The very first monoshocks were the YZ250 & YZ360 in ‘74. I had some of both that year. They had the shock that mounted cantilevered thru the frame, under the gas tank, and up to the triple clamp. It was up by the triple clamp were mine got tired and cracked, and would fail if I didn’t catch em. I even heard a few of ‘em crack when I landed on some big jumps. The motor mounts were also a weak spot. Lot of engine vibration. Titanium motor mount bolts fixed that problem, but the AMA outlawed titanium in ‘72.?

Yamaha stayed with that monoshock set up till ‘81 if I remember right. 82’s went with the link set up. The 360 changed to a 400 and grew to a 490 through those years as well. Good bikes. I won a lot of races on the 250’s and 360’s up thru 1976. Never raced a 490, but rode a few. I sure liked the torque! After forgetting about horsepower for a few years in lieu of better suspensions, they finally got back on the engine power improvements again.?

Other Bill

On Nov 6, 2022, at 9:21 PM, mike allen <animal@...> wrote:

?

??? ??? I had one of those death trap 400's I think it was the first YZ with the rear shock that went through the frame tube . I started cleaning it up & told a bud about it & he proceed to tell me about ??? ??? ??? all the folks that got hurt real bad on those bikes . So after being a proud owner for a day & half I gave it to my bud who was building sand quads at the time .The motor ended up running

??? ??? on I believe some kind of? oxygenated alcohol blend in a frame he build , He used to bet folks $ 20.00 they couldn't open it up in hi gear . Made tons of $$$ & never lost a bet . He also built

??? ??? a quad frame for a Kawasaki 900 engine he had layin around , called that one the " sand Kaw " another way to fast machine . I hope the folks that ended up buying them from him didn't get

??? ??? hurt to bad on them . I quit thinking I was invincible after I rolled a water truck . Never saw a tire tuck like? you mentioned , but I guarantee it made pee run down both leg's .

??? ??? animal

??? ??? animal

On 11/6/2022 8:58 PM, Bill Armstrong wrote:

It was easy to spend a lot of money in those days, that’s a fact! So many after-market manufacturers and dealers poppin’ up with cool stuff, you could go crazy. I bought 4130 chrome moly frames from DG, as well as aluminum swing arms for my ‘75 YZ Monoshockers. The stock frames didn’t hold up real well, and were heavy. ?Got down to minimum weight, and quit welding on em, but at a price.?

Definitely had to get your geometry right when you modified a rear suspension. Mine, all bottomed out on the shock before the tire hit the fender. I made sure of that prior to final welding.?

Sure saw a lot of bent swing arms with guys who moved the shock mounts but didn’t beef up the swing arm tubes when they did.?

Something else I saw from time to time, luckily on other guys bikes and not mine, was the rear shocks flying apart when they went over a jump. When they got airborne, and the rear wheel goes under the skid plate, it makes for an ugly landing and a real fancy get-off!?

All part of the learning curve I guess.?

Fun times!

Other Bill

On Nov 6, 2022, at 8:25 PM, mike allen <animal@...> wrote:

?

??? ??? The GYT kits were all the craze , or a Webco head with a compression relief . Thats how we turned off our bikes when the cops caught us & told us to shut them off . Yep we were asking

??? ??? for it , on more then one occasion . My bud built up a bad ass Super rat? . I forgot where he got the shocks he used when he lengthened the swing arm & laid the shocks down some . First

??? ??? time over a big jump & the back tire bottomed out on the back fender & rear frame loop . when the scabs healed we took the rear shocks apart & put some limiting rubber bumpers on

??? ??? the shaft so the shocks couldn't travel that far any more .

??? ??? animal

On 11/6/2022 4:33 AM, Bill Armstrong wrote:

Yup.....I'm afraid we're dinosaurs!
I had a DT1 too, with a frame lowering kit I added, and an after-market expansion chamber, among some other mods. Japanese moto-x bikes weren't available yet, until about '72. That's when I bought my DT2MX.
Before that, the European bikes ruled the dirt! It was quite a transition from European domination, to Japanese.
Guys goin' fast had a Maico,a Husqvarna, or a CZ. Still had a few British bikes around, like Greeves, and the AJS Stormer, or the Spanish bikes like Bultaco & Ossa. Montesa never did much in moto-x, but the Sherpa sure was and is a first class trials bike They survived though, with a little help, and are now Montesa Honda.

I had a Bultaco Matador, 6-day trials bike. 6-day bikes were HD enduro class. Bought a TY250 when they came out., just for fun. Had a '84 TY350 too, which I sure wouldn't mind havin' back!

Dirt bikes are an expensive habit, if you try riding pro like I did. I used to buy YZ250's & YZ360's 2 at a time. Practice bikes, ones set up for amateur racing, and then a couple with a lot of mods to try & keep up with the works bikes. Hard to do when a guy works for a living!

Yup! We are dinosaurs! Dirt bikes had 2 shocks, not 1, and 2 strokes, not 4! LOL!

Other Bill

On 11/5/2022 3:20 PM, Chuck Peterson wrote:

Oh my gosh, somebody of my Vintage. I had a I 1968 Yamaha 250 DT1 Enduro. Now that’s old. Others had CZ, Jawa, Penrod, Husky.

On Sat, Nov 5, 2022 at 12:05 PM Bill Armstrong <bill_1955@...> wrote:

Classic bike! I started racing with a '72 DT2MX250 and got a MX250 when they came out. Didn't have the MX250 for long, since the YZ250& 360A's came out later in '73, so I got some of those as soon as they hit Tucson.

