Motocross historians

[MX4EVER]

Alright old guys, help me out here
School project on how things evolve
Well my subject is motocross. My Questions:
In the the 1960s, what kind of gear and bikes were there? Who dominated the sport?
In the 1970s, was DeCoster just the dominator? Or did Brad Lackey have some input on that?
In the 1980s, were all the stars David Bailey, Bob Hannah, and Johnny O'Mara etc? When did factory semis start coming into play?
In the 1990s, besides McGrath, who was another star? Damon Bradshaw? When did Honda go aluminum frame?


I know there's a lot of questions, but c'mon guys! Help a youngster learn the history! I need all answers by Wednesday night!

[buckettim]

Have you actually spent time on the internet researching this?

[MX4EVER]

Why yes I have, and I know for a fact guys like Sean can actually tell it how it was, instead of the press making it all foo foo

[norcalmoto01]

I know honda went to the aluminum frame in 97.

[buckettim]

60's need to research guys like torsten hallman, JN Roberts, Malcom Smith
70's yes there was Decoster but he was just a 500cc world champ, you have 250cc world champs and also have AMA, plus you have the start of the Supercross in 74, guys like Marty smith, Bell..
80's your forgetting the Dogger, Johnson, there was a time when almost all the pro's were coming out of El Cajon, Ca. and it was nice as a kid watching them ride. 90's weren't always about Mcgrath, JMB.
The semi's came into play in the 90's I believe Pro Circuit or Kawasaki was the first.

What do you really want to know Stories or Facts?

[beaupre716]

Originally Posted by MX4EVER

Alright old guys, help me out here
School project on how things evolve
Well my subject is motocross. My Questions:
In the the 1960s, what kind of gear and bikes were there? Who dominated the sport?
In the 1970s, was DeCoster just the dominator? Or did Brad Lackey have some input on that?
In the 1980s, were all the stars David Bailey, Bob Hannah, and Johnny O'Mara etc? When did factory semis start coming into play?
In the 1990s, besides McGrath, who was another star? Damon Bradshaw? When did Honda go aluminum frame?


I know there's a lot of questions, but c'mon guys! Help a youngster learn the history! I need all answers by Wednesday night!

If you need citations for this information, then this probably isn't the place to ask. But if you don't, here are a few bits to guide you.

The brands CZ (Czechoslovakia) and Husqvarna (Sweden) were prominent in the 1960s. Riding pants were made of leather, jerseys were made of cotton and the helmets were open-faced. Joel Robert of Belgium, Torsten Hallman of Sweden and Paul Friedrichs of Germany all won multiple world chapionships in the 1960s.

DeCoster did dominate much of the 1970s, but he had plenty of competition from Heikki Mikkola of Finland, who would win three 500cc world championships to DeCoster's five over the course of the decade. Brad Lackey was competitive in this era, but he wouldn't win his first and only world championship until 1982.

The 1980s had plenty of big stars--too many to list here. As for the semis, Kawasaki started the trend early in the '90s, and within a few years all factory teams had followed suit. The Honda aluminum frame question has already been answered correctly.

I could tell you more, but I'd recommend you press your dad or uncle for some old moto magazines to dig through. I only threw these out because I know that motocross history is pretty hard to come by unless you have some old moto mags to refer to.

[tractionaction]

Googled it......there is a ton of info online....Have Fun!!!

history of motocross - Google Search

[MX4EVER]

Thanks guys!
My old man never rode bikes. I'm the lone one in my family. So that's why I asked all you guys! T

[spokes]

Cool...I was going to do a report on this subject myself, but instead I did mine on ''The History Of Rob Dresser''. BIG MISTAKE.

[CharlieS]

Yamaha was the first to have the monoshock. It came out mid 74.
I had one of the first monoshocks in Northern California. A yellow 250 yz with the straps on the tank.