Vintage Dirt Bike Q & A

Everyone has their favorite. Let's hear it.

#1 '81-'82 Maico 490
#2 '83 Honda 480

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Claude Giguere
1978 RM 250C2

Ok, how about:

The best open class air-cooled 2-stroke MX engine?
The best 250cc air-cooled 2-stroke MX engine?
The best 125cc air-cooled 2-stroke MX engine?
The best 80cc air-cooled 2-stroke MX engine?

I can't comment on an 80, but "The" best 250 air-cooled engine I ever rode was my '78 RM250C2 that thing was a rocket and it was stock.We had a deep sand track in Austin,Manitoba that had a long back straight that showed which bike had power and my Suzuki ruled there. Also I did some 1/2 mile dirt tracks that year and no one could touch my 250. I also won the ice racing title on it that winter. The best 125 was a '77 RM125B with the '80 YZ125G a close second.
Claude

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Claude Giguere
1978 RM 250C2

open class would have to be the maico 490 motor. If you can start it, there aint no stopping it. Story has it that when that motor came out, all the japanese company's were buying them and taking them apart trying to figure out where all the power was coming from. the problem is, if you stall out on the track, you just lost the race. it's like kiking at a brick wall trying to knock it down and every now and then it kicks you back.

That was during the 80s. During the 90s, increasingly stringent environmental laws in California forced manufacturers to develop environmentally friendly four-stroke technology. All the major manufacturers have begun competing with four-stroke machine today.

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dirt bikes for sale, pit bikes - Get yours today!

If it doesn't have a 2 smoker in it I don't think it's a dirt bike...an enduro bike at best with a 4 stroke

Since this is in the bench racing area Ill share my story with you.

1980 Smith Road Raceway in Medina Ohio was a hotbed for racing, (still is today) we drew allot of hotshoes from all over the area.
I was the local Holeshot Ace, NO ONE beat me to the first turn which was quite long, let me explain.
The start went approx 500ft then turned left and circled up a hill then back down across the straight you just went down, then you kept going back down that straight for about another 500ft where a BIG tree and right hander downhill was where WE considered the first turn to be....quite long. YES the start did one big circle over itself but usually there were never any problems.

Since I was the Holeshot Ace and my Photographer friend George Swagulak was an instigator I was snookered into a bet with the owner Ben Lewis (RIP) of back then engine hop up shop RPM in Toledo, my Hoosk was also an RPM bike.
Bens son Joe was riding some super hot sick engine big ass Montessa, yeah that's what I thought a MONTESSA????? I was on my RPM 1980 390 Hoosk....and my friend George BET the RPM crew that their bike would be SECOND to the first turn......the bet was on.

So all the locals lined up knowing there was a smart ass that thinks he can make it to the first turn before them, the RPM crew was confident on the line snorting out remarks about my Hoosk and everyone else was looking cross eyed at that montessa....

My friend George gave me an atta boy pat on the back and lugged his photo gear to the fastest part of the start just before the "legal" first turn


The starter raised hos arm to point to everyone down the line to see if we were ready.
He lifted the 30 second board...motors all rasied to that nice two stroke WFO hum....blue smoke filled the starting line.....
As the starter looked to his right (like he always did) he turned the sign and "clank" the gate dropped, I was off....

The mighty Hoosk motored down the start straight like she was on rails, round the uphill turn and not a bike to be seen I was crankin it in that turn, back down the hill and onto the start straight again....still no one....now WFO down the straight to the first turn......still no one.....

Well the picture tells the whole story of the day the mighty RPM tuned Montessa ate RPM tuned Hoosk dirt......

So my friends in 1980 at Smith Road Raceway NO BIKE beat my RPM Hoosk to the first turn that year....NO BIKE.....
So I would say a 1980 390 RPM tuned Hoosk is the best momo......hahahahahhaahha !

Enjoy.

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1994 AHRMA National Champion Sportsman 125 Intermediate.
1996 AHRMA National Champion Classic 125 Expert.