DIRE WARNINGS AND THINGS YOU OUGHT TO KNOW
If you choose to email a question to this forum, then you must conduct yourself accordingly. Therefore, the following rules are in order:
1. Do not write your email to me IN CAPS. If you do so, I will print out your question and do terrible things to it.
2. Do not request a personal email response. Since I get thousands of questions each month, trying to answer them all would cut deeply into my leisure time, which I value more than your current state of confusion.
3. Try to spell at least in a semi-correct fashion. If you choose to mangle the English language, expect no mercy from this quarter. You might be mocked severely.
4. Do not ask for me to send you copies of my many manuals and literature. I am not in the library business, nor do I want to spend the bulk of my day at the copy machine just because you're too lazy to ask your dealer, or look around a bit.
5. Don't bother me with truly stupid questions, like how to get 50 more horsepower for a buck and a half
6. Now that you know the rules, think carefully and have at it!
Oh yes … I’ll leave your email unedited, for what it’s worth.
SUBJECT: 1984 YAMAHA TT600
I have a 84 Yamaha TT600 motorcycle is there any kick start lever besides the one fitted that will be better than the stock aluminum one. some thing that doesn't fall apart or chip away thanks
No Name
Regina, Canada
After an exhausting search, I found no chronic problem in this department. The kick starter does make contact with the footpeg at the bottom of the stroke. Maybe you kick like a gorilla on steroids, in which case you should zip tie a section of rubber tubing on the kick starter where it makes contact.
SUBJECT: THE MISSING POWERBAND
Hello my question to you is how much is the usual cost if i want to put a powerband in my Suzuki 125L dirtbike.Thanks for Reading my question
Victor.
They say that there is no such thing as a stupid question. But maybe "they" are hopelessly wrong. At the risk of falling for a joke, let me describe the powerband to you. It's the characteristic of the kind of power your bike has. If you had a 125 two stroke MXer, for example, you'd have a narrow peaky power band. If you rode a 500 cc two stroke, chances are it would have a broad power band, with power coming in early in the rev range and staying consistent throughout the range. There is no such thing as a powerband that you can buy and bolt in place. Now you know.
SUBJECT: YZ80 PISTON
helooo can you help me i have a yz 80/85 i took the head of and its gt like a 52mm piston and carnt seem to find 1 any clues were i could
MC phonix
Reading, UK
Have a pre-school kid lead you to a Yamaha shop. Then, while you stand there quietly picking your nose, the kid can order the piston for you.
SUBJECT: VINTAGE MUSINGS
We spoke a few years back, just another blubbering VMX addict, looking to recreate a past I probably never had. I think I was buggin' you about resto pointers for the Elsinore and MX125 I was doing at the time.
Just saw an ad for a new US based vintage bike pub from the Motorcyclist folks, you part of that? Hope so.
Wasn't that your idealic South of the border riding compound in Cycle News? You're back in the states now?
David Zemla
I write for VMX magazine, Trail Rider and Off-road.com and that's it. I still have a huge (5300 square feet) home in Baja and I'm now renting it out. Just recently, I moved to Arizona after 15 years south of the border.
SUBJECT: THE MAKING OF AN OFF-ROADER
Alright you young'ins back in my little kid days, there were no such thing as Big Wheels or Mean Green Machines. Nope, if we wanted something different we had to make it ourselves.
Being the youngest of 4 boys in a family of 5, I was the designated test driver for the designs of my older brothers that had varying ideals from sinister to epic feats of engineering. On the later, at least they thought so.
We lived on a steep hill in San Clemente (San Carlos Street). My brothers decided to build go-karts or what could be better identified as a "downhill luge". The material varied however, there was always a consistency of scrap lumber as the main component. Wheels were "ala carte" (truly) and often pirated from our sister's tricycle or donated from one of the brothers Raleigh bicycles. Axles were fastened to 2x4's with nails, and lots of them. Steering was "state of our fledgling art" electrical wire accosted from one of Dad's extension cords with the solemn and complete addition of our feet for true feel of the road.
Brakes were.. "ya gotta be kidding!" and far outside their engineering capabilities, besides we always had or feet. Of course as the minimalist engineers that they were, seating was never more plush than 1960's carpet remnants.
