I remember being a 14 year old paperboy with a CR 125. I remember seeing the DG catalog and just dreaming of all of the stuff I could do with my bike if I could ever afford the parts. Stuff dreams are made of.
I had a 1978 Yamaha YZ80 with a DG gold anodized mono-shock swingarm, gold anodized high compression head, ported cylinder, and pipe. It was and still is in my mind the trickest bike I have owned. It looked so cool and ran even better.
I had the same bike when I was in 5th grade. When I got to big for it I eventually sold it for a 1980 YZ100. In 2020 I bought another '78 YZ80 that had been restored. I'd love to have the DG setup you had on your bike.
I was 14yrs. old racing the 125 class then, the 250 class on a Bultaco in 75, with CMC Carlsbad and Saddleback....I remember the onslaught of 125 Elsinores and remember "Norris Roberts" sponsored riders. A great time to be involved in motocross besides seeing legends rise to the top, Marty Smith, Broc Glover, Mike Bell, Tim Lunde, Mark Tyer, Dave Taylor....remember Harry Klem as well. He built the CZ for Rex Staten for the 75 USGP....I could go on and on but if you didn't live motocross in the decade of 1970 you missed the best era...by far the greatest show on earth....miss those days....hard to understand Harlow's self admittedly being non nostalgic about those years....I still smell the dirt and exhaust and sounds I bleed for those days....got to also mention the best time of my life with both my Dad and Mom being part of the riding/racing days R.I.P. to you both 🙏
You probably remember the Saddleback Saturdays. At times the pro/exp class had an all star cast. Roger DeCoster, Brad Lackey, Hannah, Broc Glover, Warren Reid, Marty Tripes, Jimmy Weinert, Gary Semics, Gaylon Moiser, Gerrit Wolsink, Rich Eierstedt, plus the fast locals. Great times. It was also quite normal to see DeCoster, Gerrit Wolsink, Rich Thorawaldson, out testing on a Wednesday. I gotten yelled at by DeCoster many times on a those days.
@@brianphilippsen Yes I remember those guys on Saturdays. I would spend half the day racing, and half as a track flagger for the CMC organization. On Wednesdays I was prepping my bike to race at OCIR on Thursdays.
Nicely done! I was a teen in DG’s hay day. The blue and yellow gear was the best. I saw Mike Bell at Saddleback a couple times, he always won. Dave Taylor a MXA test rider, fast and great style. Chris Heisser was their mini guy riding a very tricked out RM80 every kid would drivel over. Good times. I had the older yellow DG Jersey with blue logos, blue and yellow pants. Painted my helmet like theirs.
Hannah and DG had such a strong bond, that Bob said he raced for a while with the DG logo on his gear and bike for free. That’s so cool…! I’ve always loved DG. 💪🏻🇺🇸
I raced high school motocross and raced Klein’s son. He beat me because I crashed a couple times, but I remember seeing his Jersey “Klemm” and tried to catch him. Saddleback had a HSMX track in the back, smaller track but fun. Saw Mike Bell riding his 400 as a new factory rider in 1978. Mike was my hero.
@@motofevermedia1 it was short lived for me, end of 78 my dad got transferred to Northern California, hated it… I was kicking, scratching and biting the whole way. My poor mom!
What a great video ! Thanks for posting this. I'm 64 now and remember my teen yrs in the 70's well. This brings back many memories. In the mid 70's and 80's I used to buy a new dirt bike every year with my holiday pay from work. I tried MX racing but I sucked at it. I'm a short guy so don't have the long legs needed. So I went sports car racing and won two championships and set two track records in the late 1977 & 1982. Qualified to go to the nationals in 1982. I was definitely a better car racer. Now as a senior I own 3 Honda FL350 dune buggies. One of them has a DG pipe on it.
@@AzTurboMini In 1982 I raced a GT3 Datsun 510 (our championship car). It did 153 mph at Seatle International Raceway. In 1991 I bought a Formula Atlantic car that we converted to an enclosed cockpit ASR (A sports racer) that had a 12A periferal port rotary engine. Later we put a 13B periferal port in it. I sold it in 2001. I got old. Side note: I see your screen name -- Turbo Mini. Back in the late 70's the mini cooper S cars were hilarious and fast. Every time they went around the hairpin at Westwood Raceway the rear inside tire would lift due to chassis flex. It looked like a dog taking a pee -- Baahahahaha
When Kevin said he ended up leading off the start at Mammoth and then off the "gnarly downhill", he wasn't kidding. I rode Mammoth in '95 when it was still close to the form he is referring to and the downhill after the star truly was gnarly. Just a blip off the top and you were AIRBORN! -- and you better hope you didn't give it a blip and a half or you were landing flat-bottom, 100-feet down into a 90 degree right to the INSIDE of those trees that are still there today. I know because I did just that and somehow lived to tell about it hahaha! I'm not exactly sure when they did it but they have completely pussified that section since then, leveling-off the downhill and going to the outside of the trees. I guess it's safe for 6-year olds now tho... Anyway, DG was the sh!t when I was a kid. That close-up of the rider with the DG/YAMAHA on his visor gave me chills because, while I had not a single DG part anywhere on my XR75 and a crappy, red metal flake helmet and a bent-up black visor, I had to have DG stickers in the same place on either side and a Honda sticker in the middle. Thanks for this :)
Great interview Shane. DG was the main reason I painted my son’s first helmet yellow and blue and then his race bike yellow. Btw you are getting better with each podcast 💪🤙
I was a kid in 1979 with an RM80N. I had some money saved up and my father/uncle took us to Anaheim/Disneyland for spring break. Heck with Mikey...I busted my dad's b_lls until he took me to DG. I was in a full leg cast from a practice accident, hobbled in and Gary Harlow talked with me and my brother for at least an hour. I already had a terry kit and Fox Shox. He saw my budget and I hobbled out with a swingarm, gears, chain, tensioner. It made a huge difference when I was on the mend. I hope to always remember that day, that trip.
