Motorcycles

[Alpo]

I saw a picture somewhere today - I thought it was on this thread but I can't find it. The guy standing next to a motorcycle with a big sign where the windshield should be. $1,000 IF YOU CAN START MY MOTORCYCLE

 

I never did that, but I had a Norton. And it seems like anybody that had ever heard of a motorcycle, when they found out I had a Norton, "Can I ride your bike???"

 

Unlike a Yamaha or a Kawasaki, which has a kick stroke of about 15 or 18 inches, a Norton has a stroke of about four. So I would tell them they could ride it if they could start it.

 

Very few people ever got to ride my bike

[Texas Joker]

Youtube bikes and beards channel.  Old Kickstart Harley with a spark advance

[Eyesa Horg]

14 hours ago, Blackwater 53393 said:

In the late sixties, my cousin, Sam, bought an XLCH Sportster. They were kick start only. Sam weighed about 130 lbs. I weighed a svelte 195! On more than a few occasions, I would drive the fifteen miles to his house to start it for him! I actually saw him wind up sitting on the front fender one time after he failed to let go of the handlebars!!

 

After it was started and warmed up, he could easily start it.

 

 

Yep, 68 xlch that tried to launch me. That damn bike either started on a couple kicks or wouldn't even pop. Depended in it's mood I guess. Only had it a few weeks before a cage ran a light and compacted it and me. I tried to part it out and one of the viewers stole it, never to be seen again. I think I may still have the title from 5 decades ago!

[Subdeacon Joe]

Flat Out !! no Helmet! no gloves, no eyewear! no nothing! when men were .....!!   but he's wearing a cardigan sweater slack pants button dress shirt and tie   

 

[Pat Riot]

14 hours ago, Subdeacon Joe said:

Flat Out !! no Helmet! no gloves, no eyewear! no nothing! when men were .....!!   but he's wearing a cardigan sweater slack pants button dress shirt and tie   

 

Isn’t it amazing? Technology and Medicine were not very advanced at all back then, yet these crazy guys risked life and limb for fun, excitement and for some, notoriety. 

 

[Blackwater 53393]

14 hours ago, Subdeacon Joe said:

Flat Out !! no Helmet! no gloves, no eyewear! no nothing! when men were .....!!   but he's wearing a cardigan sweater slack pants button dress shirt and tie   

 

HELL!!  I reckon he’s not much crazier than all those idjits standing beside the road, watching from behind…

 

OH! They ain’t behind nothin’!!  One hiccup and they’re just as screwed as the rider!!

[Pat Riot]

On 11/8/2023 at 12:01 PM, Eyesa Horg said:

Yep, 68 xlch that tried to launch me. That damn bike either started on a couple kicks or wouldn't even pop. Depended in it's mood I guess. Only had it a few weeks before a cage ran a light and compacted it and me. I tried to part it out and one of the viewers stole it, never to be seen again. I think I may still have the title from 5 decades ago!

Unlike yours, this is a funny story. 
 

Back in 1992 I needed another set of wheels. I wanted a motorcycle so I bought a used 1976 Yamaha 650 Twin. It was a Triumph copy. It had electric start and kick start, but this story isn’t about kick starting it. It was probably the easiest kick starting bike I had ever encountered. 
Anyway, this bike had a points system. The points would close on this thing all the time. The funky plate below the plate where the pounds were mounted was all stripped out. A very common problem with that model. Those plates were no longer available anywhere. Of course the internet didn’t exist then so searching was done the old fashioned way. In person and by phone. 
The points closing problem happened so often that I could reset the points in less than a minute if I had the two screwdrivers and a matchbook in my pocket. 
I rode this bike daily for a year and a half until I got a new Ford F150 pickup truck. 
We lived in an apartment with covered assigned parking. My spot had a raised storage unit and below that big cabinet I had room to park that bike. So, I parked it and covered it with a blue tarp secured with bungee cords. 
Months later we bought a house. For probably 6 months that tarp never came off that bike. 
When moving I was dreading hauling that bike over to our house. I considered scrapping it, but decided I still might get lucky and find the plate I needed or sell the bike for parts.

