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seruzawa · 12-31-2004, 10:37 AM

You mean like the "good old days" when guys were racing XLCH Sportsters and BSA 650 Hornets? Similar power to modern 400cc bikes that weighed 200 lbs more, had 3 inches of travel and 1 inch wide single leading shoe brakes. Yikes. There definitely weren't any pussies at it back then. It's hard to believe that those bikes were able to finish when you saw all the holes drilled through every frame member to redude weight. Some of those bikes looked like swiss cheese.

Imagine trusting an AMF Sportster on a Hare and Hounds race across the Mojave. Better have the will made out.

BMW4VWW · 12-31-2004, 11:11 AM

Having ridden a 650 Hornet in the dirt on several occasions, I can attest to the fact that they quickly became a handful when the going got rough. Remember though that these early bikes and the scrambles that they participated in were responsible for the early Japanese dirt oriented bikes. The Yamaha Catalina, and the Big Bear Scrambler were both named after two such events. Like wise the Honda CL 250, and 305 scramblers can trace their reason for being to the popularity of those early races. VWW

seruzawa · 01-01-2005, 12:02 PM

It's hard to believe that at one time the 305 Scrambler was a decent piece of off road machinery. Didn't 4 guys set the Baja record on those one year...67? Oh, that's right. It wasn't an organized race back then.

Sure, the old 305s were heavier than the Greeves and Bultacos, etc.... but at least you usually could count on them running for an entire endurance race.

mscuddy · 01-02-2005, 12:32 PM

It was the Baja 1000 in 1969. A '69 CL 350 modified by Long Beach Honda.

Riden by Larry Berquist and Gary Preston, it beat the cars by 6 hours and 30 minutes (20 hours 38 minutes vs. 26 hours 8 minutes).

Motor was stock, except for the pipes & air cleaners. Had some Spanish Betors grafted on the front, and the rake was licked out some. They also ran some kind of new-fangled shock asorbers named Koni...

The 350 was a great bike. I have two. A '70 CL and a '71 CB.

12-31-2004, 10:37 AM	#11
seruzawa Robby Join Date: Nov 2001 Location: 8501 ft. Posts: 16,803	Re: Stuporcross You mean like the "good old days" when guys were racing XLCH Sportsters and BSA 650 Hornets? Similar power to modern 400cc bikes that weighed 200 lbs more, had 3 inches of travel and 1 inch wide single leading shoe brakes. Yikes. There definitely weren't any pussies at it back then. It's hard to believe that those bikes were able to finish when you saw all the holes drilled through every frame member to redude weight. Some of those bikes looked like swiss cheese. Imagine trusting an AMF Sportster on a Hare and Hounds race across the Mojave. Better have the will made out. __________________ I've seen things you people wouldn't believe. Attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion. I watched c-beams glitter in the dark near the Tanhauser Gate. All those moments will be lost in time, like tears in the rain.

12-31-2004, 11:11 AM	#12
BMW4VWW Founding Member Join Date: Nov 2001 Posts: 1,833	Re: Stuporcross Having ridden a 650 Hornet in the dirt on several occasions, I can attest to the fact that they quickly became a handful when the going got rough. Remember though that these early bikes and the scrambles that they participated in were responsible for the early Japanese dirt oriented bikes. The Yamaha Catalina, and the Big Bear Scrambler were both named after two such events. Like wise the Honda CL 250, and 305 scramblers can trace their reason for being to the popularity of those early races. VWW

01-01-2005, 12:02 PM	#13
seruzawa Robby Join Date: Nov 2001 Location: 8501 ft. Posts: 16,803	Re: Stuporcross It's hard to believe that at one time the 305 Scrambler was a decent piece of off road machinery. Didn't 4 guys set the Baja record on those one year...67? Oh, that's right. It wasn't an organized race back then. Sure, the old 305s were heavier than the Greeves and Bultacos, etc.... but at least you usually could count on them running for an entire endurance race. __________________ I've seen things you people wouldn't believe. Attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion. I watched c-beams glitter in the dark near the Tanhauser Gate. All those moments will be lost in time, like tears in the rain.

01-02-2005, 12:32 PM	#14
mscuddy MODERATOR X Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Next to my still checkin the temp. Posts: 5,444	Re: Stuporcross It was the Baja 1000 in 1969. A '69 CL 350 modified by Long Beach Honda. Riden by Larry Berquist and Gary Preston, it beat the cars by 6 hours and 30 minutes (20 hours 38 minutes vs. 26 hours 8 minutes). Motor was stock, except for the pipes & air cleaners. Had some Spanish Betors grafted on the front, and the rake was licked out some. They also ran some kind of new-fangled shock asorbers named Koni... The 350 was a great bike. I have two. A '70 CL and a '71 CB. __________________ A gun is a tool, Marian; no better or no worse than any other tool: an axe, a shovel or anything. A gun is as good or as bad as the man using it. Remember that.

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