SECApocalypse - 1981 XJ750 SECA "Mad Max" bike

I swear I saw this bike at the Bradley center last night for flat out friday. Granted I was in the upper deck but it looked very, very similar to this one

 

Yup, that was me. I just got home; went to the show at 11:00 and left for home at 3:00. I live in Saint Paul, and we had big snowstorms both Wednesday and today; I drove home into a blizzard. Weather in Milwaukee was AMAZING.

This is the best picture I have now; a guy I know on instagram took it from up in the club section. I wasn't racing, was part of the intermission entertainment. I did get to do practice laps, ended up on the track with the pink bike, which was ALSO an XJ, I think a Maxim 650 or 750.

 

I spotted it from the upper deck and shouted I know that bike! It was my first experience at flat out friday and it was pretty cool. Those expert class guys are crazy! I'd definitely be down for the boonie bike class though

 

After riding, I caught the expert class finals and a couple of the races before / after that (one of the youth classes maybe). They got insanely flat for sure. I'd consider doing inappropriate on my bike, but doubt I'd do well; I couldn't even catch that pink Maxim. To be fair though, when I got off the track I discovered my front calipers were seized... I'm told you aren't supposed to use em, but the way my bike is set up (anti-dive and with 60% of the weight on the front) it makes no sense not to. The back brake is pretty much just for when I want to skid.

 

NM

 

For those wondering, this, from another rider's cam -

 

Picture from a pro photog hit my inbox...

 

Holy cow, are you in GWAR?!

 

Nope, just do Mad Max cosplay. But the helmet was inspired by their base player. After seeing this pic, I think I'm gonna paint the face mask so it looks like it has silver teeth, with black in the center, can experiment in photoshop first.

Not the first costume I've made like that either, always loved that guy's look.

 

I must have missed the pink maxim

 

The "inappropriate" class was the very last even of the night, so if you left at all early, you would have missed it. Was also hard to tell it was a Maxim, every square inch was bombed bright pink. I only noticed like the second time I walked by it in the pits and caught the shape of the YICS logo on the cases.

Vanity shot, from a pic posted on instagram by Old Bike Barn.

 

I did stay for the entire thing, even have a video of the entire inappropriate class and I still can't pick it out haha. That's cool though. Your bike was easy to pick out even from the upper deck. I recognized it immediately and was just waiting to be able to get on here and ask about it

 

Is the front fender new? I just noticed it for the first time in your vanity shot.

 

Yeah, the front fender is new(ish). I did a whole ice riding setup (spike tires and fenders that come down to the axle level) because the same event normally has ice racing on Sunday, along with some open riding on the track. But the weather was so warm, they canned that. Sort of a bummer, there's usually a bunch of sweet vintage bikes out on the ice.

The front looks nice and seemed good protection for the derby riders and other bikes on the flat track, so I left it on.

 

if you ever sell that, i want to see the add on craigs list

 

I think it would need to be more of an Ebay kind of thing.... no way I'm dealing with all the the sort of person who would answer that CL ad!

The only way I really could see selling it and getting a decent financial (and emotional) outcome would be if I got an offer from somebody in George Miller's production company or for some other film use. And I think those guys build all their own stuff for safety / insurance reasons, or so that they can build multiple copies (though there is the obvious exception of the twin bikes Classified Moto did for Walking Dead).

 

Bit of update time...

I put about 4,000 miles on the bike this year. New front shock works great. About 2/3 of that was 300-500 mile highway days going to (overnight) local events.

One of those was the Rockerbox / Vintage Motofest show at Road America, where I won the "Best Ratbike" category. I almost didn't get my prize because I was out riding on the race track when they were awarded - apparently I was the only bike in the show to sign up for the open class track tour. Had fun chasing down the pace car from the back of the pack. The judge / show organizer was the editor of Motorcycle Classics magazine, we had an interesting chat when I got back from the track to pick up my prize.

Another event I went to was a Mad Max festival in California. I loaded my bike into a freinds pickup for the trip out there - 4,000 miles round trip on a naked bike is to much (and to expensive, and doesn't allow bringing other toys). Here's a picture from that, where I won "Best in Show" for the motorcycle class. That's the trophy on my bars, and the field of the car class is behind me (about 150 cars, there was only maybe 50 bikes).



My current plans include some minor tweaks and repairs and (at my sons request) building a sidecar!

 

Luv the inner tube hair

 

You are a True American Hero.