Topic: For Those Who Wonder About My Avatar.......

[bill440cars]

      it's a little small, I know and my apologies for that. it is actually a photo of what my Dad and some other local riders did once a month, on a Sunday afternoon, for quite a few years. They had an endurance like run, through the woods and down a trail. Each run was pre setup by the previous winner. He would lay out the route, using small arrows that were simply pieces of thin cardboard (about 1" wide by about 2" lg. An "arrow" would be nailed ever so often, along the way, from start to finish. ever so often, there would be 3 arrows nailed together (with 1 turned upward and the other 2 pointing downward, forming an upside down "Y") And that would mark a "Station" each "Station" & each "Station" had a pad of "Tickets" (a certain number of pieces of paper with a certain number, #1 on the 1st one and so on) nailed to that tree. I don't remember how many stations there would be, I am thinking, about 12. Anyway, they would start off and run the route that was marked and whoever got to the end, with all of the tickets, won and then that person would setup the next run and so on. The number of folks who entered this event, determined how many classes (A, B, C etc) and I don't remember where the cut off was, on entrants, that required another class.


    Now, in this photo, my Dad was on a 175 Jawa Scrambler and crossing a small creek and 12 others were trying to see where they needed to cross. This photo is one showing one of the things my Dad enjoyed doing, for a pastime. He and my Granddad are responsible for my Love for motorcycles.

[jgger]

Bill I wasn't wondering, but the title caught my eye. That is a great story, and brings back memories of my early 70's District 37 "experiences". Thanks for sharing.

[bill440cars]

Bill I wasn't wondering, but the title caught my eye. That is a great story, and brings back memories of my early 70's District 37 "experiences". Thanks for sharing.

      You're welcome, also gave me a flashback as well. Those were some pretty cool times. And for Thanksgiving, they would do a 50 miler. I longed for when I would be able to participate, but, as luck would have it, as I got close to being old enough, that event was fizzling out. I Still had a lot of good times though.

[dave500]

that would've been excellent fun!make good riders out of themselves aswell.

[Terry in Australia]

Looks great Bill, can you post a bigger pic though?

[bill440cars]

that would've been excellent fun!make good riders out of themselves aswell.

I hear ya Dave. The Motorcycle my Dad was riding, was actually a New CZ175
 Scrambler that the Factory Rep "Loaned to my Dad, for that event. I thought that it was pretty cool that my Dad & Granddad (Through my Granddad's Motorcycle Shop) had that kind of trust, from the Factory Rep.  I would Like to show how my Dad did things, by telling you all that his previous build of his own, was an Indian Warrior. Unfortunately, I have found not pictures of it, so far, but I remember most of the details, that he told me. If you google up the Indian TT Warrior, it looked similar to that. But,
he replaced the rear section of the frame (with the "Plunger Style" rear shocks), with the rear section of an AJS, with a "Swing Arm" & the nice size vertically mounted shocks. He built the motor using a mix of the Warrior & (Vertical twin style) Scout Motor parts. I replaced the magneto, with a Lucas Mag. He sealed the motor very well and added a vent, with a copper line running up the frame and coming out around the upper front part of the gas tank. I am not sure about the air cleaners, but I do know that he had crossed creeks with it and it didn't kill the motor. Of course, the ignition system was sealed up very well too. He "built a 2 into 1 upswept exhaust, getting it as high as was feasible. The rear fender rear brace, had a loop that was above the fender and the forward front fender brace was built the same way, to get hold of, to help get the Warrior out of a mudhole or whatever. The gas tank was from a little "Mustang" motorcycle (some might not have heard of those. And not only did it do well off road, there were occasions that the Warrior was put to the test of competing in a "Drag Race" against others (Usually A Triumph and occasionally a Bonneville) and the Warrior, to the best of my knowledge, was never beaten. I only wish I had at least "Half" the knowledge & skills that my Dad & My Granddad had. Neither one was a High School Graduate. Dad started the 10th grade in high school, had a run in with the P.E. Coach & walked out of school one day and never went back. That was when my Granddad told him that IF he wasn't going to school, he would pick up wrenches and work in the shop. I sure wouldn't have wanted to have gotten between those 2. Hope you all don't mind the "Book", I have a load of memories, from back in the day and cherish them.       
   

[bill440cars]

Looks great Bill, can you post a bigger pic though?

I'll try Terry, been having issues with the way the photos turn out lately.

If things went well, I have also tried to post a photo of an Indian TT Warrior, that was the similar look of my Dad's

[MoMo]

Great memory Bill, better than the memories I have of my father coming home drunk most of the time...Larry

[bill440cars]

Great memory Bill, better than the memories I have of my father coming home drunk most of the time...Larry

     Thank you, Larry. I am sorry to hear about the memories of your father. I can only imagine what that must have been like. Thank you, for posting.

[74cb750]

cool stories Bill. That Indian sure did not have much rear end travel. Must have handled horribly in boggy areas.

I remember riding w/ my Brother Denis and never once beating him in the woods. Even  if we traded bikes he'd still beat me. He'd love to wait for me pretending to be stuck in a mudhole and wait until I came around a corner, slowed down and Then he'd cover me with mud flung from his rear tire.

It was all in fun.

[bill440cars]

cool stories Bill. That Indian sure did not have much rear end travel. Must have handled horribly in boggy areas.

I remember riding w/ my Brother Denis and never once beating him in the woods. Even  if we traded bikes he'd still beat me. He'd love to wait for me pretending to be stuck in a mudhole and wait until I came around a corner, slowed down and Then he'd cover me with mud flung from his rear tire.

It was all in fun.

   

  You are right, about the rear suspension, on the Warrior and that is why my Dad adapted the rear section of an AJS frame, as it was the "Swing Arm Type". Dirt bikes hadn't been brought out, when he originally built his Warrior. Makes me wish I could have had a place and the time, to gather up all of the Indian parts and such, after my Granddad passed away. His bother owned 1/2 of the property and 1/2 of the bldg. that the shop was on and my Uncle got my Grandmother aside and talked her into letting him buy her half out (without even talking to my Dad (who had a lot of time and effort invested in that shop as well). Then, my Uncle started loading up the parts and whatever (Including a 101 Scout Frame, w the forks and a rebuilt motor) else, to the scrapyard! A lot of Value (Money & Memory) went to the "Scrapyard"! My Dad and I were upset about that act my Uncle pulled, for many years. Anyway, that was funny, about the antics between you and your brother. Thanks for sharing.