Where do you want to see bucket racing go in the next 10 years?

**mr bucketracer** · 8th February 2016, 16:05

Tell us a little about your self and how you got involved in the sport (friends, seen at a car park etc , type of bike you like ( 2 or 4 stroke ) and why , what keeps you in the sport , and what would pee you of if rules changed , do you like bulding your own bike .frame ,engine etc , or just the riding . i may add more to this later , will post my thoughts later . thanks

**TALLIS** · 8th February 2016, 18:37

I first got into buckets in 2011, going past kaitoke kart track on a road ride up the rumatakas. Call in for a look and a chat with a few of the locals (thanks koba) the next week I had brought a bucket on tm. An awesome loncin powered tzr250. As I rated myself as a road rider at the time, I thought It was going to be easy (haven't we all seen that before) as soon found out it was anything but. I have had a array of bikes and different combinations. I would always recommend an fxr150 to anyone wanting to buy a bike. No question the best bike, with the most scope with ease. The thing I would like to see most is strong fields of young riders, as you learn so much from buckets with a low budget. I don't think changes to the "bucket" rules will encourage more young riders as I believe if they were keen to do it, they would be doing it already. There dose need the be a push to "advertise" somewhat to the riders of the future, maybe a sub class where there are a super stock type, so these riders can compete on very similar machines. Not buckets, but a new type of class run with us.

**ajturbo** · 8th February 2016, 18:46

I Started back in the mid 80's on a worked TS100.. blew up a few times, then a DT100.. blew that up a few times..
Had a break and came back in the mid 2000's on a GT125 twin... blew that up a few times..
had an RG50.. that thing never died,,, as far as i know it is still going today..(we never changed the oil.. )
arrived in Chch just after the earthquakes.. good friend sold me her FXR, stock std.. raced that for 3 years before bolting on a larger carb...
still suck at the racing thing.. but have a lot of fun.!
in 10 years time?

I hope that there are some sort of replacement for the FXR's... I would NOT like to see the cc's increased...
would be nice to get back on a go-kart track...

**Grumph** · 8th February 2016, 18:57

Never raced one but built many.
agreed with AJT, would not like to see buckets CC get any bigger. Most classes have crept bigger - and it hasn't helped them.
We did run a "stock" buckets class here many moons back, the first SI Cup was actually won by a stock bucket thanks to the scoring system. Max points over all rounds, match that on a superbike, lol....

I'd really like to see the NI run on big tracks more often. The kart tracks are producing a specialised bucket which ultimately won't be like the SI bikes which reduces the opportunities for interisland competition.
The rising costs of running a meeting on the NI permanent big tracks offers an opportunity to get on with other classes. It's been found down here that if you offer other classes/clubs a chance to run you increase numbers and it becomes economically more viable to hire the circuit.
From what I hear the chances of getting back on the main SI kart tracks are very slim...

**F5 Dave** · 8th February 2016, 20:38

I'd like to see RM250 engines in RG50 chassis raced on small tracks. Mainly for giggles.

Tyres.

What is the future of tyres?

**Yow Ling** · 8th February 2016, 20:44

Originally Posted by F5 Dave

I'd like to see RM250 engines in RG50 chassis raced on small tracks. Mainly for giggles.

Tyres.

What is the future of tyres?

The future of tyres is you will need to buy new ones

**F5 Dave** · 8th February 2016, 21:02

Originally Posted by Yow Ling

The future of tyres is you will need to buy new ones

Imported from aus for a couple of years? Then what? Kendas.

**jasonu** · 9th February 2016, 03:34

Originally Posted by mr bucketracer

Tell us a little about your self and how you got involved in the sport (friends, seen at a car park etc , type of bike you like ( 2 or 4 stroke ) and why , what keeps you in the sport , and what would pee you of if rules changed , do you like bulding your own bike .frame ,engine etc , or just the riding . i may add more to this later , will post my thoughts later . thanks

I see the class turning into something it was never meant to be if people keep trying to fuck with the rules to suit themselves. The class works well as it is. Don't fuck with it.

**cotswold** · 9th February 2016, 04:20

I started bucket racing when I bought a Buell from John Steer, I spotted his bucket and casually mentioned that I had raced in the UK for over a decade mostly on 125's but also LC's, a 600 (which I hated) and sidecars, side and front. He told me to turn up on the saturday and have a go on his spare bucket, I went ok so got invited to the race on Sunday, I won a couple of B grade races and was hooked.
I see buckets in 10 years as having 50's as the premier class with so many of the little bastards out there that MNZ insists they have to be run as a National series with a pukka GP run on a full circuit involving european and kiwi riders.

**ellipsis** · 9th February 2016, 08:54

I just wanted to hang out with the cool bunch who looked like they might be able to pick up chicks by just mentioning that they rode a bucket.

