Topic: Motorcycle Memories: Pictures & Stories Of Bikes Of Family & Close Friends

[Terry in Australia]

Hey nice one Frosty, I had a Go-Kart around the same time with a Royal Enfield 350 engine fitted with an FC Holden carby, (and later an SU off a Mini)

I bought it for 10 bucks off a bloke who lost control at 105 MPH and went off a road (bad understeer) and flew over a farm fence before he came to rest in a muddy paddock. Not that well engineered, but very fast!

[Frostyboy]

Good one Terry,
I only wish I had never sold it. Got pi$$ed off with a face full of bugs on a winter's night riding from Toowoomba back to Brissie. I was a fly weight in those days, lucky to break 51kg, if I stalled it or it stopped, I'd hafta get off, put it on the centre stand & start kicking. It had a decompression lever; I missed the sweet spot once & my knee hit my chin. Just lucky I didn't have my tongue out!!! 

[Terry in Australia]

Ha ha, that "kicking back" story reminds me of my old Yamaha XT500 dirt bike, it had a decomp lever and a little indicator on the end of the cam, which was fine in daylight, but at night............. Needless to say, my right leg is slightly shorter than my left, ha ha!

[demon73]

Yeah guys of late my right hip gives me #$%* walking, sitting, what ever and I think it was the Matchless's revenge for trying to power through the kick start sequence either that or pick em up 9 drive em down 12.
Bill the demon.

[tramp]

to have back some of my old bikes

[mcpuffett]

I've been looking through some old photo albums & heres some bike related photos hope you like  cheers Mick

this is my Gran & my Dad taken in the 40's not sure of the make of bike it has AJW on the tank, i think it may have been customised

[mcpuffett]

This one is my Great Auntie Lily she passed away a couple of years ago now 2 weeks shy of here 100 birthday 

bike is a BSA no idea who the rider is i guess it could be the 20's/30's

[mcpuffett]

This is my Great Uncle Albert who at the time was Englands tallest policeman he stood 6ft 9 & 1/2 inches in his bare feet  , picture shows him on traffic duty on Sankey Street, Warrington, England 1932

first bike in the photo is a Sunbeam outfit not sure of the second

[mcpuffett]

Heres anothe photo of him with his brothers, my Great Uncles & Grandad

left to right is my Great uncle Jim, my Grandad Charles & my Great Uncle Albert not sure who owned the car picture was taken in the 20's/30's i think, cheers Mick

[Uncle Ernie]

Dolly and Donald, Brooklyn NY.   I think they were cousins on my father's side.




Taking Mom on her Christmas ride, somewhere in the mid-70's.  (Cold that year)

[bill440cars]

   Hey Mick and Uncle Ernie, Great shot of the folks and the old bikes. Good to see these on here where we all can come back here and check them out. Mick, that Uncle of your's IS quite tall all right! Uncle, from the look of the spare on your sidecar, looks like it is around Christmas. I'm sure that it WAS a cold ride at that. Looks like Mom was prepared for that trip too!

                                   Thanks for posting guys, Bill

[Hardi]

I started motorcycling 26 years ago. My first bike was 250cc DKW. But it was to slow and all my friends rode bigger and faster machines. So I bought my first Honda. It was a DOHC Honda with 750cc. With that bike i trvelled to the Isle of Man and went mad about the brit bikes  
I bought a BSA A10, 650cc and than a Norton Commando , a Brough Superior, a Raleigh and many more...

[Brown Bomber]

Since I'm the first in my family to enjoy motorcycling, I don't have any cool pictures from way back when, but my girlfriend comes from a very strong motorcycling background. Here are a few for now.
The first one is a busy afternoon at Oden's Motorcycle Center 1949
The second is Vic Oden, not sure what he's sitting on but check out the running boards.
The third is of Tony Oden's shop, Tony was my girlfriends Grandfather.
The fourth is Joe Oden (2nd from left) 1971
The fifth is an early hill climb event, sorry no info.
More to come

[bill440cars]

  Cool photos Brown Bomber. I especially liked this one of an old Indian (Scout or Warrior, can't tell which) Usually, the ones that have been accessorized, have been the Warrior, just my experience,

                      Thanks for posting, Bill

      

[bill440cars]

  Enjoyed the ones you posted too, Hardi.

