Other forms of motoring fun

[5th T/A]

When I was 12 or 13 years old, I could mostly only dream of driving or riding something with an engine on it. This was usually only an anemic minibike, go Kart or 50cc moped. A guy who was dating my older sister had an uncle and cousin his same age, about 4 years older than me. His Uncle and cousin were big into fun vehicles including this Kart. They guy named Mark, broke up with my sister and he became like a big brother to me. I started hanging around with these "older" people, this was the start of me becoming a gear head.

This Kart was modified by my friend's uncle. He pulled off the Briggs and Straton engine, lengthened the frame and installed a Honda 305CC motorcycle engine. This Kart would reliably turn low 14 second quarter miles with his cousin driving it. I believe the engine was bored out, to what I don't recall. He tried different carbs and also running a mixture of Nitro in it, but I dont think it made much of a difference. I will never forget the first time I got to drive this thing; it was like a rocket compared to what I was used to. I never got to race it but was just thrilled to run this thing around a large parking lot.

My friend's cousin at US 30 drag strip in Indiana. This photo was taken off a slide projector screen with my phone, the quality is not great.
IMG_1538 by Lawrence Alexander, on Flickr


Another Photo at US 30. This Kart had a great hole shot. It would usually get a 50' jump off the line against a typical muscle car of the day. Towards the end of the quarter the cars would get pretty close, but the KArt racked up a lot of wins and the crowd got a kick out of it. The kart won a trophy every place we ran, because it was the Only Kart. So it always had a best in class!
IMG_1530 by Lawrence Alexander, on Flickr

[kentucky yeti]

Great story, and great memories!

[FormTA]

That is awesome! Thanks for sharing! Looks like that would be a wild ride!

[roadking77]

Holy Cow!! That thing looks like a death trap    I cant imagine driving that down the track. I have heard so many people refer to a car that 'handles like a go cart' this one is true to the meaning, LOL. Nice Goat also.

I never had anything other than motorcycles, started riding in the 3rd grade. This is my 50th year!

We made quite a few coaster carts, out of plywood and 2 x 4's with old lawn mower wheels. Even tried bolting up the old Briggs and Stratton on a couple of them but other than setting it on the frame we couldnt figure out how to make it propel the cart! I guess we werent very good at engineering. I will add none of them were very successful. Usually wheels falling off after the first ride ect. Plus we didnt have any big hills to go down.

[5th T/A]

I guess I might have lied when I said there were no other carts at the drag strip. Change that to no other Karts when we were at the strip. This is another phone picture off a projector screen. Sorry I am blocking the wild exhaust pipes.

Maybe a year or so later I saw this kart at a custom car show in Chicago. In my memory this was good for 10 second quarter miles. But when enlarged the picture I see he ran consistently in the mid 9's, with a best of 9.41 at over 140 MPH. I never saw this run, just taking him at his word. Notice the wheely bars and chute! I really don't remember much about our conversation, other than him saying the rear tires were same as used on a golf cart.

He did run at some of the same tracks, Union Grove, US30 and Rockford. With no roll bar or cage, I can't imagine this would be allowed on any track today. Think about it a Kart that is as fast as modern Dodge Demon.


IMG_1522 by Lawrence Alexander, on Flickr

[5th T/A]

Before I had a driver's license or car, I was into minibikes but never owned one. Most had a Briggs and Straton engine with a centrifugal clutch. I was reading one of the magazines with a review of a Bonanza minibike with a Hodaka motorcycle engine. If I remember correctly, it was a 10 horsepower engine with a five-speed transmission. Good for a top speed of 50MPH and would do 0-50 in six seconds. Pretty much a rocket ship by minibike standards. I talked a friend of mine into buying one. It didn't handle or stop that well but was a blast to ride because of the engine. Power shifting it would pull the front wheel shifting 1st - 2nd and 2nd - 3rd.

