Don't Ask: Dirt Bike Q&A

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SUBJECT:  1974 HUSKY 250WR MODS
Hi, Super Hunky,

I've been reading your articles and columns for close to forty years.  Thank you for all that you've done and all of the great info that you've provided to the dirt bike crowd over these many years. 

I have a 1974 Husqvarna 250WR.  It's still a pretty good bike and I enjoy riding it.  My question is, do you know of anyone who still produces a reed valve kit or know of any other mods that can be made to my bike in order that I may be able to install reed valves on it ?  It seems like back in the 70s someone offered a kit, but I'm sure that any stock of those kits would have been long gone by now.  Any info that you can provide would be appreciated.

Thank you,

Dal Aymond
Deville, Louisiana
 

Your best bet is to contact the Husky Club at the following website:
http://www.yourhusky.com/files/Husky_Club. I noticed that they had some reed setups for late ‘70s bikes and I have heard that some riders have adapted those to earlier bikes like yours. If anyone would know, these folks would.

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SUBJECT: RACING AN OLD HUSKY 430   
Mr. Sieman,

Just thought I would try to make you smile a bit…
Friend has a nice 82.5 WR430 that he wanted me to race in a local GP … we both are old-schoolers enough …and we know what this bike is… What the heck, and our goal was to have me beat one expert racer in the class.  Well, I beat two out of 10..which I will take.
 
Learned a lot about the bike..it has great power, but the rest of the bike..well…it is what it is.  I was able to use some of my old gear but I didn’t have any old boots or goggles, otherwise I was 100% circa 83 on the gear.
 
Figured it may give you a chuckle today. I rode it hard, course was 4.5 miles of turns, g-outs, slick and dusty…fun for sure.  Worked hard on my riding style, smooth, stay off brakes, and detour around big obstacles at speed.  Brakes were marginal even with all the effort we put into prep.  Forks were ok, and I heated up the shocks pretty bad (a good friend just rebuilt them..so I am sure I was overdoing it!)  Had one big washout, it hurt but I didn’t blame the bike, it was just telling me that I was asking too much :)
 
Have a good day!
Tom Stark
Helena, MT
 

Thanks for sharing that with us, Tom.  If more people would get involved in vintage competition, they’d find that much of the magic of the good old days is still here.

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SUBJECT: NEED A BIG TANK FOR A CZ
Hiya Rick!!!

I used to ride out of Bud Ekins and Jack Baldwins and Valerians and MidValley and Cycle Products West....I  think  we crossed paths in those days. It’s good to see you still at it. I'm having a hard time finding a fuel tank for my CZ 250,  '72 , I believe.  A desert tank would be the best for me. Any source or type suggestions and or warnings?
David English

The last time I was at this place in Mesa, Arizona, they had several big tanks for CZs just sitting around the place. It wouldn’t hurt to contact them. Failing that, you can just go on eBay and find one of the old BIG plastic tanks that used to be on Yamaha’s and they can be made to fit the CZs. Check http://www.amsracing.com/

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SUBJECT:  HUNTING FOR 125 ZUNDAPP PARTS
Hey there Rick,

Last month I pulled a 1974 Rickman with a Zundapp 125cc engine out of my fathers old shed. I would like to restore it but I am having trouble tracking down parts. I was hoping maybe you could point me in the right direction.
 
Thank you for your time.

Matt Whiteman

Just on a hunch, I went to eBay and downloaded 125 Zundapp. I got hundreds of responses, with everything from frames, to electrical parts and even complete engines. Whenever I find it difficult to get parts on a bike, eBay is the place that I look.

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SUBJECT: YAMAHA MX 100 ID
I just purchaced a project mx100 in #427-101416 , could you tell me what year this is?
 

 
You have a 1975 MX100B. The serial numbers start with 427-100101.

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SUBJECT:  BAJA TRAIL GUIDE INFO   
Rick,
I just turned 50 and my brother and I are thinking about a dual sport trip to Baja. We are both ex-top 5 intermediate level MX guys so we have some skills but we’re definitely not as hauling the mail like we used to. Ah, age, what a bitch.