    If I neglect to mention anyone's photo and/or stories, I apologize for that. I try to catch them all and don't always succeed.  

[Brown Bomber]

Here's a few more photos from my girlfriends scrap book.

First one is the Peninsula Hill Climb 1949
Second is The Cuyahoga Valley Motorcycle Club 1949
Another shot of Vic Oden on his Indian (Warrior?) Don't know who his partner is.
Fourth is couple of fully laden Lambretta's visiting from Canada August 1959.

[kap384]

Here's me on my CB750F when I was maybe 3.  The old man bought it used in '78.  It's a 1977 Supersport.  It went through an uncle and a cousin before I bought it.  In the process of restoring it.

[754]

that Vic2 pic looks like a 41-46 Knuck beside the Indian.. think it was in an earlier pic.

 Kap I got a buddy near the ATCO plant in SW Cowtown, used to have a 78F, and now has a parts one (I have some parts as well) And welcome abord !

[kap384]

that Vic2 pic looks like a 41-46 Knuck beside the Indian.. think it was in an earlier pic.

 Kap I got a buddy near the ATCO plant in SW Cowtown, used to have a 78F, and now has a parts one (I have some parts as well) And welcome abord !

Don't need any parts, but good to know!  Thanks!

[Brown Bomber]

Well my girlfriend returned from a recent family gathering with more great motorcycling pictures from the past, this time with full pages from the scrapbook, so here they are.
The Peninsula Hill Climb 1949
 

A trip to Daytona Beach 1949, (Slightly different today)

And now my favorite;
Here's uncle Vic when he picked up the Indian Warrior that was in my earlier post. Couldn't tell from the other photo that those big running boards where actually Snow Skies! The skies and hardware are still in the family.

As far as we know the bike is no longer in the family, just the skis.

     I did a little research online about the Indian Warrior, and learned that the 1950 model was released in early 1949, so that jives with the photo of Vic on his new blue Indian in Boston returning from picking it up in Springfield. Imagine picking up a bike with snow skis in Feb. and riding it from MA to OH :shock:

     I also learned that Indian struck an advertising deal with Baseball Hall of Fame's Bob Feller of the Cleveland Indians. They gave him a Warrior as part of the deal.
The story here;http://www.antiquemotorcycle.org/TheMagazine/ind_torque.html
I showed this to Mary,(my girlfriend) and she said "Oh yeah, Grandpa had something to do with giving him that motorcycle." 
     Now, Mary's grandpa, (Tony Oden) was an entrepreneur, and had several motorcycle related ventures, but I don't think he was part of the advertising committee, more likely he knew someone, and was able to attend the presentation. Somewhere is a photo of Bob Feller on his new Indian that is not part of the ad, but taken by Tony, I doubt we'll ever see it though.

[motocyconomad]

my father's email about motorcycles in his life
I'll find a photo of him on the bike he has now and post it but I thought it was a good email giving me a glimps into past bikes.


Hey Boys,
 
I love seeing these "old" bikes.  Here are a few that me or my friends had in the 60's and 70's.  Ariel Scrambler, Ariel four square (that's right four cylinders mounted in a square), BSA 650 Lighting (me),  NSU Quickly (me 50cc moped), Triumph Tiger Cub 200 cc, Jawa 250, Honda Dream 350, Triumph Bonneville, Royal Enfield, BSA 500 single (just a son-of-a-#$%* to kick start but the old one lunger sounded too cool).  Vespa Scooters!  Indian Motorcycles. Norton Commando 850 biggest and baddest bike on the road. Snortin' Nortons. 
 