MX250 had transmission problems, at least, if you race 'em hard. Mine blew up twice. It became pretty much? expected. Probably held up a lot better for plain ol' desert ridin'.
All were before anyone discovered suspension with travel. MX250 had the rear shocks with the extra reservoir on 'em, I remember that.? The big suspension changes started in '74.

Hope you get your 250 restored, and post some pics as you get 'er done!

Other Bill

On 11/5/2022 10:45 AM, mike allen wrote:

??? ??? Sounds like a super neato project , I'm getting ready to build my machine room inside of my shop & it would be great to see / hear more about your overhead project . I'm partly disabled

??? ??? & anything to help in heavy lifting is a blessing . I still have my 1973 Yamaha MX250 , though its in boxes waiting for the proper star alignment for the rebuild . Watch some of the vintage

??? ??? moto cross on? . Those old bikes with 4" of suspension , those racers were real men !!!!!!!! & the ones from the late 50's - early 60's on the big British bikes , those guys were real tough !

??? ??? animal

On 11/5/2022 3:05 AM, steve nicholson wrote:

I think I've used my bandsaw more in the last couple of weeks than the whole time I've had it, a new blade did wonders to speeding up the cuts too. I'm making a over head rail system to move tooling and material between bench, lathe and mill, planning for my old ago when it becomes a strain to fit a large 4-jaw chuck or move machine vice between mills!

Once the rails are up I can move the new lathe into position and get back into working on projects again. I have a couple of bikes on the project list to restore/get going again too.

Those old two strokes are collectable items now, nice to know your friend has had the same bike all it's life. Lots of people had them and are now wishing they kept them, hence going up in value!

Yes my saw is very similar to yours.

On 5/11/22 14:22, John Vreede wrote:

My pleasure to be of assistance Steve.

Its a long?time since there's?been any activity on this site and I admit to taking a break from work on the 4x6's.??

I've been helping a friend bring his Mach III Kawasaki back to life.? He bought it new in San Francisco?in 1969 when he was at Stanford, and?won't part with?it in this life. He met his wife because it broke down in Montreal, has road rash on the tops(!) of the handlebars and passenger?grab rail from sliding along the freeway upside down.? So many memories. It runs now and we're attending to cosmetic issues. Great to be part of.

Your?saw?looks like mine, which?just?has a model number - UC115 - and no other distinguishing marks. Taiwanese mnfr from 1987 - jv.

On Sat, Nov 5, 2022 at 10:50 AM steve nicholson <steve@...> wrote:

Well it has only taken 2 years for me to find a good enough reason to make a table for use with the bandsaw in the vertical position AND sort out the table alignment.

Thank you John, I can confirm that fitting a large shim between the top of the guide arm and the frame casting solved the table being square to the blade. I haven't bothered with fitting set screws at the moment, I don't move the lower arm so the shim will work fine for now.

I've attached a photo of the current small table I've made. It is 6mm (1/4") stainless (roughly 100mm x 80mm), the inside edge is angled to the blade and the outside edge is parallel with the blade. I can use the saw in the horizontal and vertical positions with the table in place. I had to grind a small amount off the front of the angled edge to clear the frame in the horizontal position (my wood prototype cleared but may have been warped).

The idea of the small table with the angle on one side, is to allow a larger table with locating guides/rails to slide on and lock into place with the tapper on the small table (still to be tested).

I mentioned the table alignment problem to a friend with a similar bandsaw, he checked his and said his was the same, he is keen to make a small table and fix his alignment now he has seen mine.

So thank you again John Vreede for all you help and knowledge you share on these bandsaws.

Steve

On 23/09/20 22:23, Steve Nicholson wrote:

Thanks for the information John, I'll take another look at the arm and try a packing shim to see how that works for me. Probably be next week before I get a chance to look at it properly.

Thanks again and have a wonderful day all.
Steve

On 23/09/20 4:45 pm, John Vreede wrote:

Arghhh..... Wrong way round!.
Sorry Steve I got up this morning early to write the previous post before going on my regular Wednesday walking group and marked up the sawframe casting to photograph it for you and got it backwards.
I will be putting the setscrews in at the bottom of the casting (where the circle with the dot is in that photo), where you should need to put the grub-screws in at the top, not me.
I moved the bottom of my guide arm out <1mm, I suggest you trial adding about 1.5mm of shim between the arm and the casting at the back of the slot as shown in the photo attached.
If that squares up your table then you can drill & tap
Sorry for the confusion - jv

On Nov 7, 2022, at 5:53 PM, mike allen <animal@...> wrote:

?

I think it was the TM 400 in one of the magazine test first line " more power than a Husky & handles worse " . Some of the folks I heard that rode then said they will steer you great , straight

??? ??? over a berm . Never had the pleasure myself .

??? ??? animal

On 11/6/2022 9:49 PM, Bill Armstrong wrote:

The very first monoshocks were the YZ250 & YZ360 in ‘74. I had some of both that year. They had the shock that mounted cantilevered thru the frame, under the gas tank, and up to the triple clamp. It was up by the triple clamp were mine got tired and cracked, and would fail if I didn’t catch em. I even heard a few of ‘em crack when I landed on some big jumps. The motor mounts were also a weak spot. Lot of engine vibration. Titanium motor mount bolts fixed that problem, but the AMA outlawed titanium in ‘72.?

