My Vintage Motorcycles
1. I got my minibike (1963) at 12. I am amazed how far I rode it and never got stopped by the police. My younger brother took it over and it blew up when he added cooking oil to the crankcase
2. My first motorbike (1964) was a Honda 90. I was 13 and limited to 5 horsepower by law so it came with a leather gasket in the carburetor which restricted gas flow. It took me about a week to get it out. Pulling the muffler off made the little 90 sound like a stock car
3. Next (1965) I got a Honda 150 Dream. I thought I was cool and my handle was THE ANGEL as seen on my windshield. Helmets were not required, which was good since my hair was more important to me than a motorcycle. Seeing Elvis in the movie Roustabout was a pivotal moment for me.
I was a member of a Gang R.A.T.S (raising all types stuff). We rode Harley Scats, Cruisaires, Cushmans and assorted japanese bikes. We scared the local police into starting a gang unit and coming to the school assembly to warn the students.
Green Hills Hoods, too funny and naive. My younger brother actually had a Cub 50, but he thought it was lame so he borrowed a Sport 50 for the picture under #3.
4. I was still 15 when I traded up to a Honda 305 Dream. It was big and I added lots of lights to make it look more like a Harley. I put lots of miles on that bike year-round.
5. The police finally caught me and I traded down to a Honda 160. I went a new direction adding scrambler bars and mufflers, painting the silver parts black and placing a big tachometer on the handle bars. In 1966 the helmet laws came in and I decided to go to 4 wheels which were better at the drive-in.
6. In 1974 I got a Honda 750. This was the largest Honda offered and it seemed way ahead of it’s time. It seemed kinda clumsy compared to a 500cc.
I liked the feeling of a smaller bike that I could manhandle.
7. In the mid-80’s I got a used Kawasaki LTD450 to run around on. Not a bad bike at all. I don’t have a clue what eventually happened to it.
8. In the mid-90’s I got a Honda Ascot 500 Twin. I rode it some and eventually one of my sons took it.
9. The very last picture is the Honda 150 after my younger brother (Picture 3)wrecked it. Note the crash bar bent back which injured his leg badly and required a hospital stay. He died in his sleep a short time later at home from a probable blood clot.
He was 14.
Of course my kids got their own bikes. 2010 will be my 60th birthday and I hope there’s a Harley Cruiser in my future. Please visit my Nashville Websites and my other photo galleries
- 2009 Honda DN-01 Road Test Rider Magazine
- Honda NSF100 European Cup Final – Ultimate MotorCycling
- Honda CBX – Classic Japanese Motorcycles – Motorcycle Classics
- Honda PCX125 & PCX150 Motor Scooter Guide
- Honda VTR 250 With Neptune Exhaust DIY Reviews!
