Shawn McDonald
  • Motorcycle Racer Interviews
    • Jim Pomeroy
    • Jim Pomeroy Interview Dirt Bike Mag Nov 1973 NEW!
    • Steve Baker
    • Steve Baker Updated June 2010 NEW!
    • Brad Lackey
    • Dick Mann
    • Mert Lawwill
    • Tony DiStefano
    • Rick Burgett
    • Chuck Sun
    • Kent Howerton
    • Bruce Lind
    • Joe Kopp
    • Mike Sullivan
    • Mickey Fay
    • Pat Jacobson
    • Buck Murphy
    • Randy Skiver
    • Gordy Ochs
    • Sonny Burres
    • Jimmy Dunn
  • Pictures Startup/Puyallup/Washougal
  • Paralyzing Situation
  • Motorcycles
  • My Racing Stories
    • The Day the World Changed
    • The Last Race
    • Puyallup MX Track
    • Going Down Under
    • First American's
    • Jeff Smith Uncut and Uncensored
    • Death by Teretonga
    • World's Fastest Bench Racer's
    • The Recipe for a Champion
    • In the Beginning
    • Perfect
    • Don Jones 1st YZ MX Bike
    • Top 10 Motorcycle Roadracer's of All Time
  • Winning
  • Responsibility
  • My INFO
  • Contact Me

1972 CZ 400 

Created by Jawa Motorcycle in Czechoslovakia. Restored by Tom McAllister from Full Circle Racing in Snohomish, Washington.
Blaine Elledge remembered that at one point I raced CZ's, and so he hooked me up with a guy in Monroe, Washington who had a so-so 72 CZ 400. I brought Tom along as he and I had built a 1973 Yamaha 360, 1973 Montesa 250 VR and a 1972 AJS 250 Stormer in the past. All of which can be seen under "Motorcycles" on the menu bar. I asked Tom if I bought it would he help, and he foolishly said "Yes."
2 years and 3 months later it was unveiled at a motorcycle show. What we decided to do was keep it as you would have raced it the first day. So the Jikov carburetor and the PAL shocks were thrown out, and as I did in 1972 on my CZ put American made Curnutt shocks and a Japanese Mikuni Carb on it. This was before all the plastic came out in the early 70's of course. The bike came with DID rims and stainless steel spokes and painted gold hubs. That wasn't original at all. It was costly, but we put on from Bertus Jawa-CZ in La Fontaine, CA original from CZ the steel chrome plated rims and spokes. Thankfully an extra set of wheels came with the bike with ridged Akront and original  patina Magnesium hubs. The seat and foam needed replacement as did the number plates, throttle, cables, chain, hand grips, shift lever & rubber, spark plugs, chain guide & brake torque arm, tank stickers, original case screws, airbag & filter, exhaust pipe, sprockets and more.
​Tom was working on another 72 CZ 400 that was being turned into a race bike so we were able to swap the exhausts and a chain guard with him. I sent the battered pipe to Motocross Pipe Repair in Nevada where they took out all the dents where you could never see there was a dent before. I also had the accessory silencer that was welded on removed and replaced by the correct size stinger in diameter and length for less than $90. The rims/spokes, grips, cables, screws, number plates, stickers, hoses, seat cover & foam, spark plugs & caps were all bought from Bertus Jawa-CZ (bertusjawacz.blogspot.com) in California. The Curnutt shocks were rebuilt and the bodies and springs were stripped and painted to original colors by Tom. I painted the bike in Krylon School Bus Yellow for the closest to original color suggested by Bertus. Then it started with me doing the painting and searching for parts. Mostly calling Bertus and seeing if he had the parts, and he always did. 
Tom and I got real detailed on every bolt, nut and washer. We changed the chain with a real CZ chain stamped on every link on both sides with "CZ." The correct 1972 airbag with the lower left drain drain, and a correct for 72 rear fender. I didn't know before that there are many versions of rear fenders for years. Knowledge. I remembered small details about the bike that I hadn't worked on in 43 years. Thank God I still have some memory left.

