Hello all,

New to the site and after looking through the archives, I would like to find out who the local Moto Pro expert(s) are. I have my 76 Moto Pro serial #122 and would like some history on the company, how many were made ect. I don't know if Moto Pro was copying another company with their squareback, but I know I had a ball on this bike and really want some more information on it. I will also be submitting pictures for the online museum in the next day or two.

Thank you all in advance.

Oliver

Oliver,

The original frame was a copy of a 75 Redline Squareback, I'm not sure how many of those were made, I had one but in 10 years of looking have never found another one. They were originally called Donahues, the name of the welding shop that made them. When Moto Pro started marketing them the changed to the Y rear end but kept the single gusset. Later on they changed to a double gusset. Which version do you have?

[ October 10, 2006, 01:46 PM: Message edited by: RandyS ]

He has the early version before the switch to the y style rear end. Sorry I can't post pictures but I could forward you some Randy. Pretty cool frame!

Send the pic's to someone who can post them, I would love to see it!

Dan,

Send them. He has the first frame I've heard of still in existence. I can post them if needed.

randy@groupdmfg.com

Oliver,

Were you from Nor Cal? You have my personal Holy Grail.
Do not let anyone try to talk you into selling it and if you do talk to me first.

[ October 10, 2006, 02:19 PM: Message edited by: RandyS ]

Thanks for the quick response guys. The bike I have was purchased from a kid down the street in September 1977 in Walnut Creek Ca for $25....
He wanted a Redline and sold me his "less than a year old" Moto Pro. Man his parents were ****ed.... It does have the single gusset with the serial # 122 stamped in it and is in "perfect" condition. The bike is complete and has original Ashtabula forks, single bolt goose neck, and crank. The bars are Two Wheeler's, and the pedals are GT's....

I have just completed putting it back together last week after twenty plus years in storage and decided to start doing some research on Moto Pro. How collectable , ect. I will get some shots out to those interested if you provide your email address. Can't email photo's from work, but will send some out from home this evening.

Oliver

Thanks for the quick response guys. The bike I have was purchased from a kid down the street in September 1977 in Walnut Creek Ca for $25....
He wanted a Redline and sold me his "less than a year old" Moto Pro. Man his parents were ****ed.... It does have the single gusset with the serial # 122 stamped in it and is in "perfect" condition. The bike is complete and has original Ashtabula forks, single bolt goose neck, and crank. The wheels are Skyway tuff I's, bars are Two Wheeler's, and the pedals are GT's....

I have just completed putting it back together last week after twenty plus years in storage and decided to start doing some research on Moto Pro. How collectable , ect. I will get some shots out to those interested if you provide your email address. Can't email photo's from work, but will send some out from home this evening.

Oliver

Oliver,

I don't know a ton of history on Moto Pro the company, it's always been kind of a mystery. They were in Concord and I think the main guys name was Frank. The frames were made in Vallejo by a couple of friends of my Dad. I've talked to both of them within the last few years so I know a little bit about how and why. That frame was made in 75.

Send me the photos and once again if you have any plan of getting rid of it please let me know.

randy@groupdmfg.com

Randy,

Thanks for the info. Since I was in Walnut Creek, that would make since to have a frame from the area. Not really looking at getting rid of it, but as soon as I get home this evening I will shoot you some shots...

Oliver

Oliver,

I'm not trying to talk you out of it at all. I think it belongs with you for as long as you want it. However, if you haven't been offered money for it yet you probably will soon. If there ever comes a day that you want to sell it let me know, I have some personal ties to that version especially, as far as I know you have the only known one. The orange MotoPro in the museum here was found by me and I let someone buy it based on it supposedly being their "Holy Grail", since mine is the version you have it wasn't that big a deal and I sold it to them cheap. Big mistake on my part, since Holy Grail means one thing to me and "How much can I sell it for" to other people.

I'm happy to know that at least one has survived.

[ October 10, 2006, 03:30 PM: Message edited by: RandyS ]

Here's Olivers bike. It is in fact an original Donahue/Motopro. Since his is #122 it's possible there were more of this version made than I thought. $200 is the most I've ever spent on a bike and that was a complete Kawasaki, however if there is another one out there somewhere let me know and let me know what you want within reason. These frames were made by 2 of my Dads friends, his best friend being one of them. I talked to him a few months ago and he told me my Dad used to come over and help them after work with them, I got an unpainted one the first day they had them finished. They bought a 75 Squareback that they copied it from. Mild steel, heavy, but in almost 10 years of doing this seeing these pictures means more than anything.

Great bike, but 2 words: Chen Shin


A set of 20 x 2.2125 would set it off!

I was going to tell him but didn't want to sound like I was criticizing, but since you brought it up. Oliver, Chen Shin 183s(is that right?) are still made and are the correct tires. Any shop can get them, they probably don't stock them. They're about $10, I can send you some if you can't find them. That, older pedals and headset and that bike's ready for the 2007 VintageBMX.com calender or Rockford Best of Show comp. It may be the only one is existance.

[ October 11, 2006, 07:07 PM: Message edited by: RandyS ]

Great job of cleaning it up (or is it having kept it nice?).

Thanks for the response guys. The finish is a restoration that I just completed last week... I agree that the correct tires would do a lot to improve the looks of the bike, but I bought these from a local bike shop. I have the original "Hunt Wild" grips and one original pedal. Other than that the bike is original parts.... right down to the Mongoose Bottom Bracket.

