I used to ride an XT 500, back at the end of the 80's. an old black and white one. Plodding around the lanes and woods of Devon, all day long. I still love that sound.
Superb. I have a 1979 XT 500. Rode it 500 miles in the desert from LA to Las Vegas via Barstow back in 2004. Still have it here with me in England. Love it. Now it’s 40 years old, no mot or tax!! Brill. Why don’t you look for a 40 year old bike and put a modern engine in it? Think of the savings!
Damn, that sound is like music to my ears... old school, almost no electronics, classic bike... Man... I feel old and actually I'm not even that old..barely in my late 20s... Talking about long journeys out of dirty stressful cities and all that... Cheers!
I had an XT600 when they were brand new back in 1984, previously I had had an XT500 and so revelled in the upgrades everywhere on the new bike. Harry's Garage has a great collection of Dakar bikes of that era that he and his kids ride regularly.
I’ve never had a bike - not even properly learned to ride but I enjoy seeing someone, who knows what they are doing, restoring any old machine. Interested to hear the history and see the rebuild. How about doing a chat video with photos of past Maximus vehicles? I imagine there would be many interesting machines we’d all like to see and hear the stories of.
Nice video matey,Looking forward to seeing more,We once put a pair of carpet scissors in the ignition of a kawasaki kh 250 after loosing the keys,it was a bit hard convincing the police after being stopped That the bike wasnt stolen lol..
Yup This is a vote for more motorcycle videos 😎 ( I must admit, at first glance I thought you had an old MZ - much relieved to see an XT disguised in there )
I had a 1992 XT600E. My brother & I both had one & rode them through Africa once we'd added bigger tanks, oil coolers, sump guard etc. Great bikes. I wish I hadn't sold it, but I hadn't the space or cash to keep 2 bikes at the time. The XT struggled at motorway speeds two-up. It had done 50000 miles & needed work too. I look forward to seeing more of the bike.
Thanks, Max, a new series to look forward to. I like the scissors - just like in the Sandman Slim novels by Richard Kadrey, where he starts any car by jamming a knife in the ignition...
Nice bit of kit mate, bullet proof. I love my thumpers, I knock about on an old army Honda xr250r and an army Royal Enfield bullet 500 . I look forward to your rebuild series on this.
I've got a 94 XT600 that I kinda just fell into. $200, and only 3500km on the engine. They have such a mountain of torque! I had to replace my ignition switch too. I found that an extra one I had from an XS400 fit right in.
BIKE PROJECT..!! And it's a big single... Nothing like a safe place that's that safe ya can't find it again...I've spent years tryin' to find a safe place to keep her indoors.. Still haven't found one....
Just something about late 80s early 90s big singles in an off road guise. I bought an ex army Armstrong MT500 4 valve 493cc single. Super simple to work on, maintain and modify. Could have the engine out and stripped in 20 minutes. I am willing to bet that your machine is the same.
I used to have one and loved it. I neglected the sprokets until the torque of the engine was enough to pull the chain over the teeth! Great wheelie machine away from the lights.
I'm light as anything (60ish kg) but still found the the saddle on those things to be an instrument of torture. Don't think my arse will ever forget that 500 miles i had to do in one day from the Loire valley to south London! [Acerbis tank btw (for rtw)]
At last!...being dying for you to do a bike video for donkeys Max, great stuff!..really looking forward to watching the restoration, happy days!... Rsmf, Mark
XT range from Yamaha is great, had an XT350, and rode the 600 offroad. Try also adding hand guards to the bars, they work well for keeping the rain off your gloves, and help keep your hands warm. Old style thumpers are a delight, used to get stuck behind dispatch riders in London who could not manage the gaps in the traffic as well as I could on a narrow agile bike like that one.
When I first saw the bike i was half expecting it to be a ex British army dispatch bike .I think they where called rotex Armstrong ?,650 Swiss engine I think ?Another bike I thought you would have kicking around would be a deniper or nevel Ural .a russian copy of a 2 and world war BMW that the Germans left littering the Step.A interesting fact about the Ural is it had a reverse gear and a PTO drive to your side Car. if things got sticky you could engage.Also quite useful off road as they where low geared like a trial bike with super low centre of gravity due to the low parallel Twin 650 cc engine also with wide bars made for a nice easy comfortable off roader.I had a soviet knight.
Its a Yam, it will go for as long as its looked after. Awesome bits of kit. It was seeing the oldskool XTs that brought me down the path to getting an XT1200Z.. now the proud owner of 3 yamahas.. and 2.5 hondas... i have a problem.