The very last thing to move was the bike. I borrowed a bike ramp from a buddy of mine and bought some tie down straps. I parked my truck in the street with the tailgate over the driveway entrance so the ramp wouldn’t have much of an incline.

I walked up to the “bike” dreading dealing with all the dust and dirt on that tarp. I reached down and undid the bungee then pulled on the tarp to expose the bike. When I yanked the tarp all of a sudden the “bike” began to fall over. I rushed in to hold it up but something was wrong. It moved and felt funny. 
The bike wasn’t under the tarp. The was a large “Burro” saw horse and a funky wooden structure upside down on the horse to simulate the handlebars, gas tank and rear seat rise. 
SOMEONE HAD STOLEN MY BIKE!

For a moment I was angry, then I realized someone had done me a favor and the hoax was funny so I laughed. My 2 neighbors that volunteered to help me must have thought I was nuts. 
I have no idea when that bike might have been stolen. I didn’t get a nearly brand new saw horse, so I had that going for me. 
I never reported it stolen to the police and the insurance had been canceled. The bike was listed “Inoperative” with the state so there was no bureaucracy to worry about.
I wrapped up the tarp and my new saw horse and tossed them into the truck along with the ramp and drove to my new house. Laughing all the way. 

[Eyesa Horg]

4 hours ago, Pat Riot said:

Unlike yours, this is a funny story. 
 

Back in 1992 I needed another set of wheels. I wanted a motorcycle so I bought a used 1976 Yamaha 650 Twin. It was a Triumph copy. It had electric start and kick start, but this story isn’t about kick starting it. It was probably the easiest kick starting bike I had ever encountered. 
Anyway, this bike had a points system. The points would close on this thing all the time. The funky plate below the plate where the pounds were mounted was all stripped out. A very common problem with that model. Those plates were no longer available anywhere. Of course the internet didn’t exist then so searching was done the old fashioned way. In person and by phone. 
The points closing problem happened so often that I could reset the points in less than a minute if I had the two screwdrivers and a matchbook in my pocket. 
I rode this bike daily for a year and a half until I got a new Ford F150 pickup truck. 
We lived in an apartment with covered assigned parking. My spot had a raised storage unit and below that big cabinet I had room to park that bike. So, I parked it and covered it with a blue tarp secured with bungee cords. 
Months later we bought a house. For probably 6 months that tarp never came off that bike. 
When moving I was dreading hauling that bike over to our house. I considered scrapping it, but decided I still might get lucky and find the plate I needed or sell the bike for parts.

The very last thing to move was the bike. I borrowed a bike ramp from a buddy of mine and bought some tie down straps. I parked my truck in the street with the tailgate over the driveway entrance so the ramp wouldn’t have much of an incline.

I walked up to the “bike” dreading dealing with all the dust and dirt on that tarp. I reached down and undid the bungee then pulled on the tarp to expose the bike. When I yanked the tarp all of a sudden the “bike” began to fall over. I rushed in to hold it up but something was wrong. It moved and felt funny. 
The bike wasn’t under the tarp. The was a large “Burro” saw horse and a funky wooden structure upside down on the horse to simulate the handlebars, gas tank and rear seat rise. 
SOMEONE HAD STOLEN MY BIKE!

For a moment I was angry, then I realized someone had done me a favor and the hoax was funny so I laughed. My 2 neighbors that volunteered to help me must have thought I was nuts. 
I have no idea when that bike might have been stolen. I didn’t get a nearly brand new saw horse, so I had that going for me. 
I never reported it stolen to the police and the insurance had been canceled. The bike was listed “Inoperative” with the state so there was no bureaucracy to worry about.
I wrapped up the tarp and my new saw horse and tossed them into the truck along with the ramp and drove to my new house. Laughing all the way. 

That's a pretty amazing story. Good thing it wasn't a scooter you loved. Damn, I would have been livid. Too bad it wasn't still insured! Would've saved selling it and could have made a buck! Bet the arshole that stole it still hasn't gotten that backing plate! Always good to get a free saw horse!