Yamaha stayed with that monoshock set up till ‘81 if I remember right. 82’s went with the link set up. The 360 changed to a 400 and grew to a 490 through those years as well. Good bikes. I won a lot of races on the 250’s and 360’s up thru 1976. Never raced a 490, but rode a few. I sure liked the torque! After forgetting about horsepower for a few years in lieu of better suspensions, they finally got back on the engine power improvements again.?

Other Bill

On Nov 6, 2022, at 9:21 PM, mike allen <animal@...> wrote:

?

??? ??? I had one of those death trap 400's I think it was the first YZ with the rear shock that went through the frame tube . I started cleaning it up & told a bud about it & he proceed to tell me about ??? ??? ??? all the folks that got hurt real bad on those bikes . So after being a proud owner for a day & half I gave it to my bud who was building sand quads at the time .The motor ended up running

??? ??? on I believe some kind of? oxygenated alcohol blend in a frame he build , He used to bet folks $ 20.00 they couldn't open it up in hi gear . Made tons of $$$ & never lost a bet . He also built

??? ??? a quad frame for a Kawasaki 900 engine he had layin around , called that one the " sand Kaw " another way to fast machine . I hope the folks that ended up buying them from him didn't get

??? ??? hurt to bad on them . I quit thinking I was invincible after I rolled a water truck . Never saw a tire tuck like? you mentioned , but I guarantee it made pee run down both leg's .

??? ??? animal

??? ??? animal

On 11/6/2022 8:58 PM, Bill Armstrong wrote:

It was easy to spend a lot of money in those days, that’s a fact! So many after-market manufacturers and dealers poppin’ up with cool stuff, you could go crazy. I bought 4130 chrome moly frames from DG, as well as aluminum swing arms for my ‘75 YZ Monoshockers. The stock frames didn’t hold up real well, and were heavy. ?Got down to minimum weight, and quit welding on em, but at a price.?

Definitely had to get your geometry right when you modified a rear suspension. Mine, all bottomed out on the shock before the tire hit the fender. I made sure of that prior to final welding.?

Sure saw a lot of bent swing arms with guys who moved the shock mounts but didn’t beef up the swing arm tubes when they did.?

Something else I saw from time to time, luckily on other guys bikes and not mine, was the rear shocks flying apart when they went over a jump. When they got airborne, and the rear wheel goes under the skid plate, it makes for an ugly landing and a real fancy get-off!?

All part of the learning curve I guess.?

Fun times!

Other Bill

On Nov 6, 2022, at 8:25 PM, mike allen <animal@...> wrote:

?

??? ??? The GYT kits were all the craze , or a Webco head with a compression relief . Thats how we turned off our bikes when the cops caught us & told us to shut them off . Yep we were asking

??? ??? for it , on more then one occasion . My bud built up a bad ass Super rat? . I forgot where he got the shocks he used when he lengthened the swing arm & laid the shocks down some . First

??? ??? time over a big jump & the back tire bottomed out on the back fender & rear frame loop . when the scabs healed we took the rear shocks apart & put some limiting rubber bumpers on

??? ??? the shaft so the shocks couldn't travel that far any more .

??? ??? animal

On 11/6/2022 4:33 AM, Bill Armstrong wrote:

Yup.....I'm afraid we're dinosaurs!
I had a DT1 too, with a frame lowering kit I added, and an after-market expansion chamber, among some other mods. Japanese moto-x bikes weren't available yet, until about '72. That's when I bought my DT2MX.
Before that, the European bikes ruled the dirt! It was quite a transition from European domination, to Japanese.
Guys goin' fast had a Maico,a Husqvarna, or a CZ. Still had a few British bikes around, like Greeves, and the AJS Stormer, or the Spanish bikes like Bultaco & Ossa. Montesa never did much in moto-x, but the Sherpa sure was and is a first class trials bike They survived though, with a little help, and are now Montesa Honda.

I had a Bultaco Matador, 6-day trials bike. 6-day bikes were HD enduro class. Bought a TY250 when they came out., just for fun. Had a '84 TY350 too, which I sure wouldn't mind havin' back!

Dirt bikes are an expensive habit, if you try riding pro like I did. I used to buy YZ250's & YZ360's 2 at a time. Practice bikes, ones set up for amateur racing, and then a couple with a lot of mods to try & keep up with the works bikes. Hard to do when a guy works for a living!

Yup! We are dinosaurs! Dirt bikes had 2 shocks, not 1, and 2 strokes, not 4! LOL!

Other Bill

On 11/5/2022 3:20 PM, Chuck Peterson wrote:

Oh my gosh, somebody of my Vintage. I had a I 1968 Yamaha 250 DT1 Enduro. Now that’s old. Others had CZ, Jawa, Penrod, Husky.

On Sat, Nov 5, 2022 at 12:05 PM Bill Armstrong <bill_1955@...> wrote:

Classic bike! I started racing with a '72 DT2MX250 and got a MX250 when they came out. Didn't have the MX250 for long, since the YZ250& 360A's came out later in '73, so I got some of those as soon as they hit Tucson.

MX250 had transmission problems, at least, if you race 'em hard. Mine blew up twice. It became pretty much? expected. Probably held up a lot better for plain ol' desert ridin'.
All were before anyone discovered suspension with travel. MX250 had the rear shocks with the extra reservoir on 'em, I remember that.? The big suspension changes started in '74.

Hope you get your 250 restored, and post some pics as you get 'er done!

