To Scramble, or Not to Scramble

Still on the fence about whether or not I should enter in the Hare Scramble in May. Originally, I was stoked for it, but after adding up the expenses, I'm a bit reluctant.

First, the only dirtbikes I have to ride are my dad's 1971 TM400 Cyclone, and Ricky's '74 TM400. Both of these motorbikes have a lot of sentimental value and history for me, as they belonged to my dad and uncle, yet have been dubbed by many as "the most dangerous motorcycles ever built," especially the '71.

My dad used to race motorbikes, snowmobiles, and cars in the 1960s and 70s, and the '71 is one of the bikes he kept. I learned how to ride on it when I was 14 or so, and my dad always kept a close eye on me whenever I tried to start it. The key word being "tried." Its compression is so high that on the compression stroke the kicker could actually hold my weight. Dad still tells stories about guys who used to try to start it and the bike would backfire, sending the kick-starter back round and snapping their shinbones like twigs.

My dad always named his machines by their engine capacities, so to him the TM is just "the four-hundred," but when I was too young to understand displacement, I always named them by the sounds they made: the TC90 was the "Put-put bike," and the TM was the "Hunninny bike" since its expansion chamber is almost completely resistance free, making it very, very loud and as a boy, the only way I could describe it was through onomatopoeia: HUN-IN-IN-IN-IN-IN!

Apparently, if we are to believe all the reviews of the '71 TM400 it was the most powerful, poorly handling dirtbike ever made. Just take a look at this article by Rick "Superhunky" Seiman. My dad thinks they're all wimps, and I'm inclined to agree. If was able to learn to ride on that thing when I was 14 years old, you'd think motocrossers in the 70's would be able to handle it.
So the '71 and '74 TM400s are my two options for the Hare Scramble. I'm leaning towards the '74, Ricky's bike, since it seems to handle a bit better due to slight frame modifications for that year, plus it seems to idle a bit better and I also don't want to tear up the '71.

My dad bought the '74 for his little brother, Ricky, the year it came out. Ricky eventually committed suicide before I was born for reasons that have never been make entirely clear to me, and after that, my dad sold the bike. A few years ago, the farmer he sold it to called him up and asked my dad if he wanted to buy it back, so he did, and it's now mine.

So I have a bike to race, and since it is 36 years old, I figure that just finishing the scramble in one piece would be an accomplishment. The trouble is that I don't have any of the proper equipment: motocross boots, helmet, etc. Actually, those two things are the only major pieces I need, but I just bought new tires for the Bonneville, and I have a ton of other expenses around the house that have higher priority than motocross equipment.

Still, I'm thinking about it.