I’m writing to see if you, the all things Baja expert, can recommend any companies that host these tours?  Do you have any other thoughts, tips, tricks we should know? We don’t have to go to Baja either, we could look at other places too if you think there’s something else we should look at.
Thanks in advance!
Regards,
Rob Green

There are numerous Baja touring companies operating today and most of them I hear are quite good. However, the only company that I have experience with is one operated by Chris Haines. When I lived in Baja, Chris used to stop by occasionally with a group of riders who wanted to meet me, and that’s how I got to know him. I’ve heard nothing but good for literally decades about Chris. There’s a link to a YouTube video that tells you a lot more about him.

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SUBJECT: MAICO SQUARE BARREL
Mr Hunky, I know you have a great opinion and respect it...I just bought a 1970 Maico 400 SB in an 8 out of 10 condition with the intention of parking my CR250M Elsinore for a while and racing it in a local club we have (40 plus VMX out of Hollister CA),not AHRMA and believe it or not some light trail..whats your take on these bikes?..the carb has been replaced with a Mikuni and the ignition with
a PVL...Thanks.
Ken Faro
Salinas, CA
 

My first Maico was a 1971 400 Square barrel and I went from a middle of the pack novice rider, to winning races, just from the bike. You’ve done all the good things to your bike at this point. The Mikuni carburetor and the PVL ignition are excellent sources. The only other thing I would recommend would be to put Works Performance shocks on the back and dial in the fork level to suit your riding skill and body weight. Other than that, you’ve got a great bike that’s a whole lot of fun to ride and very, very competitive.

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SUBJECT: DUAL SPORTING A DIRT BIKE IN ILLINOIS
Hello Rick, my name is Ryan McCoy from Illinois. After talking with my uncle that has been riding and racing for 40 years he brought up your name. Super Hunky. He said I should contact you about the issues we're having in IL.

Dual sporting is getting big everywhere. Taking a dirt bike and converting to dual sport is a growing everywhere. I've built one of these a few years ago without any problems. Called up my secretary of state and  scheduled a bike inspection and passed with all the requirements needed for IL. Then I was on my way to dmv to get my title transferred to street. I've recently bought my old hare scrambles bike back that I raced ten years ago, 2001 ktm 400 sx. I bought it with intentions of dual sporting.

After checking online for Il requirements for dual sporting I got to work and completed my conversion. I called sos and they wouldn't even give me an inspection because they told me I have to now have a federal safety act sticker on the frame from manufacture. Basically putting an end to dual sporting a motor cycle in Il. Which means to dual sport you have to buy one already street ready. I talked to a supervisor at the sos arguing with her on the issue. I asker when and why this changed. She told me they were doing it wrong for a long time and they are interpreting the laws differently now. I asked her what would happen to the guys that have already done this what would happen when they apply for new registration, she said they are grandfathered in.

My argument is if they are road worthy now then they should allow ours to go to inspection and pass them of deemed fit for the road. Also how can these custom choppers get titled? Most don't have factory chassis.

The sos lady Debbie Quinn couldn't give me real answer on that one either. I've contacted Abate of IL and have tried to reach to people on forums to sign my Dual Sport Rider's of Illinois page on Facebook. I've put the word out on Thumper Talk and Chicago Dual Sport rider's. I really thought I' d get better results but I realized not everyone uses Facebook.

I'm asking for you help or any ideas to help me fight for our rights to convert and ride true dual sport motorcycle's. I hope you find this in some interest and catch you're attention. Thanks for reading and hope to here from you soon. I'm also going to contact the AMA on the issue in hope's for some help.
Thanks
Ryan McCoy       

I’m not one to give legal advice of this nature, but here’s what some of the folks in my state have been doing. They take and get the title changed to another state, in this case New Mexico, and then take the New Mexico title back to Arizona and they get the street legal registration with no problem whatsoever. I don’t know what the states bordering Illinois are like, but it wouldn’t hurt to investigate it. Let me know what you come up with.

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SHAMELESS PLUG
My new book, THE LAST RIDE, is at now out. It's fiction and starts in 1969, when an 18-year-old kid just out of high school gets a chance to ride his Yamaha 250 DT1 from Pennsylvania to Los Angeles … all off-road.  His adventures are truly amazing.

The book then jumps 40+ years where the same person, now in his 60s, wants to get that old Yamaha back in his possession and return it home by riding it all off-road across the country again. 

The book is $15 plus $2.75 for mail anywhere in the US (or $5 for Priority Rush mail) and for more information, the email is: superhunky@gmail.com.
Paypal address: superhunky@gmail.com.