Just thot to take this gig of subject here for a little more conversation so as not to totally HOG the thread in Doctrinal.
Well, if it had to do with JC a choice between a hog or a donkey a ride into town, it may have been worth a shot in doctrinal.
Other wit let's rok on bikes here in the OPEN road!!!
The Gold Wing I traded for the day was fully loaded, uhm but without power windows. Stereo to the max nth decibles blowing out red lights and turning over vehicles in the turn lanes.
But ya know,
if ya just had the bike running and a helmet on, I sware to ya, just to be sure, I would take the helmet off and listen. It's a touring bike with some nice power.
"hug tool-roll" Now that's a term I have not thot about in quite a while. Just enough tools to swear ya wish ya had more :D-->
Keep an eye on that rear shaft-drive assembly. My neighbor let his run out of grease and it seized while he was going 70 on the freeway. He said half the fun was staying on it until it stopped and the other half was getting it out of the fast lane with the rear wheel seized.
"Keep an eye on that rear shaft-drive assembly. My neighbor let his run out of grease and it seized while he was going 70 on the freeway. He said half the fun was staying on it until it stopped and the other half was getting it out of the fast lane with the rear wheel seized"
LOL
Cool.
I was once on I-40 going West, while doing a quick run from Norfolk to Fresno, and just past Kingman Arizona, I blew the front tire. I had the throttle locked and my feet were up on the handle-bars at the time. I had been doing 80, and trying to get through the desert before sunrise. Doing something like that will surely get your attention fast.
~~~I used to carry a hug tool-roll. But over the years, I never did use it for anything on my bike, I was always loaning it out to help all the Hardley guys that I ended up riding alongside of.
A lot of those hardleys you see sitting on the side of the road, man.
awe come on man, that's a cheep shot dude! I never had any problems with my '75 Sportster. Did not even leak a dime of oil. Well, I will have to admit, Harley was owned by AMF at that time.
I dont carry any tools anymore. I bought this Gold-wing 2 years ago, just as the bike turned 20 years old. Got it for $1,000. It's blue-book value is less than the cost it would be to have a shop do about anything to it. So the first sign of a break-down and it is going to the dump. But that was 10,000 miles ago. I did change the oil, I dont know why, but I did. It just keeps running. It would not surprize me if I get another 100,000 miles out of it.
That's totally awsesome Galen. But I betcha ya won't see a Gold Wing on display in a museum anytime soon. :D-->
The guy that I bought it from, really did not ride it much, he never took it for a coast-to-coast run. I have done a bunch of those drives on a couple different Kawasakis that I have had. It is a good drive, about 3 days depending on which highway you use.
Are ya talking coast to coast like in Highway 80? And on Kakasakis? I would like to hear a coupla stories those crotch rocket rides. I fancied to do one on a Harley, but it just never happened. You free soul to da bone dude!!!
This Gold-wing though it only had 80,000 miles on it when I got it, very low mileage, for a 20 year old gold-wing.
I would imagine a little ole lady used it to go the store.
Kawaskis dont hold up the way that Gold-wings do, By the time you get a Kawasaki up to 75,000 or 100,000 miles it is pretty well worn.
Hmmm, don't know 'bout 'dat. I have a friend who still has his '75 Kawasaki (900/950 ?)~~~
I thinks this thread has few stories to tell eh Galen? The invisible 7/11 is just around the corner where them cow girls float on the ceiling
awe come on man, that's a cheep shot dude! I never had any problems with my '75 Sportster. Did not even leak a dime of oil. Well, I will have to admit, Harley was owned by AMF at that time.
Really you never had any problems? Sorry. I am just under the general impression that the norm is otherwise.
Just last week a Harley came alongside me, for about 3 miles till he had to pull-over. I did not go back, to see if I could help, but then again I dont carry tools anymore. At least in my expereince I dont see Hondas or Kawasakis broken down nearly as often as I do see Jap-Harleys.
American made bikes [like honda] seem to perform better, but that is just my observation. Smoother, quieter, no rattle to loosen the bolts or your kidneys, and 100,000 miles later they are often still running well.
"... But I betcha ya won't see a Gold Wing on display in a museum anytime soon. :D-->"
I have no idea what gets put into museums, do we have Harleys in museums?