These pictures found on the web is what it looked like with exception to the exhaust pipe and tach. It sure beat pedaling a bicycle!

IMG_3735 by Lawrence Alexander, on Flickr

IMG_3736 by Lawrence Alexander, on Flickr

[5th T/A]

By the early 80's many of my friends got into motorcycles, partially because cars were not that exciting, and gasoline was pretty expensive. My first bike was a 1982 Yamaha Seca 750, it weighed under 500lbs and had as much horsepower as my daily driver. Regretfully I sold it after a couple years.  In the late 90's I purchased a used one, same year, model and color, off eBay, located a couple hundred miles away. The seller promised it was in great shape and the photos looked decent enough. In hindsight it was a poor decision. The front brakes were almost non-existent, the battery barely had enough power to start it. The carbs were in terrible shape. The only good thing was it had fresh tires. I managed to get it home and turned it into a project.

I slowly acquired many NOS parts for very little money. Around winter of 2013 I tore the bike apart and started a restoration. This is before I had my second garage and my wife allowed me to do much of the work in our home.

Frame back from powder coater.
IMG_2419 by Lawrence Alexander, on Flickr

Starting to install some electronics, wire harness, coils, swing arm.
IMG_2452 by Lawrence Alexander, on Flickr

IMG_2433 by Lawrence Alexander, on Flickr

Engine cleaned up, some painting and new aluminum covers.
IMG_2453 by Lawrence Alexander, on Flickr

Frame mounted to engine.
IMG_2465 by Lawrence Alexander, on Flickr

Swing arm, drive shaft and inner fender mounted.
IMG_2470 by Lawrence Alexander, on Flickr

Rear shocks and third member mounted. A lot of time spent cleaning, plating and repainting components.
IMG_2623 by Lawrence Alexander, on Flickr

Front forks and instrument cluster mounted.
IMG_2628 by Lawrence Alexander, on Flickr

Front & rear tires, brakes and headlight. I actually have a NOS front fender, but have yet to mount it.
IMG_2640 by Lawrence Alexander, on Flickr

Moved out of the house into new garage. Seat and rear fender mounted.
IMG_2723 by Lawrence Alexander, on Flickr

NOS exhaust system, minus mufflers ready to be installed.

To be continued!

IMG_2719 by Lawrence Alexander, on Flickr

[kentucky yeti]

So very nice!

[FormTA]

I'm not into bikes as my dad's brother was killed on one early in life,  his other was split in half T boning a car the ran a stop sign and he had to lay his down to avoid another idiot driver so he wouldn't ever let me get one. We still have (in pieces) a 1970 motorguzzie and a 1971 BSA Gold star 500 he bought new with the owners manual.  The BSA is more or less in one piece but I doubt anyone in my family will ever restore it or get it running again.  I don't think they are anything special. 

Anyway, awesome pictures of the restoration you have there. That is some serious detail work that I appreciate!

[5th T/A]

I'm not into bikes as my dad's brother was killed on one early in life, his other was split in half T boning a car the ran a stop sign and he had to lay his down to avoid another idiot driver so he wouldn't ever let me get one.

No argument from me, motorcycles are far more dangerous than driving in a cage. My dad was absolutely against bikes. One of my brothers bought one when he was in college and hid it in the garage during summer break. When my dad found the bike he told my brother, either the bike goes or you do. My brother sold the bike.

In summer of 2010 I got banged up pretty bad by a 16-year-old kid with no license, insurance, driving skills. Fortunately I always ride with a helmet, jacket and gloves. But my right shoulder is still dislocated. The biggest danger is distracted drivers that just don't see you. It's far worse now than ever.

[5th T/A]

Sadly, I finished the bike but never really road it much afterwards. I was never a 100% satisfied with the carburation and its such a pain to pull the carbs off when you want to work on them.

