical Ride

« on: January 11, 2010, 11:22:20 PM »

This is the official topic for everyone to tell us what their most "magical" or memorable riding experience was.  The following is excerpted from an English class essay.  Because it's an English essay, it's aimed at an audience that's never even heard a dirt-bike, let alone ridden one.

I just do that?  After spending fifteen years on motorcycles and actually riding them for ten, I had crossed the barrier.  I had become a fast rider.

By the way, ten points to anyone who found the Beatles reference in this paper.

So far, no one's found the Beatles reference except my dad, who invented it in the first place.

36

For Sale / A First Bike for my Friend

« on: January 06, 2010, 06:09:54 PM »

We're looking into getting him this.  He's 17 at the moment, about 6ft even and 200lbs.  He saw my bike and wanted one immediately.  I couldn't even convince him on Maico, it's got to be this.

http://vancouver.en.craigslist.ca/van/mcy/1515140457.html

If any of you goons get it in your head to buy this from under us, I'm afraid you'll have to be killed.

37

General Two Stroke Talk / Snow, don't do it!

« on: December 29, 2009, 05:06:25 PM »

So, all you internet people, it just started snowing here in Portland.  That means that every road is to be treated as "off road," and that means the Husky got to take a spin!  And then I locked the front wheel with the brake and half a tank of pre-mix spilled all over the road thanks to my shitty gas cap, leaving a big blue puddle for the neighborhood kids to play with.  I love the snow.

38

Technical / A Gasket for Gas

« on: December 28, 2009, 09:23:17 PM »

This is annoying.  When we re-painted the gas tank on my 250 Husky (about a year ago) and took it out in the spring, we found that the gas cap magically stopped working.  It just refused to be screwed onto the tank firmly and leaked gas all over the new paint.  Annoyingly, even though we used brake caliper paint which is supposed to stand up to insane heat and brake fluid abuses, the gas was just starting to eat away at it.  Balls!  Our solution was to just fill it up 2/3 and ride easy, and then put a new cap on after the ride.  We got the new cap - a high-end piece crafted out of a solid chunk of billet aluminum, and it worked perfectly.

Fast-forward to a week ago.  I go into the garage to check on (stare at) the bike a bit, and get the idea that I might as well check to see how much gas was in the tank after the last ride, which was almost 4 months ago.  I take the cap off, note that it's about an inch from capacity, and go to put the cap back on.  It turns about 15 degrees and stops.  More pressure.  Nothing.  Being the engineering type, I take a moment to examine the cap and the tank to see how it's supposed to work.  Satisfied with myself (and a lot of unavoidable pre-mix fumes) I remove the gasket to see if the cap will fit without it.  It slides on without problem, but the "slosh test" reveals that it leaks in this configuration.  I put the gasket back on, pry the cap on as far as it'll go, and do another slosh test.  More leaking.  It seems to me that the gasket is too small somehow.  It looks like the inside diameter is small enough that it likes to "ride up" on the cap and not go down all the way, which doesn't leave enough clearance to screw the cap onto the tank.  That's my guess, anyway.

What should I do?

39

General Two Stroke Talk / YouTube Debates!

« on: December 23, 2009, 10:24:53 PM »

I thought I'd check out some of the spin about the new KX450F, and couldn't help notice its kickstarter was about three feet long and had not one, but THREE 90-degree angles in it.  I pointed this out in the comments and noted, "Four-strokes, man, they're ridiculous."

Then, on comes a guy claiming that they're better, and off we go.  Here's the conversation so far.

JETZcorp:
What I want to know is, who's the bonehead that decided a bike needs not one, but THREE 90-degree angles in the kickstarter? At the same time, who decided that said kickstarter should be 16" long and made of? chicken wire?

Four-strokes, man, they're ridiculous.

rcowner12:
what he means is its ridiculous how? much more powerful they are than 2 strokes...

JETZcorp
If someone showed up there with an open-class two-stroke, everyone there would shit their pants. Maico's new (meaning year 1999) 500 two-stroke makes 67 horsepower at the crank. I want you to find me ONE single-cylinder 4T that can do that. Just one. ? Should be easy, right?

A 4T will only have more power for one or more of the following reasons:
- It has a turbocharger.
- It has a supercharger.
- The AMA allows them to cheat.

Take that away and the 2T will have half-again the power of a 4T.

MonkeyManFsU:
2T are bad, there? not used by the pro's anymore for a reason. To inconsistant, not enough useable power, and the worst is the annoying sound

JETZcorp:
You think the professional racers get to choose what bike they ride? Oh man, that's hilarious. And as for inconsistent power, you've obviously never ridden a Maico. The power delivery from that is pure butter, with no hiccups or inconsistencies to be found. It feels like a 4T but with a lot? more top-end. Or rather, a 4T that actually HAS top-end.

Going back to the pros, you might want to take a look at what Stewart and Carmichael ride for fun. It's YZ250 and RM250, respectively.

