Trail bikes & riding back in the good ole 70s & 80s

[merv]

I never did Annex Road MD, we seemed to spend more time either on the Port Hills or out at the Waimak near McLean's Island.

There was also the small track the Council set up at the end of Wairakei Road near the airport and of course we just rode anywhere the gates weren't locked
or we could lift the bikes over them.

DR Girl have you seen these old threads or posts of mine?

http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/sh...-ride-in-there

http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/sh...some-from-1976

http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/sh...old-slide-pics

http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/sh...613#post800613

http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/sh...-More-old-pics

http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/sh...941#post125941

http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/sh...033#post126033

[bart]

Wow. You guys must be old. I was still at primary school in the '80s.

OK, I often rode the 7km of gravel to school on a TS185 mudbug.

[pete-blen]

Wow. You guys must be old. I was still at primary school in the '80s.

OK, I often rode the 7km of gravel to school on a TS185 mudbug.

young dam wipper snapper...
I was talking mid/late 70s....

[Woodman]

DT175 was my first bike, thrashed the tits off it up and down the crazy ever changing beach at Greymouth. There was a crusher plant bordering the beach at Blaketown with huge piles of gravel that we used to race around and try to jump over. My mates had xl125's which were the cool bike to have, but they were gutless compared to the DT. When we got our licences we used to hoon about in the hills at the back of Camerons and Kumara. Cockeye creek Noname road areas etc, there were some cool old bullock railways from the goldmining days that we used to ride along. There were no keep out signs anywhere. There was this huge sawdust pile at Camerons which was mega fun but had some nasty bike swallowing holes
And yea having a few beers and running from the cops, once had to go up the cemetry stairs lights off and then hide in a ditch with the bike, watching the cops spotlights looking for us.
Upgraded to an IT175j which I used to ride to school, constantly assing off on wet roads with 'not for highway use "knobblys which always got a warrant somehow.
Couldn't wait to get home from school to go riding. Great days.

[MSTRS:Me]

1973 I bought a TS125 (the last of the low chrome mudguard models). Rode that bike everywhere. All over the firebreaks above NaeNae and right over to the back of Wainui coming out at Brookfields Scout camp. BrownOwl to MacKays Crossing. On the housing development site/s beyond the dairy in Kelson. Farms down Stratton Street behind Normandale. Lots of road trips too, as far as Taupo...a long way for a 15yo on his own.
Got into road bikes after that with a T500, but I briefly had a TE250 in the late 70s in Levin. Rode that pig mainly in the sand dunes at Hokio Beach and the forestry at Waitarere.

Does anyone from the Hutt Valley remember the unofficial MX track located right where River Rd starts at the lights by the Silverstream bridge?

[Kickaha]

Or you & a few mates standing on the summit road at 2 am
half pissed..wondering how far down the bank yer mates T350 went..
That was quite common..get half pissed then have a grand pix along
the summit Rd at some ungodly hour of the morning.." no cars up ther at that time"

We used to do the same

Best "trailbike" memory is watching my mate slide across the BP Dallington forecourt on his arse following his PE400 through the rubbish bins and windscreen washer buckets after his throttle jammed and he stomped on the back brake

I pretty much learnt to ride on a friends XL500A, had an IT250, a YZ125 with a DT1 motor then went to an XR250 with disc brake front, used to spend heaps of time down the Waimak or Amberly beach to Waipara

[Ocean1]

Does anyone from the Hutt Valley remember the unofficial MX track located right where River Rd starts at the lights by the Silverstream bridge?

First rode that on a 250 James, it was a couple of hundred yards further north than that, closer to the entrance to St Pats block.

Spent many hours playing down that stretch, got very damp and cold outside of the summer months. There was a firebreak begining near there, very challenging hillclimb right at the begining.

Do you remember the one at the top of Kelson? about where Ilam grove is now...

[MSTRS:Me]

Do you remember the one at the top of Kelson? about where Ilam grove is now...

Nope. Just the earthworks. The shop (there was just a dairy then) on the first flat part, was where the houses stopped at that time.

[pete-blen]

I briefly had a TE250 in the late 70s in Levin.