[Subdeacon Joe]

4 hours ago, Pat Riot said:

Isn’t it amazing? Technology and Medicine were not very advanced at all back then, yet these crazy guys risked life and limb for fun, excitement and for some, notoriety. 

 

 

And were well dressed while doing it!

[sassnetguy50]

4 hours ago, Blackwater 53393 said:

HELL!!  I reckon he’s not much crazier than all those idjits standing beside the road, watching from behind…

 

OH! They ain’t behind nothin’!!  One hiccup and they’re just as screwed as the rider!!

Yes, and the news papers used such incidents to kill board track racing.

[Pat Riot]

2 hours ago, sassnetguy50 said:

Yes, and the news papers used such incidents to kill board track racing.

I read a story about a board track in New Jersey, I believe, that outlined some pretty gruesome injuries. The one that literally turned my stomach was the guy that slide then rolled a bit. He had huge splinters skewered into him all over. Blood and guts incidents and accidents really don’t bother me much, but the story of that guy and the way the writer explained his injuries shivered my timbers and turned my stomach. 

[Pat Riot]

2 hours ago, Eyesa Horg said:

That's a pretty amazing story. Good thing it wasn't a scooter you loved. Damn, I would have been livid. Too bad it wasn't still insured! Would've saved selling it and could have made a buck! Bet the arshole that stole it still hasn't gotten that backing plate! Always good to get a free saw horse!

I thought it was darn police of them to leave me a new saw horse. Too bad it wasn’t a pair. 

I have to say that I pretty much had enough of dealing with that bike. It had a bunch of problems but the points plate was the topper. I couldn’t find parts for that bike anywhere so it got to the point where I just didn’t care what happened to it. 
I was relieved that somebody stole it. 
I do believe that is the only motorcycle that I have felt that way about. 

[Subdeacon Joe]

"A Royal Enfield 6HP V-Twin displaying one of it's alternative gun positions for anti-aircraft work. 

Captured outside the original Enfield Cycle Co works in Redditch, this incredible photograph comes from our archive collection and dates back to approx. 1914-15."

 

 

[T.K.]

ONE LAST RIDE!!!

[Sedalia Dave]

 

It sucks big time 

[Eyesa Horg]

We rode way more miles in rain, snow and even hail once than we did in sunshine! When scheduling vacations at work, my guys always my dates first because it always rained when I went on vacation.

[Blackwater 53393]

Never leave in the rain!!  Never ride without leather.  Any hide that don’t turn water ain’t worth havin’!!  If you ain’t never been wet, you ain’t no biker!!

[Injun Ryder, SASS #36201L]

Ridden lots in the rain. Had Have a rain suit, rubber pullover boots, and Goretex socks and glove covers. Girlfriend loved to ride in the rain.

 

Now snow! 

Back in the late 60's, a bunch of us were sitting around a garage on a Sunday in a blizzard. We all decided to ride over to a nearby town to a coffee shop for a cup of coffee. None of us had any adverse weather gear. The biggest bike was a 350 Honda. I was riding my uncle's Harley Hummer.

 

It was a wet, heavy snow and we constantly had to wipe our face shields clear to see. Also, there had been no snow removal from the roads and the snow was about four inches deep. At one T intersection of two highways, one of us slid off the road (not me) into a ditch and the sides were so slick, a few of us had to push him out.

 

We got to the coffee shop and were completely covered in snow. There was no one else there (Surprise!) and the owners thought we were crazy to be out in the blizzard. 

 

We had some food and drink and then headed back home in the storm.

 

Edited November 21, 2023 by Injun Ryder, SASS #36201L

[Subdeacon Joe]

1939 Mercier Moto-Chenille | France 

The Mercier Moto-Chenille is a motorcycle with a track instead of a front wheel. The motorcycle engine is located at the front of the rider, on the front fork (or right up on the handlebars). The motorcycle was developed for the Swiss army, but it so happened that its prototype was tested on hilly terrain in France.

