Motorcycles I've known

Sawdust":2itgtywc said:
Father time changes 2-wheelers too. Not many here would remember some of my favorites -- Vincent HRD, Vincent Black Shadow, Vincent Lightning... and a half-dozen+/- 500 cc Italian and Brit mini-bombs of the day. Cars too -- my '37 Cord was considered hot.. grandson's 4 wheel drive rocket has 650 hp wheel/dyno with room to grow another 350 hp... jealous!!
Dusty
Click to expand...

a '37 Cord? Niiiiiiiiiice!!!
 
Les is doing okay, but his 2-wheeler (BMW 1100) is gone, gone.
Pat, memories of my 4 years in Tampa (Tarpon, Snook, Bonefish, etc.) keep repeating and repeating in this old brain as I watch your great trip. Have fun! Won't hijack the thread -- could write a book on the '37 Cord and wish that I still had it.
Dusty
 
Dusty,

If you liked Vincents, the Vincent Owners Club will build you a brand new one, today. And, yes, if you have to ask, you can't afford it. I don't have to ask, cause I can't afford it. What English bikes did you own?

SeaSpray/Steve

I had a Hodaka Wombat that I bought for the kids. Lost the bottom end just as they went out of business and finally gave it away (sans engine.) That Honda Ascot was a V-twin 750cc machine. Honda built that motor to compete with the Harleys. They took their transverse V-twin, turned it sideways, hired the best riders and won. The Ascot was a street version that I really wanted but never bought.

Boris
 
1970 Honda 350 SL $850 new
The joke was it came with 350cc of gas. I drove out the showroom and 100 feet later, it was out of gas
Sold it later to pay for college tuition
No regrets
It is a lot fun and I lived in a small town next to a State Forest, and spent hours exploring it riding the fire trails.
Thanks for asking and the memories
 
Boris,

Guess I'd like my Vincent Black Shadow back for the $1,200 I sold it for! Limey bikes -- hmmmm --- memory is tough... Ariel Square 4 MKII, Norton (think Dominator and Atlas), BSA, Triumph. Long ago and fading memory!!!

Diane made me give up my motorcycle endorsement last year! So Feb. 13th please hoist a glass for the old Duster's 90th.

Dusty
 
Dusty,

That just adds more mystique to your legend, being born on "Valentines Eve". :love :love

Glad that you are only 90 and an example to all of us of the virtues of clean living, :wink: you were beginning to make me feel old with the stories of the Vincent Black Shadow etc. Takes me back to my college days.

We will drink more than one glass for you so please don't think that your share is being wasted. Just wish we could be there to share one with ya.

Merv & Kathy
 
Dusty-

Bet you'd also like to have the'37 Cord back for whatever you sold it for!

Hope to see you when we're up in Seattle in a few weeks!

I'd like to take the opportunity to be the first to wish you a happy 90th Birthday, too! :gift :cake :rose :rainbow

Joe. :teeth :thup
 
I can't believe how many Brats have had not one or two bikes in their past but, 10 or more.
 
Merv,

You two must join me in a drinkfest when you get back in the area!! Look forward to that. Not that we need an excuse, eh??

Joe,

The Cord selling story is way off topic! Maybe do it at the SBS.

Dusty
 
Boris,
1.some kind old old Cushman two speed single cylinder unnamed load did about 35 mph. It was a slug and handled like a soup sandwich.
2. Honda 100 1971
3. Honda 750 1970
4. Triumph 750 Trident 1970
5. Triumph 750 short rod twin
6. BSA 500 single Victor excellent wheelie machine good slider off road
7. 450 Huquavarna off road
8. Triumph Trident 1979
9. Honda 750 F 1979
10. Honda 900 F 1981

D.D.
 
1979 Yamaha 650
1972 XLH Sportster
1972 XLCH Sportster
1979 FXS Low Rider
1957 Panhead (from Detroit Police Dept)
2003 special construction "chopper"
 
dave deem,

I had the predecessor to your 500 Victor, a 62 BSA 250 single. As you said, it was great for sliding, a little down on power (we're talking about the 250 here,) compared to the 2-strokes. Did well on smooth tracks, but when I went to the desert, I found out it wasn't the right bike. I did trade in my Gold Star for it. That still hurts.

As far as the number of bikes owned by this group, remember bikes were cheap, $1000-2000 would get you a real competitive bike and those cars which weren't as fast cost, what, $5000-10,000? And what's a strong point of the C-Dory: it's cheap and really does well.