Other Bill

On 11/5/2022 10:45 AM, mike allen wrote:

??? ??? Sounds like a super neato project , I'm getting ready to build my machine room inside of my shop & it would be great to see / hear more about your overhead project . I'm partly disabled

??? ??? & anything to help in heavy lifting is a blessing . I still have my 1973 Yamaha MX250 , though its in boxes waiting for the proper star alignment for the rebuild . Watch some of the vintage

??? ??? moto cross on? . Those old bikes with 4" of suspension , those racers were real men !!!!!!!! & the ones from the late 50's - early 60's on the big British bikes , those guys were real tough !

??? ??? animal

On 11/5/2022 3:05 AM, steve nicholson wrote:

I think I've used my bandsaw more in the last couple of weeks than the whole time I've had it, a new blade did wonders to speeding up the cuts too. I'm making a over head rail system to move tooling and material between bench, lathe and mill, planning for my old ago when it becomes a strain to fit a large 4-jaw chuck or move machine vice between mills!

Once the rails are up I can move the new lathe into position and get back into working on projects again. I have a couple of bikes on the project list to restore/get going again too.

Those old two strokes are collectable items now, nice to know your friend has had the same bike all it's life. Lots of people had them and are now wishing they kept them, hence going up in value!

Yes my saw is very similar to yours.

On 5/11/22 14:22, John Vreede wrote:

My pleasure to be of assistance Steve.

Its a long?time since there's?been any activity on this site and I admit to taking a break from work on the 4x6's.??

I've been helping a friend bring his Mach III Kawasaki back to life.? He bought it new in San Francisco?in 1969 when he was at Stanford, and?won't part with?it in this life. He met his wife because it broke down in Montreal, has road rash on the tops(!) of the handlebars and passenger?grab rail from sliding along the freeway upside down.? So many memories. It runs now and we're attending to cosmetic issues. Great to be part of.

Your?saw?looks like mine, which?just?has a model number - UC115 - and no other distinguishing marks. Taiwanese mnfr from 1987 - jv.

On Sat, Nov 5, 2022 at 10:50 AM steve nicholson <steve@...> wrote:

Well it has only taken 2 years for me to find a good enough reason to make a table for use with the bandsaw in the vertical position AND sort out the table alignment.

Thank you John, I can confirm that fitting a large shim between the top of the guide arm and the frame casting solved the table being square to the blade. I haven't bothered with fitting set screws at the moment, I don't move the lower arm so the shim will work fine for now.

I've attached a photo of the current small table I've made. It is 6mm (1/4") stainless (roughly 100mm x 80mm), the inside edge is angled to the blade and the outside edge is parallel with the blade. I can use the saw in the horizontal and vertical positions with the table in place. I had to grind a small amount off the front of the angled edge to clear the frame in the horizontal position (my wood prototype cleared but may have been warped).

The idea of the small table with the angle on one side, is to allow a larger table with locating guides/rails to slide on and lock into place with the tapper on the small table (still to be tested).

I mentioned the table alignment problem to a friend with a similar bandsaw, he checked his and said his was the same, he is keen to make a small table and fix his alignment now he has seen mine.

So thank you again John Vreede for all you help and knowledge you share on these bandsaws.

Steve

On 23/09/20 22:23, Steve Nicholson wrote:

Thanks for the information John, I'll take another look at the arm and try a packing shim to see how that works for me. Probably be next week before I get a chance to look at it properly.

Thanks again and have a wonderful day all.
Steve

On 23/09/20 4:45 pm, John Vreede wrote:

Arghhh..... Wrong way round!.
Sorry Steve I got up this morning early to write the previous post before going on my regular Wednesday walking group and marked up the sawframe casting to photograph it for you and got it backwards.
I will be putting the setscrews in at the bottom of the casting (where the circle with the dot is in that photo), where you should need to put the grub-screws in at the top, not me.
I moved the bottom of my guide arm out <1mm, I suggest you trial adding about 1.5mm of shim between the arm and the casting at the back of the slot as shown in the photo attached.
If that squares up your table then you can drill & tap
Sorry for the confusion - jv

Yeeeeesh The TM400. What horrible things those were. Had great ads though. Pics of Roger DeCoster sittin’ on his championship winning 400 next to a shiny new TM400.

The only thing the two bikes had in common, was a yellow gas tank, and the Suzuki decal.?

I had friends who bought those things. Some others got TM250’s.?

The 400 had a lot of power, but only at high RPM’s. Low end torque was non-existent, and the mid range wasn’t much better. When you finally got up to the power band though…..lookout!?

Other than the front forks being garbage, same for the rear shocks, the frame & swing arm twisting and breaking, and the engines blowin’ up, what’s not to like? Most of the guys I knew got rid of em. It was hard to believe that they were so far removed from the works bikes.?

?One friend was a die hard, and sunk about enough money into his to buy two more brand new ones into his. Like the thing wasn’t heavy enough, by the time he was done, he added another 25 pounds trying to improve it, and he still couldn’t keep the front end from washing out on even a wide corner. Straight line only, that was for sure!

Took a few years for Suzuki to figure it out, and come up with the RM’s. The RM was light years ahead of the TM, and an actual competitive bike.

Other Bill

On Nov 7, 2022, at 5:53 PM, mike allen <animal@...> wrote:

?

I think it was the TM 400 in one of the magazine test first line " more power than a Husky & handles worse " . Some of the folks I heard that rode then said they will steer you great , straight

??? ??? over a berm . Never had the pleasure myself .