**sidecar bob** · 9th February 2016, 11:24

Originally Posted by ellipsis

I just wanted to hang out with the cool bunch who looked like they might be able to pick up chicks by just mentioning that they rode a bucket.

Yeah. . nah, that's not going to work for you.

**nodrog:Me** · 9th February 2016, 11:29

Originally Posted by sidecar bob

Yeah. . nah, that's not going to work for you.

Because of his good looks, or because they are all virgins?

**chrisc** · 9th February 2016, 21:42

Brian Steffensen and I were in the same uni class and rode bikes (mine a CG110, him a CBR250). We chatted about bikes (obviously) and he invited me to have a go on the club bike the next meeting.
I had never raced before, only just ridden the CG. I did far better than I expected and was over the moon addicted. Instantly looked for a bike online and bought my current FXR from Kel which is still (somehow) going to this day. I've had a NF4 chassis in my possession, threatening to become a running bike forever now because I think I've gone just about as far as I can on my FXR.

The spirit of buckets
Buckets gave me the grounding necessary to step onto a '98 Honda RS125 and be comfortable in racing it hard very quickly. I had never raced anything except my FXR bucket before then. It would have taken me years to learn those core skills and gain the confidence needed to get onto a grand prix bike by only riding a proddy 250 at Hampton. Most novice to intermediate skilled big track riders should also ride a bucket.

I want buckets to be 2 things at the same time. 1) An incredibly cheap and easy way to go racing, e.g. FXR150 with factory chassis etc; 2) wide open for competitive development within simple rules e.g. GP or home made frame and frankenstein engines. I would love to see a production type sub class and an open type sub class form within the F4 grid.

It's important for me to be able to develop as a rider through the FXR150 and then move onto a more sophisticated machine like an 'open' bucket. This then opens the door for learning bike setup, tuning, advanced riding skills etc. The class should recognise achievements of racers winning on both types of bikes.

Rules status
For an open sub class bucket, I would really like to see water cooled 2 strokes limited to 85cc but with allowance for MX engines, aftermarket cylinders and open engine development. Production 4 strokes at give or take 160cc with open engine development too I think is reasonable given the strengths, weaknesses and tradeoffs for each type of engine. I feel that slightly larger capacity for old 2 valve engines is a good idea too, if you were so inclined, why not? I believe there is comparable amount of effort required to tune a 85cc 2 stroke or a 160cc 4 stroke into the high powered engines we see around. Chassis' and parts should be open.

I don't think water cooled 2 strokes at 110cc is fair against 158cc FXR engines. I don't think there should be allowance for an arms race and I want racers to feel satisfied that with the right setup, regardless of the type of bike they choose to race, that they could win if they pull it together.

Racing
I'd like to see more bucket racers at north island series events! I'd also like to see more North Islanders in the SI and vice versa. Such a good crew down south!

**kel** · 10th February 2016, 16:15

Either we stay "non competition engine" based or we go full open, BUT WAIT we could even combine the two -

85cc water cooled 2 strokes - open
150cc 4 strokes - open
180cc or there abouts single cylinder 2 valve 4 strokes - open
and because you should never throw the baby out with the bath water ...
104cc water cooled two strokes - non competition (and I mean non competition, none of this over the counter bolt up race parts nonsense)
125 air cooler 2 strokes - non competition (carb restriction can go too

)
Fuel as per MNZ current rules.
There we go, all the current bikes are catered for plus lots of new engines to play with

And racing on big tracks from time to time!

**mr bucketracer** · 10th February 2016, 17:29

for me , started at 17 , how i found out about it was dad seeing it at the pdc car park, but mainy a friend of mine frazer that started work with me had been doing it , first bike , A rd50 from the wreaking yard 24years ago , had no idea what i was doing ,bit more com, bigger reed and carb , and dads 1960s leathers lol and got dead last in all racing , meet f5 dave and first thing he said was is that les's 80 , i said no but dont think he beleved me (-; .. went away like oh man .. week or 2 later picked up a other rd 50 ,from peter sales , even though it had been sitting for awail and bought not all of it , it went good , all second places at the feilding rail yards in b grade ,(-; another bike after that a cb125 , next meet the espernard...spell that better later, won half the races with peter king , well hooked my then, the first gp was like holy hell , what cool stuff , water cooled tf 100s , rgv 100 , rg100 - ke stuff, year after neals 4 clyinder 100 , was told it was 4 weed eater motor bolted together lol but was somthing way bether , was told before the meeting so out to the lawn mower shops buying up or given parts to make one lol , for me it been the building off stuff that does it , even though coping and at gp's when every gp the heads and barrels came of , i was looking to see inside them lol(-; , years later after saying a would do no other sport i started racing f3 , when they started pissing with rules i chucked it in, but was fun and helped with racing , gave up racing from 2001-2002 with just the odd meets , 3-4 years ago meet up with brent and bang back into it , will carry on later lol