READER'S MAIL - FAQ (UK) This is a subjective selection of incoming mail that bears information of general interest. ABOUT POCKET BIKE BRANDS AND MODELS I now have a blata 2.5hp but Is not fast enough Im wondering if you have any of the 12hp .My dad is a ducati dealer I ride a 748 & 996 in them but I get more looks at parks on my little bike. If you could send me some info about them if you can. Thanks Alot, Jason : jason.wilhite@dixiesports.com Hi Jason, I'm not shure to understand exactly what you want from me...sorry for that. I'll give you some infos anyway. Presently I am riding a GRC midi/50cc/12hp (Polini powered) pocket-bike. It was mesured at 120kmh/75mph, but I use it at an average of 80kmh/50mph in the races (more power with less top-speed). This is the actual state-of-the-art for Pocket Bikes. For the Swiss Championship 2000, I will update it to a 50cc/15hp... New carburator (from 14mm to 19mm intake) and new racing exaust pipe. (pictures at www.pocketbike.ch, see the "IMAGES" and "INFOS" pages) Since I dont know your age, I can't tell if this is to fast for you or not. All I can say is, in Switzerland, 50cc (up to 15hp) are only aloud in the Senior category.This goes from the age of 30 and upwards. In the Italian Championship (the oldest and most professionnal one), the 50cc are not aloud anymore...too fast. But there factory-racing bikes 40cc do have 12hp. Your BLATA mini/40cc (3.5hp Blata powered) is usualy not aloud in the European countries Championships because it is to slow and not secure enought in matter of brakes, frame and tyres. Even if some Junior A are beginning with this, they will never make it to the front line (this goes for Vitorazzi bikes too). There are BLATA bikes with 40cc/6.2hp Polini engines (Blata Elite), but the cycle-parts have not been up-dated and are therefore as dangerous and week as described before (and even worse, because of there stronger engine). Most Juniors are riding mini 40cc/6.2hp (Polini powered) bikes like the Polini Steel and 910 or the GRC Lazer and RC40. (see the pictures on www.pocketbike.ch's "DEALERS" page). Here is my oppinion for a good buy : If you just want to be "kidding around" in a park, with no secure space and no special racing track protections available, you should stay on your Blata. ;-) If you are willing to prepare yourself for Pocket Bike racing and you have a good spot to ride on it, fast but securely, you should start with a 40cc / 6.2hp (this is already a rocket) from any brand (GRC,GEM,DM,Polini) that has Polini engines. This gives you the opportunity to match your improvements as a PB driver, by tuning your engine progressively (way-up to 50cc/15hp if you want) with easy-to-find Polini racing parts. As a matter of facts, some brands (Pasini, ZPF, SG and DM / Malossi) have gennuine engines or engine parts that are harder to find and thus to replace or to update. This is also the case for the cycle-parts (frame, weels, brake system, fearing, fork etc...) of all non-Polini Pocket Bikes (GRC,GEM,DM,ZPF,Pasini). Some of the non-Poini bikes look better though and have some serious technical improvements. It's up to you. If you are rather a tall person (or will be soon) you'd better have a MIDI bike instead of a MINI. They are 10% higher and longer but have the same engines. MIDI bikes look as small as minis but they are more confortable to ride and easyer to work on it (more space for mecanics). Standard Pocket Bike brands and models : POLINI scooterino : mini / 6.2hp w.Polini eng./air chamber tyres/assembled box-frame. POLINI 910 : mini / 6.2hp w.Polini eng./air chamber tyres/assembled box-frame. POLINI 910 Steel (new): mini / 7.5hp w.Polini eng./rad-tubls tyres/welded tube-frame. POLINI 911 : MIDI / 6.2hp w.Polini eng./rad-tubls tyres/assembled box-frame. POLINI 911R (new) : MIDI / 12hp w.Polini eng./rad-tubls tyres/assembled box-frame. Racing prepared models (12hp) on request. GRC Lazer : mini / 6.2hp w.Polini eng./air chamber tyres/cast mono-bloc frame. GRC RC40 (new) : mini / 7.5hp w.Polini eng./rad-tubl tyres/welded delta-box frame. GRC GP midi : MIDI / 7.5hp w.Polini eng./rad-tubl tyres/welded delta-box frame. Racing prepared models (12hp) on request. GEM mini (new) : mini/6.2hp w.Polini eng./rad-tubls tyres/welded tube-frame. GEM midi (new) : MIDI/6.2hp w.Polini eng./rad-tubls tyres/welded tube-frame. Racing prepared models (12hp) on request. DM mini : mini / 7.5hp w.Polini eng./rad-tubls tyres/welded tube-frame. DM midi : MIDI / 7.5hp w.Polini eng./rad-tubls tyres/welded tube-frame. Racing prepared models (12hp) on request. PASINI mini : mini / 7.5hp w.Pasini eng./rad-tubls tyres/welded box-frame. PASINI midi : MIDI / 7.5hp w.Pasini eng./rad-tubls tyres/welded box-frame. Racing prepared models (12hp) on request. ZPF mini : mini / 6.5hp w.ZPF eng./rad-tubls tyres/welded tube-frame. ZPF midi :MIDI / 6.5hp w.ZPF eng./rad-tubls tyres/welded tube-frame. Racing prepared models (12hp) on request. SG midi : MIDI / 6.2hp w.SG eng./rad-tubls tyres/cast mono-bloc frame,rear single arm. Only available on special request. BLATA Elite : mini / 6.2hp w.Polini eng./front rad.-rear air chamb.tyres/welded tube-frame. Not for racing : BLATA : mini / 3.5hp w. Blata eng./small air chamber tyres/welded tube-frame. VITORAZZI : mini / 3.5hp w. Vitorazzi eng./small air chamber tyres/welded tube-frame. You will find actual pictures, technical infos, prices, racing parts, used bikes for sale etc...of all these Pocket Bikes by going thru the www.pocketbike.ch site. For english infos, use the "LINKS" page of my site (go to the "NEWS" then click on "HOT STUFF" and then on "Links"). There you have links towards producer's and retailer's home pages, this is for every Pocket Bike model listed here. That's it, if you have any more questions dont hesitate. Regards, Urs PS: To reconize me and my bike on the pictures gallery, you'll see me always with the number (14) on a white or black GRC GP (Swiss Champ Senior 97/98). Conversation about UK's 1998 CHAMPIONSHIP Subject: UK Champions Date: Sat, 3 Jan 1998 00:55:11 From: IMCA97 <IMCA97@aol.com> You are invited to the UK European invitation championship on July 11th & 12th. I am the POLINI & GRC importer in the UK and my team have won all the UK championships for the last 3 years. Entry is free and you are welcome. Keep in touch. Mark Oliver I responded, Hello, Mark! First of all, I want to tell you how happy I was when I got your mail. I did not expect this, knowing my pages to be hard to find...(but this will change in the futur). I thank you for your invitation and I am looking forward for more informations. All this leads me to ask a lot of questions. Here is a small selection of them... Feel free to answer or not ! 1. How did you get to my pages ? 2. How good is your french, in other words, how much information did you get out of my pages ? If you want some english translation explanations,tell me. 3. Is there an UK Pocket Bike site I dont know of ? 4. If not, how can I get informations about the UK Championship (about pilots,bikes,circuits,photos,genuine tuning parts etc...)? 5. How old are you,are you a P-Bike rider to ? (I am 42 and actualy Swiss champion 97 senior (GRC midi/50cc open-tuning)) 6. Do you have a team like they have in Italy, with one professionaly trained pilot in each category,a big truck packed with spair parts and mecanics, sponsored by "Marlboro" and Polini amongst others...? (I am just asking to figure out my chances...) 7. Will they comme to the UK European invitation championship ? 8. What about Germany and France etc... 9. Will there be cash wins or parts or none of the above ? (I am so sorry for this question... but you no how it goes, we will have the travel to pay fore) 10.What are your expectations, in the near futur, concerning an European Championship ? 11.Do you think, it is to pretentious to dream about having a little help from Eurosports TV chanel, like in some "funny motor-sports news", "biker news" or "karting news", to get access to the best suited (the smaller ones) open air karting circuits of Germany,UK,France,Italy etc...and by the way the sponsors to make it for real ? 