Suzuki TE250..prob the first real enduro bike..
TM250 MX with a light kit...
Only ever seen one TE..
Suzuki had the RH250 enduro .. Pre PE
I did see a RM370 with lights... Don't
know if it was a factory mod or a back shed
special...

[DR Girl]

[QUOTE=cave weta;1130170422][QUOTE=DR Girl;1130168287]The first bike I bought (before I could ride) thanks to that fab "NO1 UNDER THE SUN " TV ad by Honda was an SL125. Use to ride ride to school when not push biking. Then changed to the cool looking but gutless MT 125. Didn't keep for long. Bought & absolutely LOVED my orange XL175.

I now believe in Parrallel universes! you and I have to be of a similar age...

I was 13 when I discovered trail bikes.... I stole my first bike.
My big brother finished work 1 1/2 hours after I finished school so I used to ride his 1972 Kawasaki 100G5 round and round the shed then rake all the gravel back before he got home! I learned to ride it litrally by reading the owners manual!
He sold it to me shortly afterwards and then started the progression to where I am today....

SL125 - MT125 (my flywheel dropped off regularly too) XL175 with a bassani power pipe. TS185B was my first brand new bike paid for by growing 1/2 an acre of watermelon and selling it on the side of the road. Ive had exotics like an Ossa 250
and a BSA Bantam lol. My XR200B with the prolink was my first bike that I didnt constantly loop over backwards- man I could wheelie that thing! all the way up prospect hill in Pukekohe in front of the school bus! I forget the order that I owned some of the bikes but Ive had, DT360, PE175N PE175T XR500B SP370, TT600Tenare RZ350, MVX250 XL250motorsport CBR600 GSX-R750 Mudbug, VanVan, ATC110 all before 1990- then I had a break while I played with tunnel hulled powerboats for 6 years and then I started the 'current era' of KTMs DRz400s and CRfs...

Aah its been great - thanks for letting me remenice......

Pretty amazing re our early trail bikes, obviously we had the same bike passion for small Honda's. Do check out mervs great photo's he sent the links for on page 3. Awesome !!!
Love th SL125 in the snow sliding, the river crossings, the XL175s. . . .

cave weta you carried on to ride some v cool/mean bikes
I left Hawkes Bay in 1981, parked my XR185 in my parent's garage in P Nth with strict instuctions to my little bro & headed to the UK for almost 4 years. Came back to a dent in the tank but in gen the XR was ok as my bro had bought himself a new DT175 which he thought superior! Rode my XR back up to the Bay but reluctantly sold it a few years later when the family started increase.
Then had a 20 year gap till I got my DR200 brand new in 2007

I got my SL when I was 15, half way through the 5th form. 6th form was a fun year as Ben in my class had a Yamaha 90 trail bike & Greg in another class had a TS100. We hooked up & went out most weekends.
I bought work shop manuals for all my bikes learnt to do heaps. . .oil changes,filter etc replace inner cables,levers, clean out carb,follow wiring diagram & solder together the broken wire. . .

[Virago]

...The first bike I bought (before I could ride) thanks to that fab "NO1 UNDER THE SUN " TV ad by Honda was an SL125...

http://www.filmarchive.org.nz/selleb...iew.php?id=146

[DR Girl]

http://www.filmarchive.org.nz/selleb...iew.php?id=146

YOU ARE MY ABSOLUTE HERO !!!!
Have tried to find this but without any luck.
Just so awesome & for me. . . . where it all started

[Virago]

YOU ARE MY HERO !!!!
Have tried to find this but without any luck.
Just so awesome & for me where it all started

Lol - you're welcome.

Another from the same era:

http://www.filmarchive.org.nz/selleb...iew.php?id=154

[pete-blen]

Steve McQueen / CR250
was played at the movies in the 70s

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J8nJvgSlSiM

[Rhubarb]

http://www.filmarchive.org.nz/selleb...iew.php?id=146

I've still got an SL125 in the corner of my garage.

I've had a few offers for it (one was outrageous - in a good way) but it has so many memories for me I'm happy to hang on to it.