1973 Montesa 250 Vehkonen Replica (VR)

1973 Montesa 250 Vehkonen Replica
This bike was bought from an amateur restorer. The bike was about 95% original and in good condition, but it wasn’t race or show ready. I wanted the bike to be both with only a few small changes to switch it back and forth. The frame was painted in a thin gun metal gray, and not the original black. The frame was then media blasted and powder coated in the original black. The modern aluminum bars were replaced with vintage bend Chrome-Moly bars from Vintage Iron. Levers were replaced with split perch Magura’s and a Gunnar Gasser throttle was installed in addition to new cables. The front number plate was replaced with a Montesa replica and a new South West Montesa chain guard was installed at the swing arm pivot to prevent chain damage to the frame. New opaque white Montesa fenders were put on as were new Michelin tires. The 1973 air box which was very small and collected water and mud was replaced with a much larger SW Montesa 1974 VR airbox. Dzus fasteners were used on the side plate of the airbox for quick R&R using just a dime as a tool. New plastic "M" logo buttons from Rocky Mountain Montesa were placed in the swing arm pivot on the frame. An extra used tank with new petcocks was procured and was painted Candy Cobalt blue with black panels and gold lettering to make the bike a one and only. A new accessory aluminum "M" logo gas cap from SW Montesa topped it off. Functional and illuminating. The cases were polished and the clutch cover, ignition cover, cylinder and head were ceramic coated black. The stock Bing carburetor was replaced by a 34mm Mikuni for ease of jetting and a Power Flo slide turbulence eliminator was installed to increase horsepower. Progressive springs were used in the front forks as were one inch longer Progressive shocks in the rear. The Montesa VR was known to be very stable, as were all the European bikes on high speed tracks, but lacking front end bite in slow corners. The longer rear shocks aid the turning quickness. In addition to the stock exhaust pipe two Circle F pipes were purchased. One was ceramic coated for race use while the other was left in it’s un painted welded form for a factory racing look. So one pipe for racing, one pipe for the original look and one pipe for show exhibition. The triple clamps were also bent so bad that wheel and the handlebars were pointed in different directions. That was corrected. Now the bike can go to the track and race and after a good wash and changing of the tank and exhaust pipe can be ready for show.

1973 Dirt Rider Magazine test 1973 Montesa 250 VR

1974 Cycle Guide Magazine test 1974 Montesa 250 VR

1974 Dirt Bike Magazine test 1974 Montesa 250 VR

1974 Cycle Magazine test 1974 Montesa 250 VR

1973 Yamaha 360 MX
Modified from stock

1973 Yamaha 360 MX
This bike was given to me from Chuck Akin who had lent it to Jim Pomeroy the "First American". Jim never actually raced the bike, but Chuck wanted it to go to some old racing friends from back in the day, so that they could enter the world of vintage MX racing. The first racer was Jim's childhood friend, Yakima, Washington neighbor, and toughest opponent Rick Poulin. It didn’t even last one moto as the pipe fell off at the cylinder at the Dinosaur Daze race. It did get Rick started in the world of vintage racing though.
It was determined at that point that Full Circle Racing would take over a complete restoration of the bike to a better than NEW condition. Sitting down we decided that why restore a historically ugly bike to N.O.S. condition especially since the restored value would not be anywhere near the restoration costs. Let’s give it it's own look that would not easily be identified by a non vintage motorcyclist. Let’s hot rod the bike for looks and performance.
After dismantling the bike and tagging each part it was determined what, when and for how much each part would need to be modified, replaced or restored. The original frame while useable for racing had smashed frame tubes under the engine attesting to a previous life as a trail bike. An alternative Yamaha SC 500 frame was found which then was media blasted and powder coated black. The steering head ball bearings were replaced with "ALL BALL’s" tapered roller bearings. The Yamaha’s were notorious for their twisty, twitchy handling under power. Back in the day legendary desert racer Al Baker fixed the problem by selling a 1 ½ inch extension kit for swing arm length behind the shock position. This provided stability under power. It also unfortunately lengthened the wheelbase which was great for desert, but would make it harder to steer in slower motocross corners. Working with Novation Racing (novationracing.com) in Spokane, Washington, a prototype box aluminum swing arm was constructed with an additional 1 1/2" of length which is now part of their catalog. To handle the rear suspension a Works Performance dual rate gas shock was used with a 14 inch eyelet to eyelet length. The extra one inch of swingarm length, along with the longer shock, raised the rear end thus quickening the steering. The extra 1" of swingarm length helps put maximum horsepower to the ground and reduce useless wheelies. The stock ridged Japanese rims were replaced by brushed aluminum Sun rims with Buchanan’s stainless steel spokes and trued by Full Circle. The brakes were cleaned and replaced. The front forks were spaghetti and were replaced with straight newer tubes. Fork springs were replaced with Progressive springs. Fenders are white Vintage Iron replicas. Cables and levers and perches were replaced with N.O.S. The throttle is a Gunnar Gasser and handlebars are aluminum Malcolm Smith models. A very hard to find N.O.S. carburetor-airbox boot was found. The cylinder, head and carburetor were media blasted from black to silver in an effort to brighten up a previously dark bike. The tank is from a 1976 YZ 125 and was found with no dents. The tank mounts on the front and rear of the frame were relocated to accept the new tank. The tank was brought to Mitch McAllister where it was prepped, painted and masked for a classic 1950's custom car flame job with five different different pearl coats to sparkle in the sun. A custom aluminum red anodized gas cap was made by Novation Racing. Mitch also painted the side panels white to match the fenders/tank. Because the seat provided for much of the suspension back in the 1970's the seat was custom made using the highest density foam available. It was raised 1 ½ inches in the front and tapering down to 3/4 inch raise at the rear with a custom made seat cover for a one off factory look. The stock expansion chamber was replaced by a Circle "F" pipe. Because the riders complained that the pipe stuck out to far and burned their legs the pipe was cut and re welded for proper clearance. The pipe was then ceramic coated, keeping heat inside the chamber and keeping it cooler outside. The silencer was replaced by an aluminum oval FMF silencer cut to length. The engine was taken apart to remove the counter balancer and a PVL ignition replaced the faulty stock ignition. An 8 oz weight for more flywheel effect at lower RPM’s was also added. A new bore job and top end were installed and the gearbox was freshened up. What also was found were some built in finger ports and exotic porting in general.  Bolts were replaced with grade 8 or SS bolts and clear gas tubes were used for all exterior tubing. Michelin MX tires, tubes, gold DID chain and new sprockets finish off the bike.
The bike was first put into the hands of ex factory Honda star of the early 80's Phil Larson jr where he won the highly competitive 40+ Expert class in multiple races. The biggest prize was at the 2004 Vintage Iron World Championships by winning the 40+ Expert in the vintage class and then the next day winning in the two-stroke class. Then it was handed to 1970's racer Doug Raines who bumped up to the 50+ Expert class where he won every where he showed up at. Next up was Mark Kaestner, another top 1970's racer, who went undefeated in the 50+ Expert class. Out of 28 starts, 26 of them were hole shots. Phil commented that the bike in a straight line had as much horsepower as his factory Honda’s in the early 80's. Everywhere the bike goes it gathers crowds either at the racetrack or on show at a dealer. Mostly they say "What is that?"

