Take a look: Brian Allardyce's 1981 495 KTM
By TMX Contributor on 2nd Aug 18
This superb-looking 1981 495 KTM Twinshocker has recently been restored by Scottish rider Brian Allardyce. The bike has had a full-on restoration with nearly all its components being either renewed or refurbished.
These iconic motocross machines back in the day were raced only by the very bravest of open class riders.These 495s were absolute brutes of machines and a potent weapon for the big stage when the right rider was in the saddle.
They were of course constructed to take on the might of the legendary 1981 490 Maico which of course was the bike of choice to have on the track in that year.
Although riders still stand in awe and reach of the absolute brute power of this piston port motor and how it would rip your arms off if you were not careful when opening that throttle gasser.
Record
1981 495 KTM Twinshocker
Back in the 1980s a similar 495 model was taken to a dry lake in the USA to test the bikes outright speed, and with a couple of sprocket and gear adjustments it was clocked at over 127.75mph, a record that still stands to this very day for an off-road motocross machine.
These bikes were also not built for the short of leg as it had a 38.7 inch ride height to the saddle and if you were smaller than five feet you would need to stand on the proverbial soapbox or similar to enable you to swing your leg over its very tall stature.
Nevertheless these 495 KTMs are still iconic bikes and have already cemented their place in the motocross history books with their very impressive mechanical specifications and race pedigree.
Although having said that you never see many of them gracing the tracks at race events here in the UK, which is probably because of their rarity and big fiery tempers which only the very bold or very crazy of motocross jockeys could ever try and tame.
Words: Chris Montignani
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