Nice look back, Tony. You and I must have the world's largest collection of magazines.....I had the ones you mentioned plus East Coast enduro mags and, when my daughter went to Europe, she got me a subscription to a French dirt big mag. I remember many of the characteristics of the bikes that you mentioned......the fragile CR pistons(store 'em in an egg crate) to the definitely enduro-type powerband of the Husky. I was especially sad to see the demise of the Maico's as I loved the way the pulled and handled (except the Corte Cosso shocks (and the primary chain...always mysterious what condition it was in). The Japanese bikes had a "universal fit" feeling, in general, with problems that seemed to continue too long before correction. That said, what an exciting time in the history of dirt bikes. Magazines could do some well-thought out bitching about the problems of bikes without the nit-picky primadonna whining of today. We all got to suffer jetting, suspension, balance, quality problems and felt like brothers in our "suffering". What a great time to be a dirt biker. I'm 74 now and still riding....don't know how much longer.
Great vid Tony! Love to see the 1985 shootout. Honda Action magazine voted the Honda #1? The Honda was, besides the suspension, a great bike only if it was not built motor wise with the same durability as a potato chip. That mag lost credibility for me that year and cost my friend €$$£ in rebuilds. If Yamaha or Suzuki had built the same bike (like the Honda), MXA would have ripped it to shreds due to reliability or lack there of. Now a Yamaha engine in a Suzuki chassis would have been a thing to behold. The 1985 Dirt Bike Mag had an interesting take on the shootout that year. An entire video could be made on it😉 hint, hint.
I just recently completed a full nut & bolt restoration of a 1984 YZ 250 in the Canadian red/white version . My dirt bike hero of teens was Ricky Johnson , so it was an easy choice when picking a project from this era . I enjoyed your review of the entire 84 class of 250 bikes . Keep up the great work here on your channel !!!
@@TheMotocrossVault this is why I don't like modern bikes as they are copies of each other.. Back in the late 70s and early 80s the bikes were changing big time... Air cooling was on the way out and liquid cooling coming in, disc brakes were replacing drums, rear suspension was changing from twin to mono shock and fregular shaped seats were being replaced by safety seats.
And had easilty the best suspension. Even in stock trim, the RM was the best bike for the average rider because of its suspension and better reliability over the Honda.
I had EVERY issue of Dirt Bike and Motocross Action back then from around 1980 and up would get so excited when the new issue would arrive. Rick Sieman "Super Hunky" Mr. Know-it-all Jody Weisel. Back then you had to actually use your brain and read.
A Brad Lackey KX 500 please his my faverate ever Motocross champ I've lost a pic that was in Trials and Motocross news here in England that was on a front page of Brad Lackey from behind flying
Thanks for all your efforts to keep Vintage bikes alive Tony. Some fantastic bikes being produced in the 80’s & 90’s. Love going to your channel and hitting the Rewind button. I started on a 1979 Italjet 50. Two stroke air cooled mono-shock with a hydrostatic clutch. My dad bought it new from a local Harley Davidson dealer! Fun 1st bike. Anyway, great work and keep the articles coming!
The magazines did not like the "tippy and tall chassis" of the KX250? They were probably 1" shorter than modern 4-stroke bikes, (and my newer YZ250 2-stroke), and not a word about the bikes from the mags since 1998. I did just see a MXA vid on new bikes about a week ago, and they actually mentioned bikes getting too tall for the first time in their new employment. We knew that back in 1984. Jody knew that back in 1984. 4-strokes made the bikes taller too, with stock bikes edging out guys under 5'10" tall.
Every test with the Husqvarnas: "Dual shocks are horribly outdated and we can't believe Husky are still doing it. Oh btw the Husky's rear suspension works better than any other bike in the test." OH REALLY?! It's almost like linkage isn't totally necessary and you can create a rising rate using shock valving and progressive-rate springs (that's what PDS means on modern non-linkage KTMs; Husky did it in 83). It's almost like Öhlins know how to make suspension that works. Everybody's bikes got heavier when they went to monoshock. But the moto press and the children that followed it were more concerned with looking fashionable. Everyone was switching to mono so it must be categorically better for some reason. Everyone complains about badly setup linkages causing bizarre handling and needing a pile of fresh bearings every 10 minutes, but you gotta have it because it's "trick". I think Husky had it right then and it'd still be right now. Super high quality shocks with rising rate built into them. Balljoints at both ends for a canted angle (narrow up top for you, wide down bottom for chain clearance). The swingarm can be lighter because the suspension isn't cantilevered 5ft away from the axle. Your airbox can flow better and be more accessible, and your carb can have a straight shot into the cylinder rather than being cranked at some funky angle. And yes, if one of your shocks is blown and the other isn't, it will handle funny. But a blown monoshock handles funny too, and so does the loose worn-out linkage that you find on all the 80s bikes if you buy one today. Admittedly, the 83+ Husky frame was not known for handling, and Husky always built their bikes like armored personnel carriers so they ceded any potential weight advantage from the suspension, and then some. Next to an 81 dual-shock Maico, the Husky feels like a Volvo on 2 wheels. Their 250 was powerful but super peaky in 82, and forever after they stuck to their mild heavy-flywheel engine roots.