If someone has the original black 1/2" pedals, I would like to pick them up. I would also like a set of the correct tires....

Also looking for a good black frame pad, I have the original, but one of the snaps is ripped. The foam is in great condition so all I need is the vinyl with the snaps.

Now, how do I post pictures on this site? I looked for a download option but could not find one. Thanks to Randy for getting the picturs posted.

Oliver
oliver.brown@greenpoint.com

I knew and raced with some of the guys that rode for Moto Pro. The first ones I saw were raced unpainted then later painted orange. The race team was around during the Merritt College days so the makes it 75/76. Dave Gane and Danny Oakley rode for them, Dave lived in the town I lived in and we rode around all the time in the Pleasanton, Livermore and Dublin area. They were outta Concord and the guy that ran it was a guy named Mike, forgot the last name. But the first frames I saw were unpainted and were raced that way for awhile. Also I think I may have an original Moto Pro sticker or stickers in my stash of 70's MX stickers, I'll look when I get home.

[ October 11, 2006, 08:55 PM: Message edited by: spike ]

Nice bike!

Dave and Allen Scott rode for them too after Panda along with I think Tom Reidy, and maybe Greg Hansen.

I wanna say the guy that ran the team was Mike Murrphy, he wore a straw hat of some sort.

Spike,

As memory has it, this frame never had a Moto Pro sticker on it. That's not to say that the kid I bought it from hadn't already peeled it off....

I would like to see a Moto Pro sticker if you can find it....

Oliver

I should be able to find it in the next day or so. I think the unpainted frames had a down tube sticker, though I'm probably wrong.

Thanks. It would be cool to see a sticker.

I am pretty sure that mine was painted red/orange from the factory as the paint job was professional. There was gray filler primer on the metal and then the red/orange paint. All areas were painted with the exception of the head which just had overspray in it.

Talking with Randy, it sounds like Moto Pro was really inconsitant with those first frames as far as paint goes. It does sound like some unpainted frames were sold, as well as red/orange, blue, and black....

I'm not sure, my unpainted frame came directly from Donahue out of the original batch. I know they were painted in the same shop. The way it was related to me was that Donahue Welding made the frame and MotoPro came later wanting to market them as MotoPro Superstars. Motopro was originally a distributor that sold Redline, GLJ, Dirtmaster, etc. That's why the rear was changed to the "Y", so it wasn't a Redline copy so much. I don't know the timeline, it's possible the team frames were picked up out of the same first batch before they painted them. The team guys did ride the early ones at first. It's possible that aside from the few "Donahues" that got into the hands of Vallejo locals they were all "Motopros" and once the cut tubing and gussets were gone they changed to the "Y" and later the double gusset. I definately remember the frames in the shops having decals but by the time the were for sale everywhere it was the later version. If Mike has the decal I'd put it on.

Here's an ad from the ROOST site. That's the 2nd gen frame, same front, Y rear. I can't remember who it is but someone that has been around forever has one Mag. I don't remember anything about there being a chromoly version of that frame. The final frame was chromoly but it was a funky unrideable POS.

Really cool stuff Randy. I love the ad. So let me get this right, Donahue purchase a 75 Redline squarback in 1975 and copied it. Then Moto Pro entered the scene and wanted to martket the frame under their own name. My bike is one of the original Donahue frames, of which no others are know to exist.... Is it really a Moto Pro???

Looked at the other Moto pro in the museum and I don't see a sticker on that one either. Where would the sticker have been? If I can get my hands on one, I would only get one shot at placing it correctly.

Side note, just picked up a new old stock pair of Hunt Wilde grips just like the originals. Not getting rid of the originals, but thought the new ones would show better.


This is a really imformative board and full of excellent information and suggestions.

Thanks to all.

That might be Dave Scott in the ad. The sticker was most likely on the downtube.

Well if you can get your hands on it in the next few days Spike - please let me know.....

I have one of the Superstar stickers on a old tool box. Those mags have been my holy grail for years. I don't know of anyone that has one or has even seen one in recent history. I have a late MotoPro but traded away my Y frame last year.

[ October 12, 2006, 04:14 PM: Message edited by: DAN ]

Oliver,

It's an Early MotoPro. The name Donahue was probably just a Vallejo thing and long ago forgotten. I refered to my frame as a MotoPro back in 75 and that sticker is totally correct wheather yours originally had it or not. I probably have had more interest in the early version than anyone and I've never heard of another. So yes, as of now you have the only one know to exist. If you do get that sticker I would like to have a good scan before you stick it because I will find the second one some day.

Randy,
A scan is the least I can do.... I will be more than happy to provide a good quality scan if the sticker makes it my way.

Spike,

Do you happen to have a Two Wheeler's sticker in that collection of yours??????

That Two Wheelers sticker I'm almost positive I don't have.

The Redline Mono I found had a Motopro decal on the seat tube. Perhaps distributed by them?

I looked through my 70's MX stickers, I swore I saw a sticker but after looking it seems I don't, the only things I found was a Mongoose headtube sticker, a Dirt Master sticker, no longer has the adhesive on the back, and some Webco decals, the kind ya have to put in water. Sorry, I tried.

Hey thanks for the try.... Maybe someone else out there has one I could get a good scan of.

I just thought this needed to be bumped, you know with Roseville coming up and all