Over the years I have owned various cars too, but I never really paid any attention to which ones may have museums dedicated to them either. A car, a pick-up, a van, a bike they are each peices of equipment usefull for transportation, though they each have a 'focus' that makes one better at one thing, while another choice is better at another thing.
Do you purchase a motorvehicle on the basis that one day it may be in a museum? That is fine if you do, it just never occured to me. :-)
"Are ya talking coast to coast like in Highway 80? And on Kakasakis? I would like to hear a coupla stories those crotch rocket rides. I fancied to do one on a Harley, but it just never happened. You free soul to da bone dude!!!"
I-20, I-40, I-70, I-80 and twice on Highway #2 the 'Queen's Highway'. [over all the Canadian roads are far better]
Seriously I dont think you should try that on a harley, wouldn't you really need a kidney belt to not injure yourself? Better stick to something that does not use a V-twin engine, for better stability and less shake. That shaking will really rattle you over a long drive. :-)
"This Gold-wing though it only had 80,000 miles on it when I got it, very low mileage, for a 20 year old gold-wing.
I would imagine a little ole lady used it to go the store.
No just low mileage, probably some weekend-only summer-rider. Who just used it for local stuff.
Here in Ct, I do see a lot of summer only rides. I dont mind carrying a bag of salt [in case the tires freeze to a parking lot] in one saddlebag, and a snow shovel on the luggage rack in case I need to move a snow drift.
But in general it is my impression that most Ct natives only ride in the summer-time. I guess they jsut dont really enjoy it that much.
Hmmm, don't know 'bout 'dat. I have a friend who still has his '75 Kawasaki (900/950 ?)~~~
Really? without the water-cooling I seem to think that air-cooled stuff does not tend to last as long in terms of mileage that is. No doubt there are 'wild-points' individual bikes that last a long time, but in general I doubt that there are very many 200,000 mile bikes out there with air-cooled engines. I could be wrong.
Our eldest son, bought a new Suzuki, last summer and drove it through the winter.
With their $39/month financing deals, it is hard not to. That is pretty cheap for a vehicle, He drove it out to Indiana for a 'New Years Teen Advance' and he really seemed to enjoy the ride. Then he drove it down to Wichita.
I did not mean to make any cheap shots, or to insult you in any way.
I am glad that your '75 Sportster is holding up so well. Have you rode it all this time?
Where all have you been with it?
How many times have you rolled over the odometer?
The same really about your buddy with his '75 Kawasaki (900/950)?
It seems to me that often when I do see a mid-70's bike, they are the results of someone's project and really spent 2 decades in a pile of milkcrates, having only recently been re-constructed. I did not mean to imply that you had not rode the same bike all this time. It is just that many of the guys I see now, with older bikes either the bike lives in a garage except for Memorial-day weekend, or they spend a decade here or there as a pile of parts. :-)
My current Goldwing is a '82 [which makes it American-made]. I only bought it in 2001. Before that being overseas, I had a break in my bike riding, Naples is not a real good place to take a big bike.
Before that I had gone through a series of Kawasakis, starting in 1977 ...
"Not to horn in... but I thought the Harley was made in the USA??? No????"
They were in 1903.
I dont know the entire history, by the mid-80s they were manufacturing enough parts and doing some assembly work overseas that HD lobbied in 1987 to drop all tarrifs from imported bikes.
Whereas Honda began manufacturing bikes in the US in 1979, Gold-wing production started full-time in America in 1981.
It is my understanding that to this day parts are commonly imported for HD, Specifically starters and electrical components are honda and HD modifies their frames to fit honda components. So to that extent HD's are Amercian made, in that they do include American made Honda parts.
I had to get a fuel filter today and I asked they said that many of the parts today come from Turkey!!! I did not know that. And of course their main source Brazil.
Learn something everyday though. :-)
"I thought some of the family decendants and old design guys got together and bought it back from AMF."
Yeap that is their marketing.
:-)
That is the story that I have been told, but they soon went public so they dont own it anymore, rather the share-holders foreign and domestic own it.
