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Like many of you, I started riding motorcycles when I was a kid. That was in 1971. My first bike was a 1971
Montesa 125GP. At the time, it was a fairly competitive bike. A year later I was riding Yamaha's first
production motocross bike...in the desert. I managed to get 250 yards off the starting line before crashing
and breaking my collar bone. Having had my fill of desert riding, I switched over to motocross. In the early
1970's, Southern California was the mecca for motocross and there was no shortage of tracks to race on. I
eventually switched over to a REAL motocross bike, a 1973 CZ250 then a 1974 CZ250. Those were the
days!
I got back into motocross bikes in 1994 when my son came home with a motorcycle that was painted
yellow......completely yellow.....tires, tank, wheels, everything! As I looked at it in utter amazement, it began to
look familiar.....a 1979 Husqvarna 390. I convinced my son that only real men could ride and appreciate
one of these relics and he reluctantly turned it over to me.....that's when this whole nightmare began!
I've been restoring motocross bikes ever since. The first few bikes were pretty rough and certainly weren't
going to win any awards. But as time went on, I started meeting people who were afflicted with the same
disease and who had much more talent in restoration then I. I'm a quick study and soon my bikes started
looking like the real deal. When the stable hit around forty bikes, my wife suggested I attend one of those 12
step programs to cure this disease........when that didn't work, "she forced me" to build a 1500 square foot
garage on the lower lot and take my bad habit elsewhere.
After collecting and restoring for many years, I have had the privilege to meet a lot of very good people who
share the same passion and who have taught me a lot.
Back in early 2007, a friend sent me a photograph of a 1974 "works" CZ (thanks Eric!). The picture had
clearly been taken recently as there were cars in the background that were European and very new. My first
thoughts were, "I thought all those works bikes had been destroyed by the factories at the end of each
season". Well that clearly wasn't the case....and now my interests had peaked...were there more out there?
Now keep in mind, when I got this photo, I didn't believe that any works bikes still existed and surely couldn't
tell you were to find one. Well that has changed. The bikes do exist and they can be had....maybe even by a
motocross enthusiast like me!
It's kind of funny now, looking back at it. A year ago, I couldn't tell you anything about works bikes and now, I
have had the opportunity to travel throughout California and even to Europe to view some of the most
incredible collections of vintage works bikes in the world and now I even own a few. It's one thing to see one
of these wonders in a magazine but to sit on one is a whole different experience, one I hope every motocross
enthusiast like me has a chance to do.
The purpose of this site is to share some of the bikes I have restored over the years and some of the works
bikes I have collected. Because I hope to include works bikes from friends I have meet, who in some
instances do not want to be identified, the owners of the works bikes shown here will in most cases not be
identified. Having said that, I still wanted the opportunity to show these wonderful bikes to those of you who
have not yet found the right doors to open. I invite comments about this site as it will be changing constantly.
If these bikes become available, it is my intent to create a mechanism for collectors to discretely market
their inventory to those who have an interest in collecting these "works of art".
Montesa 125GP. At the time, it was a fairly competitive bike. A year later I was riding Yamaha's first
production motocross bike...in the desert. I managed to get 250 yards off the starting line before crashing
and breaking my collar bone. Having had my fill of desert riding, I switched over to motocross. In the early
1970's, Southern California was the mecca for motocross and there was no shortage of tracks to race on. I
eventually switched over to a REAL motocross bike, a 1973 CZ250 then a 1974 CZ250. Those were the
days!
I got back into motocross bikes in 1994 when my son came home with a motorcycle that was painted
yellow......completely yellow.....tires, tank, wheels, everything! As I looked at it in utter amazement, it began to
look familiar.....a 1979 Husqvarna 390. I convinced my son that only real men could ride and appreciate
one of these relics and he reluctantly turned it over to me.....that's when this whole nightmare began!
I've been restoring motocross bikes ever since. The first few bikes were pretty rough and certainly weren't
going to win any awards. But as time went on, I started meeting people who were afflicted with the same
disease and who had much more talent in restoration then I. I'm a quick study and soon my bikes started
looking like the real deal. When the stable hit around forty bikes, my wife suggested I attend one of those 12
step programs to cure this disease........when that didn't work, "she forced me" to build a 1500 square foot
garage on the lower lot and take my bad habit elsewhere.
After collecting and restoring for many years, I have had the privilege to meet a lot of very good people who
share the same passion and who have taught me a lot.
Back in early 2007, a friend sent me a photograph of a 1974 "works" CZ (thanks Eric!). The picture had
clearly been taken recently as there were cars in the background that were European and very new. My first
thoughts were, "I thought all those works bikes had been destroyed by the factories at the end of each
season". Well that clearly wasn't the case....and now my interests had peaked...were there more out there?
Now keep in mind, when I got this photo, I didn't believe that any works bikes still existed and surely couldn't
tell you were to find one. Well that has changed. The bikes do exist and they can be had....maybe even by a
motocross enthusiast like me!
It's kind of funny now, looking back at it. A year ago, I couldn't tell you anything about works bikes and now, I
have had the opportunity to travel throughout California and even to Europe to view some of the most
incredible collections of vintage works bikes in the world and now I even own a few. It's one thing to see one
of these wonders in a magazine but to sit on one is a whole different experience, one I hope every motocross
enthusiast like me has a chance to do.
The purpose of this site is to share some of the bikes I have restored over the years and some of the works
bikes I have collected. Because I hope to include works bikes from friends I have meet, who in some
instances do not want to be identified, the owners of the works bikes shown here will in most cases not be
identified. Having said that, I still wanted the opportunity to show these wonderful bikes to those of you who
have not yet found the right doors to open. I invite comments about this site as it will be changing constantly.
If these bikes become available, it is my intent to create a mechanism for collectors to discretely market
their inventory to those who have an interest in collecting these "works of art".
Welcome to VintageWorksBikes.com
Clay Setzer
FLASHBACKRACING
FLASHBACKRACING