1971 AJS 250 Scrambler
Four speed right hand shift one up, three down

1971 AJS 250 Stormer
The 250 AJS Stormer was bought at a local vintage MX race for $240. Why buy a bike like this that was never really at the front of the pack? You tempoarily are the custodian of motorcycles that have an emotional appeal to you, not because they were the best at the time. For this bike as you can see from the full on left side picture of the bike there is a few inset pictures placed inside. They are of my cousin Steve McDonald riding his 1970 AJS 250 in the hills surrounding his house in Sun Valley, Idaho. Pulling wheelies and resting after a good ride leaning against a tree with his best dog. The signature is his in one of the last letter he sent from Viey Nam where he ided as one of the last 500 soldiers when his Chinook helicopter crashed into a mountain side during a monsoon rainstorm. Steve introduced me to motorcycles and motocross and he was very nice to his 5 years younger cousin Shawn. One of the last times I saw him was at the 1971 Puyallup Trans-Am race with Joel Robert and Roger DeCoster on their factory RN Suzuki's. After the race we buzzed around on my 1971 Suzuki TS 125 on the track pretending we were just like them. That is why bikes mean something to people and why 

After 35 plus years it was very hard to look under all the abuse and see the beauty underneath. The fenders and airbox were gone and the rest had rust and dust over everything. A complete restoration was required per the customer. Unlike almost all vintage bikes the AJS still had a company in England that had N.O.S. parts available in stock, at a price. The engine was given to Canadian Tommy McFarland where he replaced the rod/bearings and top end and fixed the clutch retainer ring problem that was a production disaster in waiting. The AJS got improved new parts including serrated foot pegs, double lip fork seals, high friction brake shoes, Grand Prix raised seat was assembled with new foam/cover/seat base. The stock airbox, fork tubes, fenders, number plates, silencer, cables, kick starter, decals, sprockets and every bolt/nut/bracket that needed to be replaced were with N.O.S.. The controls were replaced with split perch Magura levers and a Gunnar Gasser throttle The wheels were broken down, bearings replaced, hubs polished, spokes were replaced with Buchanan’s stainless steel and then trued by Full Circle racing. Michelin tires topped the wheels off. The exhaust pipe was ceramic coated. The frame was media blasted and powder coated AJS Gray. Progressive shocks in black were put on for the rear suspension. Currently running a Amal carb but an extra 32mm Mikuni jetted for the AJS as well as special intake adaptor are to be used for a race day application.