Was lucky enough to work at a shop in Australia that was one of a handful in the country that had all four japanese brands in the eighties, was a good time. Agree with the overview of these bikes with the added point of view that the disc brake was a massive advantage over the suzukis weak drum or the yamahas light switch and variable twin lead drum. Yamahas "z" spokes were a PIA. Suzukis frame used to break above the swingarm pivot and hondas seemingly simple atac valve needed regular cleaning to remain operative. Having said that i would be happy to have any one of these old rockets in my shed today.
I loved the CR and the YZ(we got the red & white models) 250's in 84 in Australia Even though l rode a KX80F2 in 84... Exciting times for me being 12 and racing MX back then
Loved Dirt Bike and MXA. They were expensive to buy in the U.K. but I didn’t care. Started reading in 77 until 83 when an injury racing in West Berlin meant I had to go on road instead. Great memories.
I have a 2003 and it's an absolute beast. I'm a big heavy guy and the bike easily hauls my fat carcass around. The 4 speed box is actually not bad once you drop a couple of teeth on the back. I like the heft of it. It is heavy but its planted and will normally go where you aim it.
@@jayb9687 That can't be on the rear wheel. That would made them stronger then a 250 2 stroke from en 90's and early 2000. I don't belive it until I see facts and proof. End of story.
No one was on board with big Kawasaki's till '86..the Honda's were the TOP BIKES you felt so comfortable on..the yammy was a bull and felt like one. But I saw one win many races that year..suzukis were still a popular bike based on the suspension and success they had in the class in 81and 82..classic machines..just my eyewitness take from this era...I love your videos Tony ..it's like Christmas
My first year to throw a leg over a bike was 1984 the "zinger" PW50 I was just just 6 years old and remember the show room like it was yesterday my attention was drawn to the Tri Z the big one I remember my grand pop sitting me up one one Been riding with my dad and grandfather and now my boys and girls strange how I seem to have a visual favorite for every model year from 1980 to current Its a tie for me between 1991 CR or 1991 Suzuki for visuals And my favorite overall ride i have owned and ridden is a brand new 1994 YZ 80 so far to date
The Europeans just couldn’t let go of the woods bikes. I guess that’s why they still rule that world.
Nice look back, Tony. You and I must have the world's largest collection of magazines.....I had the ones you mentioned plus East Coast enduro mags and, when my daughter went to Europe, she got me a subscription to a French dirt big mag. I remember many of the characteristics of the bikes that you mentioned......the fragile CR pistons(store 'em in an egg crate) to the definitely enduro-type powerband of the Husky. I was especially sad to see the demise of the Maico's as I loved the way the pulled and handled (except the Corte Cosso shocks (and the primary chain...always mysterious what condition it was in). The Japanese bikes had a "universal fit" feeling, in general, with problems that seemed to continue too long before correction. That said, what an exciting time in the history of dirt bikes. Magazines could do some well-thought out bitching about the problems of bikes without the nit-picky primadonna whining of today. We all got to suffer jetting, suspension, balance, quality problems and felt like brothers in our "suffering". What a great time to be a dirt biker. I'm 74 now and still riding....don't know how much longer.
Hey Tom, would you be interested on parting with your Motor Cross magazine Tony mentioned. Rolf
Great vid Tony! Love to see the 1985 shootout. Honda Action magazine voted the Honda #1? The Honda was, besides the suspension, a great bike only if it was not built motor wise with the same durability as a potato chip. That mag lost credibility for me that year and cost my friend €$$£ in rebuilds. If Yamaha or Suzuki had built the same bike (like the Honda), MXA would have ripped it to shreds due to reliability or lack there of. Now a Yamaha engine in a Suzuki chassis would have been a thing to behold. The 1985 Dirt Bike Mag had an interesting take on the shootout that year. An entire video could be made on it😉 hint, hint.
I just recently completed a full nut & bolt restoration of a 1984 YZ 250 in the Canadian red/white version . My dirt bike hero of teens was Ricky Johnson , so it was an easy choice when picking a project from this era . I enjoyed your review of the entire 84 class of 250 bikes .