To this day I remember one trip well. My oldest brother promised to go for the ride. He put me up front with the steering at my beck and call (more beck as in Beckon). We launched hard with full, devious laughing assistance of the other brothers. About 2 houses down from our drive way, he bailed - hah, the reduction in weight immediately allowed for increased speed. I tucked down and prepared for the turn at the bottom of the hill. I surmise my speed was approaching 20 MPH at the beginning of the turn. I tugged the left electrical cord and pushed with my right foot forward to steer left - "Kat tang" the cord broke and instantly the luge went into a violent wobble and sent me directly right into the iceplant hill.
Their epic feet of engineering was now in pieces and I was rolling down the hill from where the impact with the curb had hurled me.
Fear quickly subsided to laughter (mine and my brothers) as we knew our speeds never approached anything of danger. Funny thing, these clowns (my brothers) refuse to ride in any vehicle under my control to this day. Go figure.
And those were the days when we had 5 TV channels that we had to get up to change and, all our friends were outside.
I really got it by reading the great columns in Dirt Bike Magazine while my folks went grocery shopping. I could read and retain every one in 30 minutes or so and rarely bought a mag. I needed my quarters for gas to feed the Kawasaki 120 and to save up for Maverick shocks or a Circle Industries expansion chamber!
Somewhere stashed away in a specimen jar, I know Rick has those petrified french fries from deep under the seat of the GYBT.
Cheers.
Pat Chicas
Las Vegas, NV
Pat is the man who started Off-road.com many years ago. And here is how he got the off-roading bug.
SUBJECT: MAICO FAN FROM PUERTO RICO
I am in Puerto Rico and the owner of the unique 490 in the island, Reading your article its amazing the 760 . Really good info, Thanks for all the information you posted for us the readers and Maico Lovers.
A. Muniz
Puerto Rico
Yep, the 760 Maico was a wild bike. We'll keep the coverage of vintage bikes at a decent level.
SUBJECT: CLAPPED OUT HONDA XL185
ah this isnt a comment but i got a honda XL185s given to me i got it going and went ok but i went throught oil and had a smokey exhaust so iv pulled it apart and found that the oil ring is buggered any way long story short dose any one know the wear limit of the barel i think this is the same motor they put in the XR's too could ya reply to thatnks!!!
The Boy
Millicent, Australia
Yes, the XL and XR motors are basically the same, and they look the same when they're wasted, which is what you have. Wear limit? At this point, you are so far past the limit that it boggles the mind.
SUBJECT: 1975 YAMAHA MX 100
does anyone know what a 1975 yamaha mx 100 would be worth it is in very good shape
No Name
Oklahoma City, OK
If the bike was in perfect shape, you might get $1500 for it from a collector. If it was in very good shape, there's a new 100cc class in AHRMA racing and it might bring a thousand or so. If it's in average condition, figure on between $400 and $600.
SUBJECT: DIRT BIKE INJURIES
hey, I went on a dirtbike as a passenger and the day afterwards m back was really hurting. We fell off the bike twice but I only hurt my knee, is this the reason why my back hurts? Thanks
Nina
Northhamtonshire, UK
Nope, the reason your back hurts is that a dirt bike is designed for one person, not two. When you rode, you were hanging on like a rag doll with your feet dangling in the air. And if you're in pathetic shape, that alone is enough to make you hurt the next day. Add to that a few spills, and you have the makings of multiple aches and pains.
SUBJECT: BEST YZ?
Are there appreciable differences in handling and power among the last of the air-cooled YZ250s, say from 1978-1981? If you were going to pick one of these bikes for post-vintage motocross, which would it be?
Thanks!
Paul
Santa Rosa, Calif.
The best bike of the bunch was the 1980 YZ250. It had six speeds, decent suspension and handled well. 1981 was a disaster. It was heavier, a five speed, and a water cooled clunker.
SUBJECT: LOST IN THE PARTS DEPARTMENT
can't find any gascaccinch sealer.
tampa
sal salvidio
Don't they have any auto parts stores in Tampa? Just ask any savvy parts guy for something like Gascacinch and I'm certain you'll find a dozen similar products.
