Thumper Club Forum
Club House => Chatter => Topic started by: Bigian on June 15, 2009, 09:26:25 PM
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Hello.
I need some help in finding a very very cheap bike to do the Lands end trial on. I am looking at any single that will do the job.
I have a Ossa Mar which just has not got the legs for 350 lane miles and a BSA A7SS which is to heavy for the rougher terrain.
Has anyone done the event or can give advice. I think the site is great lots of good articles!!!!!
Cheers Ian.
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The Kawasaki KLR 250 is a very under-rated trail bike. The standard suspension isn't brilliant but it's good enough and the engine is much pokier than you'd expect. It's also pretty light.
DR350s are getting thin on the ground these days in good nick, but that's another great little thumper trailie.
Cheers
GC
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I did look at KLR's DR's and XT's I think that a lot of the really cheap ones have been thrashed to death or butch-ed.
I think that a road type bike might do the job, fitted with knobbly tyres.Z200 or MZ something????
I think most of the early jap stuff was twin 2 stroke engines with torpedo exhausts.
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Yamaha Serow's have a good name I believe? If you can live with the weight most 600 ish trailies are better value than the little ones, they tend to be used off road less and therefore survive longer!
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I saw there were a few Xt600,Dr600 on that dreaded site, If i could find a fairly old one it could be a option.
I need to keep looking in those barns !!!!!!
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How about a CB 250 Rs . Great little bike and you can tiddle about with the gearing . Or if you are really lucky , the CL250 . This was an on/off road version of the Rs with extra low first gear . They are around and about and still quite big on the continent . I've been offered a couple myself but they've not appeared as yet . Lovely to look at , high level two into one exhaust , rack etc .
Rob .
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I think a rs might be the way forward!
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How about something like an MZ250 special?
(http://bristol.mzridersclub.co.uk/Images/blue-trail-mz.jpg)
Cheap, tough, bulletproof, easy to convert.
I remember reading something in MZ rider years ago about someone doing the Lands end on just such a machine. This picture isn't the best convertion I've seen but the only one I could find.
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Hmmm first MZ stroker I've seen that makes me thinl "cool, I could fancy one of these..." I think I'd better go for a lie down until the feeling passes :-\
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A cheap TS 125/250 or ETZ is probably going to be £200-£300 ish ? A set of Knobblies, fiddle with the exhaust and mountings, Maybe change the front wheel for a 21" ( Small jap trailie ?) and maybe change the gearing - you could have a pretty decent little off roader and change from £500. ;D
(http://www.speedtracktales.co.uk/mediac/400_0/media/MZ~ISDT~Replica.jpg)
..and it would have the all important Z cred!
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Yamaha Serow's have a good name I believe? If you can live with the weight most 600 ish trailies are better value than the little ones, they tend to be used off road less and therefore survive longer!
Serows are excellent little bikes - pretty decent off road, and rideable on-road. 600 trailies are hard work off-road, especially if you're inexperienced or unfit.
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I think i might be both of them!
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I used to trail-ride in the Elan Valley with a bloke who beat us all hands down on a ratty old Honda MTX125 :o
GC
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How about something like an MZ250 special?
Interesting an ETZ 251 frame and running gear, I wondering if they did both wheels as this model came with a 16" rear. TS250 (that's 4 speed not /1 AKA Supafive engine) and some tricky welding on the silencer; which looks stangely too long.
Steffan
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On reflection it could be a TS frame, well the clocks are right but then the tail light is definately ETZ, the give away of course would be a peak at the section under the tank box vs tube.....
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Hell that's some exhaust system.
I think you could have a lot of fun on something like this that has all the extra metalwork removed and the correct tyre's and gearing.
Ken
How about something like an MZ250 special?
(http://bristol.mzridersclub.co.uk/Images/blue-trail-mz.jpg)
Cheap, tough, bulletproof, easy to convert.
