I am trying to track down a Rickman CR frame to build as a GS750 big bore or GS1000/1100/1150, and noted that Rickman got their start making dirt bike racing frames. I see A LOT of Rickman Zundap 125cc frames for sale, although I have no familiarity with Zundap's. an old Suzuki 2 stroke engine would be cool, but a 4 stroke in the 250-450cc single cylinder thumper would probably be more fun, more torque all around, vs a 2 stroke which basically typically just want to run at WOT all the time from the sounds of most dirt bikes my friends have had.
Is a vintage twin shock frame, even a good one like a Rickman, just going to be obsolete in handling offroad compared to a monoshock? I'm sure a modern fork and brake could swap on pretty well, and I shouldn't have any problem eventually turning up a set of vintage Fox Factory Shox in the dirtbike version with longer travel (match my GS Fox Factory Shox!). I rode BMX for a long time, dirt trails/jumps, skateparks, etc, and Mountain Bike a lot still. I'd imagine I would be running any dirtbike pretty hard. Not looking to do lots of MX jumps, but very much wanting a cool bike to run on National Forest Service roads in the Wayne National Forest near me and Monongahela National Forest in WV, maybe Daniel Boone NF and George Washington-Jefferson NF just across the WV border in VA.
Tips/Suggestions? The Rickman thing I am kinda hung up on. Fitting a Suzuki engine into the Zundap 125cc frame with a vintage style tank seems like a route I could take... Suzuki DR aluminum swingarm, Fox Factory MX Shox, newer front end.
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