I’m sure that bike was a real workhorse. It would still be a fun bike to ride in the vintage class at local enduros, hare scrambles, cross country, etc.
In my opinion dirt bikes became modern in the mid eighties. There’s not a huge amount of difference in performance from then until today. Of course the capability of a motorcycle depends more on the rider than the performance specs of the motorcycle. Unless you’re competing for a national title you don’t need the minor advantage a newer bike provides. There’s VERY few riders with the talent to utilize that advantage.
A mid eighties woods bike, motocross bike, trials bike, or desert bike can still be very competitive at a local level and in my opinion they are more fun and clearly more comfortable.
I trail ride a lot with riders on much newer bikes. They’re always curious and want to try my KDX or XR so we’ll swap for a bit. It doesn’t take long until I’m ready to trade back. The newer bikes with their rock hard 4” wide seat and abrupt power delivery will wear you out a lot faster.
On the other hand they always enjoyed riding my bikes and want to keep riding it. lol
I don’t ride competitively any more so I’m just out to have fun. For me, the older bikes are more fun.
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