SUBJECT: OLDER YAMAHA/MIKUNI CARBS
Hi Rick
I have a Mikuni carb on my 1969 Yamaha DT1. I cannot identify the model but it seems different to all others in that it has an adjusting screw with a spring underneath right next to the throttle cable on top of the carb where the cable enters the carb, Both the cable and this adjusting screw are underneath a rubber cover which is retained in a ring slot at the top of the carb. What is that screw for and what is the model of this carb and wher can I find tuning info on this model?
Thanks
Rod
You have an ordinary round slide Mikuni carb. The nut is meant to adjust the cable and the spring is nothing more than a protective device for the cable.
SUBJECT: YUP, I’M STILL ALIVE
I was showing a friend the cement block-like bikes we were forced to contend with back in "the day" and ran across your website. I was stunned! Superhunky still lives! I used to read your articles and laugh till I
moistened my briefs. I am glad to see you have not been institutionalized ..... yet.
Keep it up.
Kim Eakin
Yup, I'm still alive, still writing about dirt bikes and still riding them. I never bothered to learn anything else.
SUBJECT: 97 KX100
over the summer my 97kx100 the topend went so i had that put inan it needed cab adjustments andgot it stated i ode it 4 about 10 minutes an it bogged down anwouldnt start ne moe soi checked thereeds an they were junk so i replaced them i went to stat it after tht an the gas statedpouing out theoverflow and wouldnt start. any trips or ideas about whatswong or what i cando would be geatly appreciaed thanku
Alex
Plymouth, MA
Next summer, instead of riding your bike, why not go to summer school and learn how to spell? Your email is so bad that it's embarrassing. As to your problem, your jetting doesn't change when the motor wears out. As to the gas problem, you probably have a leaking float needle/seat. Ask someone who can speak English to explain this to you.
SUBJECT: GLOWING PIPES
I just finished my first 4-stroke overhaul and installed a new piston, rings, and cylinder, in my '03 YZF250. The bike started and runs great, but the exhaust pipe got "cherry red" in about a minute. Is this normal for a new or have I done something wrong. It has a ProCircut T-4 slip-on, but everything else is stock. Is this bike runnig lean and could it be due to a possible leak around the boot between the carb and the manifold/head? Thanks
Sam N.
Grovetown, GA
While it's not unusual for a head pipe to turn cherry red, you mention that everything is stock. I take that to mean that you still have stock jetting. Contact Pro-Circuit and find out what the correct jetting is with their pipe. Also, it's not a bad idea to check for air leaks by spraying with soapy water at the various carb joints with the engine running.
SUBJECT: CHECKING OIL LEVEL THE RIGHT WAY
I have an old 1976 Honda 175cc. My question is: When checking the oil level, do I check it when it's on the kickstand leaning, or balanced upright. When upright, the level up to the top mark. But when it's on the lean, it does not register. Please let me know what the proper way to check the level.
Randy
La Verne, CA
The oil level must be checked with the bike straight up and down. Lean it to one side or the other and you get a false reading.
SUBJECT: HARD STARTING RM250
Hi ,
I have an rm250 that won't kick start. You can pull start it and it will run at high rpm. Timings been done, carbs been set and jetted, etc. the work was done professionally and it was focused on solving this problem. But its not fixed. Any idea's on what to do now? My last resort is the stator. I had it rewound. Is there any signs to tell you if its on its way out. I am confused because it runs but won't start. Compression was checked btw.
Thanks
Robert
Troy, OH
If everything else is spot on and there's nothing wrong mechanically, chances are that it's something much simpler, like a clogged pilot jet. A bike that will tow start, but not kick start, fits that bill exactly. Check this first.
SUBJECT: STUMBLING KTM 125SX
I have a 2003 KTM 125SX. Whenever I crack the throttle it just wants to die and it goes bwuahhhhhh, but soon as I feather the clutch it takes right off. It seems to really kick in on the mid and top end. I know two strokes dont have alot of low end but I know this is not typical. I think a pilot jet might be plugged because it sat around last year. I havent checked the spark plug but I think its running rich because theres alot of oil on the inside of my number plate and if I let it idle for about 30 seconds it will load up. The air filter is also alittle dirty and the temperature is also cold outside at about 30 degrees. Any suggestions?
