Super Hunky's Back!!

[KLRay]

Writing for Jimmy Lewis over at Dirt Rider.

[Cork Soaker]

Thanks! I know there's only about 3 people reding this forum, but I DO appreciate the info.<BR>
<BR>
Hard to believe that Sieman's writing for THE DARK SIDE now!

[cw1dudek]

Bring back all you memories<BR>
<BR>
http://www.superhunky.com/<BR>

[Buelligan]

Good God... I thought he was an old man back in the 70's.

[Buelligan]

<BR>
<BR>
I was checking out Super Hunky's website and found this article...<BR>
<BR>
<A HREF=http://www.superhunky.com/mar01rsForkCaps.html TARGET='_blank'>http://www.superhunky.com/mar01rsForkCaps.html</A> <BR>
<BR>
Brought back memories of doing that exact thing when I saw the article in Dirt Bike way back then.<BR>

[litemoto]

<div></div><div>maybe they'll start makin MAICOs again!</div><p>Message Edited by litemoto on <span class="date_text">01-10-2007</span><span class="time_text">10:58 AM</span></p>

[carlo]

<br><blockquote><hr>KLRay wrote:<br>Writing for Jimmy Lewis over at Dirt Rider.<br><hr></blockquote><br>Hey Ray! Howya doin?<br>Still working for Pashnit?<br>Been some water under the bridge, eh?

[vnsfxr]

<div></div><div>Thank you for letting us know.</div><div> </div><div>Read this and cracked up: <a href="http://www.superhunky.com/goreview.html" target="_blank">http://www.superhunky.com/goreview.html</a></div><div> </div><div>I'm and Ex-Dirty Rider who read Super Hunky in his Dirt Bike rag days.</div><div> </div><div>Go Bultaco, my favorite dirt tool.</div><div> </div><div> </div><p>Message Edited by vnsfxr on <span class="date_text">02-01-2007</span><span class="time_text">07:38 PM</span></p>

[dj]

<div><font color="#3300ff" face="Comic Sans MS">Nice to know he is still going, In my dirt racing days Dirt Bike was the magazine. Super Hunky's 5' 8&quot; height and 220 lbs was the perfect size...... Lol </font></div><div><font color="#3300ff" face="Comic Sans MS"></font> </div><div><font color="#3300ff" face="Comic Sans MS">Yeah, I liked the guy., Thanks for putting this up... dj</font></div>

[RogerRojo]

<div>Count me in as another Super Hunky fan.</div>

[Rockysv]

Super had a great story about sitting on a milk crate,working on his bike -and loosing his 10mm wrench knowing he had not got up , but he can't find the 10mm - a great writer

[PlowBoy]

<div>I miss my 1973 125 MAICO, at 202 lbs and 21.5 hp it went pretty good and it didn't care how badly you screwed up a turn, it still went around it.</div>

[Buelligan]

<div>Never, ever saw a 125 Maico in the US. I only got to see them in magazines. Maico had a really hot looking 125 as late as 1977, but I don't believe they were ever imported in quantity. Loved those old Maicos.</div>

[PlowBoy]

<div></div><div></div><div>B, there is an interesting story behind the 125 I had, I originally bought an orange 1972 125 with a 5 speed tranny at Foley Cycle Center in Weirton, West Virginia. When I stopped in to pick it up, Jimmy said, I have bad news, well the bad news turned out be that when they went to prepare my bike for delivery they put gas in it in their basement shop. Normally that would be a safe thing to do, however the float was stuck in the 26mm Bing carb, gas flowed across the basement floor underneath a gas water heater. The next time the gas water lighted off so did the gasoline on the floor and the bike. The upshot was that 3 weeks later I got a brand new 1973 Maico 125 with a six speed tranny. The fire was contained fairly quickly so they lost only about 4 bikes with no damage to the upstairs showroom. They were very fortune in that respect.</div><div> </div><div>The only other 125 I ever saw was at a hill climb, it belonged to a young kid from Pittsburgh, Pa.</div><div> </div><div>My wife and I stopped in at Fredericksburg PowerSports the other day and I spied a KTM 990 Adventure sitting in the corner, what a big dirtbike, I'm in love. I know, I Know, its totally impracticle but I want it anyway.</div><br><br>Message Edited by PlowBoy on <span class="date_text">09-24-2007</span> <span class="time_text">12:07 PM</span><br><br>Message Edited by PlowBoy on <span class="date_text">09-24-2007</span> <span class="time_text">12:09 PM</span>

[Buelligan]

<div>I was always fascinated by the 125 offerings from the Europeans. I've seen Bultacos, Pentons, even Montesa 125s growing up in the 70's, but I never saw a Husky or Maico 125 in person.</div><div> </div><div>I remember the last Maico 125 I saw in a magazine had a rotary valved engine. Never heard about it again though.</div>

[PlowBoy]

<div>Yes, mine had the rotary valve, the 26mm Bing carb was in the right side crankcase cover with the points, condenser and mag in the left cover, believe it or not the cover over the electrics was vented so you wouldn't want do a very deep creek crossing on it.</div>