Thanks that was pretty cool. You dont get to hear that much about DG just bit and pieces and wondering what was real and what was just speculation or story. It was nice to have it all in one spot and accurate. Thanks, Dan...
I first saw Bob Hannah in late 1975 on a Suzuki RM250. He was crazy fast, feet off the pegs fast. He rode only Suzukis, and after running the nationals, Suzuki offered him a test rider role. He didn't want to be a test rider and signed with Yamaha. I never saw Hannah on a Honda or Kawasaki in the mid 70s. The pipes that DG built was the best at the time. The Honda CR125 had a on/off switch for a power band, the DG pipe fixed that, making the bike much easier to ride fast.
In the mid 70’s I had a DG BMX Bicycle..Candy Apple Red Frame and white Redline Forks coupled with redline vbar handlebars..That was trick back then..We lived in NW New Jersey in the 70’s surrounded by farms,rivers, motocross tracks and BMX tracks..I would get Motocross Action,Minicycle and BMX Action magazines showing California and all those DG products..We all loved DG from the parts to apparel they had it down..Thank you for the great memories
DG was the shit to this young teen BITD. Wanted that gold head for my 79’ YZ100F SO bad. Funny thing was when I started working at the local Yamaha shop the mechanics said “it’ll make your bike run hotter, save your money”. ( I didn’t have any money). If I could have one thing it would be the gold anodized swingarm. To this day I absolutely love anything gold anodized on a dirt scooter😎
Awesome to recall this stuff, my son got into a battle with MC at Elsinore gp in the vintage class , luckily he got 2nd in250 and below. My other son held the #1 plate on cr500 for a few years after we dialed in that monster
very interesting. I remember being impressed by DG - just before I was old enough to start buying their stuff. It seems like they had a cool looking boot that I almost bought - but ended up with AXO's instead ...
the story of JT Racing would also be interesting to me. They had the coolest gear, and then they were gone - at least from MX gear. I think they ended up in paintball gear, and I think they still make some parts ... but I don't know if that is still the same company continuously, or if it is so sort of reformed iteration ...
@tecdive8045 yeah they are heavily involved in paintball and they did try to make a comeback into moto around 2015 and had some pretty cool gear but nothing like before.
As a young kid in New Zealand i bought a new fire engine red Honda CR125 in 1977....us kids drooled over the US magazines like MXA and Dirt Bike... i had a Marty Smith setup gear wise...anyway i sent over to DG for a downpipe and radial head and waited....and waited...guess it got lost in transit lol. 1981 the Suzuki Fullfloaters came out and that was it Great times to be riding!
I had a DG pipe , cylinder and head with a larger mikuni carburetor on my 74 Elsinore 125 that I raced high school motocross on . Ran really good. Have a different one now that I built for my son to race d37 vintage on .
I ran DG pipe and heads on my Yamaha R5's & RD 400's. I worked in the parts department at Yamaha Pomona so i would get a nice discount, that and the mechanic that ran that shop really liked DG products. Miss those day.
When I lived in Anaheim Hills in 1973 to 1980 as a 15 years old DG was everything to my buddies and I ,from stickers in the front office with Bob Hannah's helmet on the file cabinet lighting bolts included to the guys in the back of the shop next to the Santa Ana river where they would test their bikes ,great times. I remember Kevin driving the yellow and blue DG Team truck to Canyon High school .👍
In 79, I had a Yamaha RD 400F Daytona special. I had DG gold radial heads, gold anodized aluminum swingarm, and expansion chambers. The one bike I wished I had never sold....
This is a great interview! I would love to know if all the cylinder head molds were thrown away in the trash. it seems like if he had the molds to make the swing arms and the cylinder heads there could be a good small business of production of some of those items. That would’ve been a great question to him. In other words, could you reproduce some of those items from back in the day.
@@motofevermedia1 the slipon exhausts mainly, sometimes paired with a matched pipe and they made the 2 strokes absolutely sound amazing and inspired confidence
Way back in the day there was a machine shop that,made the cylinder heads in corona ca I was very fortunate to know these folks that owned and ran their shop...had heads made that,weren't offered back then for my model bike
I did a series of videos on youtube titled mylife109 which are stories from racing late 70s early 80s. I use DG products myself. One of the video's I show some old gear and decals. Still have some DG decals from back then. I Rember having what was called a gold anodized porky pine head that I believe came from DG. I will have to review some of the videos and see if I can spot that head on one of my bikes. Use to have a number of DG pipes hanging in the garage for years wish I would have kept them.
