Classic Dirt Bike Issue 47 Summer 2018

SHOWTIME – ALL THE NEWS FROM TELFORD AND STAFFORD

DIRT RTb bike CLASSIC

#47

ISSUE Forty-seven

Pinkie

Summer 2018

YAMAHA YZ490 // KOSMOS 250 // DIRT TALK // TRIUMPH ENDURO // ARCHIVE

PERFECTION

WINNER! CDB SHOW-WINNING 420 JAWA MX

TOP TY FOR SSDT

BERNIE SCHREIBER HONDA ELSINORE PRE-74 SERIES CHAMP SUPER PROFILE MATCHLESS G80 GROUND SHAKERS AN HOUR WITH:

#47

PLUS

YAMAHA YZ490 // KOSMOS 250 // DIRT TALK // TRIUMPH ENDURO // ARCHIVE

IN BALANCE

Our survey said?

Your opinion matters to us.

S

urveys are not a new thing, though with the advent of the internet they became easier to present to us and equally as easy for us to ignore.

It seems no matter what we do, or where we do it, somebody, somewhere, wants to know our opinion on whatever it is we’ve purchased or used or are interested in.

Sometimes such requests come up at the end of a process online; for instance I’ve just taxed my van and the DVLA wanted to know if I was happy with the service and if it could be improved. My answers of ‘yes’ and ‘no’ were honest and the same as several previous answers.

Other surveys may appear a few days after purchases online, along the lines of ‘was I happy with the process?’, ‘did the item match the description?’, ‘would I recommend the seller to friends or family?’.

There’s no obligation to fill such things in of course but it does allow you to have your say.

Such requests for information have to be tempered with freedom of information regulations and right to privacy laws these days, rightly so of course as the news bulletins on the radio are full of items about a major abuse of information from a popular social media site. My view on that – it is my view, not CDB’s or Mortons – is mixed, people seem to forget the social media is worldwide and reactions to items and comments are as near as instant as it’s possible to get and there are apparently companies who specialise in surveying such groups as we join online. Why do you think these pop-up adverts seem tailored to almost what we’re thinking about? It’s

Subs only

There are a variety of ways you can continue to get your hands on Classic Dirt Bike in the UK – the easiest of which is to become part of our subscriber community. See page 41 for details.

because our browsing history has been surveyed, in my case I’m being bombarded with adverts wanting to fulfil my needs for stainless steel Jubilee clips, books on traditional woodworking methods and, as of the other night, lights for a mountain bike.

A quick, personal survey of my own online habits reveals these adverts are closely matched and in the case of the woodworking books, I’m considering a release of funds for a non-motorcycling project – I’m building a shed which I mentioned a column or three ago. Bear with me a little longer and I’ll return to motorcycling themes. A deeper look into my online psyche reveals I’m interested in off-road motorcycling in all forms, with Bultaco and Triumph figuring highly; using vintage hand tools, be they from my trade or for fixing old motorcycles; mountains and quirky homes. The thing is, this information is out there and because it’s fairly innocuous I’m not all that concerned about it – though I await an advert from a Jubilee clip supplier, based on a mountain who has a Triumph and a Bultaco in his quirky shop. Actually now I’ve written that I’d probably buy my Jubilee clips there.

Pre-internet surveys were conducted by a simple editorial request in whatever magazine you read. The two big British motorcycling mags of yesteryear – the ‘Blue Un’ and ‘Green Un’ – regularly ran a small box with ‘your opinion matters…’ – encouraging the reader to tell the publisher what they thought. By and large, this can form a letters page.

An interesting question arises from these surveys and that is what actually happens

to the information gained? Perhaps my own personal experiences might be of interest?

I used to be sceptical of such surveys and requests at the end of a competition form, you know what I mean, something like “tell us in 20 words or less how you would improve the mag…’ Yeah, right, I thought, that’ll never be seen. I actually filled in one in The Classic MotorCycle before I started working for Mortons then, shortly after, I began working on the magazine. The customer services team were going through the backlog of surveys and mine popped up. A similar situation happened when I edited Classic Bike Guide and we gave away a Triumph T100 and every entry was read.

So, opinions do matter, these surveys are read and note taken which is a roundabout way of telling you we have a survey running on our website and the information is on our news pages.

Why are we doing it? Well, it is as simple as actually wanting to know what you think and how we can improve the magazine.