Their website says:
1962 HD buys tomohawk boats manufacturing,
1969 HD merged with AMF,
1973 HD builds new assembly plant in Penn.
1981 HD execs sign deal 'buying back' their name.
1983 HD lobbys to get an added tariff to imported bikes 700cc and larger,
1986 HD goes public, now owned by share-holders,
HD buys 'Holiday Rambler' motorhome manufacturing
1987 HD listed on NY stock Exch.
1987 HD lobbys to drop import tarrifs to allow them to import parts for cheaper,
1991 HD purchased robotic painting system from honda to paint bikes at their Penn assembly plant,
1996 HD builds a new inventory processing plant for parts distribution in Wis.
1997 HD builds a new production developement plant in Millwaukie,
and another one in Kansas City,
1998 HD builds new manufacturing plant in Manaus Brazil,
The last time I went to bike week in Laconia was on my honymoon back in 1972 and we both spent the night in jail. Had a 1949 suicide clutch panhead fully chopped.
Onion -- I work for the local hospital there and we almost double our staffing for the weekends of MC Week.
My brothers, who were all born and raised in Laconia, tell of one year where the Hell's Angels took the Laconia and NH State Police and locked them all up in the Laconia jail! The governor had to send in the National Guard to get them out! Since then, there's been waaaayyyyyy more security at those things but there's always something happening that week that makes the national news....
I went to motorcycle week each year from 1966 to 1972. Back then all you needed to do was claim your spot along the highway, pitch a tent and party for the week. After the Hells Angels incident they banned all roadside camping, I never went back, kind of took the fun away for me.
In another thread I told about my arrest and jail time in Laconia. I was smoking a joint and drinking a beer while on my bike... just having fun.
When I was inside a bike shop a couple days ago, and I spoke with couple guys hanging out there. This one shop sales both HD and Honda, under the same roof, so I guess it is kind of primed for discussions comparing the two.
:-)
They were handing me a bunch of magazines that list all the bike shows in New England this summer. There does appear to be a lot of them scheduled.
I never really thought about all these 'poker runs','weekend bash's, 'rally's, 'weekend of fun's, 'pig roast's, 'swap and rock's, 'bike show's, 'bike blessing's, 'liquid latex and lobster fest's, etc...
And according to these magazines it does look like they do about even business in retailing trailers for their bikes. So apparently many dont even drive their bikes to these shows, rallys, roasts, etc.
Does anyone else here on GS attend these things?
I like riding a bike. Though through most of my career, I have been free to ride only when they gave my liberty. Coming in after a patrol and being adjusted to 18 hour days, it took a week of jet-lagging to re-adjust to a 24 hour day, so going out and riding a bike was great for that, just be back on base when time is up.
I have never attended a bike rally.
Now that I am retired, and almost empty-nested, I guess I do have the time to go to one.
OE it sounds like your last trip to a bike week was in 72. Was there more going on then smoking and drinking? I dont drink and drive, and I dont feel comfortable to drink or smoke socialy. From the pictures they look like a lot of bike polishing going on.
OE it sounds like your last trip to a bike week was in 72. Was there more going on then smoking and drinking? I dont drink and drive, and I dont feel comfortable to drink or smoke socialy. From the pictures they look like a lot of bike polishing going on.
Those were the days my friend, I thought they'd never end..... FORTUNATELY they did or I might not be here today. lol
I dunno if you go to the chat room or not, but there's a poster there with the handle of Biker Babe - she used to be "Mrs. Rat" back on Waydale - she and her hubby go to some of these things, but I don't think they do the Laconia one...
If you do come up this way (or any other 'Spotters), please email me - I'd love to meet 'cha and we live close to L'conia.
I am glad that your '75 Sportster is holding up so well. Have you rode it all this time?
Where all have you been with it?
How many times have you rolled over the odometer?
Oh my my oh bearded one, I don't think I ever said I still have that bike. If I ever even implyed such a ruse, forgive me. Although I do wish I still retained such a fine piece of machine.
My Bud still has his, but he has not ridden in years x's methusala. His bike is preserved at his parents home and is in tip top mech shape. He gave it to his nephew years ago who resides at the parents... Every now and then I see it standing on the carport when I visit Savannah. Next time I go up there for a visit I will visit the parents and ask a personal peek at the bike.
Whoa what memories.