Had a job before school delivering newspapers as well . After school and weekends I poured concrete or pushed a broom at riverside cycle salvage, you would be surprised how well a 125 runs with a 175 cylinder and head . March afb had a track that I rode to with armed guards securing it ,more like tt track
I ordered my Tiger Torquer pipe and Mini-Digger out of that very ad !....and then waited over a week for the UPS Man to show up since there was no ''INTERNET" back then!
Actually it was closer to 1975. The Honda CR125 can out in 1974, so I doubt they were building parts and porting heads before the bike we showroom floors. On the other hand, I had a 1975 CR125 Red stripe. I put a DG pipe on it with a 34 Mikuni carb, and had the head milled. No porting. That bike was so fast, you could miss a shift and still be first to the turn. LOL.
I remember Ted Brady on a minicycle. He won everything at the World Mini Grand Prix at Escape Country. He beat Scott Burnworth and R&D Racing that weekend.
I bought and restored a 83 honda cr250. My oem pipe and silencer was in bad shape. Bought a new set from DG and the fitment was pretty bad. The chamber rubbed the left radiator,had to make a dent in it?? And honda oem had a separate mid pipe ,DG did not,theres did not fit to good lots of tension on the back muffler to subframe mount?? If the original people sold the company,WHO was responsible for this bad fitment??? The gas lines started before 76 as i was 10 years old. The 70s and 80s were peak for our sport. Glad i grew up in that era,today its really not the same sport,Its kinda like WHO doesnt have a dirt bike.
@Steve-kp9wy sorry to hear you had a bad experience. Sounds like you bought a modern day pipe and silencer from them. Everything from the original DG pretty much stopped in the early 80s
Back around 1976 Dan Hangslaben (spelling ?) came to Minnesota to start a company with Burnsville Honda, called PDI. They had Marty Smith ride one of their bikes at Red Bud.
@@AzTurboMini there was basani and wasn't there t&m my friends all had XR75s and they all would get t&m pipes sounded pretty good The neighbors would b**** about the noise and they would put socks on the end of the pipe to make it quieter but it would burn it off within a few minutes so that was funny also
I raced on the DG BMX team in 76-77 started high School kind of lost interest in the racing sold my bike to one of my brother's friends for $50 that was a mistake sure I wish I had it now, let somebody borrow my DG helmet and never got it back, last thing I ever had was a DG t-shirt that lasted for about 10 years lol that would be cool if DG made to come back and then Saddleback Park opened up again! I know I'm just dreamin
FMF survived because the founder could actually build the product himself. DG relied on others to do all the actual work and development, so they couldn't survive without them.
@@motofevermedia1 A far funnier bit in the story was when the son recounted the story of the pile of cylinders. I found it hilarious that the guy who was turning out the product was fired because he wasn't also doing all the paperwork and shipping duties as well. One guy provided all the knowledge and skills, the other provided money. The skill and knowledge guy is always the most important of the partners.
I bought a DG expansion pipe for my 88'kdx 200 over a year ago.. it shipped over to australia but fedex didnt deliver it and instead sent it back to DG usa.. i sent few emails to DG , they said they would look into it to help me get the pipe back and after months of waiting my last email was ignored and i still havent gotten my exhaust..
On the snowmobile end, never seen and good power for the money. Except on the 1996 polaris xcr600 reed engine. Its a 3 cylinder engine with oem triple pipes, we tried 5 or 6 different sets of pipes on the dyno. BUT THE DG SILENCER WAS 3 INDIVIDUAL SILENCERS ALL HOOKED TOGETHER, AND IT MAD MORE HP THAN ALL THE FULL AFTERMARKET PIPES AND BROUGHT THE RPM'S DOWN!!! Best AFTERMARKET set up triple pipes not even close... stock they said 8500rpm's and 120hp.. it wasn't!! It was only 96hp stock. Out of everything stock pipes with a DG SILENCER it made 128hp at 8200rpm's so on sleds that was the best DG product available. On motocross bikes i had many different good ones on many different bikes ....
Liked them back in the days racing, I mashed my buddies pipe cr500 and we weren't rich. The DG pipe I got him was top notch, and priced right, the others like pro circuit, psi, ect. Were to pricey
I had a DG 20" bmx bike I wish I still had today. Wasn't paying attention at a little league game I was playing and it was stolen right in front of me without Noticing anything.
Off topic, but YT is full of political ads of course right now. Let me give you a tip. Who ever the major media hates the most, is the best person to vote for.
@@motofevermedia1 I know I bought a cylinder head for 2 stroke but can not remember for what bike, had the book for years from DG Also got lost of stickers and put them everywhere, I want to say I got a pipe that fit a xr75 too just can not remember, wish I still had that book
My friend had a 79 yz80 with everything DG even the swing arm . Man it looks so trick with the gold head and DG parts . Sadly it was kind of a dog with zero low end .
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I remember being a 14 year old paperboy with a CR 125. I remember seeing the DG catalog and just dreaming of all of the stuff I could do with my bike if I could ever afford the parts. Stuff dreams are made of.
@@WilliamsThomas-d3m a different time for sure
I too was a paperboy with a YZ 125 and dreamed of all the DG products I would buy if I could! 😁
@@mikevaughan7681 a simpler time
Good memories!
