More old pics

[merv]

WT you mentioned on my other thread you don't like the cold. Well here's some cold shots - again from 1974 with snow on the summit road above Akaroa in October (it should have been spring by then).

All the cool chicks rode SL125s then while real men had XL175s and crazy guys had power saws.

[R6_kid:Me]

u one crazy man... im assuming this was in you youth.

that snow does look rather cold bunched up on the wheels and engine - stuff that

[merv]

u one crazy man... im assuming this was in you youth.

that snow does look rather cold bunched up on the wheels and engine - stuff that

Yeah was a student back then. The fun part was having all the snow fly off the wheels as you hooned down Long Bay Road towards Akaroa.

[clint640]

That brings back memories of riding in the snow up on a friends station way up the back 'o Gisborne one time, My bro & I had a great time on a couple of old farmbikes riding them flat out into snowdrifts & sliding around. It was amazing the depth of snow you could chug your way through, I'll have to dig out the pics sometime, scan & post 'em.

Cheers
Clint

[merv]

Look forward to the pics Clint.

[Pwalo]

Great photo's. Loved my old blue XL175. Good to see that you are all wearing the prescribed '70's safety gear!!

[vifferman]

All the cool chicks rode SL125s then while real men had XL175s and crazy guys had power saws.

Hodaka? Or TAS Taka? (Been a while now...)

I wanted an XL175, then decided an XL250 was more betterer, and ended up buying an MT250. Never got to ride that in the snow though, but rode my VF500 when it was snowing in Chch.

Kewl photos, by the way.

[zadok]

All the cool chicks rode SL125s then while real men had XL175s and crazy guys had power saws.

I remember going to school on my pusshy while the cool kids had trail bikes.

[vifferman]

I remember going to school on my pusshy while the cool kids had trail bikes.

So I was cool then?
Awrrrright!!

[StoneChucker]

I remember going to school on my pusshy while the cool kids had trail bikes.

Same.

At my high school, at the back of the bike shed (push bike), there was a section for motorbikes. I envied the guys/gals on bikes SOOO much it just wasn't funny. My parents wouldn't let me get a bike. I think if it was still their choice, they still wouldn't.

I can still feel the burning envy all these years later (7 yrs)

[merv]

Hodaka? Or TAS Taka? (Been a while now...)

Yeah that was a Taka - sounded like a power-saw.

[vifferman]

Yeah that was a Taka - sounded like a power-saw.

Yeah, I remember.
They sold them at Dalgetys, and a classmate's brother bought one.

[merv]

I wanted an XL175, then decided an XL250 was more betterer, and ended up buying an MT250. Never got to ride that in the snow though, but rode my VF500 when it was snowing in Chch.

Being a small guy I found the 175 the better bike and it pissed all my mates off how quick it was. It revved easier than an XL250 and was quite a bit lighter and in those days the 4 stroke dirt bikes ate the MT250 and TS250 because they were so flat bog standard. Hit about 6,500rpm and they were right off the pipe and they didn't have the roll on torque of the 4 strokes either which really pissed my mates off that bought them at the time. They needed working over with ports and chamber to make them quicker than either of the XLs, whereas the XL175 while redlined at 9,000rpm would wind around to 10,000 OK in top gear with the speedo needle well off the end as it was only marked to 72mph but could do around 80-85 with an extra tooth on the gearbox sprocket. It was 14T stock, I ran it 13T for trail and 15T for road.

[vifferman]

Being a small guy I found the 175 the better bike and it pissed all my mates off how quick it was. It revved easier than an XL250 and was quite a bit lighter and in those days the 4 stroke dirt bikes ate the MT250 and TS250 because they were so flat bog standard. Hit about 6,500rpm and they were right off the pipe and they didn't have the roll on torque of the 4 strokes either which really pissed my mates off that bought them at the time.

Ah yes, but (a) they were significantly heavier, and (b) they had the dreaded Honda camchains. My first Honda's camchain stretched so much it ate a big piece out of the inside of the crankcase. And the XL125S I had 10 years later as a farmbike used to rattle 'like a chaffcutter' (no, I'm not old enough to actually know what one sounds like). In fact, all my camchained Hondas have been horrible rattly things.

[merv]

Denill will recognise this pic, seeing he sponsored the guy, when the bikes were fresh out the crate late '73 but the XL175 was quite a successful racing machine in 1973/74 funny as that might sound. This was at the same National meet I posted you the pic of Ivan Miller a while ago.