journey on
New member
Well, since I'm old enough to talk rather than ride, here's a list of bikes I've known. Never very fast, but had fun. Join in: what you had and what you did.
B. O. (before Oriental)
Indians, english pattern: '49 single and '50 vertical twin. Both models now in the Indian museum in Springfield.
Royal Enfield, war surplus (WW II) basket case, finally used an engine liberated from school. Girder forks and rigid rear. After riding I had to be lifted off.
AJS (2 ea.) 30.50 and 21 inch. Taught me how everything british would leak and shake apart, but great on fire roads around San Luis Obispo and finally in the desert. Swinging arm and sooo soft. Rode the 57 Big Bear on the second.
BSA. One a Gold Star Catalina 21", (in smaller classes you rode more.) Never appreciated this machine until 10 years ago. Traded it for a 15" BSA and that was the last 4-stroke I ever raced. Thought BSA stood for Bas---rd Stops Again. Joseph Lucas says no more.
Greeves. First 2 strokes, 15". Last in the club to ride a british machine. Leading link forks, you could hit anything and keep going, untill the bike died.
Sachs. 125 cc, a lot of fun, but german engineering was so fancy you had to adjust something in the middle of the race. 200 lbs on a 125, but I remember dukeing it out with a Triumph off the start.
Oriental period
Yamaha A couple of open class 2 strokes. First went like stink, but got me a divorce. The second couldn't pull the hat off a dead horse.
Suzuki 370. One of the first 10 in the country. Fast bike, but don't ever buy the first 10 of anything. Kept it a long time.
Suzuki 125, with that rocker arm rear suspension. For my son. Cost as much as the gold star, but went faster with Pete aboard.
Continental period.
Husky 400. Finally bought a Husky after they went out of style, but a great bike. Going across a dry lake, hit a pucker bush and the front wheel didn't come down for a mile. Cleaned my pants out and kept on going. Really fast bike and deserved a better rider.
KTM 250. Wonderful bike, just rode it. First single shock.
Husky 500, 4 stroke. Fun to play on the lake beds, sliding. Too heavy a front end for an old man to race.
KTM 440 (2 stroke) and 400 (4 stroke.) Great bikes, one is street legel, but both sitting in my garage, since I'm too scared to duke it out with old ladies in Buicks.
Triumph Rickman cafe racer. Do it yourself bike. Finally got it running. Sold it to my brother, and it got burned up in a forest fire.
If you got this far, lets hear about yours, AND what you did with them.
Happy New Year, Boris
B. O. (before Oriental)
Indians, english pattern: '49 single and '50 vertical twin. Both models now in the Indian museum in Springfield.
Royal Enfield, war surplus (WW II) basket case, finally used an engine liberated from school. Girder forks and rigid rear. After riding I had to be lifted off.
AJS (2 ea.) 30.50 and 21 inch. Taught me how everything british would leak and shake apart, but great on fire roads around San Luis Obispo and finally in the desert. Swinging arm and sooo soft. Rode the 57 Big Bear on the second.
BSA. One a Gold Star Catalina 21", (in smaller classes you rode more.) Never appreciated this machine until 10 years ago. Traded it for a 15" BSA and that was the last 4-stroke I ever raced. Thought BSA stood for Bas---rd Stops Again. Joseph Lucas says no more.
Greeves. First 2 strokes, 15". Last in the club to ride a british machine. Leading link forks, you could hit anything and keep going, untill the bike died.
Sachs. 125 cc, a lot of fun, but german engineering was so fancy you had to adjust something in the middle of the race. 200 lbs on a 125, but I remember dukeing it out with a Triumph off the start.
Oriental period
Yamaha A couple of open class 2 strokes. First went like stink, but got me a divorce. The second couldn't pull the hat off a dead horse.
Suzuki 370. One of the first 10 in the country. Fast bike, but don't ever buy the first 10 of anything. Kept it a long time.
Suzuki 125, with that rocker arm rear suspension. For my son. Cost as much as the gold star, but went faster with Pete aboard.
Continental period.
Husky 400. Finally bought a Husky after they went out of style, but a great bike. Going across a dry lake, hit a pucker bush and the front wheel didn't come down for a mile. Cleaned my pants out and kept on going. Really fast bike and deserved a better rider.
KTM 250. Wonderful bike, just rode it. First single shock.
Husky 500, 4 stroke. Fun to play on the lake beds, sliding. Too heavy a front end for an old man to race.
KTM 440 (2 stroke) and 400 (4 stroke.) Great bikes, one is street legel, but both sitting in my garage, since I'm too scared to duke it out with old ladies in Buicks.
Triumph Rickman cafe racer. Do it yourself bike. Finally got it running. Sold it to my brother, and it got burned up in a forest fire.
If you got this far, lets hear about yours, AND what you did with them.
Happy New Year, Boris
When I finally took it to the salvage yard before I rotated, I wanted to put a bullet in it. :evil: 