12.Do you beleave it is realistic to think about having a European Championship Pocket Bike site on the .net, with a adress like www.pocketbike.com or www.pbeurochamp.com, that could be used as a gathering tool for all the P-Bike riders worldwide and for us to evaluate the number of possible participation ? If, at that point the results were positive,it would be very easy to adjust this site to become the main communication tool for the Euro-championship using formulars for suscriptions. The availability of online results and positions all thru the season could lead to increasing site visiting statistics that would make possible the sponsoring of this site as well as the winners prices. (please stop me if I'm flying to high) 13.What about including 50cc scooter racing with Polini racing parts ?(We are trying to do this for the 98 Swiss champ., but you are maybe already doing so in the UK) 14.Do you ask for a national racing licence ? (I and some of us have one but, it is not asked for it anymore in the Swiss championship, the decision to accept or to refuse a new concurent is made by the race director and at least 2 representing officials from the Swiss Pocket Bike Association during the free test laps) 15.Is it possible for a Swiss pilote to participate in the UK championship ? 16.How many senior riders will there be arrrrround to beat ? (we are 32 Swiss seniors) OK, enough for today. As you can see, the question list is almost as endless as the amount of gramatical errors... I am looking forward to hear from you, best regards, Urs Urs, how are you. Answers as follows : I got your pages whilst searching on SG minimotos, I can't remember exactly. Je ne parle pas beaucoup de francais mais je comprends beaucoup. Ich spreche Deutsch. No there is no UK pocket bike site apart from mine, www.imca.ltd.uk, which is under construction. Information is limited but if you want any information about the UK championship, I am your man. I am as old as you, 42 and ride for fun. I have a Pan European for touring and often go to Switzerland. I am the team manager in the UK for POLINI & GRC. Yes we are a professional team, with a truck and a few sponsors, but not asmany as Italy. We attend all meetings to sell parts etc. When are the European invitation championships. We would like to come. Do we need FIM licences? Germany & France I don't know of any organisations. If you do let me know. No cash wins but free hospitality. I would like to discuss European champonships and would hope that POLINI would help. But we would need sponsorship. Eurosports is a good idea. I would behappy to help you develop it. A european site sounds good, or national sites with links to each others pages. once again it could be developed. Scooter racing is not my scene at the moment. I only supply Polini minibikes and there is another importer for Polini scooter parts. Malossi are big in the UK and have their own championship. Polini do not. We do not ask for any licence to race in the UK. Anybody can race at the moment but only in senior class if you have raced in production for one year. Any foreign national would be welcome to race in the UK with my invitation. We have about 40 senior racers, 40 production and 30 juniors but it is getting bigger. Thanks for your e-mail and I apologise for the delay in replying. I alsorepresent SPIDI, MDS and other Italian manufacturers in the UK. Motorcycling is my business, not just a hobby. Keep in touch, and try to make our invitation championship. Mark Oliver. Date: Mon, 02 Feb 1998 Dear Sir: I was browsing through the net and I find these minibikes really interesting. I am interested in buying the GRC 50cc minibike. I would to know if you could give more info about these bikes, a brochure or specification data would be a great help. Hoping for your kind and prompt response. Sincerely: Zenon C. Bartido III 1293 Socorro Avenue Sunnyvale, CA 94089 USA zenonb3@msn.com My answer : Hello, You should go to the "HotStuff" page of thewww.pocketbike.ch. There you will find the link called "LINKS pocket bike sites". Click on it and you will get directly to the worldwide pocket bike link page. You will see, there are several US retailers for GRC bikes having home pages. With a lot of infos. Best regards, Urs DEUTSCHE Mails / Courrier des lecteurs retour vers HotStuff - back to HotStuff / CONTACT Copyright @ 2000 dig bear production. All rights reserved.