A Matchless frame, Norton Atlas engine, Bob Blair idea & Mike Patrick talent turn this Frankenstein hybrid into a winning machine—albeit for a very short time Read More...
Kawasaki was looking for a rider who could win the 125 crown, and Mike Kiedrowski was looking for revenge for being dropped by the Honda factory team at the end of the 1990 season Read More...
ESO engines were available: 250cc, 350cc and 500cc—the most unique features of this engine design were the straight-cut gears and the backwards-spinning crankshaft. Read More...
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 Read More...
Suzuki used every bit of ingenuity gleaned from backyard mechanics with the latest information and lessons learned from their previous failures Read More...
Ariel 500 HS Cross was both a last gasp for Ariel's 500cc four-stroke engine, but also the end of the dominant era of the Big British Single in motocross Read More...
The Falta buyer got the classic aluminum coffin-style gas tank, center-port exhaust engine, magnesium hubs, air shock and a single-downtube red frame Read More...
Kim Kimball and film star Steve McQueen began importing Montesas to America & race car drivers Dan Gurney and Phil Hill were stock holders Read More...
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 Read More...
Honda went all Star Wars on the cosmetics, plus they water-cooled the 1981 CR125 and CR250, introduced the ill-fated CR450 and unveiled the stupidest front number plate in motocross history Read More...
The YZ125C was well received. It had great rear suspension (compared to the YZ125B) and a six-speed transmission. In typical MXA fashion, we called the forks "wimpy" Read More...
When the BSA competition department went out of business, Alan Clews saw his opportunity and purchased all the works parts and started building bikes in his garage Read More...
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) Read More...
For the 1973 season, the factory built a limited-production run of 200 units, dubbed the F11M 250‚ it wasn't until 1974 that Kawasaki introduced the KX nomenclature for its motocross bikes Read More...
What a McCulloch MAC7 kart engine started, grew into frame kits for the Honda, Yamaha, Suzuki, Kawasaki, Bridgestone, Hodaka and 100, and Harley engines Read More...
Super Rats ruled the race tracks of America with their “chrome guppy” gas tanks and 13 horsepower. Best of all, a youngster could buy a 100cc Hodaka Super Rat for under $500. Read More...
The Bridgestone name is taken from the translation of founder Shojiro Ishibashi's last name—ishi translates as “stone” and bashi means “bridge.” Read More...