When bud & i would ride, we would of course wind em out man. I believe mine had five gears and his six. Whatever, I would get him every and I mean EVERY time off the line, but by the time I speed shift through all my gears he was way down the road and just changed into 3rd. That was a wide eye all the time for me.
I have seen him at 60 down shift and pop a wheelie man. That Kawasaki had some awwwwwsome power.
Very interesting that you had mentioned that particular bike was h2o cooled~~~ I remember bikes were at that time introduced such a system, but hard pressed to remember if it was that particular Kaw.
I was mostly a local territory. Of course Harley's with Harley's and the crotch rockets were viewed as inferior. I suppose I had A Hog snob mentality at that time. But none of us were "gang" type of bikers.
Harleys', Indians', Triumphs, Hondas', Kawasakis', Yamahas', and them thar funny fangled bikes BMW's, dirt bikes, etc would always group together as we rode.
A few road trips to Macon, many to Statesboro, & immediate surrounding Savannah Ga counties; many to St.Simon Island, Jeykle Island, St. Augi; South Carolina cruises and a helluva story to that famous North Carolina Speedway for a 3 day rock fest. But nothing more than that.
Did plan a round trip Highway 80, but that never transpired. :(-->
I have always since my learning how to ride a tri/bicycle been fascinated with motor cycles.
Even a Briggs & Stratton strapped to a metal frame with four tires made an awesome go go go cart.
The muscle cars of the 60/70's made my hairs stand on end and the experience of tight testicles.
But motor cycles, that's a whole different world,
like
the difference between snorkeling and scuba diving. Or in your case ships and submarines.
The first
uhm, motorcycle i experienced was the Honda P-50. It seemed to have evolved from a skateboard into a bicycle frame with a motor.
After that, motorcycles seemed to be the gig breaking out everywhere at that time.
The Honda 160. A friend of mine would let us non licensed ride the thing. That was great until one day he came 'round one of them thar so called dead mans curves and wiped out on gravel and into a mail box and finally a light pole stopped the whole motion of event. Ahhh he was okay, just a cucucuncussion, contusions, lacerations, and broken left leg~~~~ but the real downer was ~~~ the bike was beyound repair.
So with the help my Dad, I purchased a 1968 Honda 125. shhhhshhush i was 4teen~~~
Then a 1971 Honda 350
And then came the Sportster.
and all the bikes inbetween and after that I rode~~~
Oh my friend~~~ so many a story those days of bikes.
I rode them all. But I know better than to make that claim, it just seemed that way. My favorite of all I had the privilege to ride was the Triumph Bonneville 650. It was classy clean easy machine.
The dirt bikes were a gas. There was one, and damn if i can even get a google on it, that when the throttle was quickly opened it had a passing gear so to speak.
Yepper the Harley's have lost their pure bred American stats, but that unmistakable rumble has mine heart. The Indian has made a come back and a beautiful piece of work for sure. And so has Triumph.
I got my eyes on the 883 Harley Sportster. Less than $7000 new out the door. That's where I am headed for my next ride and will again ride the wind the rest mine oh life.
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TheSongRemainsTheSame
Okay caught my writing breath~~~
Galen,
Just thot to take this gig of subject here for a little more conversation so as not to totally HOG the thread in Doctrinal.
Well, if it had to do with JC a choice between a hog or a donkey a ride into town, it may have been worth a shot in doctrinal.
Other wit let's rok on bikes here in the OPEN road!!!
The Gold Wing I traded for the day was fully loaded, uhm but without power windows. Stereo to the max nth decibles blowing out red lights and turning over vehicles in the turn lanes.
But ya know,
if ya just had the bike running and a helmet on, I sware to ya, just to be sure, I would take the helmet off and listen. It's a touring bike with some nice power.
"hug tool-roll" Now that's a term I have not thot about in quite a while. Just enough tools to swear ya wish ya had more
:D-->
and more later esp the KawaSocItTome
What was your first bike?
Mine was a tricycle.
Well, I also remember a Rocking Horse~~~
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Jim
Galen,
Keep an eye on that rear shaft-drive assembly. My neighbor let his run out of grease and it seized while he was going 70 on the freeway. He said half the fun was staying on it until it stopped and the other half was getting it out of the fast lane with the rear wheel seized.
