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
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