CLASSIC MOTOCROSS IRON: 1961 LITO 500 MOTOCROSS
Total production at Lito was only 35 machines, built between 1961 and 1965. Sten Lundin won the 1961 World Championship on a Lito (of sorts)
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Total production at Lito was only 35 machines, built between 1961 and 1965. Sten Lundin won the 1961 World Championship on a Lito (of sorts)
Racing the Parilla 250 Wildcat Scramblers against the smaller Cubs was like stealing candy from a baby
Using the DT1 MX as a starting point, Gary Jones won the 1971 250 National Championship and would retain it in 1972, while 16-year-old Marty Tripes would win the Superbowl of Motocross on one
Frantisek Janecek bought the Wanderer brand from Winklhofer & Jaenicke and combined the first two letters from Jaenicke and Wanderer to name his motorcycle company Jawa
Bultaco riders called the Pursang MK II the “Boat Tail” for its similarity to a Chris Craft runabout
An off-road bike with an engine that could either be a twin or a twingle, but no matter how you cut it, it weighed too much
The first real Japanese motocross effort borrowed a few ideas from the Euro brands
Webco started with a Rickman nickel-plated Micro-Metisse frame and bodywork to ensure that its 125-kitted engine would be in the best chassis of the day
The machines were very unique with their spring-loaded and removable skis. When the skis were attached, the soldier would control the bike with his feet in stirrups
Suzuki used every bit of ingenuity gleaned from backyard mechanics, the latest information and lessons learned from previous failures
The 2005 CR250 should have dug a trench at low rpm, but instead of going “braapp” it went “wahhhhh.” On the positive side, it’s no longer a “wah, wah, wah” engine, just one “wah” in ’05
The Albin-powered Monark has the most unique history of any motocross bike ever made — it lived two lives
Power wasn’t outstanding, but thanks to the low seat height and slack head angle, the Pursang was a sliding fool
Imported by PABATCO of Hodaka fame—the British Cotton was unique, but not because of its Villiers Starmaker engine
The Rickman brothers’ marketing plan was simple. They would race the bikes on Sunday and sell them on Monday—the Westlake 490 conversion was a bonus
CZ twin pipes enjoy celebrity status among motorcycle collectors because they were raced by Joel Robert and Roger DeCoster
Bultaco and Montesa engines were cheap, but putting a third-class engine in a first-class chassis was a violation of Marketing 101
CCM (Clews Competition Machines) was founded in 1971 out of the collapse of BSA’s competition department
Bultaco’s stock rose when American upstart Jim Pomeroy shocked the motocross establishment by winning the 1973 Spanish 250 GP, but the high didn’t last long
Great wheels at a good price
“Out-of-the-box winner” from Sweden—with help from Germany, Italy and England