I think Acerbis made the plastic tank and bits, I only had the Acerbis mudguards and the standard tin tank on mine back in the day. Still got a DT from the 80's , recognize bits on the XT that bare more than a passing resemblance to the DT. ;-)
Whoaaa now we're talking! That key!!! 😁.start your bike and trim your beard at the same time! I'd have had you down as owning an old green Armstrong. Il look forward to seeing this rebuilt. Great videos 👍.
Put an old Lucas landrover/car ignition switch into a side panel Cheapest way to sort it. Leave the original so if anyone wants to try and nick it, their welcome to attack the dummy one. I used to have a dog lead clip on my triumph so if the ignition key fell out, it was very flirpy and loose, then I’d still have it when I arrived. And the ingersoll padlock key on the same ring, most important.!!
I found you on youtube as every search I put in you came up. From off grid living regarding to my woodland in Norway to my Yamaha motorbike to running for fitness & welding my old Ford Ambulance which was to be a camper van , in fact .... Will you marry me 😁🌻☑️🇧🇻🇬🇧
A nice thumper for an Ironthumper... Actually looking at getting one of the stablemates (XT125, budget too tight for licence) of this bike or possibly an XR in the spring, so more videos on this bike would be great! I heard you mention in a video about a year ago about having a bike and always wondered..
👍👌👏 Yeah, more bike stuff please. 2) If Murphys law is still functioning alright on your non Europe country, I bet that you will find the keys after you changed the ignition switch! 😁 Thanks a lot for making teaching explaining recording editing uploading and sharing. Best regards luck and health to all of you.
"Oh yeah, and a pair of scissors in the ignition." That's peak Ironthumper.
Thanks for recommending the Project Binky series 👍
I think every Maximus video now needs to end with Max riding into the sunset
1982 gpz550h and I love that old girl. Being 58 years young suits me to the ground
As soon as you change that barrel, you'll find the old key. Guaranteed. Looking forward to your bike videos, as a much modded KLR650 owner.
Still the same philosophy when I’m riding my motorbike. If i ever want it to not rain, i put on all my wet weather gear.
Max and the art of motorcycle maintenance :)
Hi Max! I just wanted to say that I've just received my fire poker. It's absolutely beautifully made, thank you so very much!! Well worth the wait.
Thanks, that's great to hear!
The old thumpers are just like the music from the 80's.......unique and beautiful...
I used to ride an XT 500, back at the end of the 80's. an old black and white one.
Plodding around the lanes and woods of Devon, all day long. I still love that sound.
Superb. I have a 1979 XT 500. Rode it 500 miles in the desert from LA to Las Vegas via Barstow back in 2004. Still have it here with me in England. Love it. Now it’s 40 years old, no mot or tax!! Brill.
Why don’t you look for a 40 year old bike and put a modern engine in it? Think of the savings!
HELLO 👋. Love it . Love to see more of your bike , and hear some tails . 👍
Damn, that sound is like music to my ears... old school, almost no electronics, classic bike... Man... I feel old and actually I'm not even that old..barely in my late 20s... Talking about long journeys out of dirty stressful cities and all that... Cheers!
Beer, women and a old thumper. Sounds like a great title for a novel!
Really looking forward to the XT600 project. 👍
I had an XT600 when they were brand new back in 1984, previously I had had an XT500 and so revelled in the upgrades everywhere on the new bike. Harry's Garage has a great collection of Dakar bikes of that era that he and his kids ride regularly.
Great vid, I am also a biker and been riding 41 years. Looking forward to your restoration,
Its the Frankenbike lol, love it. The Peli case on the back..... awesome.
bike bit of a retro treat, will make pleasant content .
I used to have an '82 XT550 (from new) - The most fun bike that I have ever owned!
I’ve never had a bike - not even properly learned to ride but I enjoy seeing someone, who knows what they are doing, restoring any old machine. Interested to hear the history and see the rebuild.
How about doing a chat video with photos of past Maximus vehicles? I imagine there would be many interesting machines we’d all like to see and hear the stories of.
Ooof, gotta love that big single slapping noise. 100% here for more bike videos!
I really feel you on the "safe place" dilemma
You’re so old school and all the better for it. Who else would be starting his bike with a pair of scissors ✂️?
Looking forward to more videos
Nice video matey,Looking forward to seeing more,We once put a pair of carpet scissors in the ignition of a kawasaki kh 250 after loosing the keys,it was a bit hard convincing the police after being stopped That the bike wasnt stolen lol..
