We've All Seen the Movie. Lt's Always Been a Tough Job Being America's

We've all seen the movie. lt's always new XT500C was really some form of Gold for the XT/TT 500 motor as either complete been a tough job being America's AMA Star clone. Their hype carried considerablebikes or as l<its, there were also frames National Champion; competing in dirt weight, literally - the standard road ready availablefrom a number of primarily USA- track and road racing over a gruelling XT500C weighedaround l38kg (3031b),not a based aftermarket manufacturers. In most season that leaves budgets drained and cases,the custom framed bikeswere tailored motorcycles broken. along motocross lines,as genuineracers or weekend play weapons which were usually Dick Mannwas AMA #l in 1963,making his fuel tanks and mark with a British Matchless G50 single devoid of speedos,lighting, big With the before it was banned under a set of rules off-road friendly exhaust systems. which resulted in little more than a de facto right amount of money injected,any one of your TT or XT one make formula for Harley Davidson.By these race frames could trim svelte I l5kg or less.Very few would l97l Dick was back carryingthe coveted#l down to a plate for a secondtime, riding BSA and taking havecoped with the day-to-daydemands of a the works Rocket Three 750 road racer to seriousenduro ride or a longdesert haul. victory in the Daytona 200 - the very same Dick Mann spotted a niche in the growing eventwhich sawhis G50 blacklistedeight years aftermarket for accessory frames. He earlier. envisaged a kit frame which would gear, Unlike many of his AMA racingpeers, Dick accommodateall stock XT or TT running Mannwas also a top notch motocrossrider. without the need or even the desirabilityof custom alloy swingarms and big budget just What made Mann unique was not his suspension.Everything would bolt straight up unquestionableriding talent but also his from a stock Yamaha with no welding, adaptability and empathy with motorcycle trimmingor fabricationrequired. Dick's DMS chassisbehaviour. frame kits would be targeted at the guy who To this day, Dick Mann remains a talented wanted a simple yet effectiveno-frills woods engineer with a string of custom designed weapon. One tough enough to survive a motorcycle frames to his credit. Many were nuclearholocaust. derived from his original dirt-track inspired Fully aware that the stock TT/XT chassis designsbuilt around BSA Gold Starengines. All Engineinstollation requiredno fabrication or geometry was a compromise,Mann opted for special were characterised by meticulous fttings a designwhich reducedthe standardsteering craftsmanshipand stamped with the form- head rake by around two degrees and also whole lot lessthan the BSAfrom which the XT follows-function philosophy which was the trimmed around l5mm from the stock - borrowed its carefullyapplied veneer of four unwritten code of DMS Dick Mann l420mm wheelbase.The DMS frame used a stroke heritage. Even the stripped down Specialitieswhich was based in Richmond, rectangularbox sectionswingarm extended by TT500C playbikeweighed l23lg. Californiaduring the late 1970s. a correspondingamount. Early production At the time Yamahawas spendingvast dollars Well documented is the sagaof the Aberg- frames,intended primarily for enduro use,also internationallyto convincethe world that their inspired YamahaHL500 motocrossers.Built usedsnail cam adjustersat the pivot point. @ i.j':*r.%ffifwlrsi, ffiqH{-F! iif,r*:i5$4ffi'l*]ffilir1+?l&jj:".:l:}llry.l}{i!4ffir:1+*r*neL{+l;F!W #{lE Monn-fromed TT wos intended primarily for enduros rother than motocross When fitted with enduro legallighting gear and aftermarket shocks, a typical DMS-framed TT500 offered around 240mm of ground clearanceand weighed under I l8kg fuelledand readyto ride. At the time. a new TT500C sold for around double the $700 price tag of the Dick Mann frame in Australia, so demand for the specialisedDMS kit would alwaysbe limited. However,the quality and geometry of Dick Mann'screations impressedMelbourne-based John Burrows who imported six kits to Australiafor salein early 1977.Burrows was a formidable enduro rider as well as a motorcycle retailer with a reputation for refiningand developingmany of the modelshe Fromekit occepted oll key Yamohacomponents sold. His friendshipwith Dick Mann evolved oPdrt from exhoustsystern throughtwo ISDT encounters,the first in ltaly andthen the lsleof Man,where Dick competed Krober who purchasedit from Burrowsin early in the event. Later Burrows saw the new DMS 1977. Krober's bike was built from a 1975 frame in a US motorcycle magazineand model TT500C, rather than "lt the XT which he remembers, took my eye and our currency would havepreferred at the time. However,the was really strong then, so I decided to get production road/trailmodel was not available, some.I couldn'twait to get them,so I hadthem so Krober's DMS-framed500 was built up to air freightedout and built up a trail and enduro handleeverything from weekdaycommuting to bike for myself from one of the kits. An trips in the highcountry aroundWonnongatta. employeeof mine madeone up for motocross Johnalso raced the DMSin the 1977BP Desert and the others went to variouscustomers". Rally, held at Hattah in the mallee scrub "l Burrowswas never disappointedand his initial country near Mildura,and recalls, hada ball impressionsremain as positive today as they and the bikewent well...I only wish I could say "Dick were in 1977, Mann'salways been very the samefor me!" clever with handlingand steering.He's not a After the BP event,John put the DMS into technicalman but is a very practicalman and his storage for over 20 years and only recently frameswere preciselythe same". revivedthe bike from its hibernationbeneath How manyDMS-framed Yamahas have survived his Melbournehome. He saysthat he simply is unknown.One which has been resurrected bolted it back together,splashed in some fuel in totally original trim is still owned by John and oil and kickedit into life..

Load more