The tracked motorcycle Mercier was equipped with a 350 ccm JAP OHV engine, around which the basic design of the machine was concentrated. The JAP engine produced 10 hp at 3000 rpm and was able to speed the motorcycle up to 65 km/h. Additional cooling of the cylinder head was provided by a fan, which was driven by the engine.

Considering Mercier's invention to be very useful, French military conducted a test-drive of the prototype in 1939, and according to its results the vehicle was recommended for production with modifications, which, in turn, were rejected by the manufacturer.

History has preserved information about a small batch of only three units of tracked motorcycles Moto-Chenille, with quite technological for that time JAP OHV engines and a very unusual appearance.

 

 

 

[Pat Riot]

Joe, that is one funky motorcycle. 

 

 

I will ride in pretty much any weather condition that doesn’t include ice. 
I remember once afternoon in Oregon trying to get home after it rained all morning then froze in the afternoon. We had below freezing temps for a while so the ground was frozen. The temps hit 34 then it rained then froze again. 
Black ice all around. 

The ride home was quite invigorating. I mostly road on the shoulder. Frozen icy gravel actually isn’t too bad to ride on but I had to cross a couple of bridges and in some spots there was no shoulder. I made it home without dumping the bike though. 
Good Times. 

[Blackwater 53393]

At one time, and not that long ago, I only had my old Harley for transportation. When it snowed too badly for me to ride to work, one of the guys I worked with would pick me up.

 

One morning, it had snowed about four inches overnight and I waited for my ride.  He forgot to stop and then didn’t come back for me.  
 

I waited for about an hour and then got the old bike out and headed to work. I negotiated the two miles of backroad carefully and the eleven miles of backed up interstate to get to the shop.  There were several drivers who weren’t happy that I was able to drive by them in the snow.

 

When I walked into the shop after parking the scooter, I saw one of my fellow employees collecting cash from several others!

 

He was laughing loudly and and I heard him telling them all, “I told every one of you that he’d be riding in before you knew it!”

 

He made a couple hundred bucks!  Nobody ever took that bet again!!  
 

 

[Subdeacon Joe]

23 minutes ago, Blackwater 53393 said:

He made a couple hundred bucks!  Nobody ever took that bet again!!  

 

Did you get a cut?

[Blackwater 53393]

1 hour ago, Subdeacon Joe said:

 

Did you get a cut?

Nah!!  He was always bringing me stuff to eat and drink and he gave us our second (female) Dalmatian.

 

Super nice guy that was gone way too soon!!

[Subdeacon Joe]

Joe Lovell

  · 

Shared with Public

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hillebrand Rifles

  · 

US Army Corporal Roy Holtz, first US soldier and first Harley Davidson in Germany at the end of World War 1, 12 November 1918.

On November 8 of 1918, rumors circulated that the war was nearing an end. Stationed in Belgium, Holtz was ordered to take his Captain out on a night mission. A dispatch rider, Holtz was on his Harley-Davidson model J with the Captain riding in the sidecar. Holtz, familiar with the region suggested a safe route; the Captain ordered a different route and they got lost, dangerously close to German lines.

They approached a farmhouse with light coming from the windows. Holtz’s Captain told him to knock on the door and ask directions. The disgruntled Corporal approached the door as ordered. When it opened, he instinctively stepped in, out of the rain. He was greeted by German officers of the Fifth Bavarian Division. Holtz was right; they had ridden right into enemy hands. The Germans told him to summon his captain. Not using “Sir,” or “Captain,” he shouted “Hey Sam, come on in.” The Captain was shocked upon arriving indoors, only to hear Holtz grumble “See what your blasted directions got us into?”

A German General ordered one of his men to summon an interpreter. The son of German immigrants, Holtz informed him that he could speak German. He was then escorted to a separate room for further questioning. The General poured them two drinks. Thinking it was either schnapps or poison, he waited for the General to take the first sip. After the General stated a hearty “Gesundheit,” and downed his drink, Holtz felt more at ease and drank his. It was neither poison nor schnapps, but a potato whisky that Holtz said burned like fire.

