VINTAGE MX RACING

It seems that everything “Vintage” and “Retro” is coming back these days. Everything from Rock music bands, to clothes, to Retro styled cars seem to be returning back in fashion. Of course there are some things that most of us are hoping never comes back. Hair styles-remember the dreaded mullet? Unfortunately, you still see that around in certain places these days. What about the 1980’s music bands? Remember the rock group Platinum Blonde? I heard that th

ey are still playing, but are going to have to change their name to “Platinum Grey”. Motorcycle racing is no different in the “Retro Resurgence” as Vintage off-road races and events seem to be popping up all over the place these days. One of the differences however, may be in the sponsors of these events. While today’s motocross sees sponsors aimed at young people such as “Rockstar”, “Monster”, and “Red Bull”, vintage events, are more likely to attract sponsors such as “Viagra” “Geritol”, and “Bengay”

One of the biggest vintage events in North America is called “MX Rewind”, and it takes place every June at the famous Unadilla National track in New Berlin, New York. This week end festival has been going on for several years, and seems to be getting bigger & bigger each year. I went to see this in 2014, and even though I did not race, I had a great time watching all the races, walking around the pits looking at all the old bikes, some of them very rare and beautifully restored. They have a “Legends & Heroes” trailer that is always in attendance with display bikes that were ridden by guys like Bob Hannah and Jimmy Weinert, as well as more recent bikes that were ridden by Jeremy McGrath, and the bike that started the 4-stroke revolution, Doug Henry’s prototype YZ400F. They have vendors selling new parts, as well as private sellers of used bikes & bike parts. I spoke to one of the organizers recently and was told that they are hoping to have a few “surprise” guests this year. They also have an event called the “Can-Am challenge” where a team of US riders goes up against a team of Canadian riders for “Unadilla Supremacy”. If you are looking to attend, Unadilla is not too far away from Montreal or Ottawa.

There is also a Vintage Motocross club in Ontario called “Sasquatch Vintage Racing”. They have a website showing bikes & parts for sale, as well as events going on though the summer

If you are interested in attending a similar event in Quebec, there is one that takes place in Ormstown, called the “Ormstown Vintage Off road Festival”. It is a weekend event that has Motocross, Enduro, and trails events. Grind MX did a great story on this last November. I attended this one and the whole week end was a great experience. If you are anywhere in the vintage age range (read: old fart) there is something about the relaxed and friendly atmosphere at these vintage events that brings you back to a simpler time when you were younger. Just don’t expect these old bikes to perform like the new ones. You will soon realize that although the “fun factor” hasn’t changed, the performance and technology sure has.

If you are interested in buying a vintage bike, you can find them on web sites like Kijiji and others. The price will vary depending on how rare the bike is, and how many repairs are needed. If you are willing to spend a bit more, you can find some that have already been restored, or if you like to build it yourself (which to some, like me, is half the fun), you can find something at a very cheap price. However, if you do elect to restore it yourself, I would recommend that you spend a bit more money to get one that is in good shape and does not need too many new parts. I would advise against “basket cases” as you would be very surprised to see how quickly the cost of parts adds up. There are many companies listed on the web that cater to vintage bikes, so there is quite a bit of resources available for parts, service, and technical information.

If you are looking for more info regarding Vintage Motocross, check out these sites below:

Unadilla : Link

Sasquatch cycle: Link

EPNAT : Link