Boris
 
Boris,
The 500 BSA Victors cost around a thousand back in 1971. Some of the bunch of us that bought the Victors went with a 600 cc kit and a more aggressive cam profile bigger carb. Torque out the wazoo. We rode through the pine barrens in south Jersey, an area called the Wharton tract. Those BSA's with the right tire could shovel roostertails of sand and rocks on who ever was behind you. Just slide up on the seat wiggle you butt and grag a handful throttle shower your pals with dirt.
A brand new 750 Honda 4 was about $1400 in 1970 they were a lot of bike that could give most Vette's and ass wiping from a light. I remember just walking away from a guy by himself on a new Triumph Bonneville with a new Honda 750 4 in 1970 riding two up. A lot of performance for less than 2k. My last street bike a new 1981 Honda 900F would do about 135 if you laid down and crawled into the paint. Box stock. That bike was less than 3k. Those days are over. I can't believe I'm still alive.
D.D.
 
My list of past motorcycles isn't near as impressive as most here.
1. mid 60s Honda 90
2. '69 250 Yamaha
3. '71 Yamaha 650
4. '72 Honda 125 trials
Then a long break from 2 wheel mayhem.
5.2006 Suzuki 250gs
6. 2010 F650gs BMW
I rode many bikes before I ordered the BMW and it just fit my needs better than anything else I had ridden.
 
dave deem":sm59g145 said:
...
A brand new 750 Honda 4 was about $1400 in 1970 they were a lot of bike that could give most Vette's and ass wiping from a light. I remember just walking away from a guy by himself on a new Triumph Bonneville with a new Honda 750 4 in 1970 riding two up. ...
D.D.
Click to expand...

Growing up on the "wrong side" of the tracks (well, only a half block from the tracks), I got a lot of self-esteem riding around on my nearly new Triumph Bonneville. Until my first "red light challenge" with the Honda 750 4-cylinder. It sounded a bit like a vacuum cleaner compared to the chuffa-chuffa from my Triumph... but all I saw were his tail lights disappearing in the distance. :shock: I knew motorcycling wouldn't be the same after that. It probably wouldn't have been so bad if I hadn't stepped off my motorcycle at 60 mph... the way he disappeared, I thought my bike must be standing still!!! :roll:

I never owned an inline 4 Japanese bike (although the horizontally opposed multi-cylinder Goldwings were very impressive), but occasionally got a kick out of riding Joan's go-fast bikes. These days, I'm still having fun putting around on two cylinders.

Best wishes,
Jim B.
 
The inline 4 engines are smooth, powerful and reliable. Thing is, IMO, they just don't 'communicate' with the rider.
 
DD, I thought the Victor Special was a 441 CC ???? Or was that a different model ?
Marc
 
Reading through the list of make and models really bring back some memories. Got my first real motorcycle at 10 a used 1965? Honda 50 Trail (picture a smaller trail 90). Progressed from it to a bunch of different bikes over time
Kawasaki 90 enduro
68 Honda 125 scrambler
68 Sachs 125 - first race bike 5 gears and 40 neutrals
70 Suzuki TM 250 - first attempt by Japan at MX bike famed for it's uncontrollable death hop know as the "suzuki hop"
72 Cesky Zavody CZ -250 would love to find one of these to restore.
74 Maico radial fin 450 - pure fun to ride and possibly the coolest looking air cooled two stroke motor ever made
Had a lot of exposure to Bultaco, Husky, Montesa MX bikes from the same era. If left "stock" you could not kill a Husky or a CZ with a stick. Really proved to me that reliability and two stroke could be used in the same sentence and became a life long 2 stroke fan.
Also had
Suzuki 185
Honda 110 3 wheeler
250 Kawasaki Tecate 3 wheeler
Honda 750 four
Honda Goldwing
Current motorcycle 66 Honda 305 Scrambler being restored

Thanks
stevej
 
No big list from me, unfortunately. I did ride a Honda 250 Scrambler in college. I was a member of the nations only college sponsored Motorcycle Club, at that time (1962). We, the Cal Poly Penguins, sponsored the Green Mountain Enduro and the desert riders from Southern Cal would come up to San Luis Obispo to compete. Guys like Bud and Dave Ekins and their buddy Steve McQueen.

I later had a Honda 90 Trail and a Kawasaki 175 Enduro model. My last was a Honda CX500. I hadn't been hurt badly up to then and just walked away from riding. I moved on to a much safer sport, flying sailplanes cross country and in competition! :disgust
 
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