Old Yamahas never die, they GO RACING!!!

Not XJ's admittedly, but a couple of classic XS's (#14 and #36) doing battle with among other things, a couple of old Triumphs.



#36 kicked butt and sounded great doing it!


The Triumphs (and a Honda) coming to the line:




A typical Michigan grass-roots AMA District 14 dirt-tracker:
Classic old TT500 has seen better days, but soldiers on, loud-n-proud... check the front wheel-- Suzuki GS street bike, mid eighties?



Taken at the Lucky Thumb M/C TT Races, Deford, MI around the end of August. Sorry about the water bottle; I had myself all set and the camera all focused and then as the bikes were coming to the line, the starter hung it in the fence and I didn't have time to re-stage.

 

I've got one those TT500 front wheels on my next project, a GN-400

 

Hhhmmm I'd love to take the 500 single for a spin, good to see the oldies still runnin', I probly had the most fun on my trail bike.

 

I believe the guy on the beat up Triumph is my buddy Mike Hoffman. He used to race XS650's with big bore 750 kits back in the mid 80's. He is a master mechanic at Bay Cycle in Bay City.

 

!!!! You went to lucky thumb! Haha its awesome, I went to the flat track races there last year, I loved watching the vintage bikes over the dirtbikes.
Also, i raced there this year with my snowmobile., on the pond behind you..
Also, for that race, was it an oval, or did they combine the 2 tracks and give them a few jumps?

And one last question. Did they have any sidecar racers there... Man i wish I coulda went, if theyre havin one this weekend, im comin home.

 

flattrackers don't jump shooter...

 

So sweet. I want to get involved in racing, but it seems like the events are so few and far between that you really have to travel.

 

have you ever been to lucky thumb? I dont mean motocross, its a litcht incline that they get like 1-2 feet of air... I've been ther and see flattrackers go over it

 

speaking of flat track racing...
King kenny Roberts racing the tz750 flat track racer after 30 years:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vgjXjcTB_pQ

A close up of the bike:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cU1U5dU9 ... re=related

 

Oh, yes they do-- in a "TT." To BE a "TT" the track MUST include at least one RIGHT turn and one jump. The track at Lucky Thumb is configured to be either a TT course or a "short track" oval.