Dakar Bikes Collection...

[grimmboy]

Mod, I'm sure the kits are sitting somewhere on a shelf with your name on it, just have to find it.....

[Bake]

Keep them coming

I've been following the Dakar since Gaston Rahier, the 5'4" Dentist competed on the BMW airhead twins. I think these were 800cc or maybe 900cc. Mid-80's. I was crushed to learn this year Richard Sainct, a previous Dakar winner, and on the BMW 650 no less, had died while in another African Rallye. We also lost Meoni, the 6'3" KTM 950 Master of the Desert. These races and the MEN that do them are my inspiration everytime I'm faced with a 200 or 400 mile ride across Kansas in the summertime. For instance, Thursday I will ride in the afternoon to Kansas City, to get the 600 mile done on my new R1150R. (The next morning they'll do the work, of course, Engle's need a cold engine). There's just no other way to do it. Summer heat here today is 100F. Middle of the prairie, hot conditions, BMW twin, hundreds of miles to go. I'm *nothing* compared to Dakar racers, but I can share his dreams while I face down the task.

[atgreg]

Originally Posted by modrover

[B]
Hey Greg,

I've been told over and over that the '88-'89 RD03 Africa Twin bikes had been hand built by H R C. Your knowledge of the AT is impressive so I thought I'd ask you the full story on them. I've also heard that many of the RD03 bikes had actually done the Paris Dakar with only minor mods needed.

Mod,

the AT 650 was a normal built bike but they didn't build a lot of them. Honda sold the "Marathon" kits for them. The Dakar used to have a class for almost stock bikes called the Marathon class and for a few years Honda dominated it with the kitted 650's and then the kitted 750's. Big tanks, pannier tanks, improved suspension and different exhaust made up the kits. Ihave some great video of the 650 and 750 kitted bikes in the Dakar. Heck I have lots of good Dakar stuff, I have videos of, 83,84,85,86,87,88,89,90,91,94,96,99,2000,2001,2002 ,2003,2004,2005 as well as vids of lots of Australian safaris

Greg

[atgreg]

[QUOTE=rockt] I'm 41 and sometimes when I'm blasting down a dirt road on my DR650, I kinda just sorta maybe a little bit imagine I'm running with the leaders of the great endurance race. A tad childish, I know, but it seems a better choice than recreational drug use.

QUOTE]

Mate, Ido the same thing when I take my 750 AT out into the Oz outback !!!!!

[atgreg]

Info about the AT marathons at;
http://www.cyber-moto.com/africatwin/xrv-marathon.htm


Info about NXR750;
http://www.cyber-moto.com/africatwin/nxr.htm


Both in French Im afraid


Great pics of honda rally bikes including the XL500 and 600 PD bikes.
http://www.rallye-tenere.net/Honda.html

[kimangao]

Originally Posted by atgreg

Heck I have lots of good Dakar stuff, I have videos of, 83,84,85,86,87,88,89,90,91,94,96,99,2000,2001,2002 ,2003,2004,2005 as well as vids of lots of Australian safaris
Greg

Greg, what are you doing next weekend? I may come around to watch some of you PD-vids.

Dirk

[Burren Rider]

The new generation. Johnny Campbells 650R (found on the Acerbis site a couple of years back).

[modrover]

Originally Posted by atgreg

Mod,

the AT 650 was a normal built bike but they didn't build a lot of them. Honda sold the "Marathon" kits for them. The Dakar used to have a class for almost stock bikes called the Marathon class and for a few years Honda dominated it with the kitted 650's and then the kitted 750's. Big tanks, pannier tanks, improved suspension and different exhaust made up the kits. Ihave some great video of the 650 and 750 kitted bikes in the Dakar. Heck I have lots of good Dakar stuff, I have videos of, 83,84,85,86,87,88,89,90,91,94,96,99,2000,2001,2002 ,2003,2004,2005 as well as vids of lots of Australian safaris

Greg

I so wish you lived next door... all them vids


You know... it's been mentioned, but I also get a big charge out riding AT. Get me on a logging road and I'm instantly transported to the PD Rallye!

[Django Loco]

Originally Posted by atgreg

the AT 650 was a normal built bike but they didn't build a lot of them. Honda sold the "Marathon" kits for them. The Dakar used to have a class for almost stock bikes called the Marathon class and for a few years Honda dominated it with the kitted 650's and then the kitted 750's. Big tanks, pannier tanks, improved suspension and different exhaust made up the kits.
Greg

I'm glad you made the clarification about the Marathon class. Different rules
entirely from what I remember from the unlimited class. And when did they discontinue it?

And while Honda may have one those Marathon class races in the mid
eighties, the guy everyone remembers is Stephane Peterhansel aboard
the Yamaha Tennere. I believe he won the unlimited class six or seven
times (??) I think Yamaha got bored and just left.


In the US we get very little Dakar coverage and the Marathon class was
ever hardly even mentioned. Shame. Many privateers competed in this
class on old air head BMWs, Suzuki Dr Bigs, et al.

If memory serves (and it doesn't that well) the Marathon class did not allow
complete bike rebuilds as does the unlimited class. So in a way, this class
is a real test of equipment, moreso than the unlimited, no?

Also, that direct injection Honda two stroke competed in TWO Dakars, not just one. Best result was a 5th I believe. Pretty amazing really. If Honda wanted to and could abide the way the Dakar is run (like a tin pot dictatorship) my guess is they could win every year walking away. Now if all four of the big four got into it, then we could see some real development in a hurry.

[kraven]

Originally Posted by StromTroll

Now if all four of the big four got into it, then we could see some real development in a hurry.

yep. and then we would see some really great developments for the street too.
Man, that would be great.

[atgreg]

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