I was right there with ya!
I still have that exact DG gearbag that sets behind them in this interview. Quality stuff made back then!!
Awesome! Yeah that gearbag still looks brand new
I had a 1978 Yamaha YZ80 with a DG gold anodized mono-shock swingarm, gold anodized high compression head, ported cylinder, and pipe. It was and still is in my mind the trickest bike I have owned. It looked so cool and ran even better.
@@jonjackson6245 that's awesome
lucky
@@kroutmoto Greatest day in my life when my dad rolled home with two YZ80s. The DG race bike and a stock bike to ride in the hills.
I had the same bike when I was in 5th grade. When I got to big for it I eventually sold it for a 1980 YZ100. In 2020 I bought another '78 YZ80 that had been restored. I'd love to have the DG setup you had on your bike.
Awesome! Was that the one in the iconic “The Dirt bike Kid movie”?
What a great " holeshot at Mammoth" story at the end. Love it.
@@WilliamsThomas-d3m glad you enjoyed 🫡
Grest interview into the history of these iconic companies.
Happy to bring it to you 🫡
I was 14yrs. old racing the 125 class then, the 250 class on a Bultaco in 75, with CMC Carlsbad and Saddleback....I remember the onslaught of 125 Elsinores and remember "Norris Roberts" sponsored riders. A great time to be involved in motocross besides seeing legends rise to the top, Marty Smith, Broc Glover, Mike Bell, Tim Lunde, Mark Tyer, Dave Taylor....remember Harry Klem as well. He built the CZ for Rex Staten for the 75 USGP....I could go on and on but if you didn't live motocross in the decade of 1970 you missed the best era...by far the greatest show on earth....miss those days....hard to understand Harlow's self admittedly being non nostalgic about those years....I still smell the dirt and exhaust and sounds I bleed for those days....got to also mention the best time of my life with both my Dad and Mom being part of the riding/racing days R.I.P. to you both 🙏
@halseyknox wish I could've been apart of it but glad I can at least document it!
Lots of good questions. Such a fun time in moto. 🇺🇸
@@gregwolfe4950 definitely a different time
Raced a DG bmx with all kinds of trick stuff. 77-78 ish, loved that bike great memories
@@jamesbeckwith780 would be awesome if you still had it!
Had one of the frames.
@@seansmith7100 which one?
@@motofevermedia1 got stolen, got it back never the same bike.
@jamesbeckwith780 yeah it never is once they're stolen
Thanks for the flash backs. Yeah, I’m that old…
That's what we're here for
I raced motocross a lot at Saddleback Park in the late 70's, and I remember seeing the DG trailer, and motocross R&D riders there many times.
That's awesome!
Jim Tarrantino king of Saddleback,immigrated to South Africa and started Tarrantino Racing Products supplying after market mx parts
You probably remember the Saddleback Saturdays. At times the pro/exp class had an all star cast. Roger DeCoster, Brad Lackey, Hannah, Broc Glover, Warren Reid, Marty Tripes, Jimmy Weinert, Gary Semics, Gaylon Moiser, Gerrit Wolsink, Rich Eierstedt, plus the fast locals. Great times. It was also quite normal to see DeCoster, Gerrit Wolsink, Rich Thorawaldson, out testing on a Wednesday. I gotten yelled at by DeCoster many times on a those days.
@@brianphilippsen Yes I remember those guys on Saturdays. I would spend half the day racing, and half as a track flagger for the CMC organization. On Wednesdays I was prepping my bike to race at OCIR on Thursdays.
Very cool interview, the thanks for posting/sharing. I would love to see DG come back in all its glory.
@@bertamusprime618 would not be super likely but technically I think they are still in buisness
Nicely done! I was a teen in DG’s hay day. The blue and yellow gear was the best. I saw Mike Bell at Saddleback a couple times, he always won. Dave Taylor a MXA test rider, fast and great style. Chris Heisser was their mini guy riding a very tricked out RM80 every kid would drivel over.
Good times. I had the older yellow DG Jersey with blue logos, blue and yellow pants. Painted my helmet like theirs.
That's awesome. Thanks for sharing
Dave Taylor 125 rocket...
Hannah and DG had such a strong bond, that Bob said he raced for a while with the DG logo on his gear and bike for free. That’s so cool…! I’ve always loved DG. 💪🏻🇺🇸
Yeah that's a cool little tribute he did
I raced high school motocross and raced Klein’s son. He beat me because I crashed a couple times, but I remember seeing his Jersey “Klemm” and tried to catch him. Saddleback had a HSMX track in the back, smaller track but fun. Saw Mike Bell riding his 400 as a new factory rider in 1978. Mike was my hero.
@@davespin9034 thanks for sharing! That sounds like a good time.
@@motofevermedia1 it was short lived for me, end of 78 my dad got transferred to Northern California, hated it… I was kicking, scratching and biting the whole way. My poor mom!
What a great video !
Thanks for posting this.
I'm 64 now and remember my teen yrs in the 70's well. This brings back many memories.