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Galen
Jim:
"Keep an eye on that rear shaft-drive assembly. My neighbor let his run out of grease and it seized while he was going 70 on the freeway. He said half the fun was staying on it until it stopped and the other half was getting it out of the fast lane with the rear wheel seized"
LOL
Cool.
I was once on I-40 going West, while doing a quick run from Norfolk to Fresno, and just past Kingman Arizona, I blew the front tire. I had the throttle locked and my feet were up on the handle-bars at the time. I had been doing 80, and trying to get through the desert before sunrise. Doing something like that will surely get your attention fast.
:-)
Thanks
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TheSongRemainsTheSame
~~~I used to carry a hug tool-roll. But over the years, I never did use it for anything on my bike, I was always loaning it out to help all the Hardley guys that I ended up riding alongside of.
A lot of those hardleys you see sitting on the side of the road, man.
awe come on man, that's a cheep shot dude! I never had any problems with my '75 Sportster. Did not even leak a dime of oil. Well, I will have to admit, Harley was owned by AMF at that time.
I dont carry any tools anymore. I bought this Gold-wing 2 years ago, just as the bike turned 20 years old. Got it for $1,000. It's blue-book value is less than the cost it would be to have a shop do about anything to it. So the first sign of a break-down and it is going to the dump. But that was 10,000 miles ago. I did change the oil, I dont know why, but I did. It just keeps running. It would not surprize me if I get another 100,000 miles out of it.
That's totally awsesome Galen. But I betcha ya won't see a Gold Wing on display in a museum anytime soon.
:D-->
The guy that I bought it from, really did not ride it much, he never took it for a coast-to-coast run. I have done a bunch of those drives on a couple different Kawasakis that I have had. It is a good drive, about 3 days depending on which highway you use.
Are ya talking coast to coast like in Highway 80? And on Kakasakis? I would like to hear a coupla stories those crotch rocket rides. I fancied to do one on a Harley, but it just never happened. You free soul to da bone dude!!!
This Gold-wing though it only had 80,000 miles on it when I got it, very low mileage, for a 20 year old gold-wing.
I would imagine a little ole lady used it to go the store.
Kawaskis dont hold up the way that Gold-wings do, By the time you get a Kawasaki up to 75,000 or 100,000 miles it is pretty well worn.
Hmmm, don't know 'bout 'dat. I have a friend who still has his '75 Kawasaki (900/950 ?)~~~
I thinks this thread has few stories to tell eh Galen? The invisible 7/11 is just around the corner where them cow girls float on the ceiling
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Galen
TheSongRemainsTheSame:
"I used to carry a huge tool-roll..."
awe come on man, that's a cheep shot dude! I never had any problems with my '75 Sportster. Did not even leak a dime of oil. Well, I will have to admit, Harley was owned by AMF at that time.
Really you never had any problems? Sorry. I am just under the general impression that the norm is otherwise.
Just last week a Harley came alongside me, for about 3 miles till he had to pull-over. I did not go back, to see if I could help, but then again I dont carry tools anymore. At least in my expereince I dont see Hondas or Kawasakis broken down nearly as often as I do see Jap-Harleys.
American made bikes [like honda] seem to perform better, but that is just my observation. Smoother, quieter, no rattle to loosen the bolts or your kidneys, and 100,000 miles later they are often still running well.
"... But I betcha ya won't see a Gold Wing on display in a museum anytime soon.
:D-->"
I have no idea what gets put into museums, do we have Harleys in museums?
Over the years I have owned various cars too, but I never really paid any attention to which ones may have museums dedicated to them either. A car, a pick-up, a van, a bike they are each peices of equipment usefull for transportation, though they each have a 'focus' that makes one better at one thing, while another choice is better at another thing.
Do you purchase a motorvehicle on the basis that one day it may be in a museum? That is fine if you do, it just never occured to me. :-)
"Are ya talking coast to coast like in Highway 80? And on Kakasakis? I would like to hear a coupla stories those crotch rocket rides. I fancied to do one on a Harley, but it just never happened. You free soul to da bone dude!!!"
