The Fastest Man at Woodland

[JETZcorp]

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.

[evo550]

Would it be something like this ?
http://www.thumperpilot.com/images/HL1.jpg

Either a HL Yamaha or a PRO-TEC, both bikes where based on the Yamaha xt/tt 500's,
the HL was raced in Europe up until about '78/'79, the Pro-TEC was raced in the US by Rick Johnston and Ron Lechein in the early '80's.
http://www.angelfire.com/sk/ODW/pictures.html
(you'll have to scroll down page a bit)
Real big and HEAVY!! but different when racing in a feild dominated by 2t's.......my how things have changed.

[JETZcorp]

Looked more like the Pro-Tec machine, though one of its distinct features was the gigantic muffler sticking up at a 30-degree angle at least half-again as long as the rear fender and ending about even with it.  It thought the tank looked like one of the "newer" plastic YZ tanks, though.  Should've gotten a picture of it, but I didn't.

[SachsGS]

Some guys were taking TT500 engines and putting them into an RM400 chassis and topping it off with an aluminum tank from a 75 YZ125 - kind of a HL copy.I almost built one myself (had all the pieces) but ran out of time.

[opfermanmotors]

Ran out of time? Were you on Monster Garage?

[JETZcorp]

Hey, that gives me an idea.  What if you got the Monster Garage boys and told them to take eight 500cc two-strokes, and turn them into a 4L V8, then stick it in a Corvette or something.  Oh, and for extra power, let's give it eight rotary valves, and eight expansion chambers.  Imagine how it would sound!

[SachsGS]

If you go to Youtube you will find videos of a dragbike made up of eight (I think) Dolmar chainsaw engines.As well,floating around the web somewhere is a video of a sandrail powered by a 3.6 l Evinrude twostroke V8.

[JETZcorp]

I think I've seen both.

[Paul P]

Try setting up your twostroke with methanol. You'll easily gain 20-25% more torque with the same revs on top. Set up properly they really put out the HP. I went one tooth higher on the countershaft sprocket easily on my CR500's and 250. And methanol burns clean.