In the mid 70's and 80's I used to buy a new dirt bike every year with my holiday pay from work. I tried MX racing but I sucked at it. I'm a short guy so don't have the long legs needed. So I went sports car racing and won two championships and set two track records in the late 1977 & 1982. Qualified to go to the nationals in 1982. I was definitely a better car racer.
Now as a senior I own 3 Honda FL350 dune buggies. One of them has a DG pipe on it.
@@canadianoddy8504 what car did you race?
@@AzTurboMini In 1982 I raced a GT3 Datsun 510 (our championship car).
It did 153 mph at Seatle International Raceway.
In 1991 I bought a Formula Atlantic car that we converted to an enclosed cockpit ASR (A sports racer) that had a 12A periferal port rotary engine. Later we put a 13B periferal port in it.
I sold it in 2001. I got old.
Side note: I see your screen name -- Turbo Mini.
Back in the late 70's the mini cooper S cars were hilarious and fast.
Every time they went around the hairpin at Westwood Raceway the rear inside tire would lift due to chassis flex.
It looked like a dog taking a pee -- Baahahahaha
That's awesome, glad you enjoyed the video!
When Kevin said he ended up leading off the start at Mammoth and then off the "gnarly downhill", he wasn't kidding. I rode Mammoth in '95 when it was still close to the form he is referring to and the downhill after the star truly was gnarly. Just a blip off the top and you were AIRBORN! -- and you better hope you didn't give it a blip and a half or you were landing flat-bottom, 100-feet down into a 90 degree right to the INSIDE of those trees that are still there today. I know because I did just that and somehow lived to tell about it hahaha!
I'm not exactly sure when they did it but they have completely pussified that section since then, leveling-off the downhill and going to the outside of the trees. I guess it's safe for 6-year olds now tho...
Anyway, DG was the sh!t when I was a kid. That close-up of the rider with the DG/YAMAHA on his visor gave me chills because, while I had not a single DG part anywhere on my XR75 and a crappy, red metal flake helmet and a bent-up black visor, I had to have DG stickers in the same place on either side and a Honda sticker in the middle.
Thanks for this :)
@psychosneighbor1509 haha love it, thanks for sharing
Great interview Shane. DG was the main reason I painted my son’s first helmet yellow and blue and then his race bike yellow. Btw you are getting better with each podcast 💪🤙
@rfcmaverick739 awesome and I appreciate the positive feedback!
The overhead photo of the Mammoth track was really cool. Thanks for including that.
Yeah definitely! I was really excited to find it.
I was a kid in 1979 with an RM80N. I had some money saved up and my father/uncle took us to Anaheim/Disneyland for spring break. Heck with Mikey...I busted my dad's b_lls until he took me to DG. I was in a full leg cast from a practice accident, hobbled in and Gary Harlow talked with me and my brother for at least an hour. I already had a terry kit and Fox Shox. He saw my budget and I hobbled out with a swingarm, gears, chain, tensioner. It made a huge difference when I was on the mend. I hope to always remember that day, that trip.
This is an awesome story right here. Thanks for sharing!
Excellent interview. You did well in letting your guest show his best. Thanks!
@Larpy1933 glad you emjoyed!
Thanks that was pretty cool. You dont get to hear that much about DG just bit and pieces and wondering what was real and what was just speculation or story. It was nice to have it all in one spot and accurate. Thanks, Dan...
@@danslanker8880 yeah I know there isn't really much on their story so I was excited to bring this to you guys!
Great memories 👌 great video cheers
@LeighDouglas-r1j thanks, glad you enjoyed it!
I first saw Bob Hannah in late 1975 on a Suzuki RM250. He was crazy fast, feet off the pegs fast. He rode only Suzukis, and after running the nationals, Suzuki offered him a test rider role. He didn't want to be a test rider and signed with Yamaha. I never saw Hannah on a Honda or Kawasaki in the mid 70s.
The pipes that DG built was the best at the time. The Honda CR125 had a on/off switch for a power band, the DG pipe fixed that, making the bike much easier to ride fast.
@@brianphilippsen that's interesting about the Honda power band. Good info there.
In the mid 70’s I had a DG BMX Bicycle..Candy Apple Red Frame and white Redline Forks coupled with redline vbar handlebars..That was trick back then..We lived in NW New Jersey in the 70’s surrounded by farms,rivers, motocross tracks and BMX tracks..I would get Motocross Action,Minicycle and BMX Action magazines showing California and all those DG products..We all loved DG from the parts to apparel they had it down..Thank you for the great memories
@@terencesingerline135 would still be pretty cool today!
Man...I had a DG BMX frame in the late 70's early 80's, and had the only one around. I wish I still had it lol.
Probably would be worth thousands now
DG was the shit to this young teen BITD. Wanted that gold head for my 79’ YZ100F SO bad. Funny thing was when I started working at the local Yamaha shop the mechanics said “it’ll make your bike run hotter, save your money”. ( I didn’t have any money).
If I could have one thing it would be the gold anodized swingarm. To this day I absolutely love anything gold anodized on a dirt scooter😎
Love this haha
The radial head is what I remember most!
@@MarkFries-o7n interesting
Yep
Awesome to recall this stuff, my son got into a battle with MC at Elsinore gp in the vintage class , luckily he got 2nd in250 and below.