Yes, tell us more about the history of the bike and tell us more about your camping trips as this is a new weapon in your armoury for me.
Great bike!
Great!!! Love the fork gaiters
Nice little bike man ,ride safe and best of luck with restoration 👍
I love my old Honda xl 500. Big singles are a joy to ride.
The scissors are a novel touch.
Yup
This is a vote for more motorcycle videos 😎
( I must admit, at first glance I thought you had an old MZ - much relieved to see an XT disguised in there )
I had a 1992 XT600E. My brother & I both had one & rode them through Africa once we'd added bigger tanks, oil coolers, sump guard etc. Great bikes. I wish I hadn't sold it, but I hadn't the space or cash to keep 2 bikes at the time. The XT struggled at motorway speeds two-up. It had done 50000 miles & needed work too. I look forward to seeing more of the bike.
Thanks, Max, a new series to look forward to.
I like the scissors - just like in the Sandman Slim novels by Richard Kadrey, where he starts any car by jamming a knife in the ignition...
Nice bit of kit mate, bullet proof. I love my thumpers, I knock about on an old army Honda xr250r and an army Royal Enfield bullet 500 . I look forward to your rebuild series on this.
Less of a budget bike battle and more of a budget bike battle-axe. Love-it!
about time this bike was featured in videos! been waiting on this since i first seen it. please lots of in depth xt videos
Quality content as always from Max 👍🏼😎
Looking forward to seeing it
Grin Factor 10. 'Nuff said!!!
can't wait to hear the origin story
Brilliant max thanks 😁👍👏👏👏
Of all people Max you give me absolute faith in making it up as you go along 👍
Looking forward to it.
the key is in a safe place....but i dont remember where is that safe place!!!!hahahahaha....you are amazing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Lovely style getting your leg over, must say well done again. Thanks, see you in the next one.
I've got a 94 XT600 that I kinda just fell into. $200, and only 3500km on the engine. They have such a mountain of torque! I had to replace my ignition switch too. I found that an extra one I had from an XS400 fit right in.
Yes more Bike vids please.
Great to see this. Unfortunately, I am now an expired rider due to advanced years and a knackered hip.
Looking forward to the restoration.
Love a big old single. I have a habit of hiding things from myself. No idea where the keys for my bike are🤣
Enjoyed! More please!
"Like all of my vehicles... Like everything I own" 🤣
This will make a great series Max. Looking forward to it!!
replace the ignition barrel and i a flash, you'll find the old keys lol. We've all been there! Keep it up Max. Stay safe
BIKE PROJECT..!! And it's a big single...
Nothing like a safe place that's that safe ya can't find it again...I've spent years tryin' to find a safe place to keep her indoors..
Still haven't found one....
It's Mr Thumper's old thumper.
Reminds me of Trigger's trusty old broom that lasted him twenty years, though with 17 new handles and 14 new heads.
Nice, looking forward to seeing more of it!
Great and fantastic film thank you. Looking forward to seeing more of this machine.
Think this will be my new favourite series of yours Max!
Great bike and a good Mad Max project.😂👍 That is a huge tank!
Awesome, I'm a biker myself (currently only on my CBT) I have an AJS Tempest Scrambler, done 7000 miles since January.
Just something about late 80s early 90s big singles in an off road guise. I bought an ex army Armstrong MT500 4 valve 493cc single. Super simple to work on, maintain and modify. Could have the engine out and stripped in 20 minutes.
I am willing to bet that your machine is the same.
Finally a bike vid....it’s a Yamaha so above all else it’s bloody reliable. Looking forward to this mate 👍👍🏍
Nice! I have a 1997 Honda XR600R, another bomb proof air cooled cylinder of similar vintage. They're pretty invincible just like the XTs
I used to have one and loved it. I neglected the sprokets until the torque of the engine was enough to pull the chain over the teeth!
Great wheelie machine away from the lights.
Sweet project..
Love it... passed my test on one of those in Versailles... great bikes..
A fine sounding machine, and another lovely video. Thank you.
When I saw the title I guess it was a KLR, but an XT was going to be my second guess. More bike videos please :)
Had a SR500 in the early 80's , it was a torque monster . The compression release was fun too .
I'm light as anything (60ish kg) but still found the the saddle on those things to be an instrument of torture. Don't think my arse will ever forget that 500 miles i had to do in one day from the Loire valley to south London! [Acerbis tank btw (for rtw)]
Looking forward to seeing you restoring the bike, as a biker myself of 39 year's, keep up the good work with the landie
More bike vids please Max!!