Only put 322 miles on it since.
IMG_1586 by Lawrence Alexander, on Flickr

Here is the bike as it sits today, bad camera angle, somewhat dusty and neglected. If I ever get serious about it I will have to replace the tires before ridding it.
IMG_1585 by Lawrence Alexander, on Flickr

This was my 1st Seca back in 1982, it had an optional sport fairing over the gage cluster.
seca750 by Lawrence Alexander, on Flickr

[scarebird]

My father was firmly against motorcycles, and after seeing an old lady pull in front of one and the poor dude laying on Hwy 99 twitching that was a firm no.

After my divorce I decided to fulfill another dream and get my private license.  This was my favorite rental - Sierra Pop, until some dolt nosed it over and it never flew right again.  In the early teens the rental rates got out of hand and I stopped.  Now I may be able to afford one - but the new wife is four-square against it.

[5th T/A]

After my divorce I decided to fulfill another dream and get my private license.  This was my favorite rental - Sierra Pop, until some dolt nosed it over and it never flew right again.  In the early teens the rental rates got out of hand and I stopped.  Now I may be able to afford one - but the new wife is four-square against it.


[/quote

Scarebird, to some extent I share your dream. In 1974/5 I took flying lessons, started with a C150 but didn't like the FBO so I switched to another airport and learned on a Grumman AA1B. I soloed but didn't get much further. Around the same time I went back to school, got my degree, switched careers from being an auto mechanic to a computer mechanic. Shortly after got married, A house and kids put the kibash on my flying. Interestingly enough my flight instructor loved driving my 1975 TA so much he bought a 1976. We became very good friends.

In the early 80's he purchased a C172 almost totaled on a bad landing attempt. The engine was pushed back into the firewall, the floor badly damaged and a wing destroyed. Over the next year with lots of replacement parts, rivets and man hours we got it flying again. I should mention he also was an A&P. Unfortunately, I do not have any pictures until it was going back together.

img20230327_13293573 by Lawrence Alexander, on Flickr

img20230327_13314224 by Lawrence Alexander, on Flickr

My friend pictured alongside.
img20230327_13335503 by Lawrence Alexander, on Flickr

img20230327_13364266 by Lawrence Alexander, on Flickr

This picture taken about ten years ago. About three years ago he converted the old steam gages to an all-glass panel and added auto pilot. I don't know the numbers but he has many trouble-free hours. Every time We go up I take the controls, but I am far from proficient. Some day, I would love to get my private's license but it takes a lot of time and money. Also one of those things you really should be proficient at or not do it.
IMG_4797 by Lawrence Alexander, on Flickr

[scarebird]

Also one of those things you really should be proficient at or not do it.

very true! 

[roadking77]

Great job on the Yamaha resto Larry. This year marks my 50th on 2 wheels. I can imagine how crazy that mini bike was, when I was a kid my best friend had a Hodaka Combat Wombat. That thing was ugly as sin but crazy fast. Would run circles around my little Kawasaki.

[wheels78ta]

Off road motoring fun.

[roadking77]

Wheels, thats crazy! No offense but I have seen lots of jeeps doing that kind of stuff but that K5 looks too top heavy for that kind of crawling, Kudos!!

[5th T/A]

Off road motoring fun.

That is a great looking K5, I don't know how you keep it so nice.

I have never driven anything like this but have gone a few gut tossing off road rental rides. It was a blast!

[wheels78ta]

Those few pictures were when it had leaf springs and 9" total lift.  350 sbc, 700R4, 37" KM2s.

Now it has a 4 link suspension, front and back and 5" total lift.  454 vortec, 4L80e, 40" maxxis creepy crawlers.  I still need to break in the rebuilt 454.

I put the K5 on hold, as far as getting it trail ready......that's why it looks so nice.  Haven't taken it anywhere to bang up the metal since Moab 2018.  I'll see if I can find some pics of the Moab trails.  If you've never been there, the scenery is fantastic. 

I'll start back up on the K5 when the Y88 is finished.  Or when Kim lets me.  She thinks projects are lining up since I spend a lot of time getting the car done.  Go figure.

