Best description I have seen in a while

Anything you like about motorbikes
maccecht
Posts: 217
Joined: Sat May 30, 2020 1:45 pm
Has thanked: 24 times
Been thanked: 156 times

Best description I have seen in a while

Post by maccecht »

User avatar
G.P
Posts: 1944
Joined: Sun Mar 15, 2020 9:12 pm
Location: Wiltshire
Has thanked: 2029 times
Been thanked: 1310 times

Re: Best description I have seen in a while

Post by G.P »

Bargain then :banana-dance: :banana-dance: :banana-dance:
User avatar
Skub
Posts: 12182
Joined: Mon Mar 16, 2020 5:32 pm
Location: Norn Iron
Has thanked: 9845 times
Been thanked: 10157 times

Re: Best description I have seen in a while

Post by Skub »

Beats 'not for the faint hearted' for sure. :lol:
"Be kind to past versions of yourself that didn't know what you know now."
Walt Whitman
https://soundcloud.com/skub1955
Le_Fromage_Grande
Posts: 11236
Joined: Mon Mar 16, 2020 6:40 pm
Location: The road of many manky motorcycles
Has thanked: 607 times
Been thanked: 4125 times

Re: Best description I have seen in a while

Post by Le_Fromage_Grande »

Good description, my memory of them is that they were difficult to ride and unreliable.
Hairybiker84
Posts: 225
Joined: Fri Mar 12, 2021 2:06 pm
Has thanked: 70 times
Been thanked: 108 times

Re: Best description I have seen in a while

Post by Hairybiker84 »

Look at the number of splines on the kick start, says it all really - and it's on the left. I can just feel my knee hitting the end of the handlebar!
demographic
Posts: 3042
Joined: Mon Mar 16, 2020 9:30 pm
Location: Less that 50 miles away from Moscow, but which one?
Has thanked: 1350 times
Been thanked: 1730 times

Re: Best description I have seen in a while

Post by demographic »

Another description might be.
"Not so much a hasbeen as a never was"


Not exactly listed in the motocross hall of fame are they.
User avatar
mangocrazy
Posts: 6934
Joined: Tue Dec 22, 2020 9:58 pm
Has thanked: 2409 times
Been thanked: 3639 times

Re: Best description I have seen in a while

Post by mangocrazy »

That Husky looks remarkably similar to the old KTM 600 that has become part of the furniture in my French gaff. It's been sat on a block in the entrance room (that also houses a cement mixer and bags of sand, gravel, cement and lime) for at least 15 years. It also has the kick start on the left and is a Rotax unit (as I suspect the Husky is).

I wouldn't say I'm scared of it, but whenever I think about doing something to it I always find an excuse to do something else...
There is no cloud, just somebody else's computer.
Le_Fromage_Grande
Posts: 11236
Joined: Mon Mar 16, 2020 6:40 pm
Location: The road of many manky motorcycles
Has thanked: 607 times
Been thanked: 4125 times

Re: Best description I have seen in a while

Post by Le_Fromage_Grande »

The Husky engine is made by Husqvarna and is basically a two stroke bottom end with a 4 stroke top end.

Early KTM 4 strokes had either a Rotax or a KTM engine, I don't know anything about the Rotax engined ones apart from having seen one once, the KTM engine was like the Husky and a 4 stroke top end in a two stroke bottom end, I knew someone who had one when I had my 86 KTM 250, so 1989, both bikes had the same rolling chassis, the 250 two stroke was faster and a lot more reliable.

Both Husky and KTM relied on splash lubrication for the engine as they had no oil pumps and it was before Husky had the idea of using crankcase pressure and a reed valve to lubricate the top end.
User avatar
mangocrazy
Posts: 6934
Joined: Tue Dec 22, 2020 9:58 pm
Has thanked: 2409 times
Been thanked: 3639 times

Re: Best description I have seen in a while

Post by mangocrazy »

Not sure what vintage of KTM you're talking about, but this is the engine spec of the piece of furniture I own...