Love the bike max 👌
At last!...being dying for you to do a bike video for donkeys Max, great stuff!..really looking forward to watching the restoration, happy days!... Rsmf, Mark
Yessss! I asked for this video years ago!
Can't wait to see the rest of them.
Would love to see more on the XT ! I had one as my first bike, they are a great single cylinder thumper :)
Oh the key story has made my weekend 😂🤣🤣
XT range from Yamaha is great, had an XT350, and rode the 600 offroad. Try also adding hand guards to the bars, they work well for keeping the rain off your gloves, and help keep your hands warm. Old style thumpers are a delight, used to get stuck behind dispatch riders in London who could not manage the gaps in the traffic as well as I could on a narrow agile bike like that one.
When I first saw the bike i was half expecting it to be a ex British army dispatch bike .I think they where called rotex Armstrong ?,650 Swiss engine I think ?Another bike I thought you would have kicking around would be a deniper or nevel Ural .a russian copy of a 2 and world war BMW that the Germans left littering the Step.A interesting fact about the Ural is it had a reverse gear and a PTO drive to your side Car. if things got sticky you could engage.Also quite useful off road as they where low geared like a trial bike with super low centre of gravity due to the low parallel Twin 650 cc engine also with wide bars made for a nice easy comfortable off roader.I had a soviet knight.
Austrian. Bombproof lumps. BMW used them in their Funduros. (And Aprilia in their Pegasos)
@@graememorrison333 do you mean the rotax engine .I stand corrected .
@@JohnDoe-ox5ni Yup. (That's ok! I wasn't trying to score points.)
Armstrong is a great bike. I want one.
Love the bike video, dont see many surviving XT600 in the states.
ktm200exc owner
love the bike, would love to know more
Love that thumper it has appeared in a previous video but it was a long time ago
i tend to use a keyfob alarm and a relay to replace my ignition barrels
Nice bike I like the sound of it
nice workhorse, and i bet i doesnt go in to hiding when the cold weather strikes :-)
Never run or ride with scissors ! Nice one Max
Its a Yam, it will go for as long as its looked after. Awesome bits of kit. It was seeing the oldskool XTs that brought me down the path to getting an XT1200Z.. now the proud owner of 3 yamahas.. and 2.5 hondas... i have a problem.
I think Acerbis made the plastic tank and bits, I only had the Acerbis mudguards and the standard tin tank on mine back in the day. Still got a DT from the 80's , recognize bits on the XT that bare more than a passing resemblance to the DT. ;-)
Those scissors made me laugh 🤣
It's a mighty steed
Whoaaa now we're talking! That key!!! 😁.start your bike and trim your beard at the same time! I'd have had you down as owning an old green Armstrong. Il look forward to seeing this rebuilt. Great videos 👍.
I did have one, great machine.
As soon as this video popped up I thought Bombadier.
So pretty much the millennium falcon ironthumper edition
Put an old Lucas landrover/car ignition switch into a side panel
Cheapest way to sort it. Leave the original so if anyone wants to try and nick it, their welcome to attack the dummy one. I used to have a dog lead clip on my triumph so if the ignition key fell out, it was very flirpy and loose, then I’d still have it when I arrived. And the ingersoll padlock key on the same ring, most important.!!
It's exactly as Mad Max as I would expect an Ironthumper bike to be.
But being a biker, this content does appeal to me, looking forward to more!
I found you on youtube as every search I put in you came up. From off grid living regarding to my woodland in Norway to my Yamaha motorbike to running for fitness & welding my old Ford Ambulance which was to be a camper van , in fact .... Will you marry me 😁🌻☑️🇧🇻🇬🇧
I grew up on a 250, then got a 350 Norton, a 650 back then was huge.
A nice thumper for an Ironthumper... Actually looking at getting one of the stablemates (XT125, budget too tight for licence) of this bike or possibly an XR in the spring, so more videos on this bike would be great! I heard you mention in a video about a year ago about having a bike and always wondered..
ooh a thumper, i use to have a honda dominator, great fun a big single.
👍👌👏 Yeah, more bike stuff please. 2) If Murphys law is still functioning alright on your non Europe country, I bet that you will find the keys after you changed the ignition switch! 😁
Thanks a lot for making teaching explaining recording editing uploading and sharing.
Best regards luck and health to all of you.