VINTAGE FUN ON AN OLD-FASHIONED BUDGET

Yamaha’s Sean Goldhawk reflects on how a 50-year-old DT250 is still able to delivery riding joy. Lots of it!

When it comes to bang-for-buck motorcycling, there isn’t much to beat vintage dirt bike racing. Sure, you can spend top dollar on a show pony, but you can also buy a beaten-up 1974 DT250B and head straight for the track. That’s what Yamaha Motor Australia’s Marketing Manager, Sean Goldhawk, did. And despite not hitting the ground in race-competitive form as he had hoped, the journey has only amplified his enthusiasm for the sport.

“Unfortunately, buying a bike for $1800 and then throwing $250 at parts does not necessarily leave you with a race-winning machine, or even a machine that runs well,” explained Goldhawk. “The great thing is that the challenges I’ve experienced have connected me with many amazing people I now call friends.”

Sean’s first race at Nepean dirt track in Western Sydney ended in a long walk back to the pits. The oversized 34mm carby did not want to deliver the right mix to the old chook chaser. And then the coil failed to provide a spark. Fortunately for Sean, the vintage dirt track community – aka the Jerkyls – gathered round, donated an emergency coil, and Sean managed to ride a few laps. Slowly.

With no time to fix the carb issue, Sean then rocked up at the Sunday Slide in Somersby, NSW. His first lap resulted in another long walk across the infield, pushing the lifeless DT. With the carb was removed, a missing needle clip and oversized mainjet was discovered. So, with more help from Jerkyl Brad in the form of a smaller mainjet and a new spark plug, the DT250 fired into life and ran crisply for the rest of the day.

“This is the first time in 40 years that I’ve experienced the thrill of a two-stroke on full noise,” says the 62-year-old Goldhawk. “I thought my carby days were behind me, but fixing and riding this bike has been heaps fun and a real trip down memory lane,” he adds, surprised to find that getting the bike running sweet was a big part of the enjoyment. “The brotherhood in the pits at events like Sunday Slide is next level – there are so many dudes happy to share knowledge, tools, parts, set-up and riding tips. The experience proves you don’t need to spend big on the latest technology to enjoy motorcycling. And while the riding is still the main focus, it’s the people that make it fun.”

SEAN GOLDHAWK
Sean Goldhawk, Yamaha Motor Australia’s Land Mobility Marketing Manager. Has been riding for 45 years, including stints as a dispatch rider in London and as a test rider for various magazines. Prefers dirt riding to road and owns an adventurised XT660X, a Ténéré 700 World Raid and a 1974 DT250 for vintage dirt track racing (see separate breakout box). Favourite rides are overseas on an adventure, where the bike is less important than the experience.

SEAN’S SLIDE RIDE
This 1974 DT250B started life as a trailbike. The previous owner went some way to convert it to a dirt tracker and the transformation was completed at the Jerkyls’ Annandale workshop. It now runs a larger 34mm Mikuni carb, wide bars and low pipe, a knobby front and universal trial-bike rear tyre – as required by many dirt tracks. It has an oil tank but no oil pump, and runs 25:1 premix in the fuel tank. The original 28mm carb, high pipe and sidestand are in a crate, should it ever revert to standard – which is unlikely!

THE JERKYLS
A group of self-confessed retro dirt bike misfits who epitomise everything we love and sometimes miss about motorcycles and the accompanying lifestyle. The club’s eclectic mix of members serves as a refreshing reminder of the simple pleasures that attracted us to motorcycles in the first place. Fun, riding, and mateship. Pure, no-frills riding with a solid retro flavour is the mantra of the Jerkyls, and its members don’t mind a good time and a beer when riding is done for the day.