The Germans tried to get information from Holtz, with no success. The American soldiers were to be delivered to headquarters for further questioning. With Holtz and the Captain back on the bike and sidecar, the German guard rode on the rigid luggage rack over the rear wheel. Holtz deliberately hit every bump and pothole he could, and with as much speed as possible. The more the German complained, the more aggressively Holtz rode.

Both Holts and his Captain were incarcerated until November 11, the day the Armistice was signed, ending the War. A German guard approached with the message “The war is at an end.” Holtz and the Captain had their weapons, gear, and motorcycle returned to them. They began the long journey back to their camp, but had no idea where they were.

They stopped at a small Belgian village, asking the local priest for directions. The priest was thrilled. The sight of American soldiers confirmed the war’s end. He ordered a tolling of the church bells and the townspeople came out to celebrate. After spending the night, they got their bearings and returned to their camp. Their outfit was already pulling up stakes to move.

Later that day, Roy Holtz entered Germany riding his trusty Harley-Davidson. He was the first American to enter Germany. A local photographer had taken notice of the German military heading toward home. They were not in a march step, which was the norm in wartime, but moving at a casual pace. He set up his camera and began to document the event. As he did so, Holtz rode into view and stopped, waiting to turn left. The photographer caught the historic moment and the photo remains today an iconic piece of H-D history.

https://www.harley-davidson.com/.../The-First-Yank-and...

 

 

Edited January 5, 2024 by Subdeacon Joe

[Subdeacon Joe]

 

 

 

 

 

[Pat Riot]

Hey @Blackwater 53393

I think these are going to be my next set of tires. Dunlop “Mutant”. Of course the bloggers / writers make them seem better than I will bet they are, but they have some aggressive tread. 

 

https://www.webbikeworld.com/dunlops-new-mutant-tires-are-built-to-take-on-all-terrains/

[sassnetguy50]

The first 30 seconds shows it.  Video from 6 years ago.  The rider locked his rear brake then tried to regain traction by free rolling.  The car was a rental without insurance.

Edited November 24, 2023 by sassnetguy50

[Alpo]

Every time I have seen that lane next to the median, it was a carpool lane. So there's the guy by himself on the motorcycle boogieing down the carpool lane?

 

Yes, the kid in the car was in the wrong, crossing over that line. But what was the single guy on the bike doing in the carpool lane?

[sassnetguy50]

https://www.chp.ca.gov/programs-services/services-information/hov-and-hot-lane-information

 

"Motorcycles:

Solo motorcyclists can use HOV lanes (and most HOT lanes) without a decal unless otherwise posted. Motorcyclists cannot ride on, in, or over solid double lines."

[Pat Riot]

3 hours ago, sassnetguy50 said:

The first 30 seconds shows it.  Video from 6 years ago.  The rider locked his rear brake then tried to regain traction by free rolling.  The car was a rental without insurance.

That is how people drive in Southern California. That dude was high. Probably on heroin…the driver. 
Actually, the motorcyclist is lucky he ended up on a moving car. 
I rewatched the video. That is so weird. That is the same exact model and color of the car that cut over hit me in 2019. It was a young girl that hit me in her parent’s car. 
I wonder if the police got the dude for 

1. Reckless driving - crossing the yellow line into Diamond Lane.

2. Reckless endangerment.

3. Not entering carpool lane in the proper zone.

4. No insurance.

5. Driving high.

6. Just being a dumb m*****f*****.

 

[Blackwater 53393]

8 hours ago, Pat Riot said:

Hey @Blackwater 53393

I think these are going to be my next set of tires. Dunlop “Mutant”. Of course the bloggers / writers make them seem better than I will bet they are, but they have some aggressive tread. 

