OP depends on what you classify as "Old Days"
BITD 1974 era we only had these classes:
Mini
100
125
175~200
250
500
Ltwt ~Hvywt Pro
That's it ! no: a, b, c super, vet, novice, big wheel, 30, 40 senior, etc etc etc.
NO SANDBAGGERS either, plus we ran longer motos and never got our second motos cut short because you have 16 million mini classes.
The track prep at Smith Road in 1974 is the exact same as it is today. In fact I have pictures of multi berms so BIG at Mid-Ohio State Championships in 1977 that you wouldn't know how to ride them.
We never shed tears when the rain clouds opened, well maybe those riders bikes with POINTS IGNITIONS did weep a little, we rode no matter the conditions because riding is what we lived for.
Also, the BIG THING was getting you name in the results page in Cycle News or the local Ohio Cycle which were papers we got back then.
We also had to deal with unreliability, 4 inches of travel in back and 7 in front and air cooling. We learned how to work on our bikes just to keep them running long enough to finish a moto without things falling off the bike. Not to mention Green Box Wiseco Pistons.
We were always tinkering with the bikes to make them reliable, something you do not have to do today. Adding better suspension, fork damper rod kits, different radial heads, and on some bikes adding reed valves.
My first race was in1975 at Smith Road Yamaha DT100 enduro I got from Breyley Yamaha. I was just a trail rider back then and had zero racing experience. I stripped off all the lights, went to Cleveland Dirt Bike ( in Lakewood ) and got pegs, bars, levers, and good o'l Peston Petty fenders. I did not get a front knobby because of the odd size, I ran a trials tire (stupid kid).
I got 13th out of 17, and was the ONLY enduro bike on the line that day. In 75 the Suzuki TM's were the ticket.
Gotta LOVE that duckbill !!!!
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