I-20, I-40, I-70, I-80 and twice on Highway #2 the 'Queen's Highway'. [over all the Canadian roads are far better]
Seriously I dont think you should try that on a harley, wouldn't you really need a kidney belt to not injure yourself? Better stick to something that does not use a V-twin engine, for better stability and less shake. That shaking will really rattle you over a long drive. :-)
"This Gold-wing though it only had 80,000 miles on it when I got it, very low mileage, for a 20 year old gold-wing.
I would imagine a little ole lady used it to go the store.
No just low mileage, probably some weekend-only summer-rider. Who just used it for local stuff.
Here in Ct, I do see a lot of summer only rides. I dont mind carrying a bag of salt [in case the tires freeze to a parking lot] in one saddlebag, and a snow shovel on the luggage rack in case I need to move a snow drift.
But in general it is my impression that most Ct natives only ride in the summer-time. I guess they jsut dont really enjoy it that much.
Hmmm, don't know 'bout 'dat. I have a friend who still has his '75 Kawasaki (900/950 ?)~~~
Really? without the water-cooling I seem to think that air-cooled stuff does not tend to last as long in terms of mileage that is. No doubt there are 'wild-points' individual bikes that last a long time, but in general I doubt that there are very many 200,000 mile bikes out there with air-cooled engines. I could be wrong.
:-)
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Galen
Our eldest son, bought a new Suzuki, last summer and drove it through the winter.
With their $39/month financing deals, it is hard not to. That is pretty cheap for a vehicle, He drove it out to Indiana for a 'New Years Teen Advance' and he really seemed to enjoy the ride. Then he drove it down to Wichita.
:-)
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Galen
TheSongRemainsTheSame:
I did not mean to make any cheap shots, or to insult you in any way.
I am glad that your '75 Sportster is holding up so well. Have you rode it all this time?
Where all have you been with it?
How many times have you rolled over the odometer?
The same really about your buddy with his '75 Kawasaki (900/950)?
It seems to me that often when I do see a mid-70's bike, they are the results of someone's project and really spent 2 decades in a pile of milkcrates, having only recently been re-constructed. I did not mean to imply that you had not rode the same bike all this time. It is just that many of the guys I see now, with older bikes either the bike lives in a garage except for Memorial-day weekend, or they spend a decade here or there as a pile of parts. :-)
My current Goldwing is a '82 [which makes it American-made]. I only bought it in 2001. Before that being overseas, I had a break in my bike riding, Naples is not a real good place to take a big bike.
Before that I had gone through a series of Kawasakis, starting in 1977 ...
:-)
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Al Poole
Not to horn in... but I thought the Harley was made in the USA??? No????
I thought some of the family decendants and old design guys got together and bought it back from AMF.
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Galen
Al Poole:
"Not to horn in... but I thought the Harley was made in the USA??? No????"
They were in 1903.
I dont know the entire history, by the mid-80s they were manufacturing enough parts and doing some assembly work overseas that HD lobbied in 1987 to drop all tarrifs from imported bikes.
Whereas Honda began manufacturing bikes in the US in 1979, Gold-wing production started full-time in America in 1981.
It is my understanding that to this day parts are commonly imported for HD, Specifically starters and electrical components are honda and HD modifies their frames to fit honda components. So to that extent HD's are Amercian made, in that they do include American made Honda parts.
I had to get a fuel filter today and I asked they said that many of the parts today come from Turkey!!! I did not know that. And of course their main source Brazil.
Learn something everyday though. :-)
"I thought some of the family decendants and old design guys got together and bought it back from AMF."
Yeap that is their marketing.
:-)
That is the story that I have been told, but they soon went public so they dont own it anymore, rather the share-holders foreign and domestic own it.
Their website says:
1962 HD buys tomohawk boats manufacturing,
1969 HD merged with AMF,
1973 HD builds new assembly plant in Penn.
1981 HD execs sign deal 'buying back' their name.
1983 HD lobbys to get an added tariff to imported bikes 700cc and larger,
1986 HD goes public, now owned by share-holders,
HD buys 'Holiday Rambler' motorhome manufacturing
1987 HD listed on NY stock Exch.
1987 HD lobbys to drop import tarrifs to allow them to import parts for cheaper,
1991 HD purchased robotic painting system from honda to paint bikes at their Penn assembly plant,
1996 HD builds a new inventory processing plant for parts distribution in Wis.
1997 HD builds a new production developement plant in Millwaukie,
and another one in Kansas City,
1998 HD builds new manufacturing plant in Manaus Brazil,
HD buys out Buell bikes.