??? ??? animal

On 11/6/2022 9:49 PM, Bill Armstrong wrote:

The very first monoshocks were the YZ250 & YZ360 in ‘74. I had some of both that year. They had the shock that mounted cantilevered thru the frame, under the gas tank, and up to the triple clamp. It was up by the triple clamp were mine got tired and cracked, and would fail if I didn’t catch em. I even heard a few of ‘em crack when I landed on some big jumps. The motor mounts were also a weak spot. Lot of engine vibration. Titanium motor mount bolts fixed that problem, but the AMA outlawed titanium in ‘72.?

Yamaha stayed with that monoshock set up till ‘81 if I remember right. 82’s went with the link set up. The 360 changed to a 400 and grew to a 490 through those years as well. Good bikes. I won a lot of races on the 250’s and 360’s up thru 1976. Never raced a 490, but rode a few. I sure liked the torque! After forgetting about horsepower for a few years in lieu of better suspensions, they finally got back on the engine power improvements again.?

Other Bill

On Nov 6, 2022, at 9:21 PM, mike allen <animal@...> wrote:

?

??? ??? I had one of those death trap 400's I think it was the first YZ with the rear shock that went through the frame tube . I started cleaning it up & told a bud about it & he proceed to tell me about ??? ??? ??? all the folks that got hurt real bad on those bikes . So after being a proud owner for a day & half I gave it to my bud who was building sand quads at the time .The motor ended up running

??? ??? on I believe some kind of? oxygenated alcohol blend in a frame he build , He used to bet folks $ 20.00 they couldn't open it up in hi gear . Made tons of $$$ & never lost a bet . He also built

??? ??? a quad frame for a Kawasaki 900 engine he had layin around , called that one the " sand Kaw " another way to fast machine . I hope the folks that ended up buying them from him didn't get

??? ??? hurt to bad on them . I quit thinking I was invincible after I rolled a water truck . Never saw a tire tuck like? you mentioned , but I guarantee it made pee run down both leg's .

??? ??? animal

??? ??? animal

On 11/6/2022 8:58 PM, Bill Armstrong wrote:

It was easy to spend a lot of money in those days, that’s a fact! So many after-market manufacturers and dealers poppin’ up with cool stuff, you could go crazy. I bought 4130 chrome moly frames from DG, as well as aluminum swing arms for my ‘75 YZ Monoshockers. The stock frames didn’t hold up real well, and were heavy. ?Got down to minimum weight, and quit welding on em, but at a price.?

Definitely had to get your geometry right when you modified a rear suspension. Mine, all bottomed out on the shock before the tire hit the fender. I made sure of that prior to final welding.?

Sure saw a lot of bent swing arms with guys who moved the shock mounts but didn’t beef up the swing arm tubes when they did.?

Something else I saw from time to time, luckily on other guys bikes and not mine, was the rear shocks flying apart when they went over a jump. When they got airborne, and the rear wheel goes under the skid plate, it makes for an ugly landing and a real fancy get-off!?

All part of the learning curve I guess.?

Fun times!

Other Bill

On Nov 6, 2022, at 8:25 PM, mike allen <animal@...> wrote:

?

??? ??? The GYT kits were all the craze , or a Webco head with a compression relief . Thats how we turned off our bikes when the cops caught us & told us to shut them off . Yep we were asking

??? ??? for it , on more then one occasion . My bud built up a bad ass Super rat? . I forgot where he got the shocks he used when he lengthened the swing arm & laid the shocks down some . First

??? ??? time over a big jump & the back tire bottomed out on the back fender & rear frame loop . when the scabs healed we took the rear shocks apart & put some limiting rubber bumpers on

??? ??? the shaft so the shocks couldn't travel that far any more .

??? ??? animal

On 11/6/2022 4:33 AM, Bill Armstrong wrote:

Yup.....I'm afraid we're dinosaurs!
I had a DT1 too, with a frame lowering kit I added, and an after-market expansion chamber, among some other mods. Japanese moto-x bikes weren't available yet, until about '72. That's when I bought my DT2MX.
Before that, the European bikes ruled the dirt! It was quite a transition from European domination, to Japanese.
Guys goin' fast had a Maico,a Husqvarna, or a CZ. Still had a few British bikes around, like Greeves, and the AJS Stormer, or the Spanish bikes like Bultaco & Ossa. Montesa never did much in moto-x, but the Sherpa sure was and is a first class trials bike They survived though, with a little help, and are now Montesa Honda.

I had a Bultaco Matador, 6-day trials bike. 6-day bikes were HD enduro class. Bought a TY250 when they came out., just for fun. Had a '84 TY350 too, which I sure wouldn't mind havin' back!

Dirt bikes are an expensive habit, if you try riding pro like I did. I used to buy YZ250's & YZ360's 2 at a time. Practice bikes, ones set up for amateur racing, and then a couple with a lot of mods to try & keep up with the works bikes. Hard to do when a guy works for a living!

Yup! We are dinosaurs! Dirt bikes had 2 shocks, not 1, and 2 strokes, not 4! LOL!

Other Bill

On 11/5/2022 3:20 PM, Chuck Peterson wrote:

Oh my gosh, somebody of my Vintage. I had a I 1968 Yamaha 250 DT1 Enduro. Now that’s old. Others had CZ, Jawa, Penrod, Husky.

On Sat, Nov 5, 2022 at 12:05 PM Bill Armstrong <bill_1955@...> wrote:

Classic bike! I started racing with a '72 DT2MX250 and got a MX250 when they came out. Didn't have the MX250 for long, since the YZ250& 360A's came out later in '73, so I got some of those as soon as they hit Tucson.