My other son held the #1 plate on cr500 for a few years after we dialed in that monster
Wow that's awesome
Harry Kleem was a brilliant guy! I had a DG head and pipe on yz 80, it ripped! Harry also ported my 650 jet ski, ripped!
Man I wonder how many different peoples lives he was able to impact in the form of giving them better equipment.
Good stuff! I remember their adds. Especially the gold heads and even swing arms for minis.
Yeah it sounds like being able to have the option to go gold was one of people's favorite things
I Remember their ads too . They were always eye catching in color just like JT
I had that Clock, sold it about year ago. Sold DG in our store. Still have DG Heads & Pipes from 70's & early 80's.
very interesting. I remember being impressed by DG - just before I was old enough to start buying their stuff. It seems like they had a cool looking boot that I almost bought - but ended up with AXO's instead ...
@@tecdive8045 they definitely had some cool stuff throughout the years.
Still have the pipes and silencers on all of my vintage yamaha's!! they made great products!!
@@Rieju-Sherco that's awesome!
Visited with Harry Klemm (former DG tuner) at Ken Boyko's memorial.
@@deanfloyd8931 hope he's doing well
DG was the most awsome company going as I remember. The 70's was the best time for dirt biking.
Definitely a pivotal moment for the sport
I had a DG BMX bike in the mid to late 70s I believe. I think that my brother got it for me second hand and it was definitely a step up... Good times!
That's awesome. They're hard to find now!
Thanks I used DG Heads & pipes back in the late 70"s great stuff.
@@mikeable1376 🫡
the story of JT Racing would also be interesting to me. They had the coolest gear, and then they were gone - at least from MX gear. I think they ended up in paintball gear, and I think they still make some parts ... but I don't know if that is still the same company continuously, or if it is so sort of reformed iteration ...
@tecdive8045 yeah they are heavily involved in paintball and they did try to make a comeback into moto around 2015 and had some pretty cool gear but nothing like before.
@@motofevermedia1 But the stickers though...😁
They were one of my sponsors in BMX IN THE early 80's and was big in BMX until at least the 90's if I remember correctly.
@@bobc8694 they did make a push to try and get back into bmx in the early 2010s as well
@motofevermedia1 that's cool I didn't know that they had tried to get back into the sport..thanks for the information....Bob
As a young kid in New Zealand i bought a new fire engine red Honda CR125 in 1977....us kids drooled over the US magazines like MXA and Dirt Bike... i had a Marty Smith setup gear wise...anyway i sent over to DG for a downpipe and radial head and waited....and waited...guess it got lost in transit lol.
1981 the Suzuki Fullfloaters came out and that was it
Great times to be riding!
Wow that's crazy. Bummer you never got your stuff. Definitely a different time though.
I had a DG pipe , cylinder and head with a larger mikuni carburetor on my 74 Elsinore 125 that I raced high school motocross on . Ran really good.
Have a different one now that I built for my son to race d37 vintage on .
That's awesome. That was quite an era
I ran DG pipe and heads on my Yamaha R5's & RD 400's. I worked in the parts department at Yamaha Pomona so i would get a nice discount, that and the mechanic that ran that shop really liked DG products. Miss those day.
That's awesome
Good stuff - thanks!
@@themikew7 glad you enjoyed!
When I lived in Anaheim Hills in 1973 to 1980 as a 15 years old DG was everything to my buddies and I ,from stickers in the front office with Bob Hannah's helmet on the file cabinet lighting bolts included to the guys in the back of the shop next to the Santa Ana river where they would test their bikes ,great times. I remember Kevin driving the yellow and blue DG Team truck to Canyon High school .👍
Still have their first motocross jersey with pin hole ventilation and elbow pads in great shape.🎉
That's awesome. Anaheim hills was the center of it all back then.
I've still got DG pipes on my ATC's and they are still in good condition, top quality stuff !!!
That's awesome! Definitely some rare stuff there
I had 78 RM 125. Put the pipe, head and carb. Aways holeshoted!!!
That's what they were for!
In 79, I had a Yamaha RD 400F Daytona special. I had DG gold radial heads, gold anodized aluminum swingarm, and expansion chambers. The one bike I wished I had never sold....
I hear that last part a lot
Great interview
Glad you enjoyed!
This is a great interview! I would love to know if all the cylinder head molds were thrown away in the trash. it seems like if he had the molds to make the swing arms and the cylinder heads there could be a good small business of production of some of those items. That would’ve been a great question to him. In other words, could you reproduce some of those items from back in the day.
@@bermbuster6 those were all handed over during the sale of the company. What the new owners did with them is unclear.
DG! So many parts over the years. Was mandatory to me
Did you have a favorite part over the years?
@@motofevermedia1 the slipon exhausts mainly, sometimes paired with a matched pipe and they made the 2 strokes absolutely sound amazing and inspired confidence
@wapartist that's awesome, wish I could've heard them back in the day!
Way back in the day there was a machine shop that,made the cylinder heads in corona ca I was very fortunate to know these folks that owned and ran their shop...had heads made that,weren't offered back then for my model bike
@@kevinworrell7380 so cal was a moto epicenter back then
I did a series of videos on youtube titled mylife109 which are stories from racing late 70s early 80s. I use DG products myself. One of the video's I show some old gear and decals. Still have some DG decals from back then. I Rember having what was called a gold anodized porky pine head that I believe came from DG. I will have to review some of the videos and see if I can spot that head on one of my bikes. Use to have a number of DG pipes hanging in the garage for years wish I would have kept them.
