Topic: 24 Rides in 2024, Frank's New Years resolution that we can all enjoy.

[BenelliSEI]

Well done Stu! Forecast here is for more snow and rain starting tomorrow so what the heck. I took the K6 out for its maiden voyage. Did 58 miles on a sunny (chilly!) afternoon and it runs really well. 55-65 psi oil pressure on the run and +20 at a hot idle. I did notice an oil track that I hope is just coming from the cam cover. Will check it out tomorrow, when the weather deteriorates. That’s ride #1!

[lash]

Picture of me taking a picture of me! Lunch in Mt. forest, On. +8C and sunny, but supposed to be rain/snow starting tomorrow and all the way to Sunday. Hope to see it clear up for Monday as the plan is to ride south for the eclipse. Ride #14 done!

[jgger]

Welcome to the monkey house, John! I'm glad you could join us.

Great job, lash. 14 down and 10 to go. Is that the A&W root beer from the days of old? They have pretty much disappeared from So Cal,  I loved that place as a kid.

[lash]

It’s as original as it can be I think. Still a fair amount of A&W stores here in Ontario. Nice change instead of a coffee stop..

[PeWe]

Good rides in sunshine with good looking bikes!
I hope your oil track is an easy one, John. The red color comes alive in the sunshine!

A burger lunch is never wrong either!
I will get snow today, roads from my house and further full of sand and gravel. A week or 2 more for me.

[Terry in Australia]

Terry, if my hair thinned like your bike collection thins, I would still have a ponytail half way down my back like in my youth!

LOL  I've noticed that too!  Seems like every time Terry talks about thinning the heard, the message ends up with him bringing more bikes home. LOL
I can sympathize with you mate.  I wouldn't get in too big of a hurry to get rid of my bikes.

What we need is a universal license plate, and single insurance that covers all our bikes.  You can only ride one at a time!  So at any given time road use is the same and any insurance claim would be for a single bike.  Just my 2 cents...

Ha ha, yeah, it seems that way, but I have sold 4 bikes recently, so I've been really trying, really. The "spare" DT250 is off to a swap meet on Sunday, and the latest acquisition will be sold once I fix a couple of minor things (leaking front brake MC and a general cleanup) and should bring some pretty good $$$. I was gonna drive over to the storage unit to take some pics today but it's raining again, so I'll do that tomorrow after work. I really do want to reduce the herd to manageable levels between now and the end of next year when I retire.

[jgger]

No sweat Terry. This isn't motorcycles anonymous, if you can have 100 of them, nobody here is going to throw shade. Infact 100 motorcycles would put you in the immortal class!

[Terry in Australia]

Ha ha, I reckon my motley collection would pale in insignificance to Eric’s, I think he’s got around 50 bikes, and most of them are immaculate Jim, but he’s obviously got a much bigger barn than me. If I can get mine down to 5 or 6 I’ll be happy.

[BenelliSEI]

Ha ha, I reckon my motley collection would pale in insignificance to Eric’s, I think he’s got around 50 bikes, and most of them are immaculate Jim, but he’s obviously got a much bigger barn than me. If I can get mine down to 5 or 6 I’ll be happy.

Terry….. Have I missed the “latest acquisition” news or is it still Top Secret?

[Terry in Australia]

G’day John, I was going to take pics on Monday but the skies opened as we were driving to my storage unit so it was a mad rush to take that bike off my trailer and push my poor neglected BMW with dragging brakes onto the trailer. I discovered that the aluminium checker plate is only “non slip” when dry, it was like a skating rink when wet, I may have to paint it with something grittier.

With all the running around I managed to mislay the key for the new bike, so I’m driving over to the storage unit after work today to look for it, but luckily the previous owner found a spare key, which I should have today. I’m still hoping I’ll find the other one, I was really annoyed with myself, I’m usually more careful. Anyway I’ll drag the latest acquisition out today and post a pic. Hopefully I’ll have it up and running soon and sold, as I need the space in the storage unit.