Arguably, just by being out there in the scene and interacting with enthusiasts, listening to opinions and suggestions is a form of survey, except I don’t always have a pen and notepad handy when I’m lining up for a section or on the startline.

The Classic Dirt Bike team would really appreciate it if you could spare a few minutes to complete our survey (details on the news pages). All those taking part will be entered into a free draw, with prizes of helmets and gloves up for grabs.

“

…my online psyche reveals I’m interested in off-road motorcycling in all forms, with Bultaco and Triumph figuring highly; using vintage hand tools be they from my trade…

Copyright Mortons Media Group Ltd. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or any information storage retrieval system without prior permission in writing from the publisher.

Tim Britton

”

The Professional Publishers Association Member

Independent publishers since 1885

Contents 03 In Balance

‘Our survey said?’ We ponder the benefits of surveys and encourage you to do ours.

06 News, views and reviews If it’s happening, going to happen or happened this is where you’ll read about it and the season’s hotting up.

16 You need…

You really do need a Husqvarna CR390 in your shed and we tell you why, but park it carefully because…

18 You also need… …a James J9 Commando in there too! Why? Because it was the ultimate club trials bike of its era.

22 Super Profile Matchless’ G80CS is looked at this issue. Forever associated with the great Dave Curtis, this model was up against the Goldie in the classic era.

41 Subscribe! Subscribe! Subscribe!

As Classic Dirt Bike is subscription

only in the UK you’ve either already subscribed, nicked a mate’s copy or seen us at a show. If it’s one of the latter two, subscribe here and secure a great deal.

50 Dicko’s view The elder statesman of trials journalism always has a view on something and he puts it across here…

57 ’cross words Berry gets bookish! The ins and outs of being a famous author, dealing with publicity and your subject sitting next to you.

72 Dirt Talk What are you talking about in the CDB world? All sorts of things as it happens. Keep the letters coming in...

82 Moto memories The space-age had arrived and the world was not enough… enter the Kosmos which attracted a lot of attention at the Racing and Sporting Show.

Features 11 Best in show Chosen by Classic Dirt Bike Show’s guest of honour, Gerrit Wolsink, as best in show, we get the lowdown on Bill Henson’s Jawa 420.

27 An hour with… …1979 world trials champion Bernie Schreiber. Due to be guest of honour at Bultaco Nostalgia in June, we spoke to him and asked all sorts of things – this is what he said.

34 The Winner Kris Winder was turned to the dark side of motorcycling by his father-in-law and compounded it by winning the 2017 pre-74 championship with this Honda.

52 Twinshock and Evo We have a glance at what’s up in the more modern side of classic with some goodies seeing action on the track.

66 An archive gem…

Becoming distracted in the archive is an occupational hazard but it does turn up some interesting things, such as the Walwin.

76 Wardy’s Yam Yamaha’s TY Mono trials bike was, and is, a good bike, but to ride one in the toughest trial in the world 30 years after its era?

Must be something pretty trick.

Events 58 Tremendous Telford With Hagon’s backing, the Classic Dirt Bike Show was bigger and better than before. Here’s our take on it but what’s yours? Write and tell us.

62 Classic Dirt Bike Experience Though only an element of the Carole Nash International Classic MotorCycle Show ‘our’ scene is still popular.

Technical 44 Rebuilding to ride It is time to inspect the bits, see what’s what, see what’s there and what’s usable and maybe shift a part or two and acquire new ones.

On the cover On the cover

When we heard a 25-year-old TY was to be ridden in the 2018 SSDT we had to see it. With a decent record in The Scottish how will it and its rider get on? See next issue.

On the contents page

Westmorland County Showground – where these three Honda Elsinores are posed in the March sunshine – will host Kendal Classic revival MX in August. During which there will be a dedicated Elsinore race. On show here is Kris Winder’s championship-winning bike, flanked on the left

by Chris Lewis’s race bike and Elsinore 74’s NOS showpiece on the right.

News 6

DIRTNews BOOK REVIEW

Sideways on The frenetic world of speedway, seen through the life of Bert Harkins, is the subject of the latest book from London League Publications Ltd. Bert’s autobiography, My Crazy Speedway World, was launched in February during the celebrations for speedway’s 90th anniversary in the UK, held at Paradise Wildlife Park, Herts.