Nobody would own a Harley. They were disgusting. First, you had to be able to actually carry tools and work on a Harley at any moment, they consistantly broke down.  Then,they had some kind of drip on the chain lube system that left a pool of oil everywhere.  Next they had no off-the-line acceleration and finally they were MC club bikes for Hell's Angel's or Hell's Angle's wanna be's.  They were real pieces of #$%* bikes and eventually got sold to American something and damn near folded until employees bought the company and made them into cult bikes and eventually into todays "Life style" marketing miracles which convinced millions that HD bikers were cool especially with HD jackets, boots, wallets, probably boxers?, HD you-name-it gear.  We see dozens in the country riding out from Houston in packs on Saturday and Sunday.  $20K bikes and can't ride for #$%*.
 
Back to the 60's.....Helmets? What the hell for?  Noboby even imagined such a thing.  Steve McQueen in the Great Escape movie was the hero busting out of the German prison camp on a bike.  Beer and bikes?  Well of course.  I have no idea how I survived.  Some of my friends didn't.  Somebody up there must have been looking over me.

TT and flat track races at night on dirt tracks. Smell the oil and the smoke. Hill climbs and scrambles with converted Harleys, BSA's and Triumphs that weighed like 600 pounds and would crush you when they tipped over backward and fell on top of you on hill climb races.  No plastic chest guards, shin guards, face masks.  Anybody wearing anything like that would have been laughed off the track.  That stuff came much later with moto cross.
 
Until a few years ago I could still see a scar on my arm where to old Beezer tipped over on me and the exhaust landed on my arm.  Ahh the sweet smell of burning flesh.  I had just out run a local cop by speeding then getting into a field he couldn't drive accross.  I waved to him from the top of a hill and hauled ass.  He knew exactly who I was and got even with me a few months later. 
 
Later I had Yamaha 500 single when Tom was born and a Yamaha 450 Enduro before that.  Then came Panama and into the more modern era of bikes.
 
Can't ride the old CM450E much now.  Texas highways are too fast.  Even the FM's and CR's have 65 and 70 mph limits where most states the limits are 55, and it's either too hot in the summer or too cold in the winter for old dudes, but Spring and Fall are perfect weather, like Southern California or Costa Rica.   
 
I see a 1000+ cc bike in our future.  Patty loves to ride with me and as soon as we can get Emi old enough to stay over at friends we'll be riding agian.
 
I'm sure not "hard core" but I can't think of a better way to get around then on a motorcycle.  And, I have to admit that all the safety gear really makes a lot of sense .... something we did not have a lot of in the 50's and 60's ... sense.
 
C ya boys
 
Pop

[ferroussphinx]

well fellas that is a nice letter love the part about harleys good night

[IndyFour]

Here is one of my grandpa.  He passed on back in 2003 but is still the greatest hero I will probably ever know.  Two Purple Hearts...one in WWII (Normandy and Battle of the Bulge) and one in Korea.  He was just a little guy, but strong as an ox.

He rode bikes all through his life.  When I was a kid, I remember he had a big white Harley and had other Harley's and Indians through the years.  In the 80s, he got his first Japanese bike, a Goldwing.  I remember that he made the comment once that he'd rebuilt engines on so many of his bikes over the years even when the bikes weren't that old, yet all he had to do on the Honda was change the oil....and it just kept running and running....why would anyone go back?   

[Damfino]

Awesome picture Chris! From the look of his clothes, I'd guess that pic was probably taken in the early to mid-40's? If not for him and the many other's from his generation, we might not of had a choice of riding a Japanese bike!
Thank God for all our veterans! 
BTW, I like that flag carrier on the front fender...

[Brown Bomber]

Awesome picture Chris! From the look of his clothes, I'd guess that pic was probably taken in the early to mid-40's? If not for him and the many other's from his generation, we might not of had a choice of riding a Japanese bike!
Thank God for all our veterans! 
BTW, I like that flag carrier on the front fender...

+1