[budman]

Ride #9 - 72 miles.

Just a quick ride this afternoon before my son arrives tomorrow.  Beautiful sunny day, but on the cool side.  Moderate wind blowing a cold from the north.  I had to layer up some.  I shot over to the Willow City Loop again, but rode in from the north this time.  I wanted to catch the bluebonnets again before they wither away.  The tourists are pouring in for the eclipse already and there was no shortage of them on the Loop.  Lots of motorcycles too.  I think there were more blue bonnets today than my last ride.  I only stopped for photos the ostrich.  He was out today.  I rode past a herd of buffalo up near the road, which I had never seen before, and I would have loved to get some pics, but it was like Disneyland.  Too many cars and people.  I'll have to keep an eye out for them the next time I go around the Loop.

While circling back around towards home, I stumbled on a pasture full of bluebonnets with no cars near me.  Photo op.  I carried on past the granite quarry and finally stopped for a pic.  Been meaning to get pics of the quarry for a while.  This is from the north side.  I'll see if I can get some different angles of it on another ride.

Oh yeah!  Anyone else see the new 2025 Indian Scouts they released today?  New bigger engine.  More hp.  Tubular frame.  More tech.  Five sub models.

[newday777]

Well done Stu! Forecast here is for more snow and rain starting tomorrow so what the heck. I took the K6 out for its maiden voyage. Did 58 miles on a sunny (chilly!) afternoon and it runs really well. 55-65 psi oil pressure on the run and +20 at a hot idle. I did notice an oil track that I hope is just coming from the cam cover. Will check it out tomorrow, when the weather deteriorates. That’s ride #1!

Congrats on getting #1 in John.
That storm and it's associated junk is supposed to blow in here tomorrow night through Thursday with a mix and a  possible 3"-12" depending on the track of the low.
I did get another 20 on the 750 yesterday delivering it and @15 later on the wing running around and visiting with another friend before the end of the day.

[jgger]

Atta boy bud! It's cool seeing less than normal animals out there. There was a place out here near Hemet that had some circus Elephant's winter pasturing,  that made you do a double take!

[Terry in Australia]

Ha ha, I reckon my motley collection would pale in insignificance to Eric’s, I think he’s got around 50 bikes, and most of them are immaculate Jim, but he’s obviously got a much bigger barn than me. If I can get mine down to 5 or 6 I’ll be happy.

Terry….. Have I missed the “latest acquisition” news or is it still Top Secret?

OK, so I drove home after work and stopped in at my storage unit, hoping that I'd find the key for the bike I've been "given". No dice, but that's OK, he gave me the other one this morning, so I was able to look under the seat, into the tank, etc. I wheeled the "Free" bike out into the grey, cold afternoon.

KZ750 Wednesday 3 April 2024 1 by Terry Prendergast, on Flickr

It's a nice clean example with less than 14000 miles on the odo.

KZ750 Wednesday 3 April 2024 3 by Terry Prendergast, on Flickr

The only change from stock is the exhaust. You American/Canadian guys might recognize it, it's a US import bike from many years ago, and Rob, the PO, didn't install it.

KZ750 Wednesday 3 April 2024 2 by Terry Prendergast, on Flickr

Anyway, apart from some light oxidation, and a front Master cylinder needing a rebuild (I've ordered a kit) it's complete and tidy.

Now the bike that I'm fixing up as payment for the Kawasaki is this:

KZ750 Wednesday 3 April 2024 8 by Terry Prendergast, on Flickr

What is it? It's an MZ TS150. Made in Eastern Europe, apparently it was imported by the East German Embassy in Canberra in 1981, new. Yes, it's hard to believe that the Yamaha DT250 behind it is 2 years older than it, but that's the Communist way, if it works (good enough) then just keep building them. It's been raining ever since I picked these bikes up so I haven't bothered to do any work on the MZ yet, but as they've both been sitting for a long time I'll drain the tank, clean the carb, check that it's got gearbox oil, check for spark, tip some premix in (none of them fancy autolube systems in these bikes, which started life as DKW's in the 1920's) and see if I can start it.