The 252-page softback book, costing £14.50, post free in the UK from London League Publications Ltd, covers Bert’s complete career, from his early years at Edinburgh and Coatbridge, his time at Wembley, Sheffield and Wimbledon, his season racing in America with the Bakersfield Bandits, his return to Edinburgh and

finale with Milton Keynes.

It also includes his international outings with the British Lions, Scotland and the Rest of the World, as well as his time racing in Australia, America, South Africa, New Zealand and many European countries. It covers his cycle speedway, road racing, proper speedway and life after the famous white boots and tartan leathers were hung up to rest. It will be of great interest to all speedway fans.

The book is available to order from the publisher at www.llpshop. co.uk, Amazon, Abe Books, and from bookshops. An eBook will also be available on Amazon.

Bultaco nostalgia Plans are pretty much finalised for Westmorland Motor Club’s 2018 Bultaco gathering at Holme Farm, Middleton near Sebergh in Cumbria and by the time you read this the event will be just a few weeks away.

It’s being held on Saturday – that’s right a Saturday – June 16, 2018 and is to be sponsored by Coniston Brewing Co, makers of some fabulous beers.

Guest of honour this year will be Alan Lampkin who can count Bultaco among the factory teams he’s ridden for. Joining him will be elder brother Arthur who took on the challenge of three wheels in the Seventies

and used Bultacos to power his outfits.

Joining the Lampkins will be 1979 world trials champion Bernie Schreiber. The subject of our ‘An hour with…’ this issue, he launched onto the unsuspecting trials world and gave it a shake in the mid-70s.

His riding style took the sport to new levels and heralded a new generation of rider as he took his Bultaco to world success.

Eager to encourage new riders, Bernie collaborated with Len Weed to produce a book on our sport and what a book, get a copy if you can.

Bernie has hinted he’ll be

Editor: Tim Britton cdbeditor@mortons.co.uk 07739 615605

Advertising representative: Helen Martin 01507 529574 HRMartin@Mortons.co.uk

Columnists: Ian Berry, John Dickinson

Subscription manager: Paul Deacon

Contributors: Alan Telford Media, Al Keith Photographers: Fiona Watson, Nick Nicholls Collection at Mortons Archive, Gary Chapman, Eric Kitchen

Circulation manager: Steve O’Hara

Production editor: Sarah Wilkinson

Commercial director: Nigel Hole

Senior designer: Kelvin Clements

Archive enquiries: Jane Skayman jskayman@mortons.co.uk 01507 529423

Designer: Libby Fincham Picture desk: Jonathan Schofield, Paul Fincham

Marketing manager: Charlotte Park Publishing director: Dan Savage

Alan Lampkin in action on a Bultaco.

SSDT action with Bernie Schreiber.

bringing along memorabilia to donate to the raffle, proceeds of which will go to cancer

charities. More information at westmorlandmotorclub.com or Westmorland facebook page.

help@classicmagazines.co.uk

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www.classicmagazines.co.uk Subscription Full subscription rates (but see page 41 for offer): (12 months four issues, inc post and packing) – UK £20. Export rates are also available – see page 41 for more details. UK subscriptions are zero-rated for the purposes of Value Added Tax. Website

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CLASSIC DIRT BIKE (ISBN:978-1-909128-87-3) is published quarterly by Mortons Media Group Ltd, PO Box 99, Horncastle, Lincolnshire LN9 6LZ UK . USA subscriptions are $50 per year from Motorsport Publications LLC, 7164 Cty Rd N #441, Bancroft WI 54921. Periodical Postage is paid at Wisconsin Rapids, WI. Postmaster: Send address changes to CLASSIC DIRT BIKE, c/o Motorsport Publications LLC, 7164 Cty Rd N #441, Bancroft WI 54921. 715-572-4595 chris@ classicbikebooks.com

7 A Montesa for Edition Montesa

Burgundy Two Days Trophy Francois Bernard sent us an update on the popular Burgundy Two Day Trophy he runs at Beaune in the Burgundy region of France.

“After the 2016 and 2017 events which were very sunny weekends, all riders having an enjoyable time, the 2018 event is looking well. I think there will be a significant number of British enthusiasts heading to Beaune for the event on July 21/22, at least by the

Edition Montesa for Highland Classic

promises during Telford show.”

All the details can be found at www.burgundy-classic.com but be aware the event is limited to 25 riders and for pre-74 enduro style motorcycles.