:-)
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ChasUFarley
Y'all ever come to Motorcycle Week in Laconia, NH?
http://www.laconiamcweek.com/
Hubby's band is going to be playing there sometime during the week - he's wondering if he needs a flackjacket and helmet for the occasion!
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OnionEater
The last time I went to bike week in Laconia was on my honymoon back in 1972 and we both spent the night in jail. Had a 1949 suicide clutch panhead fully chopped.
Pic was taken at Laconia 1970
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ChasUFarley
Onion -- I work for the local hospital there and we almost double our staffing for the weekends of MC Week.
My brothers, who were all born and raised in Laconia, tell of one year where the Hell's Angels took the Laconia and NH State Police and locked them all up in the Laconia jail! The governor had to send in the National Guard to get them out! Since then, there's been waaaayyyyyy more security at those things but there's always something happening that week that makes the national news....
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OnionEater
I went to motorcycle week each year from 1966 to 1972. Back then all you needed to do was claim your spot along the highway, pitch a tent and party for the week. After the Hells Angels incident they banned all roadside camping, I never went back, kind of took the fun away for me.
In another thread I told about my arrest and jail time in Laconia. I was smoking a joint and drinking a beer while on my bike... just having fun.
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ChasUFarley
Not only are you a Maine-ah, but you have a love for civil disobidience...
Yet another reason I like you!
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Galen
When I was inside a bike shop a couple days ago, and I spoke with couple guys hanging out there. This one shop sales both HD and Honda, under the same roof, so I guess it is kind of primed for discussions comparing the two.
:-)
They were handing me a bunch of magazines that list all the bike shows in New England this summer. There does appear to be a lot of them scheduled.
I never really thought about all these 'poker runs','weekend bash's, 'rally's, 'weekend of fun's, 'pig roast's, 'swap and rock's, 'bike show's, 'bike blessing's, 'liquid latex and lobster fest's, etc...
And according to these magazines it does look like they do about even business in retailing trailers for their bikes. So apparently many dont even drive their bikes to these shows, rallys, roasts, etc.
Does anyone else here on GS attend these things?
I like riding a bike. Though through most of my career, I have been free to ride only when they gave my liberty. Coming in after a patrol and being adjusted to 18 hour days, it took a week of jet-lagging to re-adjust to a 24 hour day, so going out and riding a bike was great for that, just be back on base when time is up.
I have never attended a bike rally.
Now that I am retired, and almost empty-nested, I guess I do have the time to go to one.
OE it sounds like your last trip to a bike week was in 72. Was there more going on then smoking and drinking? I dont drink and drive, and I dont feel comfortable to drink or smoke socialy. From the pictures they look like a lot of bike polishing going on.
:-)
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OnionEater
Those were the days my friend, I thought they'd never end..... FORTUNATELY they did or I might not be here today. lol
ps: I wasn't drunk or stoned, just a little high.
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ChasUFarley
Galen -
I dunno if you go to the chat room or not, but there's a poster there with the handle of Biker Babe - she used to be "Mrs. Rat" back on Waydale - she and her hubby go to some of these things, but I don't think they do the Laconia one...
If you do come up this way (or any other 'Spotters), please email me - I'd love to meet 'cha and we live close to L'conia.
Ciao!
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TheSongRemainsTheSame
Galen you have got be seriously kawashidding me!!! Ya seriously must know i'm jesting with ya!!!! Yo dude, anyone that can claim~~~
"I put it in a scrunchie to hold it in place when I ride my bike, or else it gets in my eyes." ~~~
has some real stories to tell man~~~
What else can I say?
Songster
oh ps Galen~~~ can you imagine Mark in Biblical Universalism holding onto that beard of thought??? Now that is a "cheap shot"
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Galen
LOL
Anyone with a beard past their nipples will tell you that you got to do something with it, to keep it out of your eyes on the freeway.