That's awesome!
I loved this
Glad you enjoyed!
keep up the good work.
Will do
they really helped GARY DENTON win alot of 125 pro races
@@flynbrian529 yes indeed 🫡
Also helped him with his atv racing career
Gary Denton - The Chino Charger!
Gas 1978 -79 lol
Worked in bicycle shops starting in 1978. DG BMX gear was considered top shelf.
@@DavidxWebb and it's almost impossible to find now
Had a job before school delivering newspapers as well .
After school and weekends I poured concrete or pushed a broom at riverside cycle salvage, you would be surprised how well a 125 runs with a 175 cylinder and head .
March afb had a track that I rode to with armed guards securing it ,more like tt track
That's awesome. I can't imagine being able to ride over there though. That must have been pretty cool!
I ordered my Tiger Torquer pipe and Mini-Digger out of that very ad !....and then waited over a week for the UPS Man to show up since there was no ''INTERNET" back then!
@@RadioReprised haha that's awesome!
Actually it was closer to 1975. The Honda CR125 can out in 1974, so I doubt they were building parts and porting heads before the bike we showroom floors. On the other hand, I had a 1975 CR125 Red stripe. I put a DG pipe on it with a 34 Mikuni carb, and had the head milled. No porting. That bike was so fast, you could miss a shift and still be first to the turn. LOL.
@@brianphilippsen haha that's awesome
The 82 DG you 80 was insane!
😎
I remember Ted Brady on a minicycle. He won everything at the World Mini Grand Prix at Escape Country. He beat Scott Burnworth and R&D Racing that weekend.
Interesting
16:45 Awesome memory to have😀
I know huh
I bought and restored a 83 honda cr250. My oem pipe and silencer was in bad shape. Bought a new set from DG and the fitment was pretty bad. The chamber rubbed the left radiator,had to make a dent in it?? And honda oem had a separate mid pipe ,DG did not,theres did not fit to good lots of tension on the back muffler to subframe mount?? If the original people sold the company,WHO was responsible for this bad fitment??? The gas lines started before 76 as i was 10 years old. The 70s and 80s were peak for our sport. Glad i grew up in that era,today its really not the same sport,Its kinda like WHO doesnt have a dirt bike.
@Steve-kp9wy sorry to hear you had a bad experience. Sounds like you bought a modern day pipe and silencer from them. Everything from the original DG pretty much stopped in the early 80s
Back around 1976 Dan Hangslaben (spelling ?) came to Minnesota to start a company with Burnsville Honda, called PDI. They had Marty Smith ride one of their bikes at Red Bud.
Interesting, I didn't know that
I bought my RM 125 from PDI back in the day. Tom Benolkin was his rider and later was signed by Team Kawasaki.
I had a 79 yz , I told my dad I need a DG pipe, he it’s a brand new bike you dont need a pipe,,, i was bummed but my next birthday i got one
Haha at least you still got one!
I have a DG gold anodized, aluminum swing arm and D. G. Radial heads, on my 74 RD 350, add a DG gold swing arm on my daytona, 400
Seems like everyone loved the gold swing arms
I had some DG stickers on my enduro bike in the 70’s. Not sure if I ever had any DG parts but the stickers made me fast 😂
@@ginamiller6015 That's so true too funny kind of like putting playing cards in the spokes of your bicycle made you faster cuz it was a motor lol
The sticker had to be at least +10% power haha
Awesome interview! I would really like to know who they subbed their pipes out too? Who made their pipes for them? Bassani?
@@AzTurboMini that's a really good question
Sounds like it was mostly done by cobra/t&m
@@motofevermedia1 I really appreciate you finding this out. Thank you sir!
@@AzTurboMini there was basani and wasn't there t&m my friends all had XR75s and they all would get t&m pipes sounded pretty good The neighbors would b**** about the noise and they would put socks on the end of the pipe to make it quieter but it would burn it off within a few minutes so that was funny also
I remember DG as being the bomb! 78 RM 80? I had to have the pipe at 12 years old.👍
@@RobiBrown-eb8lo haha that's awesome!
My dad bought my brother a DG works racer yz80 Harry Klem came down and tuned it for the first Race in Gulfport Mississippi
Wow that's crazy
Now I understand why the PDI bikes that Dan sponsored in D23 in 1976 had stock heads on them. They were fast and won consistently.
@@jaymckoskey25 yep that would make sense haha
I had a 1980 CR80 with a DG banana swing arm.
Amongst other products.
Awesome
I raced on the DG BMX team in 76-77 started high School kind of lost interest in the racing sold my bike to one of my brother's friends for $50 that was a mistake sure I wish I had it now, let somebody borrow my DG helmet and never got it back,
last thing I ever had was a DG t-shirt that lasted for about 10 years lol that would be cool if DG made to come back and then Saddleback Park opened up again! I know I'm just dreamin
@@uufools awesome memories. If only we knew what to hold on to from back in the day.