Mike
If you suspect the pilot jet might be clogged, take the float bowl off and check it. It won't check itself. Also, your 125 is five years old and you might simply need a fresh piston in that top end. When a bike loses punch down low, that's one of the first things to check.
SUBJECT: SAFETY WHEN RIDING IN BAJA
Mr. Hunky
I am writing to you in the hopes that you could shed some light on the subject of safety in Baja. We are planning another trip down to Mikes sky ranch at the end of April, since we have been planning this ride we have been told by several people that at this point in time it is not safe to ride down there. We didn’t hear anything last year when we did our trip (I don’t know maybe ignorance is bliss). Since you are probably one of the most knowledgeable experts on the subject of Baja I felt it would be a good idea to seek your advice or knowledge on the subject.
Any Info that you could provide me and my crew would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.
P.S. I am about done with your book, and haven’t had such a good laugh in a while.
P.S.S. If I would have had the chance this weekend I would of given some idiot a treasure map. Knuckleheads, I can never escape them.
Sincerely,
Bryan J. Davis
Let me give it to you straight. I would not enter or exit Baja via the San Ysidro or Otay Mesa crossing. Instead, I would enter via the Tecate crossing. Just about all the crime you're hearing about is in Tijuana, Rosarito and Ensenada.
Stay with a group of at least two or three vehicles and you shouldn't have any problem. All the crime involves one vehicle, usually an expensive one. Use your head and go low key and have a good ride.
SUBJECT: CYLINDER SWAPPING IN SERBIA
wil fit piston and cilindar from dt 200 or dt 230 on dt 125 lc
Boban,
Belgrade, Serbia
Unfortunately, the Croatians designed the pistons and cylinders of the Yamaha 200 & 230, and made sure they didn't fit the 125, because THEY KNEW Serbians would exchange the cylinder & pistons on these machines to make them superior to the 125, since that is the motorcycle most Croats can afford to ride.
I would suggest to get Bill Clinton to send over a few spare Tomahawk cruise missles again to straighten the whole thing out.
Sincerely,
Vlad
SUBJECT: CR125 QUITS RUNNING
I have a 2001 cr125. It cranks up and idles but when i give it a little gas it looses fire. When it gets to a certain rpm it quits firing untill it dies out then it restarts and idles untill i give it a little bit of gas then it kills fire again. It also backfires when starting. What is causing this??
Drue
Opelousas. LA
This must be the 20th email I've received this month regarding the same basic problem. I would bet five to one that you have crud or water in your float bowl and when you have a pressure drop (when the throttle is opened), the crud gets sucked into the main jet causing the bike to stall.
SUBJECT: HONDA CT70 MODEL RUN
I just purchased a '91 Honda CT70. My question: When did Honda begin making the CT70 +and+ what was it's last year of production?
Thanks
Larry
Rolla, MO
They first brought the CT 70 out in 1969, according to the Honda Redbook. The model run went all the way to 1994, although the Redbook doesn't show anything past 1982. Odd.
SUBJECT: 92 HONDA CR125 SWING ARM
I Have a 1992 cr125 and i was riding one day and it cut off so i kicked it. It did not turn over. Then i took the top end apart and the crank rod was very wobbly what it wrong and hoe do you get the Swingarm pivot bolt out.
No Name
North Carolina
The only way you can get the swing arm pivot bolt out of the frame is with the wobbly crank rod from the motor. Honda designed it this way so MORONS couldn't work on their fine machines.
Another alternative is to get a large "Universal Calibration Device" of about 3 lbs. and beat the beejuzus out of the bike until the part you want falls off. Then you can JB Weld it all back together again, like a plastic model battleship.
SUBJECT: EDUCATED LADY
Hi Rick,
I've finished Monkey Butt and that is a great read!
Have a question for you. I'm trying to learn about the history of dirt bikes from the 60's through the 80's. I'm a 45 year old woman and I never sat on a dirt bike until I was 34, so my background is very limited. Presently I've got a 2002 KX100 and a 2007 Husky TE250 and I'm hooked big time, although I'm not interested in competing.