:-)
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TheSongRemainsTheSame
Oh my my oh bearded one, I don't think I ever said I still have that bike. If I ever even implyed such a ruse, forgive me. Although I do wish I still retained such a fine piece of machine.
My Bud still has his, but he has not ridden in years x's methusala. His bike is preserved at his parents home and is in tip top mech shape. He gave it to his nephew years ago who resides at the parents... Every now and then I see it standing on the carport when I visit Savannah. Next time I go up there for a visit I will visit the parents and ask a personal peek at the bike.
Whoa what memories.
When bud & i would ride, we would of course wind em out man. I believe mine had five gears and his six. Whatever, I would get him every and I mean EVERY time off the line, but by the time I speed shift through all my gears he was way down the road and just changed into 3rd. That was a wide eye all the time for me.
I have seen him at 60 down shift and pop a wheelie man. That Kawasaki had some awwwwwsome power.
Very interesting that you had mentioned that particular bike was h2o cooled~~~ I remember bikes were at that time introduced such a system, but hard pressed to remember if it was that particular Kaw.
I was mostly a local territory. Of course Harley's with Harley's and the crotch rockets were viewed as inferior. I suppose I had A Hog snob mentality at that time. But none of us were "gang" type of bikers.
Harleys', Indians', Triumphs, Hondas', Kawasakis', Yamahas', and them thar funny fangled bikes BMW's, dirt bikes, etc would always group together as we rode.
A few road trips to Macon, many to Statesboro, & immediate surrounding Savannah Ga counties; many to St.Simon Island, Jeykle Island, St. Augi; South Carolina cruises and a helluva story to that famous North Carolina Speedway for a 3 day rock fest. But nothing more than that.
Did plan a round trip Highway 80, but that never transpired.
:(-->
Have ya ever ridden a Bultaco?
Rok On Galen
Songster
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Galen
TheSongRemainsTheSame-
LOL
"Have ya ever ridden a Bultaco?"
No I haven't.
Soething to look forward to doing sometime.
:-)
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TheSongRemainsTheSame
Yo CUF, what kind of band does Hubby perform?
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TheSongRemainsTheSame
Ya know Galen,
I have always since my learning how to ride a tri/bicycle been fascinated with motor cycles.
Even a Briggs & Stratton strapped to a metal frame with four tires made an awesome go go go cart.
The muscle cars of the 60/70's made my hairs stand on end and the experience of tight testicles.
But motor cycles, that's a whole different world,
like
the difference between snorkeling and scuba diving. Or in your case ships and submarines.
The first
uhm, motorcycle i experienced was the Honda P-50. It seemed to have evolved from a skateboard into a bicycle frame with a motor.
After that, motorcycles seemed to be the gig breaking out everywhere at that time.
The Honda 160. A friend of mine would let us non licensed ride the thing. That was great until one day he came 'round one of them thar so called dead mans curves and wiped out on gravel and into a mail box and finally a light pole stopped the whole motion of event. Ahhh he was okay, just a cucucuncussion, contusions, lacerations, and broken left leg~~~~ but the real downer was ~~~ the bike was beyound repair.
So with the help my Dad, I purchased a 1968 Honda 125. shhhhshhush i was 4teen~~~
Then a 1971 Honda 350
And then came the Sportster.
and all the bikes inbetween and after that I rode~~~
Oh my friend~~~ so many a story those days of bikes.
I rode them all. But I know better than to make that claim, it just seemed that way. My favorite of all I had the privilege to ride was the Triumph Bonneville 650. It was classy clean easy machine.
The dirt bikes were a gas. There was one, and damn if i can even get a google on it, that when the throttle was quickly opened it had a passing gear so to speak.
Yepper the Harley's have lost their pure bred American stats, but that unmistakable rumble has mine heart. The Indian has made a come back and a beautiful piece of work for sure. And so has Triumph.
I got my eyes on the 883 Harley Sportster. Less than $7000 new out the door. That's where I am headed for my next ride and will again ride the wind the rest mine oh life.
Can't ever let that go my friend.
Nopper can't ever let that go!!!
Songster
never smile a laugh in a swarm of love bugs
a biker friend quote a visit from St Augi
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Galen
Wow that sounds like you have found yourself a good deal. Cool.
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