The secret?
Start off with a large one. :)
I get a kick out of reading posts on message boards where the subject is basically nostalgia tripping.
A guy will post a thread about, for just one example, how the Suzuki PE-175 was an awesome bike.
So awesome, in fact, that Suzuki should start manufacturing it, again, just as it was when it last was on sale for the 1984 model year.
Or, perhaps better yet, revert back to 1981 when it had a twin-shock rear suspension and 9.8 inches of suspension travel.
These guys claim it's all the bike you'll need out on the trails and just plain works better overall than what's available today.
The reason I get a kick out of it is because back in 1984, when the PE-175E was brand-spankin'-new, the bike was praised one one hand because it was, indeed, a good bike for trail riding and general dirt bike riding, but on the other hand, it was criticized for being the same bike that was on sale in 1982 with different decals.
My point is that even back then, the press at the time was already crying for changes to make a good bike even better.
That never happened because 1985 brought no PE-175 at all, and we haven't seen one since, and there are guys out there stating a bike that was criticized in 1984 for fast-becoming out of date would be your wonder bike in 2010.
Well, I was buying, riding, and maintaining bikes from that time period back when they were brandy-new.
Back then, I looked at those bikes as fantastic dirt bikes, but I also knew that as time went on, they'd be replaced by new and improved versions.
In fact, this was expected by avid riders, lest you do what Suzuki did and let your PE become viewed as old and out of date.
I owned some great bikes from those days (like the 1982 Yamaha IT-175J), but I never had the notion in my head that that was the point at which dirt bike development should stop at.
If I were to try to convince another dirt bike rider (especially someone who wasn't even born in 1982) that the IT-175J was better (or even just as good) as a 2010 Honda CR-F250X for trail riding, I'd expect them to label me as just another nostalgia tripper viewing dirt bikes through an old, scratched-up goggle lens.
A Seer brand goggle lens at that - they haven't been around in years as far as I know.
A funny thing you don't read as often from the nostalgia trippers is that back in those days, avid riders were often saying they wanted "tricker" bikes to ride.
An air-cooled PE-175E in the days of the liquid-cooled RMs automatically made the bike look outdated without even riding it.
Why in the heck does one thing Suzuki quit making the PE?
Because it was a great seller for them back then?
If it sold very well, folks, I think it would have gotten upgrades every couple of years after 1982 and would have been kept in their model line-up for years to come.
One of the big reasons nostalgia trippers start tripping over old dirt bikes they rode back in the day is because, simply put, they're 25 or 30 years older, out of physical shape compared to how they were back then, and, basically, aren't as physically able while on the bike and riding it over rough terrain.
This is completely normal with getting older.
You constantly hear pissing and moaning about tall seat heights and seat foam that's too hard for comfort, and this is a main reason they want a bike like the old suzuki PE - lower seat height so they can reach the ground easier when they chicken-out over a rough section of trail because they can't or won't ride as fast as they used to.
This is also completely normal.
In my opinion, these are the tell-tale signs of an older and/or out-of-shape rider.
To clarify my view, I'm not trying to say I'm in tip-top shape, myself.
I'm no longer a young spring chicken.
My best days of physical ability on a dirt bike were 25-27 years ago.
I am saying that when I hear a guy moaning about how hard it is to touch the ground on a modern bike, and the guy doing the moaning says he's 5' 10" tall and I'm 5' 5" tall on a modern bike, well, what do you think I'm thinking?
So, basically, I'd love to find a mint-condition Yamaha IT-175J, go through the bike and get it setup to my liking, get it DMV inspected and registered, use it on the Pachaug rock pile trails, and see how it compares with my firebreather 2009 Yamaha WR-250FY.
I can tell you right now that the WR would have mucho better suspension and stability over rough ground, where the IT would be about 20-25 pounds lighter.
The IT would be lighter with a zippy engine.
The WR would have a torquier engine and a better chassis.
It would be a fun comparison.
I really doubt, though, that I'd be trying to tell everyone that the IT-175J should be brought back into production.
Off to jerk,
-John
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