 

https://www.webbikeworld.com/dunlops-new-mutant-tires-are-built-to-take-on-all-terrains/

Looks a lot like the Avon Venom tire that I’ve run on our bikes for many years.  It’s a great tire with long life and that pattern gives surprising traction in the wet. I DID have to go to a larger rear tire on my old bike after we rebuilt it and jumped up the engine performance.  I don’t do burnouts or intentionally spin the tire, but with the new engine and the lower first gear in the six speed, it will just haze the tire on mild to hard acceleration and the standard width tires played out pretty quickly.

 

I first went to a 180 Continental, (the Conti Tour) and when it didn’t last much longer, I tried the Venoms. They were pretty new at the time and the improved tread pattern and better compound did the trick.

 

’Course, the last few years, I haven’t been able to ride because of this damned foot issue, so I’m a little behind on all the new tires of the last five years or so.

 

 Hope they do well for you.   I’m hoping to be riding in the spring and I’ll expect a report.

[Pat Riot]

21 minutes ago, Blackwater 53393 said:

Looks a lot like the Avon Venom tire that I’ve run on our bikes for many years.  It’s a great tire with long life and that pattern gives surprising traction in the wet. I DID have to go to a larger rear tire on my old bike after we rebuilt it and jumped up the engine performance.  I don’t do burnouts or intentionally spin the tire, but with the new engine and the lower first gear in the six speed, it will just haze the tire on mild to hard acceleration and the standard width tires played out pretty quickly.

 

I first went to a 180 Continental, (the Conti Tour) and when it didn’t last much longer, I tried the Venoms. They were pretty new at the time and the improved tread pattern and better compound did the trick.

 

’Course, the last few years, I haven’t been able to ride because of this damned foot issue, so I’m a little behind on all the new tires of the last five years or so.

 

 Hope they do well for you.   I’m hoping to be riding in the spring and I’ll expect a report.

I have heard good things about those Venoms. They look great. 
The last 2 tire sets I have purchased are the Michelin Road 5. It was rated as the best wet weather tire made and I believe it. They also provide very good all around traction except for gravel and wet grass…or dry grass on a hill. 
The problem I am having with the Road 5s is because most of the riding I do is on twisty country roads the centerline of the tires is still in very good shape. The sides of the tire near the 2-2.5” center band are softer. They are wearing away and the back tire is cupping. The front is starting to as well. 
I can feel it and turns with really smooth pavement. It’s not really a hazard but it feels odd and I know I am not getting the best traction in curves because of it. 
I will definitely let you know how I feel about the Mutants. I may get them in January. My birthday is coming up then. 

[Blackwater 53393]

I ran the Michelins on my Buell. They did the same as you describe! The Buell was impossible to keep tires on! That thing ran like Jack the Bear out of the hole if you crowded it at all and I literally dragged the leather off the toes of my boots in the turns sometimes.  It certainly handled better than most any bike I have ever ridden very far!

 

The Michelins are made for just that purpose and are NOT made for mileage!  I kept buying them because they made me feel a little more safe when I’d get aggressive!  

That bike was prone to encouraging aggressive riding. Schoolmarm hated to ride with me if I was on that thing.  She’d just let me ride off and when I backed off, she’d catch back up on her Sportster and wave that “teacher finger” at me like I was one of her fourth graders being scolded!! 

[Sedalia Dave]

[Pat Riot]

10 hours ago, Blackwater 53393 said:

I ran the Michelins on my Buell. They did the same as you describe! The Buell was impossible to keep tires on! That thing ran like Jack the Bear out of the hole if you crowded it at all and I literally dragged the leather off the toes of my boots in the turns sometimes.  It certainly handled better than most any bike I have ever ridden very far!

 

The Michelins are made for just that purpose and are NOT made for mileage!  I kept buying them because they made me feel a little more safe when I’d get aggressive!  

That bike was prone to encouraging aggressive riding. Schoolmarm hated to ride with me if I was on that thing.  She’d just let me ride off and when I backed off, she’d catch back up on her Sportster and wave that “teacher finger” at me like I was one of her fourth graders being scolded!! 

I wanted a Buell for so long. I couldn’t afford one. Once I could afford one they were out of business.