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Who gets credit for getting you into motorcycles?

Some random dude I watched from the back of the family LTD wagon when I was a kid. It looked like so much fun. I knew I'd do it one day.
 
i had a friend, George Pittman who made his motorcycle out of a 10 speed bicycle and a lawn mower engine with a horizontal out put shaft. His bike used v belts and pullys to make it go. He and I both learned the fine are of brass brazzing or gas welding using clothes hangers for welding rods. He rode that bike everywhere, and as soon as his was running I had to have one too. I chose a old Western Auto Huffy bicycle for mine. I found a horizontal engine and ended up putting the thing together using a torque converter out of a Maytag washing machine as a clutch to get it going. It was not pretty but it ran very good right up to the point where I crashed in a curve on Arroyo Seca here in Austin and tried to knock a fire hydrant over with my unprotected head. The State Trooper whose house was on that corner took me home so my mother could take me to the hospital for stitches to my left eye brow.
A Sears Roebuck moped with shifter on the handlebars and using bicycle style pedals to get it started was my first real motor bike, quickly followed by a 1958 Harley Hummer 125cc two stroke. I rode the wheels off that old faithful motorcycle, and wish I had it back today. I rode Harleys for years and years mostly staying with the Sportster 883cc. When I went first semi-pro flat track racing and then pro racing for a short time I switched to Triumphs and BSA bikes set up in Champion and Track Master frames. I even bought a old Dick Mann 650 BSA full on flat tracker that I was quite successful on along the Virginia and North Carolina racing venues. I am only sad that I can not throw a leg over a flat tracker to day and go racing, at age 67 I suppose its best I not do that. All that's left of my racing days now is a genuine Ken Maley skid shoe out in the garage, its still in good shape with a long earned patina on it.
 
i had a friend, George Pittman who made his motorcycle out of a 10 speed bicycle and a lawn mower engine with a horizontal out put shaft. His bike used v belts and pullys to make it go. He and I both learned the fine are of brass brazzing or gas welding using clothes hangers for welding rods. He rode that bike everywhere, and as soon as his was running I had to have one too. I chose a old Western Auto Huffy bicycle for mine. I found a horizontal engine and ended up putting the thing together using a torque converter out of a Maytag washing machine as a clutch to get it going. It was not pretty but it ran very good right up to the point where I crashed in a curve on Arroyo Seca here in Austin and tried to knock a fire hydrant over with my unprotected head. The State Trooper whose house was on that corner took me home so my mother could take me to the hospital for stitches to my left eye brow.
A Sears Roebuck moped with shifter on the handlebars and using bicycle style pedals to get it started was my first real motor bike, quickly followed by a 1958 Harley Hummer 125cc two stroke. I rode the wheels off that old faithful motorcycle, and wish I had it back today. I rode Harleys for years and years mostly staying with the Sportster 883cc. When I went first semi-pro flat track racing and then pro racing for a short time I switched to Triumphs and BSA bikes set up in Champion and Track Master frames. I even bought a old Dick Mann 650 BSA full on flat tracker that I was quite successful on along the Virginia and North Carolina racing venues. I am only sad that I can not throw a leg over a flat tracker to day and go racing, at age 67 I suppose its best I not do that. All that's left of my racing days now is a genuine Ken Maley skid shoe out in the garage, its still in good shape with a long earned patina on it.
That's fantastic.
 
i had a friend, George Pittman who made his motorcycle out of a 10 speed bicycle and a lawn mower engine with a horizontal out put shaft. His bike used v belts and pullys to make it go. He and I both learned the fine are of brass brazzing or gas welding using clothes hangers for welding rods. He rode that bike everywhere, and as soon as his was running I had to have one too. I chose a old Western Auto Huffy bicycle for mine. I found a horizontal engine and ended up putting the thing together using a torque converter out of a Maytag washing machine as a clutch to get it going. It was not pretty but it ran very good right up to the point where I crashed in a curve on Arroyo Seca here in Austin and tried to knock a fire hydrant over with my unprotected head. The State Trooper whose house was on that corner took me home so my mother could take me to the hospital for stitches to my left eye brow.
A Sears Roebuck moped with shifter on the handlebars and using bicycle style pedals to get it started was my first real motor bike, quickly followed by a 1958 Harley Hummer 125cc two stroke. I rode the wheels off that old faithful motorcycle, and wish I had it back today. I rode Harleys for years and years mostly staying with the Sportster 883cc. When I went first semi-pro flat track racing and then pro racing for a short time I switched to Triumphs and BSA bikes set up in Champion and Track Master frames. I even bought a old Dick Mann 650 BSA full on flat tracker that I was quite successful on along the Virginia and North Carolina racing venues. I am only sad that I can not throw a leg over a flat tracker to day and go racing, at age 67 I suppose its best I not do that. All that's left of my racing days now is a genuine Ken Maley skid shoe out in the garage, its still in good shape with a long earned patina on it.