Though the focus of the event is the trail ride, the ‘support crews’ or wives and partners are looked after too.

There will also be plenty of opportunity to experience the delights of the Burgundy region.

A pause during the Burgundy Trophy

It’s not long now until the Highland Classic Two-day Trial on the Alvie Estate near Aviemore – it’s on June 9/10, 2018, and this year’s theme will be 50 years of the Montesa Cota in the UK. To continue the theme of 50 years, guest of honour will be 1968 Scottish Trials Champion Douglas Bald.

Though entries have been full for a while there’s a reserve list and anyone dropping out means everyone on the list moves up a notch. It isn’t compulsory to have a Montesa to ride the Edition Montesa but if you’re riding one then well done. The trial is entirely off-road, consists of two laps each day with traditional sections in spectacular scenery.

HAVE YOUR SAY AND WIN HELD GEAR!

We want your opinion… yes we do and there’s some choice kit to be won in a free prize draw.

Here at Classic Dirt Bike we can get a bit focussed on what we’re doing as we strive to produce the best features about the best in the dirt bike world, but are we doing it right? This is your chance to tell us, officially on a form which will be read and which complements what readers tell us at trials, scrambles and enduros.

It doesn’t matter if you’ve been a subscriber from issue one or have just picked up the mag for the first time – your opinion matters. What are we doing right? What are we doing wrong?

What aren’t we doing that we should? If you don’t tell us we won’t know how to take the magazine to the next level.

So have your say through our simple online survey at www.classicdirtbike.co.uk and give yourself the chance to win some Held gear in the free prize draw. Many thanks and good luck.

Tim Britton, Editor Classic Dirt Bike

Complete the survey: www.classicdirtbike.co.uk

Held by Schuberth H-C3 flip-up helmet £419.99

Held by Schuberth H-R2 full-face helmet £419.99

Held Gore-Tex Air n Dry gloves £175.99

Terms and conditions apply – see website for details. There are no cash alternatives available. Closing date is June 30, 2018. The winners will be the first names drawn at random.

News 8 A race start is always fun.

CC Clean Carbs Does anyone not know the benefits of having your carburettors deep cleaned in a sonic bath? We did a feature some time ago and took a clean-looking carb along to Chris Claydon at CC Clean Carbs and watched it go through the bath. The amount of muck which came out was gobsmacking.

Anyway, Chris contacted us just before going to press to say his new contact number is 07843 319191 – same friendly service though.

Kendal Classic Revival Scramble 2018 New scramble on the block is Westmorland Motor Club Ltd’s Kendal Classic Revival Scramble. It’s to be held on August 12, 2018 at Westmorland County Showground just off the M6. Details for the event will be on Westmorland MC’s website www. westmorlandmotorclub.com and their Facebook page.

Classic European Scrambles Championship The UK round of the ECMO series is to be held at Reading on May 19, 2018 and with classes for five age-related categories and pre-65 and pre-74 eras, the racing is sure to be good. The circuit is at Amey’s Copse, Bennetts Hill near Reading and the postcode is RG30 3TT. A month later, the German round will be at Bad Salzungen on 16 June.

Alan Arnott in action at Drumlanrig.

Hot Honda hurtles round the track... but who is the rider?

Edinburgh’s Gavin Robertson isn’t fazed by the conditions.

Scottish Classic Grand National Things are hotting up now for the second Scottish Grand National in the superb grounds of Drumlanrig Castle on July 14/15, organised by the Galloway MCC. The latest information from the club makes good reading, first of all the guest of honour, Brad Lackey is fired up and ready for the weekend, there’s to be an interview session with him in the marquee on Friday where the legend who is John Moffat will tease out all sorts of information and then throw open the floor to anyone who wants to ask Brad a question or three.

Racing starts on Saturday, early, with a full day and a good selection of classes which will see classics and twinshocks hurtling around the track.

The same scenario will happen on Sunday, with the action starting as early as possible to get a full day of racing in.

As well as Brad Lackey there are to be a host of other guests too, a lad called Graham Noyce for instance, who has indicated he’s wanting to ride too. The organisers also said there’s to be a line-up of Scottish racing talent from all eras of the sport in Scotland with Vic Allan being prominent in the list. Another ‘Allan’ Vic’s nephew Robbie will also be racing and as a teaser we’re

told there are a few other really special guests on the cusp of confirming but as we go to press they’re 99% confirmed and as soon as it’s 100% then announcements will be made on the club’s website and facebook pages.