Keep up the great work here on your channel !!!
Thanks 🙏🏻
The 83, 84 and 85 YZs had atrocious suspensions compared to the CRs, KXs and RMs but had superior motors and excellent powerbands !
@@TheMotocrossVault this is why I don't like modern bikes as they are copies of each other.. Back in the late 70s and early 80s the bikes were changing big time... Air cooling was on the way out and liquid cooling coming in, disc brakes were replacing drums, rear suspension was changing from twin to mono shock and fregular shaped seats were being replaced by safety seats.
@@TheMotocrossVault give me the YZ... absloutley LOVE Yamaha... And yes I'm biased. Lol
@@TheMotocrossVault on 2 seperate occasions when I attended race meetingsI have seen the rear suspension on 2 KXs collapse... Not a good thing to see.
The 84 RM only needed the 82 head to solve the lack of power, for less than 100 dollars it was as fast as anything else at the time.
And had easilty the best suspension. Even in stock trim, the RM was the best bike for the average rider because of its suspension and better reliability over the Honda.
I had EVERY issue of Dirt Bike and Motocross Action back then from around 1980 and up would get so excited when the new issue would arrive. Rick Sieman "Super Hunky" Mr. Know-it-all Jody Weisel. Back then you had to actually use your brain and read.
Please do as 'many' 1985's test as possible. This was the one year of the most exciting time in Dirt Bike history for me!
....I think he has a 1985 250 shootout.
No Cagiva.... didn't have a power valve but it had a power curve like a light switch. 3hp to 7000rpm and 30 or so at 7500....
I had an '84 CR250 brand new right off the showroom floor. Man that thing made some serious power.
Same here. Loved that bike!
A Brad Lackey KX 500 please his my faverate ever Motocross champ I've lost a pic that was in Trials and Motocross news here in England that was on a front page of Brad Lackey from behind flying
Thanks for all your efforts to keep Vintage bikes alive Tony. Some fantastic bikes being produced in the 80’s & 90’s. Love going to your channel and hitting the Rewind button. I started on a 1979 Italjet 50. Two stroke air cooled mono-shock with a hydrostatic clutch. My dad bought it new from a local Harley Davidson dealer! Fun 1st bike. Anyway, great work and keep the articles coming!
I love these bikes better than the ones from today in maintenance wise especially 🥺🥴
The magazines did not like the "tippy and tall chassis" of the KX250? They were probably 1" shorter than modern 4-stroke bikes, (and my newer YZ250 2-stroke), and not a word about the bikes from the mags since 1998. I did just see a MXA vid on new bikes about a week ago, and they actually mentioned bikes getting too tall for the first time in their new employment.
We knew that back in 1984. Jody knew that back in 1984. 4-strokes made the bikes taller too, with stock bikes edging out guys under 5'10" tall.
Every test with the Husqvarnas: "Dual shocks are horribly outdated and we can't believe Husky are still doing it. Oh btw the Husky's rear suspension works better than any other bike in the test."
OH REALLY?! It's almost like linkage isn't totally necessary and you can create a rising rate using shock valving and progressive-rate springs (that's what PDS means on modern non-linkage KTMs; Husky did it in 83). It's almost like Öhlins know how to make suspension that works. Everybody's bikes got heavier when they went to monoshock. But the moto press and the children that followed it were more concerned with looking fashionable. Everyone was switching to mono so it must be categorically better for some reason. Everyone complains about badly setup linkages causing bizarre handling and needing a pile of fresh bearings every 10 minutes, but you gotta have it because it's "trick".
I think Husky had it right then and it'd still be right now. Super high quality shocks with rising rate built into them. Balljoints at both ends for a canted angle (narrow up top for you, wide down bottom for chain clearance). The swingarm can be lighter because the suspension isn't cantilevered 5ft away from the axle. Your airbox can flow better and be more accessible, and your carb can have a straight shot into the cylinder rather than being cranked at some funky angle. And yes, if one of your shocks is blown and the other isn't, it will handle funny. But a blown monoshock handles funny too, and so does the loose worn-out linkage that you find on all the 80s bikes if you buy one today.
Admittedly, the 83+ Husky frame was not known for handling, and Husky always built their bikes like armored personnel carriers so they ceded any potential weight advantage from the suspension, and then some. Next to an 81 dual-shock Maico, the Husky feels like a Volvo on 2 wheels. Their 250 was powerful but super peaky in 82, and forever after they stuck to their mild heavy-flywheel engine roots.
I love these vids. Periodically, I come back to them & watch them over. They never get old to me....great stuff!