Full Circle Racing 
from Tom McAllister

1965 Cotton 250 Cobra, 1969 CZ 360 Sidepipe, 1975 CZ 380 Falta, 1976 Factory DG 125 

1976 DG 125 MX

To prepare for a full onslaught to the 1976 A.M.A. 125cc National Motocross Championship the small Southern California aftermarket MX parts manufacturer DG Performance Specialties, under the guidance of Harry Klemm, built a full on DG Team Racer from the ground up. Future 5 time AMA MX National Champion Broc Glover and his father Dick Glover assembled and prepped the 1st copy utilizing all the components supplied through DG and Harry Klemm. There were also a few built for purchase to selected professional racers across the country, such as Washington state’s top 125cc Pros Gary Racca and Eddie Davis. The price for a stock 125cc Honda Elsinore in 1976 was $1,000. The price for a Team DG bike was $3,500 or translated in 2008 money it would be like buying a 2009 Yamaha 250F four stroke MX bike for $26,000. There is no official count of the bikes that DG made, but an accurate guess is between 12 - 18 bikes. DG went into battle to win against the factory teams of Honda with two time Champ Marty Smith, Yamaha with new kid on the block Bob Hannah, Suzuki with Billy Grossi, So-Cal star Danny LaPorte, and Kawasaki with Steve Wise. They also had to face their direct aftermarket performance competitors in Team FMF (Flying Machine Factory) with Warren Reid, T&M Engineering with Bruce MacDougal and CH Industries. The race was on for top racer and for top privateer. Klemm designed a chromemoly aerotube frame and aluminum swing arm that was crafted by Pro-Fab. For the long travel rear suspension they canted the top shock mount with three adjustable positions and used gas Girling shocks for 10"of travel. Up front they used exotic Magnesium Marzocchi 35mm forks with 10"of front wheel travel. The forks quickly switched over to aluminum models as problems arose on the magnesium units. Broc Glovers prototype had CR250 triple clamps but later bikes were built with aftermarket triple clamps. The Glover prototype had black frame paint but the early racers built by Harry had yellow frames which was reported to be a 1976 Corvette color. The tank was also a custom fiberglass unit painted yellow with the blue DG logo and stripe. The bike in total clocked in at 174 lbs, not including fuel. The usual DG motor equipment was thrown in for a est. 32HP. The equipment included stage III porting, DG radial head, 32mm Mikuni carburetor, DG pipe. To keep the spark strong they used a Moto Tek ignition. Broc’s father Dick did many modifications on the bike throughout the year to further develop the bike for Broc. From a distance you knew what bike you were looking at. Broc finished in 5th place that year behind other first year novices in champion Bob Hannah, veteran Marty Smith, novice Danny LaPorte, and vet Steve Wise. What a group of riders! DG was the top 1976 privateer bike as they had set out to do in the beginning. The next year Yamaha scooped up Broc who went on to win the next three consecutive 125cc Championships. Full Circle bought this bike with only the frame, swing arm, forks, tank and triple clamps from a scrapper. A true Sanford & Son junkyard find. Tom McAllister did the research on the original bikes and began the healing process. Chris Gray took the first movement in tackling the engine. He found a 125cc Elsinore engine and completely rebuilt it to DG specs using a DG head and pipe along with DG porting dimensions and DG carburetor specs. Next up Tom took the frame to be media blasted and then refinished to the specific DG yellow color. Hubs are from a 125 Elsinore which Tom laced together with new Sun rims and stainless steel spokes. Chris worked on remachining the worn swing arm pivot and polished the swing arm and triple clamps. Then came finding the major and minor parts of the bike. The seat base is from a 125 Elsinore and fitted with new foam and seat cover. Handlebars are Pro-Tec Chromoly painted black. The levers are Honda perches with shorty Magura levers. The throttle is from a early Gunnar Gasser model and grips are black Ourys. The front fender is from a 1976 CR 250 and the side panels are from a 125 Elsinore. The rear fender is aftermarket CR125 modified to fit the Profab frame. The side plates were then custom trimmed to the frame. All the plastic was prepared for paint using adhesion promoter, urethane primer, color and clear. A NOS ProTec chain tensioner was sourced and installed.  The pieces had now all come together for the final inspection by the real Broc Glover at the August 2009 AMA National MX race at Washougal, Washington. The only thing Broc said was different than the bike he rode was the kill button, throttle and the kickstarter.
Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.