Always interesting to see what bikes others have owned and enjoyed. Here are some of the bikes I've owned. How about you?
Originally written by ural3wheels on 10/27/2006 3:22 PM
Always interesting to see what bikes others have owned and enjoyed. Here are some of the bikes I've owned. How about you?
All of Them! (or at least to listen to my wife I have).
Actually, my first was a 1942 Harley FL when I was 14.
followed by;
1938 HD UL, Totaled this one 140 miles after I bought it. One ride, from Antigo to Milwaukee, slid it under a semi trailer less than two miles from my house.
1942 WLA,49, 59,65,FL's, 42 GA (Servicar), 1976 bicentennial Classic with a sidecar, 86 Tourglide, 96 RoadKing. Had an S model Ice Racer one winter. Never knew what year it was, late 40's I'm guessing.
Yamaha XS750, 2 850's both 1980 specials, XS1100 (all but the 750 had sidecar)
74 Honda 750, 89 TransAlp, 3 GL1000's(75, 76, 78) 1986 GL1200 with a HitchHiker sidecar, 1998 GL1500 Valkyrie with the Ural car.
1959 BMW R60. I rebuilt this one in a 12th floor dorm room at UW-Oshkosh. Got caught and nearly expelled bringing it down the elevator in spring. (Wasn't dumb enough to tell them it had been in my room for 4 months!)
52 Triumph Tbird, 52 Bonneville, 59 Bonneville, Ducati 250, 196? BSA 441 Victor, 1969 CZ 360
The 76, 86, and 96 HD's were bought new, as was the 78 GL and the TransAlp. Most of the others needed work when I started with them. I remember the WLA was still packed in Cosmolene. My brother, one of his friends, and I, bought ten from an Army Surplus store in Milwaukee. We had to buy in lots of ten. Paid $170 for the lot. We were going to get rich. Trouble was nobody wanted 45 cubic inch Harley's back then. We ended up putting them together and selling them off for 50 or 60 bucks each which translated to about fifty cents an hour for our labor. I scavenged parts from a couple to keep my servicar on the road.
I lost most of my photos to one of those nasty divorces with things flying off a third floor balcony. You brought back the memories. Thanks :0)
My head hurts. :0)
There were others, I just can't think of them right now. Maybe she is right.
This isn't a very impressive list.
1947 Whizzer motorbike (my first powered two wheels). Bought new.
1935 HD 45 flat head with suicide clutch. Bought very used.
1946 Matchless 500cc thumper, hard tail. First real mc for me.
1973 Honda 350 twin.
1979? Yamaha SR500 single
1982 Yamaha 550 Seca transverse four
(2) 1982 Honda 900F's.
1986 Honda Gold Wing
1991 Honda Gold Wing
1991 Kawasaki KLR 650
1992 Honda ST1100
1997 Honda Valkyrie (the best and last)
2006 Motorvation Spyder mounted to the Valkyrie (first sidecar rig)
That's it.
1947 Knucklehead 61 cu.in. Harley
1949 45 cu.in. Harley
1951 Panhead 74 Harley w/sidecar
1949 Panhead 61 converted to 74 Harley w/same sidecar from the 1951
1958 Duo Glide 74 Harley
1966 Kawasaki 85
1955 T110 650 Triumph
1966 Ducati 250 scrambler
1968 Yamaha DT250 Enduro
1969 Bultaco Matador 250
1970 Suzuki 250 Enduro
1971 Yamaha 360 RT1
1973 Bultaco Alpina 250
1974 XL350 Honda
1976 TL250 Honda Trials {still have}
1971 Yamaha 650 and 1971 Yamaha 350
1977 Yamaha 500 street bike
1979 XS1100 special
1984 GL1200 Aspencade Honda
1985 GL1200 Aspencade Honda
1989 GL1500 Honda w/Champion Escort sidecar {current ride}
1982 Yamaha 750 Maxim {daily around town ride}
1982 XT550 Yamaha for off/on road travel {still have}
What was that song sung by Maurice Chevalier? "To All The Girls I've Loved"
196x Honda 305 Scrambler
196x BSA Thunderbird
196x BSA Firebird Scrambler
196x BSA Hornet
196x BSA Hornet #2
197x Honda something small
197x Jawa something small
1974 Triumph Trident - first new bike
Period of non-ownership 1986-1999
1999 Royal Enfield - still have
1973 BMW R60/5
1960 BMW R60 conversion
1982 BMW R100RS
2004 Ural Retro rig - still have
1987 BMW K100 rig - own on paper but don't have posession yet.
Not all owned individually - up to five at one time during first period and four at one time recently.