MX250 had transmission problems, at least, if you race 'em hard. Mine blew up twice. It became pretty much? expected. Probably held up a lot better for plain ol' desert ridin'.
All were before anyone discovered suspension with travel. MX250 had the rear shocks with the extra reservoir on 'em, I remember that.? The big suspension changes started in '74.

Hope you get your 250 restored, and post some pics as you get 'er done!

Other Bill

On 11/5/2022 10:45 AM, mike allen wrote:

??? ??? Sounds like a super neato project , I'm getting ready to build my machine room inside of my shop & it would be great to see / hear more about your overhead project . I'm partly disabled

??? ??? & anything to help in heavy lifting is a blessing . I still have my 1973 Yamaha MX250 , though its in boxes waiting for the proper star alignment for the rebuild . Watch some of the vintage

??? ??? moto cross on? . Those old bikes with 4" of suspension , those racers were real men !!!!!!!! & the ones from the late 50's - early 60's on the big British bikes , those guys were real tough !

??? ??? animal

On 11/5/2022 3:05 AM, steve nicholson wrote:

I think I've used my bandsaw more in the last couple of weeks than the whole time I've had it, a new blade did wonders to speeding up the cuts too. I'm making a over head rail system to move tooling and material between bench, lathe and mill, planning for my old ago when it becomes a strain to fit a large 4-jaw chuck or move machine vice between mills!

Once the rails are up I can move the new lathe into position and get back into working on projects again. I have a couple of bikes on the project list to restore/get going again too.

Those old two strokes are collectable items now, nice to know your friend has had the same bike all it's life. Lots of people had them and are now wishing they kept them, hence going up in value!

Yes my saw is very similar to yours.

On 5/11/22 14:22, John Vreede wrote:

My pleasure to be of assistance Steve.

Its a long?time since there's?been any activity on this site and I admit to taking a break from work on the 4x6's.??

I've been helping a friend bring his Mach III Kawasaki back to life.? He bought it new in San Francisco?in 1969 when he was at Stanford, and?won't part with?it in this life. He met his wife because it broke down in Montreal, has road rash on the tops(!) of the handlebars and passenger?grab rail from sliding along the freeway upside down.? So many memories. It runs now and we're attending to cosmetic issues. Great to be part of.

Your?saw?looks like mine, which?just?has a model number - UC115 - and no other distinguishing marks. Taiwanese mnfr from 1987 - jv.

On Sat, Nov 5, 2022 at 10:50 AM steve nicholson <steve@...> wrote:

Well it has only taken 2 years for me to find a good enough reason to make a table for use with the bandsaw in the vertical position AND sort out the table alignment.

Thank you John, I can confirm that fitting a large shim between the top of the guide arm and the frame casting solved the table being square to the blade. I haven't bothered with fitting set screws at the moment, I don't move the lower arm so the shim will work fine for now.

I've attached a photo of the current small table I've made. It is 6mm (1/4") stainless (roughly 100mm x 80mm), the inside edge is angled to the blade and the outside edge is parallel with the blade. I can use the saw in the horizontal and vertical positions with the table in place. I had to grind a small amount off the front of the angled edge to clear the frame in the horizontal position (my wood prototype cleared but may have been warped).

The idea of the small table with the angle on one side, is to allow a larger table with locating guides/rails to slide on and lock into place with the tapper on the small table (still to be tested).

I mentioned the table alignment problem to a friend with a similar bandsaw, he checked his and said his was the same, he is keen to make a small table and fix his alignment now he has seen mine.

So thank you again John Vreede for all you help and knowledge you share on these bandsaws.

Steve

On 23/09/20 22:23, Steve Nicholson wrote:

Thanks for the information John, I'll take another look at the arm and try a packing shim to see how that works for me. Probably be next week before I get a chance to look at it properly.

Thanks again and have a wonderful day all.
Steve

On 23/09/20 4:45 pm, John Vreede wrote:

Arghhh..... Wrong way round!.
Sorry Steve I got up this morning early to write the previous post before going on my regular Wednesday walking group and marked up the sawframe casting to photograph it for you and got it backwards.
I will be putting the setscrews in at the bottom of the casting (where the circle with the dot is in that photo), where you should need to put the grub-screws in at the top, not me.
I moved the bottom of my guide arm out <1mm, I suggest you trial adding about 1.5mm of shim between the arm and the casting at the back of the slot as shown in the photo attached.
If that squares up your table then you can drill & tap
Sorry for the confusion - jv

On Nov 7, 2022, at 7:44 PM, mike allen <animal@...> wrote:

?

??? ??? Suzuki did better with the X6 Hustler . I remembered those being somewhat bigger til i sat on one a bud had a few years back . Rumor in our area was a Suzuki dealer was trying to get a

??? ??? Honda franchise but was turned down cause the X6 was quicker then the Hondas at the time . Never found out if that was for real? Though I think the top speed of a 305 Super Hawk was ??? ??? ??? ??? ??? ??? bragged to be 110 MPH .

??? ??? animal

On 11/7/2022 7:06 PM, Bill Armstrong wrote:

Yeeeeesh The TM400. What horrible things those were. Had great ads though. Pics of Roger DeCoster sittin’ on his championship winning 400 next to a shiny new TM400.

The only thing the two bikes had in common, was a yellow gas tank, and the Suzuki decal.?

I had friends who bought those things. Some others got TM250’s.?

The 400 had a lot of power, but only at high RPM’s. Low end torque was non-existent, and the mid range wasn’t much better. When you finally got up to the power band though…..lookout!?