MonkeyManFsU:
Your last statement is impecable and agrees with me, pros use 4t for a reason. 2T are way unreliable, when I had an kx85 the bike's engine (the thning that makes the bike go) broke 6 times. Transmission 1, top end rebuild 4, And bottom end rebuild 1. So we sold it got a mans bike (CRF150R) I clear 90 ft tables with no problem, had the bike since 07 no problems. I use my bro's kx250f now but no way I would go back to a 2T. A 250 2T doesnt even compare to our kx250f.? Hasnt broke either

JETZcorp:
My 1967 Kawasaki 120 (two-stroke) is 42 years old and still runs the original piston, and I can guarantee it got 100 miles put on it every weekend of the summer for five years straight. The only maintenance we did was to replace the oil and tweak the clutch. I don't know what could possibly have happened to your KX85; perhaps you weren't using? enough oil.

Ricky and Bubba both rode 4T professionally because they were paid to. The factories like 4T because the profit margin is greater.


What will happen next?

40

Photos & Videos / Helmet Camera Discussion

« on: December 18, 2009, 05:22:20 PM »

I'm not sure if I've mentioned it, but I just bought myself a VholdR ContourHD helmet camera.  It's sitting on my desk right now, complete with 8GB MicroSD memory and 720p recording capability.  Now, technically, I can't use this thing for riding until I actually get a change to go riding, but that doesn't keep it from being kick-ass!

Anyone else have a camera, or thinking about getting one sometime?

41

Photos & Videos / Re: 2stroke youtube findings page 3

« on: December 13, 2009, 03:19:39 PM »

Wasn't sure at first if this was 2T or 4T because I didn't see an expansion chamber, but the transfer ports gave it away.  Some people are just insane.

Shaun Morris USA

42

General Two Stroke Talk / Motocross Simulator

« on: December 11, 2009, 04:28:00 PM »

If you're into flight sims or racing sims, this may interest you.  It is the most realistic attempt ever made at simulating the physics of a motorcycle on dirt.  Even the gyroscopic effects of the wheels was taken into account, allowing you to do spectacular whips and scrubs the REAL way - by controlling the bike.  There are no button combos or any of that nonsense.  You control the movement of the handlebars, throttle, brakes, and clutch, and the rest is up to you.  If you want to lean right, be prepared to steer left, just like in reality.

So far, only 125s and 250Fs are simulated.  Most of the fast guys rode 250Fs for a long time because (obviously) there's simply more power to be had.  However, now that new and attractive 3D models are released for the YZ125 and 125SX, with a KX125 and CR125 in progress, two-strokes are starting to be more and more common.  Their light weight and quick-revving characteristics are there in the simulator, and we're starting to see the newer two-stroke fans getting fast enough to compete with the insane experts.

Here's the homepage, you can download a demo version from here.
http://www.mxsimulator.com/

Here's a video of the game, brought up-to-date with modifications available from the community.
Mx Simulator - Mittocs Reborn

43

Photos & Videos / 2stroke youtube findings page 2

« on: December 08, 2009, 07:48:13 PM »

Here's some audio of a brief ride on my Husky.  Weird story.

Shortest of all Rides

44

General Two Stroke Talk / A video for Physics Class

« on: December 05, 2009, 02:52:33 PM »

Toward the end of the last school year, Summer was starting and I was really getting into two-stroke-mania as I was forced to sit in class while the bikes were locked up in the garage, well away from the beautiful riding paradise.  Also at that time, we were given an assignment in Physics to produce a presentation of some sort explaining something related to physics.  Some people covered lightning, one guy talked about sniping and the various factors that affected it (very interesting presentation, actually) and I covered the two-stroke!  Here's the result.  And by the way, I produced this on my computer, which didn't have a video card at the time, so it didn't turn out as well as the other video I made in physics about wings.

Physics of the Ride

45

General Two Stroke Talk / Vintage Racing

« on: November 23, 2009, 03:12:50 PM »

I was a little hesitant to make this thread, given that we already have a lot of two-post-threads, and something on this topic might further make the 4T guys think we're all a bunch of grey-bearded men born in 1955, but I thought it would be interesting nonetheless.

Who among us competes in vintage MX racing?  I don't, personally, but I show up occasionally when races are held in the VDR series at Woodland, WA.  It looks like a really fun sport and there are some guys who are insanely fast on their machines.  One particular such guy was aboard a 400 CZ at Woodland last time I was there and just flying, with power-slides and the whole bit.

On a sort-of related note, I've been reading a book called "Monkey Butt!" by Rick "Super Hunky" Sieman.  It chronicles the old days of motorcycle-journalism with magazines like Dirt Bike and MXA right when they were getting started.  The book is really funny and has a lot of interesting history on the war over public land use that's been going on for the last 30 years or so.  If you're interested in older bikes, it's definitely something to check out!