Two wheels good.

[Eddie Honda]

Pffft, all this moaning about off-the-shelf luggage hardware.

½" box tubing, old gudeon pins, a welder and a tin of Hammerite.


viewtopic.php?p=57763#p57763

[DodgeRover]

I've never thought of a slipper clutch stopping you bump starting bikes, makes sense though.

I seem to remember five or six of us trying to bump start a massive motocross sidecar outfit in an industrial estate one day, with the intention of doing silly stuff.
I honestly cannot remember what engine was in it, even if it was a two stroke, or four stroke, but no matter what gear. we tried we just couldn't overcome the drag of the clutch.

In hindsight not starting it probably saved the NHS a lot of money that day...

Aged about 14 or 15 I went to look at a YZ490, it wouldn't start so he towed it with a transit down the road to fire it up. I didn't have the bottle at that point, mate 2 was too short but another of us bought it....
I think he achieved terminal velocity down the old railway line with it which was about a 5 mile run if you didn't encounter dog walkers

[Yellowperil]

My mate had one on the road this year, I never rode it as I never had my gear with me, I kind of regret it, but then again, I don't regret it...

Edit it was an IT 490.

[Warren t claim]

Pffft, all this moaning about off-the-shelf luggage hardware.

½" box tubing, old gudeon pins, a welder and a tin of Hammerite.


viewtopic.php?p=57763#p57763

550 or 750?

[Eddie Honda]

Click on the back link Warren. We discussed it before...

[Whatever]

I've never thought of a slipper clutch stopping you bump starting bikes, makes sense though.

I seem to remember five or six of us trying to bump start a massive motocross sidecar outfit in an industrial estate one day, with the intention of doing silly stuff.
I honestly cannot remember what engine was in it, even if it was a two stroke, or four stroke, but no matter what gear. we tried we just couldn't overcome the drag of the clutch.

In hindsight not starting it probably saved the NHS a lot of money that day...

Aged about 14 or 15 I went to look at a YZ490, it wouldn't start so he towed it with a transit down the road to fire it up. I didn't have the bottle at that point, mate 2 was too short but another of us bought it....
I think he achieved terminal velocity down the old railway line with it which was about a 5 mile run if you didn't encounter dog walkers

I had a YZ490 1983 model , it was a bit of a handful on a dry motocross track .
Done the first Weston super mare beach race on it , it was an absolute rocket down the main straight!
I went up one tooth on the front sprocket and it still pulled hard through the dunes and jumps .
I couldn’t guess the speed as it was weaving and bobbing about a bit but the vibration from the handle bars , seat and footrests made my vision blur out by the end of the straight . Getting it stopped was fun with sand filled drum brakes

[DodgeRover]

Was that a 4 speed?

[Whatever]

It was a 5 speed , all the Japanese 250/500 mx bikes i remember from 1983 on were 5 speed.
125 s were 6 speed .

[Whatever]

Thinking about it , I can’t remember definitely
4/5 speed , the vibrations have stunned my memory

#just checked , they were 4 speed .
I knocked myself out cold and wrecked my shoulder on a yz 490 1984 model at Golding barn .
After I recovered from that I got a 1985 cr 500 it was such a good bike compared to the YZ;s .

[DodgeRover]

My ktm495 with sidecar had done Weston a couple of times before I bought it. With a decent pilot and monkey it would have been hitting 100+ mph down the straight, it's the only off road bike I've seen with a steering damper!
We had it up to 70 or 80 on the road before bottling it, mind at that much throttle I think we used to do about 15 mpg so refuelling would have been a regular occurrence.

I asked about the gearbox as we all thought that one was stuffed as it only had 4 gears, I don't remember it being particularly evil in power delivery though.