Great read. I too am 67. Had Hummer for my first and a BSA 650 Lightning later. Never race but wanted to. Main thing is we are still ridding. Keeps us young.
 
Thats what counts to me. My current ride is a 2012 FJR with 56K on it to now. The 2003 FJR I bought went to trade on the 2012. The 2003 had just a slight less than 200,000 miles on it. Central Texas Powersports gave me something like 5500.00 on it for trade. It was still running great. The 2012 model will probably be worn out about the same time I am.
 
1968-69 Tulsa, There was a kid with a Suzuki 50 black and chrome and I still remember his name Stan Mulder, He was like the Fonz, rode the snot out of that Suzuki, He would do jumps up the side of scraper hills at least 6 ft in the air and to the rest of us kids that was the coolest thing on the planet, around the same time "Then came Bronson" was new on TV, my first bike was the 70 Mini Trail 50 and my cousin had a new 70 DT1, He would let me ride it and take me for rides at night under the lights, that sound and pull of the motor and for some reason those twin analog gauges that lit up really moved me, I think that's why I still prefer analog vs digital today, it's sad that the two stroke street legal bikes went away, I really miss them.
 
that would be my older brothers got me started, first bike was a 73 DT 250 I paid 300 bucks for in 76
 
I would say the credit would have to go my grandfather Cate. When I was young, I looked forward to visiting my grandparents in Clyde,Tx. My grandfather and part of the family back when had ridden bikes. He had ridden Indians which I have a picture of my grandmother's brother Jesse on a dresser Indian back in the day. Looks a lot like the new ones. As we would go visit, the highlight of the trip was getting to ride on grandfather Harley. I think it was around 1960 when he switched to harleys. He loved to take us kids on rides. He passed on way to early in life from pnuemonia. I always had my memories of life back then. The memories lived on thru the stories my grandmother would tell me of the trips. I believe it was in 1965 that he bought his last bike. I believe it was the first year for Harley to have electric start. Someone might correct me here. Two of their kids, my uncle and an aunt lived in California. My uncle in the navy in San Diego and my in a town north of LA. They made trips on the bike out to visit. My grandmother would relay the stories of their adventures. My dad and I would ride horses between church services and I was into to play days and riding clubs back in the days. I guess my grandfather's influence played a part and around 15 yrs old, told dad I wanted a bike. Course we spent a lot of time doing things together. The change would interrupt things. Sold the horse and he bought me my first of many bikes, a 1970 CL100 Honda and I have been riding ever since. After I got the bike, a week later, he came home with 73 TS125 Suzuki and our time spent together continued for a few yrs. He eventually quit riding. My grandmother telling me about their travels back then, seemed to develop my interest in Harleys. I often wonder had my grandfather lived into my later teens, his influence would have prompted me to get a Harley way early in life. We all have our influences and those experiences seem to sway in life. I wish I could have had a chance to take a few road trips with the person I admired and had a lot of respect for. I sit here a little teary eyed thinking of what a dream it would have been to share a few road trips together doing something we both truly enjoyed doing. I am 57 now and 16 bikes later and a new ultra to boot. I have an interest in adv bikes, so, the influences continue on.
 
"I believe it was in 1965 that he bought his last bike. I believe it was the first year for Harley to have electric start. Someone might correct me here."

Texas rider, 65 was the first year for electric start and last year for the Pan head so your Grandfather had a very unique bike, Thanks for sharing.
 
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Morgan,
That's great storytelling.

I never came back to this thread until now. Thanks. I wasn't even trying. I can tell a good story when the time calls for it. LOL

A funny thing about my nervous mother.

Back when I moved to Texas in 2000 I had a ZX 11. I sold it when I got here because I moved from North Dakota and I was more than a little nervous about riding in Dallas-Fort Worth. I also had a couple bills to pay. So I was without a motorcycle for a brief period of time. My mother said to me, "if you buy another motorcycle, don't tell me about it I don't want to know." So a couple years later she and my dad flew down for a visit. I pick them up at the airport. When I got to my house attempted to drop them off in the front of the house rather than in back where the garages. My wife said, "just go around back like we normally do." I had forgotten to tell her what I was doing and why. So I drove around back with everybody and open the garage door and there was the new motorcycle for mom to see. She gave me a very dirty look. I said, "I tried to not tell you about it!" LOL
 
My Mom never wanted me to get a bike either but after 45 years of riding she has come to accept it, her visits are rare as she lives in Okla and we in Georgetown but when she does come to see us I ask her to put her hands on my bike, to lay hands on it so to speak, it makes that bike so much more special to me to have Mom touch it for some reason, it means the world to me.
 