So I've been trying to educate myself and have been reading a lot of articles that I've found on line, have a thread going in advrider (http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=303837) and have been asking questions along the way. Can you recommend any reading that would help me? I've read several of your articles on SuperHunky.com also and I really like your style of writing. I'm also reading some of the Hall of Fame bios on various riders through http://www.motorcyclemuseum.org/.
Also, you might enjoy some of the old pictures that have been posted in the link at advrider.com. There are several guys who have posted stories and information that are/were in District 37 and one guy "MotoMike" is actually Mike Whitcomb who is mentioned in your book on the 1990 B and V protest ride.
Thanks again!
Stacey
Reading Monkey Butt is a sign of advanced brain damage. You might want to read some of the earlier Dirt Bike mags (1971 through 1974) to get a feel for what it was like way back then. Mike is an old friend of mine. Sincere thanks for the great email.
SUBJECT: RM250 SMOKER
I have a RM 250 1987 (old school mx) top end was just rebuilt 1 over bore maybe 10hours on top end I have some issues not yet seen before 1- Pinging ? from the front end at the muffler /head connection : 2- Black ?druel? at the head / muffler connection and muffler tip : 3- I also have excessive 2stroke smoke with pre-mix of 40:1 using Yamaha oil 4- Sputtler or stumble in 1 gear ?only when stabbing the gas? 2 3 4 gear is fine tons of power Please help I don?t want to kill this again !
Brian rm250
West Palm, FL
It's obvious that you have a bad crank seal. When your top end was worn and sloppy, there wasn't much pressure to deal with. Now that your top end is fresh, you're sucking tranny fluid into the lower end. At low revs, it fouls up the mixture. Once you get going (revs), it runs OK. Sound familiar?
SUBJECT: HINDALL FRAMES?
SuperHunky,
I come to you hat in hand, groveling at your feet, hoping to find enlightenment. I have what I thought was a Rickman Mk3 frame, but now I'm not sure. I think it may be a Harry Hindall (Hindle?) frame. It appears to be TIG welded, whereas I thought Rickman's were all bronze welded, and there is not a number on it anywhere I can find. The fiberglass looks identical to Rickman.
What got me to wondering is a picture on Speed and Sport's web site of a Triumph engined bike with a Hindall frame that looks like a Rickman. In doing a google search, I only found one thread on some Brit bike forum that mentions Hindall. Do you know anything about him? My frame is non oil-bearing, and someone had scabbed a Bighorn 350 Kaw engine into it badly, but I think I can shoehorn a Norton engine into it. If you can shed any light on this, I'd sure appreciate it.
Thanks!
I knew Harry Hindall quite well, and he made some of the finest frames ever. Here, directly from a 1972 Dirt Bike mag, are the words I wrote back then:
HINDALL FRAME
The Hindall frame is largely an Improvement on the basic design of the Metisse but is much lighter because of Harry's work and thought. Improving a sound design is difficult, but it can be done.
One difference stands out: The Metisse frame weighs 27 pounds bare; Hindall's barely hits 21 pounds complete with swingarm, footpegs, and brake lever. This is a weight saving where few thought it would be possible. Hindall brazes all of his joints and has never yet had a report of frame breakage. He believes that a braze is the safest way to go when working with chrome moly, which he uses exclusively.
Wheelbase is a whopping 56-plus inches with almost an inch left for additional adjustment. As expected, this makes the rig somewhat more predictable in handling. It reacts slower through the corners, but isn't sluggish. Even a novice will not get into trouble.
The bike simply goes where it's pointed; no fancy stuff is required. A rider can corner briskly in any fashion he desires, throttle on or throttle off.
On a tight course, the Hindall frame will be at a slight disadvantage. Here the rider will have to use a little muscle and horse the long bike through some of the tighter corners.
For these tight ones, the best bet seems to be to lean the bike way over, slam a foot on the ground and squirt the rear end around with a burst on the throttle. The rear end will lazily swing out in a graceful arc until the rider rolls slightly off the throttle. It then becomes a matter of dialing on enough to move out of the corner when the desired attitude is reached.
If you're a sand freak, the Hindall frame will provide hours of sliding fun for your bike, because the bike simply will not break loose when heeled over in the soft stuff.
