Vintage Dirt Bikes

Book excerpt: Suddenly, everyone wants one of those old dirt bikes from back in the day. Knobby tires, small two-cycle engines, four-speed transmission, and a full four inches of suspension travel. Those are the bikes that most baby boomers grew up on; the ones that young men rode into the ground and left to rot where ever they last fell. But no more. Now, those simple little Hondas, Yamahas, Harleys, and Pentons are making their way from the back of the garage to the front. From the barn to the shop. The shop where patient mechanics and enthusiasts are stripping them down and bringing them back to life. The questions for the prospective buyer is: What to bring home? Among the thousands and thousands of dirt bikes, scramblers, trials bikes, play bikes and early motocross bikes, which are the best bikes to make your own? Vintage Dirt Bikeswill help the reader make that decision by providing information on all the most popular makes. For each bike, this new book provides four to six paragraphs describing the bike in general terms. In addition, bullet points for each model include the following information: Relative cost to acquire, value when finished, and which are most likely to offer the most fun for the money. Readers will also find what to look for when checking the condition of items such as paint, suspension, frame, and engine. A general section at the back of the book will offer the reader help deciding where to buy classic bikes, where to get parts, who to call for help, and which parts of the restoration should be farmed out to experts with specific skills.