KTM_600.JPG
KTM_600.JPG (244.51 KiB) Viewed 181 times

You'll notice that it does mention an oil pump.
There is no cloud, just somebody else's computer.
Le_Fromage_Grande
Posts: 11236
Joined: Mon Mar 16, 2020 6:40 pm
Location: The road of many manky motorcycles
Has thanked: 607 times
Been thanked: 4125 times

Re: Best description I have seen in a while

Post by Le_Fromage_Grande »

I'll try and find pictures of it, but I think they only made it for a year or two
Le_Fromage_Grande
Posts: 11236
Joined: Mon Mar 16, 2020 6:40 pm
Location: The road of many manky motorcycles
Has thanked: 607 times
Been thanked: 4125 times

Re: Best description I have seen in a while

Post by Le_Fromage_Grande »

I assume this is the one you have
R (11).jpeg
R (11).jpeg (54.78 KiB) Viewed 174 times
The Rotax engine one I saw was later than that with a mint green seat
User avatar
mangocrazy
Posts: 6934
Joined: Tue Dec 22, 2020 9:58 pm
Has thanked: 2409 times
Been thanked: 3639 times

Re: Best description I have seen in a while

Post by mangocrazy »

It does have a blue seat, but at some point before I owned it, it was 'supermotard'ed with RGV cast wheels and a Harrison billet caliper. I know it has the WP forks and shock, but the frame is no longer red but blue (to match the wheels/sidestand etc.).

We're heading off to the moneypit fairly soon so will get some pics and post them up.
There is no cloud, just somebody else's computer.
Le_Fromage_Grande
Posts: 11236
Joined: Mon Mar 16, 2020 6:40 pm
Location: The road of many manky motorcycles
Has thanked: 607 times
Been thanked: 4125 times

Re: Best description I have seen in a while

Post by Le_Fromage_Grande »

And this night be the KTM engine, but I don't remember it being that well finished, my memory is that it was sand cast like the two strokes.
ktm-enduro-600-lc-4-1987-moto.jpeg
ktm-enduro-600-lc-4-1987-moto.jpeg (228.76 KiB) Viewed 168 times
Le_Fromage_Grande
Posts: 11236
Joined: Mon Mar 16, 2020 6:40 pm
Location: The road of many manky motorcycles
Has thanked: 607 times
Been thanked: 4125 times

Re: Best description I have seen in a while

Post by Le_Fromage_Grande »

mangocrazy wrote: Thu Mar 17, 2022 8:39 pm It does have a blue seat, but at some point before I owned it, it was 'supermotard'ed with RGV cast wheels and a Harrison billet caliper. I know it has the WP forks and shock, but the frame is no longer red but blue (to match the wheels/sidestand etc.).

We're heading off to the moneypit fairly soon so will get some pics and post them up.
That'd be great, the Rotax engined one I saw had been supermoto'd, and belonged to someone who was in the French Foreign Legion
User avatar
mangocrazy
Posts: 6934
Joined: Tue Dec 22, 2020 9:58 pm
Has thanked: 2409 times
Been thanked: 3639 times

Re: Best description I have seen in a while

Post by mangocrazy »

We'll be there a few days after Easter, so will get that sorted. Who knows, it might even galvanise me into getting the poor thing running again... That photo does look very much like my example (minus the cobwebs).
There is no cloud, just somebody else's computer.
Le_Fromage_Grande
Posts: 11236
Joined: Mon Mar 16, 2020 6:40 pm
Location: The road of many manky motorcycles
Has thanked: 607 times
Been thanked: 4125 times

Re: Best description I have seen in a while

Post by Le_Fromage_Grande »

Found some pictures of the bike and engine I remember
10416_Engine_LC4_four_ventil_1987-800x556.jpg
10416_Engine_LC4_four_ventil_1987-800x556.jpg (89.69 KiB) Viewed 142 times
8JS6409-800x533.jpg
8JS6409-800x533.jpg (60.31 KiB) Viewed 142 times
Looks like it has an oil pump driven off the clutch, but definitely a KTM engine
Felix
Posts: 3958
Joined: Sat Jul 17, 2021 12:34 am
Has thanked: 487 times
Been thanked: 1432 times

Re: Best description I have seen in a while

Post by Felix »

Does he not contradict himself with the pulling hotties or is he just talking about him ugly self?