The attractions of the weekend – well long weekend actually as it starts on the Friday – aren’t limited to the track either, as the marquee will have all sorts of get-togethers – including live bands, wine and cheese, ladies’ hour and of course the presentation on Sunday.

Out in the paddock area will be a special display of British Superbike machines from the Paul Bird race team PBM Motorsport who will feature Glenn Irwin as well as the super trick Ducatis the team have.

Another team making the pilgrimage to Drumlanrig will be Cecil Pearson’s JAP race team.

Cecil has a selection of JAP engined machines which make a decent job of showing how well old bikes can go in the hands of riders who know how to make them work.

Regular updates will be on the club’s social media pages Drumlanrig Castle Classic Grand National Scramble so keep checking and see you there.

Two day trial in spectacular Andorra Just time to squeeze in some information about the Trial Classic St Julia de Loria which will take place in Andorra on June 30/July 1, 2018. A two-day event for all sorts of classics, though given the photos on their facebook page we’d reckon it to be

twinshock friendly. The area is spectacular and the organisers promise traditional terrain such as rocks and streams to excite the trials rider’s palate. The event is to be run in the same region as the world trials series Trial GP and is to have 20

sections on Saturday and 17 on Sunday with a route of 25km. There’s a limit of 180 riders and there is a possibility of a one event licence to compete. For more details go to their facebook page Trial Classiques Sant Julia Andorra.

9

Toughsheet National Twinshock series opener The Toughsheet National Twinshock championship opened the doors to the 2018 season, with the first round at Stipers Hill, Polesworth on Sunday, April 8, hosted by Cumbria Twinshock and supported by Central Motors Salvage of Derby.

The club worked wonders to put the meeting on, ably assisted by Peter Wainwright on the digger, and it was the only meeting in the country to survive the downpours of the week. Once the gloop had been removed, and the bottom section altered, the track was still rough but rideable, and thanks to their efforts to keep the show on the road, over 210 of the 250 entered riders took to the track for practice.

In the MotoX Concepts Over 50 class, Pete Mathia was celebrating 50 years of

competition, and it couldn’t have gone better for him, as he took two wins and a second to win the overall. Former East Mids Centre Champion Richard Allen had his best ever result in the twinshocks to take second overall. Reigning over 50 champion from Ireland, Willie Burgess took third, despite machine problems in race one – Willie did take race three though, once he got to grips with the track. Gary Parker returned to the fray to take fourth from Tim Sabine.

There was a good line-up of 12 over 60 riders, swelled by a few who turn 60 this year. And it was the race one action that sealed the deal as Jersey’s Wayne Le Marquand on the HPF Honda took the win, with Martin Snape on his new Maico having problems down in fourth. It looks

Is 188 Aaron Graves pulling away from 99 Greg Speed or is Greg catching Aaron?

like these two riders may be the ones to beat this year as Snape took victory in races two and three, from Le Marquand in both. This gave Wayne the overall win by a single point from Snape, with last year’s champion Graham Challis in third, and class debutant Alan Hardy in fourth.

The slickly run 24-race programme was followed by the presentation of awards by special guest, former World MX champion Neil Hudson.

The next round took place on May 5 at Hawkstone, with further rounds to come on May 27 at Bevercotes, Ollerton (run by Warsop MXC) and also the Lancashire Twinshock round at Barnoldswick on June 4.

More details on the National Twinshock website www. nationaltwinshock.co.uk

Gene Womack, Jawa Metisse, coping well with the conditions.

Classic action in Northampton “You should come along to our meeting at Woodford in April,” said Colin Hill of Northampton Classic Club Ltd when CDB admired the line-up of classic MX machinery on the stand at Telford Show last February.

“We’ll have all sorts of bikes there for your photographer.”

So, we went along and what a great couple of days it was. The weather played sort of fair and thanks to cancellations elsewhere in the calendar there was a huge

entry of eager riders looking to work off the winter excess.

With classics covering Pre-60 to the twinshocks of 1983 there was always something happening on track, be it a thundering preunit single or a howling two-stroke in the Greeves Challenge race or Richard Allen’s Montesa Cappra who claims to be “…just a trials rider really…” but looked pretty good on track.