Everyone I knew had a DG sticker on their bike- whether you had any DG parts or not. The FMF guys were the "enemy".
@@bsrktm1 oh man 🤣
Now i know why DG made a pipe for the yz490 Brock Glover
Yep haha
FMF survived because the founder could actually build the product himself. DG relied on others to do all the actual work and development, so they couldn't survive without them.
Interesting point 👉
@@motofevermedia1 A far funnier bit in the story was when the son recounted the story of the pile of cylinders. I found it hilarious that the guy who was turning out the product was fired because he wasn't also doing all the paperwork and shipping duties as well. One guy provided all the knowledge and skills, the other provided money. The skill and knowledge guy is always the most important of the partners.
I bought a DG expansion pipe for my 88'kdx 200 over a year ago.. it shipped over to australia but fedex didnt deliver it and instead sent it back to DG usa.. i sent few emails to DG , they said they would look into it to help me get the pipe back and after months of waiting my last email was ignored and i still havent gotten my exhaust..
Hopefully they’ll reach out to you from seeing this comment.
@2strokeaddict830 sorry to hear that, sounds like that's the modern day DG which is fairly disassociated with this DG since it has changed ownership
@@cbh148 thanks but that is very unlikely
In the early 80s DG was the pinnacle of bolt on parts.
Crazy how quickly things can change.
Harry Klem....2 stroke guru !
@@ITBubba1 one of the best to do it
Have two buddies that worked there and did r and d in the 80's.
On the snowmobile end, never seen and good power for the money. Except on the 1996 polaris xcr600 reed engine.
Its a 3 cylinder engine with oem triple pipes, we tried 5 or 6 different sets of pipes on the dyno. BUT THE DG SILENCER WAS 3 INDIVIDUAL SILENCERS ALL HOOKED TOGETHER, AND IT MAD MORE HP THAN ALL THE FULL AFTERMARKET PIPES AND BROUGHT THE RPM'S DOWN!!! Best AFTERMARKET set up triple pipes not even close... stock they said 8500rpm's and 120hp.. it wasn't!! It was only 96hp stock. Out of everything stock pipes with a DG SILENCER it made 128hp at 8200rpm's so on sleds that was the best DG product available. On motocross bikes i had many different good ones on many different bikes ....
@bobc8694 that's interesting, thanks for sharing. I honestly didn't even know they were making SnowMobile parts
I had. Blue DG frame. I wish I still had it
Yeah those things are gems now
Liked them back in the days racing, I mashed my buddies pipe cr500 and we weren't rich. The DG pipe I got him was top notch, and priced right, the others like pro circuit, psi, ect. Were to pricey
Awesome
All I know is I have a dg head for my 1979 and 1980, CR250 gnarly fast
@@MikeAsbury-ti2yx you still have them?
Would be interesting to hear ole Dans side of things. I bet that Genesis story for the early days of the company might be different.
@@t.h210 100% I'm sure he has his side of the story.
harry klem was the mastermind behind the power, then he started Klem research
Yeah, probably couldn't have done it without him!
It was wicked fast
I bet
I had a DG 20" bmx bike I wish I still had today. Wasn't paying attention at a little league game I was playing and it was stolen right in front of me without Noticing anything.
@@veecox2118 no wayyy. Those things are worth a small fortune today.
Off topic, but YT is full of political ads of course right now.
Let me give you a tip.
Who ever the major media hates the most, is the best person to vote for.
All said and done now
D37 , spy tracks on vintage and evo bikes and race modern next day . Dg was huge on some of the Honda and Yamaha
That's awesome
I believe Hannah was a Welder for DG pipes...got seen..asked a pestered Gary for Ride..which, Helped build the brand..
I've heard that version as well
I had bought a lot of DG produces in my time
Did you have a favorite?
@@motofevermedia1 I know I bought a cylinder head for 2 stroke but can not remember for what bike, had the book for years from DG Also got lost of stickers and put them everywhere, I want to say I got a pipe that fit a xr75 too just can not remember, wish I still had that book
@@scooter1391 that would be awesome if you did
Bob Hannah DG
Yessirrr
My friend had a 79 yz80 with everything DG even the swing arm . Man it looks so trick with the gold head and DG parts . Sadly it was kind of a dog with zero low end .
@@careycrash9916 sometimes you have to look fast to go fast
Doug "Magoo" Chandler ...wow thats cool.
Throwback haha
I had a Webco BMX Bike.
Listen up people this is what happens when you put a complete goof in office. Forget about racing & riding look at California
Don’t think that’s gonna turn around anytime soon.
Not sure how that is relevant to the video?
Heck, I thought DG was so cool- couldn’t afford anything so made stickers myself DG out of blue contact paper!
Love this!
Great video 👍🤙
Thanks, glad you enjoyed it!
At saddleback Mostly 125 having DG parts on the gate you felt like they sponsored you just because you had there pipe. Even there stickers looked fast
Haha this is awesome
My son in law works for factory ktm
@@andrewmarshall360 that's an interesting thing to mention 🤔
My daughter in law works for USC
I have a White Husky. I also have a working lock on my bathroom door
@@andrewmarshall360 I have a black lab and currently my hemorrhoids are flaring up
@@Papparratzi I have a black lab and my hemorrhoids are flaring up