Sarge
Let me see 1925 Excelcior singel 29 " " twin 30 Henderson 4 W/Flex sidecar 32 Indian Scout W/ SC 39 Indian 4 W/SC 47 Chief 43 IndianTrike1914 HD 27 JD W/ goulding SC 39 Servie Car 41 XA W/SC 41 knuckel W/SC1969 CB750 71 " " 76 " " 77 CB550 78 CX500 79 " " W.SC 80 " " 82 " "sc W/ Cal1 82 CB650 W Velorex1993 VT1100 W/SC 2 Vincents 2 BSA 1 Triumph trident1940 Triumph 100 and some other oddes and ends I can't remember
formerly owned:
1947 HD EL knucklehead 61 cu in
1951 HD FL panhead 74 cu in
2 Cushman eagle scooters, one with sidecar
Cushman highlander scooter
1968 Triumph 650 Bonneyville
1972 Kawasaki 125 enduro
1973 Bultaco 125 motocross racer
1966 HD electra-glide
Current bikes:
1977 HD XLH sportster
1978 Kawasaki KZ650 B1
1987 HD FXLR lowrider custom
Dnepr sidecar being mounted on the FXLR as soon as the mounts get here from Jay.
Ron, your 1925 Excelcior, did you buy it new ?.........fly
NO but my Dad did he was a Henderson/Excelser dealer till they went out of bussness in 1930, he closed in 31. My one Uncle was a Indisn dealer and my other one was a HD dealer
Past;
couple of early 70s Hondas of different sizes
BMW R26, several R60s, a couple of R69Ss, 2 R67/2 (one restored, one with original police green and Spezial), 82 R65LS
Guzzi T3 (?) cafe
79 Yamaha SR500
46 and 47 Indian Chiefs
couple of sidecars here and there
Present;
75 Honda CB400F
91 Honda GB500
73 Yammi RD60
BMW /2 frame w R100 and S500 Steib
01 Kawasaki W650
48 Indian Chief
Interesting general trends. Older farts started on HDs and Indians then went to Brits and Japs. Old farts started on Brits and went to Japs. Just-getting Old farts started on Japs and went to HDs and Brits! Of course the Euros are represented throughout. Then there's Ron....was steam power really as smooth as they say? 😉
This old fart started with a jointly owned '36 Knuckle, went the scooter, Brit, Jap, off road, desert, back road, route. Now Twin cam Harley long rider on any road that my back will handle. '03 FXLR/563 Tour Velorex.
Lonnie
Originally written by ural3wheels on 10/30/2006 5:00 AM
Interesting general trends. Older farts started on HDs and Indians then went to Brits and Japs. Old farts started on Brits and went to Japs. Just-getting Old farts started on Japs and went to HDs and Brits! Of course the Euros are represented throughout. Then there's Ron....was steam power really as smooth as they say? 😉
You have to remember that when most of us Old Farts started, Harleys and Indians were the cheapest things on the road. Nobody wanted them, but it was all we could afford. The British and German bikes were way too expensive, and the Japanese bikes that were available were all under about 200cc and cost three times what you could buy a running Harley. That 65 FL was only 4 years old when I got it and I gave him a rusted out 59 Rambler Wagon for it.
In 1972, to get the 59 Panhead I paid off a guy's $75 bar bill and gave him a carton of cigarettes.
Once the soldiers who brought the majority of the Brit bikes (and cars) home started buying houses and approaching middle age, we could afford to buy their used bikes. About that time, a large number of HD's had been either taken off the road or chopped. The collectors started paying attention to the remaining specimens so their prices started to rise. And, of course, the Japanese had expanded into big bikes.
Now that is telling it just the way it was. The bikes that I wanted when I was young were way to costly for me. Even with most of the famley dealers I still had to EARN any thing I got. Was never given a thing till I got out of the Army in 1957 then my dad gave me a Brand New Henderson in the crate complete with a Flexe sidecarRon in Co
Wow what a loaded question:
Suzuki
DS 80 Sold
Kawasaki
7? KV 75
72 S1 250 Triple 04144
73 Z1 900 ser 21416 Sold
73 Z1 900 ser 8441
74 Z1 900 ser 36742
75 S1 250 Triple 25845
77 KZ 650 W/ Velorex 562 Sold
77 KZ 650 005550
78 KZ 650 037259
78 KZ 650 037022
82 Z 650 F3 ser 013013(German Spec)
82 KZ 1000 LTD ser 009393
BMW
71 R60/5
73 R90/6 W/ 79 Velorex 562 Sold
73 R75/5
78 R100 blue
78 R100 red
79 R65 SOLD
84 R80 RT W/ 74 Jawa Velorex 560 Boat tail
Honda
79 GL 1100 Sold
81 GL 1100 Sold
82 GL 1100 Sold
84 GL 1200 Interstate Sold
88 GL 1500/6 W/ Velorex 562 then Dnepr now CSC Friendship 3
NSU
Lux 198 cc 2 stroke Sold
I Guess my brother sums it up best with this poem:
I bought a bike to have some fun,
the second one was twice the mun.
Next came three and then came four,
who'd ever imagine there would be several more.
Basket cases and sheds of parts,
it seemed I'd buy anything that starts.
There was no coverage on the medical plan,
I rode for pay, I was the man.
With some it's booze or drug addiction,
with me it's just the bike affliction.
Notably written by "Mark IX"
Anyone who says you have to many bikes, doesn't have enough!
Porkchopp