[Buelligan]

<div></div><div>My first motorcycle was a Kawasaki rotary valve 175. The power was good for a 175, but the bike itself was horrid. The only motocross bikes I knew of that had rotary valves were the original 1973 Kawasaki KX 125 (advertised dry weight was 179!) and CanAms. I remember Puch had a twin carb set up on their works bikes with one feeding a rotary valve and the other feeding the cylinder through a piston port. </div><div> </div><div>The 1976 RM125 (with case reed/piston port induction) I got right after the horrid Kawasaki (rear wheel travel: 4 inches) was a revelation. That RM had over 8 1/2 inches of rear wheel travel and looked wild with all that space between the tire and fender. </div><div> </div>

[PlowBoy]

<div>B, I really liked the torque curve on the MAICO 125, it went from 4,000 to 8,200 and it was nearly a plateau being straight and not too steep. The Jap bikes of the time had spikes for torque curves at nearly 10,000 rpm. You had to row them around the track with the shift lever.</div>

[Buelligan]

<div></div><div>That '76 RM was a short stroke screamer that revved to over 11,000 before the rev limiter cut in (the next year RM125 had a square bore and stroke and lower peak). I do remember having to row the shifter to keep that bike on the pipe. The 20 or so horsepower it made was quite a rush when it came on all at once, especially compared to the docile 175 Kawasaki I had before it. The motocross tracks I raced on were more like fast TT tracks: long straights ending in jumps at the corners with plenty of flat corners with berms to smack into. For those hardpack clay tracks I was racing on, rpm, acceleration, and the ability to land big jumps was all important. </div><div> </div><div>I actually used the bike as a trail bike for awhile after installing what was then a new fangled spark arrester/muffler called a SuperTrapp. That RM was a great bike, but I only had it a little over a year before I moved up. I'll always remember it because it was the bridge between old fashioned, short travel suspension bikes to the long travel suspension revolution for me. Those were some heady times for offroaders.</div><div> </div><div> </div>

[hacksaw]

<div>kawasaki must have had several dif 175's. mine was a powerhouse. would tractor you out of the deepest mud rutted powerlines i ever saw. better than a 4 stroke. i loved it. wish i still had it. it didnt have much suspension, true, but ya really didnt need it throwing knobbies full of mud cakes! ROOOST!!!!!</div>

[Buelligan]

<div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div><div><br><blockquote><div><hr>hacksaw wrote:<br><div>kawasaki must have had several dif 175's. mine was a powerhouse. would tractor you out of the deepest mud rutted powerlines i ever saw. better than a 4 stroke.<br><hr></div></div></blockquote><br><div>I'm pretty sure you and I had the same model 175 called the F7. </div><div> </div><div>http://www.marblesmotors.com/images/stolenbike.jpg</div><div><font size="1">NOT MY PHOTO, BTW.</font></div><div><font size="1"></font> </div><div>It was introduced in 1972 and was on par with just about any dual-purpose bike of the early 70's, but by 1975, when production finally ended, it was totally outclassed by the competition. Overweight, poorly suspended (even by Japanese standards of the day), the only thing the bike really had going for it was the wonderful rotary valved 2-stoke engine (on the street, the bike could hit an indicated 85mph with the stock gearing). It did make a lot of torque with no surprises in the powerband and was probably the most powerfull 175 dual purpose bike ever offered by any Japanese manufacturer. The bike shown has an aftermarket fork brace for the extremely weak and flexy Hatta forks. I believe the tube diameter was only a pitiful 31mm. They were multi-adjustable for preload, trail, and to a slight degree, rake, but the problem was none of the adjustments could make the bike handle well in the dirt. </div><div> </div><div>My father had an F7 the same time I had mine, and his made a great lightweight commuter on the streets. In the dirt, forget it. If you tried to go fast on rough terrain, the 19&quot; front wheel, 265lb wet weight, horrible forks and powerful engine would throw you on your head quick. </div><div> </div><div>The 1976 KE175 was a major improvement with a totally redesigned chassis and slightly revised engine. Notice the exhaust pipe difference on the new chassis and 21&quot; front wheel. </div><div> http://www.moto-deal.com/encyclopedie-moto/galleries/kawasaki/Kawasaki-KE175-1977.jpg</div><div><font size="1">NOT MY PIC. 1976 WAS IDENTICAL TO 1977 MODEL.</font></div><div> </div><div>This bike was a huge improvement and moto-mags of the day were especially impressed with the new chassis' handling. <em>Cycle</em> magazines first 'Dirt Donk' story really lauded the bikes offroad handling prowess compared to other dual purpose bikes. Oddly, though... the bike wasn't as powerful as the old F7 and wasn't as fast or quick on the streets. Perhaps by 1976, emmissions standards started strangling 2-strokes. </div><div> </div><div>I do not miss my old Kawasaki 175 at all. I was really glad to see that pig go.</div></div></div><br><br><br><br>Message Edited by Buelligan on <span class="date_text">09-27-2007</span> <span class="time_text">03:38 PM</span>