Was lucky enough to work at a shop in Australia that was one of a handful in the country that had all four japanese brands in the eighties, was a good time. Agree with the overview of these bikes with the added point of view that the disc brake was a massive advantage over the suzukis weak drum or the yamahas light switch and variable twin lead drum. Yamahas "z" spokes were a PIA. Suzukis frame used to break above the swingarm pivot and hondas seemingly simple atac valve needed regular cleaning to remain operative. Having said that i would be happy to have any one of these old rockets in my shed today.
I loved the CR and the YZ(we got the red & white models) 250's in 84 in Australia
Even though l rode a KX80F2 in 84... Exciting times for me being 12 and racing MX back then
Considering how advanced (at least perceived as being so) the Swedes were with jets and cars, Huskies were being left behind.
1983 rm80
❤️ the CR’s
For the review skip to 5:00. Everything before that is like a trip to the dentist.
Thank you for that
Loved Dirt Bike and MXA. They were expensive to buy in the U.K. but I didn’t care. Started reading in 77 until 83 when an injury racing in West Berlin meant I had to go on road instead. Great memories.
How about Minicycle Rider/Racer magazine. Loved the 83 yz100
With Mouse McCoy on the cover..(if remember the name correctly😁)
I own 2 1984 Husky 250CRs , with a work and tuning they are very competive bikes , I race mine all summer long , just my 2 bits , gtrat channel
I have a 2003 and it's an absolute beast.
I'm a big heavy guy and the bike easily hauls my fat carcass around.
The 4 speed box is actually not bad once you drop a couple of teeth on the back.
I like the heft of it. It is heavy but its planted and will normally go where you aim it.
Tony thank for helping me identify a rider and year on my TH-cam video I really appreciate the help.
I love my 84 yz250 its enough bike for my big ass to handle lol
The KTM looks pretty.....and even better in 85....86.....
Kawasaki was left behind with a look and feeling of 1981. Real bad.
Happy Easter Blaze! :)
Thanks you too!
How did we not die racing with drum brakes?
👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻🇮🇹🖐️
👍🏻
Maico 490 Spider
How much rear wheel hp does these 1984 bikes have? Is it like around 34 to 36hp?
If I remember right the cr250 made around 41-43
@@jayb9687 That can't be on the rear wheel. That would made them stronger then a 250 2 stroke from en 90's and early 2000.
I don't belive it until I see facts and proof. End of story.
Please do the history of the Suzuki lt250r/500r
Love your vids so much info!
Can you do a retro review of the ktm 360 of any year
It is on my list for sure
Yamaha for the visual win !
back then I was in love with 1984yz 125..same awesome look..best yellow look of all time..although late 80s rm's were also great Lookers!
No one was on board with big Kawasaki's till '86..the Honda's were the TOP BIKES you felt so comfortable on..the yammy was a bull and felt like one. But I saw one win many races that year..suzukis were still a popular bike based on the suspension and success they had in the class in 81and 82..classic machines..just my eyewitness take from this era...I love your videos Tony ..it's like Christmas
My first year to throw a leg over a bike was 1984 the "zinger" PW50 I was just just 6 years old and remember the show room like it was yesterday my attention was drawn to the Tri Z the big one I remember my grand pop sitting me up one one
Been riding with my dad and grandfather and now my boys and girls strange how I seem to have a visual favorite for every model year from 1980 to current
Its a tie for me between 1991 CR or 1991 Suzuki for visuals
And my favorite overall ride i have owned and ridden is a brand new 1994 YZ 80 so far to date
84 bad year for honda on production bike. Id go yellow if it was 84
I had an 84 CR 250 off the showroom floor. It was an awesome machine!
Your high ..the yz line sukked..except the 250..
Yep I haven't had a calluses on my clutch fingers for over a Decade
0
Good for you and the new business venture 👍 love your Chanel 🤘 one of the best and most fun !
Can you please do a 2000 250 shootout? I have 00 rm 250 and wanted to know how it stacked up at the time also have 3 rm 125s a 91 a 94 and 97
Sure thing
could u do one on kx85s please and thanks :)
Great stuff. I learned a lot. Thanks
Someone was blacked out drunk when they made those kx rear number plates
Did you say nipanese
"Nipponese" which refers to something from Japan
@@TheMotocrossVault yeah I get that 😂 I just never heard that one before!
That yz gas tank 🤣🤣🤣
Awesome video Tony!
Thanks for taking the time with this great shotout!!
You bet!
Fust
Who won the 1984 125 shootout?
I'm guessing Honda as they were a far better all around bike than most of the offerings in that year .
Kawi
Damn. I have an rm125 of that year. That’s y i ask
Kawasaki moped the floor with the comp in the 125 class..rocket fast with ok forks and great rear end