Springfield Mile is this Sunday! I've been wanting to see this live in person for years and I'm finally going. Flat track racing must be the oldest for of motorcycle racing but has fallen in popularity lately. I'm not sure why, possibly from lack of promotion? It's been on my bucket list so hopefully in won't rain out and I can check it off.
Some of my friends are going. I just hung a new pipe on my DXT bike Saturday so I need to burn circles soon. Do you know that TM makes a out of the box DTX bike, just add gas. Talked to the TM rep this past winter about the cost and why its not AMA approved. Expensive sport to get into.
Could you share some links related to flat track racing? Mostly I'd like to know the rules and the series organizations so I can decide if it's something I want to get started doing.
AMA still lists events. Rules are in the same book as MX and Ice racing. https://www.vft.org/ http://www.wvrclub.com/ http://www.electriccityriders.com/ Help if I knew ware your from I run in New England or New York dist.3 Vintage class bikes or 100-150cc bikes are easy enough to come by and you can get into the sport cheap enough. I found it is better to buy a bike than build one. I like the old TT500 best, the 450YZ is really fun but best bang for the buck is a air cooled 100cc bike.
I checked out the 100 nationals at Lodi cycle bowl a few years ago. The whole field was xr/crf100's. That looked like so much damn fun. The guy I was working with at the time got back into flatracking after 30 years that season riding a crf150r. He offered me his tires since they were the same as my 100. I really wanted to, but the He went over the bars and broke his neck. The wife said no way! Still would be fun though.
Wife just had works build a shock for the KLX, that class can sometimes get out of hand. Grown men on play bikes going way to fast. They also run them as mini motards another good way to get wadded up LOL. Before you build or buy anything see what the local promoter runs for classes and what is legal for that series.
I was on the fence between getting a street bike or a different purpose dirt bike. I'm going to dirt and planning to give vintage flat track a try I bought this Bultaco Astro framed XR500 Honda powered bike yesterday.
Nice bits on that one and that can be shut up if needed. Light shoe's by George may be the last one who makes a steal shoe any more. You ever play this game before ?
In about 1978 I bought and played around on a 76 KX125 that was set up for flat track but there weren't many local races at the time so in 79 i bought a new yz125 and started in on motocross. I'm going to have to practice a lot before I start racing. This bike was a new build for a guy that was going to do the pro am but he got a better gig driving a sprint car so the owner/builder decided to sell. The builder/owner is Ricky Anderson a retired pro rider and about the nicest guy you could meet.
What I found with short track guys was they don't get a pile of new riders so the new guys sticks out. That said I never met anyone who wouldn't help out. The vintage guy's are more like family, if you don't race they don't race so they tend to keep each other going. It is a ton of fun, enjoy.
Looks like Indian is getting back into flat track! http://www.indianmotorcycle.com/en-...dium=email&utm_campaign=ind_1606_flattrack_us
I saw that just a couple days ago. I think it's about time flat track makes a comeback, it's too cool not to. When the factory street tracker bikes start getting promoted it will get more publicity.
Went to the awards banquet over the winter and TM had some bikes. So I had to ask them why the only out of the box DTX bike was not on the AMA's approved for racing list. That was a long answer but in the end TM didn't want to give the AMA any money. If you play this game and are going out and getting a new 450 of any brand then tossing the wheels and setting the suspension is expensive compare to just taking the same bike and just going racing MX or woods. I think HD made the XR750 as a complete bike until 82 ? I really enjoy the sport but I get more bang for my buck in the woods and if I had the money that TM would be in the barn.
That is sweet, is that yours? I've always had a dream of having a fabricating shop making flat track bikes. My automotive shop used to do some drag race car work like aluminum interiors, tube chassis, engine building, transmission building, tuning suspension and engines. There was more money in fixing daily drivers then race cars though so we limited race cars to two of the twelve bays. Now that I'm semi-retired and care more about what I'm doing then how much money I'm making maybe I'll give it a go.
Great looking XR you've got there. If you are serious about the flat track fab shop idea you should look up Joe Cude in Wickenburg, AZ. He is the owner/builder of Barricuda Racing Products and built the pipe on your bike. He has a fab shop that builds pipes and other assorted flat track parts and he also races vintage flat track. I met him a few years ago when he bought a 1986 Husky 510 thumper from me. He seemed like a good sort and it would be worth it for you to contact him and pick his brain. I wonder if he ever turned my old 510 into a flat tracker? Hmmm...