If you guys don't know, DKW's ("Das Kleine Wunder", or "The Little wonder") little engine was, after WW2, copied by the Brits as the BSA Bantam, and the US as the Harley Hummer. Of course this was done without any licensing or royalties, it was all part of "War reparations". I owned a BSA bantam when I was a kid and loved it, but it was a lot prettier than the MZ.

Anyhoo, parts are still available, and cheap apparently, so whatever it needs, it'll get. It's not going to be a cosmetic restoration, but rather a full engine and gearbox rebuild. I'm not sure why because it's done less than 6000 miles from new, but hey, it's a little 2 stroke 150cc single, so couldn't be much easier to build, considering that it's cheaper to buy a new standard cylinder and piston, than get a cylinder rebored. It'll be interesting............  

[PeWe]

The KZ750 have the good look. Not far from Z1-900.

A Delkevic 4-1 will improve.

[Kelly E]

That MZ is kinda ugly.  .

The KZ 750 twin is a decent looking bike but they don't have the punch of the 4 cylinder version. Now I know why you're not keeping it.

[PeWe]

That MZ is kinda ugly.  .

The KZ 750 twin is a decent looking bike but they don't have the punch of the 4 cylinder version. Now I know why you're not keeping it.

OK....
I missed that is a twin.... Look good anyway.
Must be OK for sightseeing rides and commuting.

[jgger]

I like the preload adjuster on the rear shock. In the '70s Dickey-Dub U made some great dirt bikes, so yeah that engine has been passed far and wide. But that MZ kinda reeks of Sears Allstate knock off!

[scottly]

I like the preload adjuster on the rear shock. In the '70s Dickey-Dub U made some great dirt bikes, so yeah that engine has been passed far and wide. But that MZ kinda reeks of Sears Allstate knock off!

The Sears Allstate was a Puch twingle.

[scottly]

That MZ is kinda ugly.  .

The KZ 750 twin is a decent looking bike but they don't have the punch of the 4 cylinder version. Now I know why you're not keeping it.

OK....
I missed that is a twin.... Look good anyway.
Must be OK for sightseeing rides and commuting.

The KZ was a decent bike. My friend rode one from the Central Coast of Ca. to Colorado and back in 1979, along with 2 CBX's and my Seeley.

[Terry in Australia]

Thanks guys, the KZ750 was never on my “must have” list, but from everything I’ve read about them they weren’t a bad bike, but the price was right, (“Free-ish”) and will likely go for some good money, maybe to someone who’d like to have a Z1 but can’t justify spending the money Z1’s go for.

I’ll get it running and take it for a ride, just to see what it’s like before I sell it. The weather is turning cold again so I might have to hang on to it until spring, but that’s ok, I’m never in a rush to sell bikes, well, as long as I can keep reducing the herd leading up to retirement. It may feature in the “24 rides” thread once I get it running, fix the brakes and put some new tires on it.

[BenelliSEI]

Nice work Terry! I think you’ll be impressed with the KZ750. I “flipped” one several years ago (came with a cb750) and it was a good bike! Well dealt.

[Terry in Australia]

Thanks John, it’s in good shape, the MC rebuild kit I ordered Monday arrived today so I’ll fix that and give it a coat of paint then pull the carbs and clean them, put a battery and fresh fuel in it and see if it goes.

[BenelliSEI]

Good Luck Terry! I got one ride in Monday and then this!

[Kelly E]

I hope to start racking up rides again soon. I've finished up building the driveway rake and other winter projects. We still have a dozen clocks to design and build for the One Moto show in Portland Or. but other than that it's back to the bikes.