The meeting looked pretty slickly run to us and true to

their word the club had a tasty selection of bikes for us to photograph and we’ll be featuring them over the next few issues.

The first one though will be the show-winning bike from the Classic Dirt Bike Show at Telford – Bill Henson’s 420 Jawa which is on page 11.

The club’s next meet at the Woodford Circuit will be in July and their facebook page Northampton Classic Club Ltd will have all the details for you.

A Hawkstone legend of 1978?

Were you racing in 1978? Did you do the championship series in that far off year when we were young? If so, then the organisers of the Hawkstone Festival of Legends could well be interested in hearing from you.

They’re looking for guests from any year of competition but especially 1978. So, 40 years on, this year’s event is being held on September 1/2, at Hawkstone Park in Shropshire, with legends day on the Sunday.

Want to go? See the facebook page Hawkstone Park Festival of Legends.

National Twinshock Trials Championship The Kia Motors UK backed trials series goes from strength to strength and the editor’s own club – Castleside MCC recently held a round at Lambshield Farm in Co Durham.

Many of the series’ riders made the trek north and had an enjoyable day.

Bill McKeown was on hand with his camera to catch the great and the good riding up the rocky streams on the sections near Waskerly. Eventual overall winner Yrjo Vesterinen – in the centre of the group – watches closely as Kawasaki mounted Roy Palmer tackles some decent rockery.

For more information on the series go to www. nationaltwinshock championship.co.uk

10

11

Choice kit The life of a professional motocross racer is littered with choices. These choices can have an effect on a career... or whether the rider actually has a career at all.

Words: Tim Britton Pics: Gary Chapman, Bill Henson, Coys of Kensington and Mortons Archive.

Jawa 12 Bill Henson, man and machine.

Exhaust has a shiny coating of black that was actually matt!

A big sprocket to get the gearing lowered.

I Footrests are non-folding.

Fuel tank is ultra thin metal for lightness.

Seat cover is original.

t is a situation that few of us are ever likely to face at our level of racing. What am I on about? The choices facing a professional MX racer. For instance, picture the scene, a young lad, doing well is on the up. He’s chosen to try and make a living in one of the most precarious occupations there is… that of a professional motocross racer.

These days there is lots of outside sponsors that often shovel money into the scene and expect a spectacle in return from those favoured with sponsorship. Arguably, while the race wins and championship titles are nice, these are often secondary to providing entertainment to a crowd that will see the sponsor’s name front and centre. For instance, take a rider like Dougie Lampkin – we in the dirt bike world know he’s the trials rider with the most wins ever, he’s amassed loads of world titles – indoor and outdoor – SSDT wins, Scott wins and extreme enduro wins to his name and he is still on the go too. Yet, to the public at large they might know him as that lad who rode round the Isle of Man TT course with one wheel of his motorbike in the air… and ‘oh, is he a world champion too? Well fancy that.’ The public perception of his success is different now to that of, say an MX racer in the late Sixties.

In those days the sponsors would likely be motor industry orientated and while bonuses may well be good from the oil industry and accessory manufacturers for wins the professional racer would need to be in a factory-backed team to earn his bread and butter. In such situations the team with the biggest budget would gain the riders and the wins would come their way. It is a kind of self-fulfilling prophecy. That isn’t to say that

Bill Henson Property developer and former MXer Bill Henson has a nice selection of MX machines and he knew he’d be unlikely to get a chance to own another such genuine and rare works machine. In answer to my ‘have you got a fabulous workshop with all sorts of kit in it’ question he allowed that his workshop was decent enough to be able to tackle most tasks. “I tend to do all of my own polishing and have a network of people who do what I can’t,” he says.

the teams with the biggest budgets always have the best machines, as riders of this calibre could and often did win on average machines and the choices facing such riders often came down to who was paying the best retainer.

Take our guest of honour for the Classic Dirt Bike Show at Telford in 2018 – Gerrit Wolsink, a talented rider on the up in 1969. He’s offered a chance to join the eastern European company Jawa, given the opportunity to try the bike and then talk turkey. Czech machines were nothing new in the MX world, Jawa’s associate make CZ had been winning for years on the Sixties MX scene and there was no reason to believe Jawa wouldn’t be as serious as CZ about racing. This is where Eastern Bloc politics come into play though.

CZ marketed MX machines and sold a lot of them thanks to their successes and popularity, so buoyed up with the revenue from these sales they could afford to buy riders for a