My dad. I grew up working on cars and such. About when I was 9 he dragged home a Cushman Eagle scooter carcass and we spent weekends trolling for parts - hardest one was the clutch. We put it all together and that big old thumper sounded purdy. About that time my dad got orders to Vietnam and we parked it out at my grandma's house. He made me promise to start it once a week and gas it when I mowed the yard. So I did, and the second time I did I remembered him saying that tires would rot just sitting. Well.... I couldn't let that happen to those nice whitewalls could I? So up the highway I went with it. Did this ritual for months taking this thing up the long hill, double-clutching to get it into 2nd (only had 2 speeds) and that would be around 60 mph or so. Finally an Alabama State Trooper apparently did a double-take and came back around to pull me over. I explained I was following dad's orders while he was in Vietnam. He said he would escort me back home and didn't expect to see me doing it again. So I took the long way home with him following along a curvy back road. We pulled up to my grandma's house and she came out to see why there was a trooper with me. He explained there wasn't a problem and he turned to me and said "mind traffic and take good care of your dad's bike" - and he took off. Of course I took that to mean I could keep doing it and in fact he saw me one other time and waved.
I miss those days and and I miss my dad.
 
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This is the wonderful stories that help to interest more former riders to get back in the saddle. It seems that there are a bunch of us that rode a lot got away from it to raise kids then dove back into it head first. Once motorcycles get in your blood it is hard to eradicate. KP

Amen, but I'd like to add that there are drivers and there are riders. Folks at work thing I'm bat-poop crazy for riding every single day rain shine or otherwise. I tell them I prefer it to all other modes of transportation. I'm in the middle of all creation and not put away in a can. Then there are the folks to whom a motorcycle is nothing more than an accessory to an imagined lifestyle - I won't mention any brands ;)
 
Who got me into motorcycles? I can't think of anybody in my family or friends who rode. So I guess it was the salesman in the local Kawasaki shop. Passed the shop twice a day to and from work. Stopped in one day and saw this 1974 H1/Mach III and it didn't take much talking to get me out the door with that bike. After that, as they say, the rest is history.
 
Who got me into motorcycles? I can't think of anybody in my family or friends who rode. So I guess it was the salesman in the local Kawasaki shop. Passed the shop twice a day to and from work. Stopped in one day and saw this 1974 H1/Mach III and it didn't take much talking to get me out the door with that bike. After that, as they say, the rest is history.
That was the triple two-stroke, right? That's one of only two bikes that has surprised me. My cousin Ricky got one. I twisted the throttle and that dang thing almost came out from under me. Dead quiet, super quick.
 
My 98 year old grandma. Bought us a Honda 185s three wheeler in 1983. Couldn't get me off that "Deathmobile" at age 11, except by bribing me with a 1983 Kawasaki KD80M dirt bike in exchange for a successful year of good grades. That led to over 150 bikes I've owned over 34 years of riding and wrenching. Ugggh, the sickness. How different might my life have been????????
 
We were living in Rome, and my dad came home with a 50cc Garelli streetbike. He taught my brother and I how to ride it around the apartment driveway and he would ride it to the office during the week. After a few weekends of circling the apartment I got bored and headed off into the city traffic. I was 13 and exporing the city - from the Vatican to Via Veneto and eventually off piste on some great trails with my buddy Jean Scott. I've been riding ever since ... THANKS DAD!!!!

If you learned your skills in Rome you're safe anywhere on the planet!
 
Who got me into motorcycles? I can't think of anybody in my family or friends who rode. So I guess it was the salesman in the local Kawasaki shop. Passed the shop twice a day to and from work. Stopped in one day and saw this 1974 H1/Mach III and it didn't take much talking to get me out the door with that bike. After that, as they say, the rest is history.

Would you have a picture lying around somewhere of the Kawasaki?
 
Watched "Why We Ride" yesterday night and wanted to thank my dad who has went on to the big motorcycle graveyard in the sky years ago. He is the reason I ride today. Was thinking about him throwing gravel on me on the last ride just up the road we did on the SL and KE. Thanks dad for everything you taught me,miss you.
 
The State of Texas. In 1968, I was 14. Motorcycle license-yes. Car license-16.
 
The State of Texas. In 1968, I was 14. Motorcycle license-yes. Car license-16.

Couple of years before that you could get your car license at 14 with Drivers Ed.

I don't know the exact situation back then, but our school district had a special Drivers Ed course over the summer... so I got my car license AND my MC license at 14 and I was still in JR High. Got my first car the next summer at age 15. Thanks Texas!
 
In the 70's you could get something called a hardship license if your parents signed off. I think that let you drive a car to work and back;-)at 15. Wasn't a chance in hades that was happening at my house:giveup:.
 
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