Even high-speed skiddin' becomes something the rankest novice can learn in a matter of minutes. At one point during the testing, a test rider kept the Hindall Triumph locked on in third at full rpm, while keeping the machine sliding around in a huge oval pattern.
Everybody can slide the bike with ease. It takes almost nothing to learn the art, just hook it on, pitch the bike sideways and keep it on while sawing at the bars occasionly. Beautiful!
Straight-line work at high speeds is also second to none. The machine goes like the proverbial bullet — straight and true. Thirty pounds make a lot of difference; this enables the Hindall front end to pop up when needed, where the Metisse wants to stay on the ground.
Spring-loaded, self-cleaning foot- pegs complement the sliding by staying out the way when necessary.
A distinct improvement over the Metisse is in the chain adjuster. Hindall incorporates a snail-type adjuster at the swingarm pivot instead of those damnable Metisse slotted coins.
Most of the weight loss is picked up from the detailing and attention give to "taken for granted" areas. Hindall's front brake alone weighs half of an ordinary dirt unit, yet works. The entire front wheel assembly scales a mere 21 pounds, including tire, hub and brake.
Some titanium is used notably the exhaust pipes, but most of the weight is gained through careful use of sheet metal fabrication instead of heavier castings. Tubes are used instead of solid pieces (even the axles are hollow) and many components are liberally drilled.
Of particular note is the gas tank, which is hand-hammered by Harry out of .080 aluminum sheet. Workmanship is second to none and no marks are evident. These retail for $90, and are made upon request. Capacity is 1.8 gallons, and the tanks weigh a light 3½ pounds.
Fenders, side panels, shocks and a dozen other items are made by Harry in his small shop. The incredible number of things the man can make are surpassed only by his fussiness and care in production.
When a rider orders a special Hindall frame, he can be sure of one thing: It will fit. The frame that you have just might be the Project Pighorn bike that we did a few years later. We don't know of anyone else who stuck a 350 Kawasaki in a Hindall frame.
SUBJECT: 94 YZ250 FOULING PLUGS
I have a 1994 yz 250 and i just got it completely rebuilt in the top end and the carburator has new needle in it and was all done by a mechanic.i run about 32:1 and it run fine all day and then the next mornin it would just run for a minute and blow a bunch smoke out and foul the plug.Then if you clean the plug it will start up for about 10 or 15 seconds and foul again.when you take the plug out it is black and soakin wet.and everything in it is all stock like the jets and everything.maybe i am running the wrong kind of plug.
Chad
Sussex, Canada
Chances are that you blew a crank seal. Sucking the trans fluid into the lower end will cause the smoke and fouled plugs.
SUBJECT: 1979 YZ80 FRAME
Hey
Do you have pictures to a 1979 YZ 80 dirtbike like a picture to how the frame goes togeather and bolts and pieces. Thanks
Luke
Mosinee, WI
SUBJECT: 92 KX250 CLUTCH BLUES
I have a 1992 kx 250, it starts and runs fine but when you start letting the clutch out and it starts to grab, it dies. I have
called dealers and they have no clue what it might be. You can also start the bike in gear and it works fine until you stop and try to take off again. I dont want to take it to a dealer because they will probably charge me more than it is worth. Any advice on where to start would be appreciated.
Old Yella
Highland Village, TX
Get ready to dig into your wallet. Your clutch is most likely coming apart. One or more of the fiber plates has broken up.
SUBJECT: LEAKY 94 CR125 HONDA
Hello,
I have a 1994 Honda CR-125-R I placed the reeds cleanded the carb can get the bike to run with a new plug evertime I start it it will not start a second time on same plug. Them the carb starts to leak out of the overflow, I'm at my wits end and tired of throwing plugs away, HELP!
Rick
Lapeer, MI
Think about this for a moment. You've got gas puking out of the carb like a bad kidney and you're fouling plugs. Put it all together and common sense tells you that your float/float needle is leaking badly enough to dump raw gas into the cylinder.
SHAMELESS PLUG
Man, I’ve got books, posters and all kinds of CDs. This makes the ideal gift for someone who enjoys living in the past. Website: www.superhunky.com
Here's the source:
Rick Sieman
56129 W. Papago Rd.
Maricopa, AZ
85239
Paypal, Check or Money Order OK - No plastic