I remember reading something in MZ rider years ago about someone doing the Lands end on just such a machine. This picture isn't the best convertion I've seen but the only one I could find.
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(http://www.speedtracktales.co.uk/mediac/400_0/media/MZ~ISDT~Replica.jpg)
Is this one of that batch of ISDT replicas that come into the country at a knock-down price in the 80s? I seem to recall they were really cheap and everyone knew that they would be worth a fortune one day which, I'm told, they are.
GC
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(http://www.speedtracktales.co.uk/mediac/400_0/media/MZ~ISDT~Replica.jpg)
Is this one of that batch of ISDT replicas that come into the country at a knock-down price in the 80s? I seem to recall they were really cheap and everyone knew that they would be worth a fortune one day which, I'm told, they are.
GC
Very probably, looks more factory than home brew. Having said that you could make a pretty good replica without spending that much....I seem to remember reading that it is just about possible to put the 250 engine in the 125 chassis...now that would make an interesting off roader. I would guess the best engine would be either a TS or post G reg (I think) ETZ as they are more torquey. The early ETZ's were very peaky with a fairly narrow powerband (I know I had one) apparently they revised the port timing after G reg back to something nearer the TS timing.
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I really like both of those MZs - showing my age I guess - they look like a trail bike should.
Steffan - you should really get out more. Says the man who ripped apart his RD500 to get a photo of the frame gussets as they were different to the listing on the RD500 pages... I had not looked at it for years but knew they were different... Hummmmmm
R
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How about something like an MZ250 special?
(http://bristol.mzridersclub.co.uk/Images/blue-trail-mz.jpg)
Cheap, tough, bulletproof, easy to convert.
I remember reading something in MZ rider years ago about someone doing the Lands end on just such a machine. This picture isn't the best convertion I've seen but the only one I could find.
I'd say that is a TS 250 Frame.
4 speed engine with later TS(Supa 5 type)forks ETZ tank etc....
Jethro
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A cheap TS 125/250 or ETZ is probably going to be £200-£300 ish ? A set of Knobblies, fiddle with the exhaust and mountings, Maybe change the front wheel for a 21" ( Small jap trailie ?) and maybe change the gearing - you could have a pretty decent little off roader and change from £500. ;D
(http://www.speedtracktales.co.uk/mediac/400_0/media/MZ~ISDT~Replica.jpg)
..and it would have the all important Z cred!
That is a Proper Job...TS 250 G5 I believe the model was.
I was given the choice a few years ago.
One of those little beauties or a Pukka Ex-Works Machine...either one for £800.I was PIg Sick I couldnt afford one.
Iwas later told they were both animals and a genuine 100mph.
Even Sicker now as they are so expensive and loverly machines.
Jethro
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Sneaks off to look at two smokes on ebay (whistles noncholantly...) :-[
Ok for the anoraks ;) here is where you can read about the blue MZ shown above:
http://www.starfield181.co.uk/mzs.htm
For those too lazy to look there...
"The latest attempt at a trail MZ is shown above and above right. This is probably my most professional attempt so far in terms of off-road capability. It wears a lot of the parts that came from the red trails MZ shown above, including the rear fork with prop stand and chain guard protector, 21" TS front wheel and 18" TS rear wheel.
Hi level pipe and silencer are standard TS250 items cut/welded (by a friend). Tank is from an ETZ125. Headlight from an old British bike (possibly a late 250 BSA). Engine is a standard TS250 5 speeder with a 4 speed head. Tested only round the garden so far but with a 15t sprocket it seems to pull very well."
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Oh I know this guy, wife exhibits dogs. Nice enough - got the hump with someone (not me) and dropped out of the online MZ scene. also has BMWs and some Brit iron from memory.
S
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I seem to remember reading that it is just about possible to put the 250 engine in the 125 chassis
I think Jethro did this once, or something similar. He was going for a trailie look and it had a big front wheel that (iirc) clouted the exhaust occasionally. FAF it was too.
GC