Other than the front forks being garbage, same for the rear shocks, the frame & swing arm twisting and breaking, and the engines blowin’ up, what’s not to like? Most of the guys I knew got rid of em. It was hard to believe that they were so far removed from the works bikes.?

?One friend was a die hard, and sunk about enough money into his to buy two more brand new ones into his. Like the thing wasn’t heavy enough, by the time he was done, he added another 25 pounds trying to improve it, and he still couldn’t keep the front end from washing out on even a wide corner. Straight line only, that was for sure!

Took a few years for Suzuki to figure it out, and come up with the RM’s. The RM was light years ahead of the TM, and an actual competitive bike.

Other Bill

On Nov 7, 2022, at 5:53 PM, mike allen <animal@...> wrote:

?

I think it was the TM 400 in one of the magazine test first line " more power than a Husky & handles worse " . Some of the folks I heard that rode then said they will steer you great , straight

??? ??? over a berm . Never had the pleasure myself .

??? ??? animal

On 11/6/2022 9:49 PM, Bill Armstrong wrote:

The very first monoshocks were the YZ250 & YZ360 in ‘74. I had some of both that year. They had the shock that mounted cantilevered thru the frame, under the gas tank, and up to the triple clamp. It was up by the triple clamp were mine got tired and cracked, and would fail if I didn’t catch em. I even heard a few of ‘em crack when I landed on some big jumps. The motor mounts were also a weak spot. Lot of engine vibration. Titanium motor mount bolts fixed that problem, but the AMA outlawed titanium in ‘72.?

Yamaha stayed with that monoshock set up till ‘81 if I remember right. 82’s went with the link set up. The 360 changed to a 400 and grew to a 490 through those years as well. Good bikes. I won a lot of races on the 250’s and 360’s up thru 1976. Never raced a 490, but rode a few. I sure liked the torque! After forgetting about horsepower for a few years in lieu of better suspensions, they finally got back on the engine power improvements again.?

Other Bill

On Nov 6, 2022, at 9:21 PM, mike allen <animal@...> wrote:

?

??? ??? I had one of those death trap 400's I think it was the first YZ with the rear shock that went through the frame tube . I started cleaning it up & told a bud about it & he proceed to tell me about ??? ??? ??? all the folks that got hurt real bad on those bikes . So after being a proud owner for a day & half I gave it to my bud who was building sand quads at the time .The motor ended up running

??? ??? on I believe some kind of? oxygenated alcohol blend in a frame he build , He used to bet folks $ 20.00 they couldn't open it up in hi gear . Made tons of $$$ & never lost a bet . He also built

??? ??? a quad frame for a Kawasaki 900 engine he had layin around , called that one the " sand Kaw " another way to fast machine . I hope the folks that ended up buying them from him didn't get

??? ??? hurt to bad on them . I quit thinking I was invincible after I rolled a water truck . Never saw a tire tuck like? you mentioned , but I guarantee it made pee run down both leg's .

??? ??? animal

??? ??? animal

On 11/6/2022 8:58 PM, Bill Armstrong wrote:

It was easy to spend a lot of money in those days, that’s a fact! So many after-market manufacturers and dealers poppin’ up with cool stuff, you could go crazy. I bought 4130 chrome moly frames from DG, as well as aluminum swing arms for my ‘75 YZ Monoshockers. The stock frames didn’t hold up real well, and were heavy. ?Got down to minimum weight, and quit welding on em, but at a price.?

Definitely had to get your geometry right when you modified a rear suspension. Mine, all bottomed out on the shock before the tire hit the fender. I made sure of that prior to final welding.?

Sure saw a lot of bent swing arms with guys who moved the shock mounts but didn’t beef up the swing arm tubes when they did.?

Something else I saw from time to time, luckily on other guys bikes and not mine, was the rear shocks flying apart when they went over a jump. When they got airborne, and the rear wheel goes under the skid plate, it makes for an ugly landing and a real fancy get-off!?

All part of the learning curve I guess.?

Fun times!

Other Bill

On Nov 6, 2022, at 8:25 PM, mike allen <animal@...> wrote:

?

??? ??? The GYT kits were all the craze , or a Webco head with a compression relief . Thats how we turned off our bikes when the cops caught us & told us to shut them off . Yep we were asking

??? ??? for it , on more then one occasion . My bud built up a bad ass Super rat? . I forgot where he got the shocks he used when he lengthened the swing arm & laid the shocks down some . First

??? ??? time over a big jump & the back tire bottomed out on the back fender & rear frame loop . when the scabs healed we took the rear shocks apart & put some limiting rubber bumpers on

??? ??? the shaft so the shocks couldn't travel that far any more .

??? ??? animal

On 11/6/2022 4:33 AM, Bill Armstrong wrote:

Yup.....I'm afraid we're dinosaurs!
I had a DT1 too, with a frame lowering kit I added, and an after-market expansion chamber, among some other mods. Japanese moto-x bikes weren't available yet, until about '72. That's when I bought my DT2MX.
Before that, the European bikes ruled the dirt! It was quite a transition from European domination, to Japanese.
Guys goin' fast had a Maico,a Husqvarna, or a CZ. Still had a few British bikes around, like Greeves, and the AJS Stormer, or the Spanish bikes like Bultaco & Ossa. Montesa never did much in moto-x, but the Sherpa sure was and is a first class trials bike They survived though, with a little help, and are now Montesa Honda.

I had a Bultaco Matador, 6-day trials bike. 6-day bikes were HD enduro class. Bought a TY250 when they came out., just for fun. Had a '84 TY350 too, which I sure wouldn't mind havin' back!

Dirt bikes are an expensive habit, if you try riding pro like I did. I used to buy YZ250's & YZ360's 2 at a time. Practice bikes, ones set up for amateur racing, and then a couple with a lot of mods to try & keep up with the works bikes. Hard to do when a guy works for a living!

Yup! We are dinosaurs! Dirt bikes had 2 shocks, not 1, and 2 strokes, not 4! LOL!

Other Bill

On 11/5/2022 3:20 PM, Chuck Peterson wrote:

Oh my gosh, somebody of my Vintage. I had a I 1968 Yamaha 250 DT1 Enduro. Now that’s old. Others had CZ, Jawa, Penrod, Husky.

On Sat, Nov 5, 2022 at 12:05 PM Bill Armstrong <bill_1955@...> wrote:

Classic bike! I started racing with a '72 DT2MX250 and got a MX250 when they came out. Didn't have the MX250 for long, since the YZ250& 360A's came out later in '73, so I got some of those as soon as they hit Tucson.

MX250 had transmission problems, at least, if you race 'em hard. Mine blew up twice. It became pretty much? expected. Probably held up a lot better for plain ol' desert ridin'.
All were before anyone discovered suspension with travel. MX250 had the rear shocks with the extra reservoir on 'em, I remember that.? The big suspension changes started in '74.

Hope you get your 250 restored, and post some pics as you get 'er done!

Other Bill

On 11/5/2022 10:45 AM, mike allen wrote:

??? ??? Sounds like a super neato project , I'm getting ready to build my machine room inside of my shop & it would be great to see / hear more about your overhead project . I'm partly disabled

??? ??? & anything to help in heavy lifting is a blessing . I still have my 1973 Yamaha MX250 , though its in boxes waiting for the proper star alignment for the rebuild . Watch some of the vintage

??? ??? moto cross on? . Those old bikes with 4" of suspension , those racers were real men !!!!!!!! & the ones from the late 50's - early 60's on the big British bikes , those guys were real tough !

??? ??? animal

On 11/5/2022 3:05 AM, steve nicholson wrote:

I think I've used my bandsaw more in the last couple of weeks than the whole time I've had it, a new blade did wonders to speeding up the cuts too. I'm making a over head rail system to move tooling and material between bench, lathe and mill, planning for my old ago when it becomes a strain to fit a large 4-jaw chuck or move machine vice between mills!

Once the rails are up I can move the new lathe into position and get back into working on projects again. I have a couple of bikes on the project list to restore/get going again too.

Those old two strokes are collectable items now, nice to know your friend has had the same bike all it's life. Lots of people had them and are now wishing they kept them, hence going up in value!

Yes my saw is very similar to yours.

On 5/11/22 14:22, John Vreede wrote:

My pleasure to be of assistance Steve.

Its a long?time since there's?been any activity on this site and I admit to taking a break from work on the 4x6's.??

I've been helping a friend bring his Mach III Kawasaki back to life.? He bought it new in San Francisco?in 1969 when he was at Stanford, and?won't part with?it in this life. He met his wife because it broke down in Montreal, has road rash on the tops(!) of the handlebars and passenger?grab rail from sliding along the freeway upside down.? So many memories. It runs now and we're attending to cosmetic issues. Great to be part of.

Your?saw?looks like mine, which?just?has a model number - UC115 - and no other distinguishing marks. Taiwanese mnfr from 1987 - jv.

On Sat, Nov 5, 2022 at 10:50 AM steve nicholson <steve@...> wrote:

Well it has only taken 2 years for me to find a good enough reason to make a table for use with the bandsaw in the vertical position AND sort out the table alignment.

Thank you John, I can confirm that fitting a large shim between the top of the guide arm and the frame casting solved the table being square to the blade. I haven't bothered with fitting set screws at the moment, I don't move the lower arm so the shim will work fine for now.

I've attached a photo of the current small table I've made. It is 6mm (1/4") stainless (roughly 100mm x 80mm), the inside edge is angled to the blade and the outside edge is parallel with the blade. I can use the saw in the horizontal and vertical positions with the table in place. I had to grind a small amount off the front of the angled edge to clear the frame in the horizontal position (my wood prototype cleared but may have been warped).

The idea of the small table with the angle on one side, is to allow a larger table with locating guides/rails to slide on and lock into place with the tapper on the small table (still to be tested).

I mentioned the table alignment problem to a friend with a similar bandsaw, he checked his and said his was the same, he is keen to make a small table and fix his alignment now he has seen mine.

So thank you again John Vreede for all you help and knowledge you share on these bandsaws.

Steve

On 23/09/20 22:23, Steve Nicholson wrote:

Thanks for the information John, I'll take another look at the arm and try a packing shim to see how that works for me. Probably be next week before I get a chance to look at it properly.

Thanks again and have a wonderful day all.
Steve

On 23/09/20 4:45 pm, John Vreede wrote:

Arghhh..... Wrong way round!.
Sorry Steve I got up this morning early to write the previous post before going on my regular Wednesday walking group and marked up the sawframe casting to photograph it for you and got it backwards.
I will be putting the setscrews in at the bottom of the casting (where the circle with the dot is in that photo), where you should need to put the grub-screws in at the top, not me.
I moved the bottom of my guide arm out <1mm, I suggest you trial adding about 1.5mm of shim between the arm and the casting at the back of the slot as shown in the photo attached.
If that squares up your table then you can drill & tap
Sorry for the confusion - jv