You know why they say "Happy Wife Happy Life"?........Because nothing rhymes with Husband.

[5th T/A]

Bikes are still one of my passions. Through the years I have owned a few and just like cars have regretted selling some of them.

This in my second bike, a Yamaha Maxim X, 700cc, five valve, liquid cooled. Pretty peppy for a 700, especially at higher RPM.
img20230403_13381901 by Lawrence Alexander, on Flickr

I went back and forth with having a bike and not having one. My wife was concerned I would kill myself and both of us would die if she road with me. This is one of my three little reasons for selling this bike.
img20230403_13423301 by Lawrence Alexander, on Flickr

My 1988 or 1989 GL500, I am not sure on the year. Nice low center of gravity but had all the aerodynamics of a school bus. At highway speeds you really felt like you were hitting a brick wall. Terrible fuel milage, not great handling but nice for long road trips.
img20230403_13465229 by Lawrence Alexander, on Flickr

Ten years without a bike and this is what I bought. My 1998 VMAX. Great engine, terrible bike. Handling or braking was not confidence inspiring. Tach was way down low on the fuel tank, so it wasn't safe to look at while accelerating.
img20230403_16284146 by Lawrence Alexander, on Flickr

One of my favorites, a 2000 BMW K1200LT. This bike looked great and rode great. Very comfortable, lots of options like an AM, FM, weather band and 6 disk CD player that took up so much room in the side case I removed it. Cruise control, heated seats front and rear, heated grips, electrically adjustable windshield and reverse. the downside was BMW required maintenance, like an all-day job to remove all the plastic and fuel tank, just to replace an air filter. BMW wanted $500.00 for 6,000 mile service and like $1,000 for 10,000 mile service. I bought the shop manual and a pneumatic motorcycle lift. I put over 40,000 miles in about five years also took some fantastic cross-country trips.
IMG_1497 by Lawrence Alexander, on Flickr

This is what you need to remove to get to the engine air filter. The straw that broke the camels back, I needed a new rear tire before I took a trip down to Memphis. I ordered the tire well in advance, but it was backordered from Germany and there were no substitute tires available at the time.
IMG_0387 by Lawrence Alexander, on Flickr

I bought my 2005 Harley Road King so I could take the trip. A comfortable reliable bike. Air cleaner can be removed in 5 minutes, hydraulic valve lifters, no adjustments required. Spark plugs can be replaced in five minutes. Harley dealers are everywhere, a plus while on the road. I put well over 40K trouble free miles on this bike with only fluid changes, tires and plugs.
IMG_1749 by Lawrence Alexander, on Flickr

My 2010 Yamaha VMAX. This 2nd generation VMAX had to be ordered as dealers did not stock them in the beginning. I ordered it in November, it arrived in January. The dealer delivered it to my house in a snow storm. That winter was mild and I was so excited I put on almost a 1,000 miles in February and March. By comparison I have only put about a 1,000 miles on this bike since 2018. This bike is a real adrenaline rush and a rocket ship. Good for 0-60 in 2.5 seconds and will hit a 100 in 5.9 seconds. You need to be absolutely focused when cracking open the throttle on this machine. Despite its weight it corners really well and has incredible brakes, dual six piston front calipers. This bike can also be ridden nice and slow for comfortable cruises, good since I am an old man.

Me on the bike, only a couple days after delivery.
IMG_1890C by Lawrence Alexander, on Flickr

1700cc, 197 crankshaft horsepower, gobs of torque at any RPM. Even though this design goes back to 2009, there are only a handful of bikes today that are faster 0-60.

More bikes to come.
IMG_2731 by Lawrence Alexander, on Flickr

[FormTA]

Some really cool bikes there. The last too are my favorite.

So, I don't know how he did it, but my 14 yo son somehow talked my wife into letting him get a dirt bike. I've been trying for years to let me get one and small ones for the kids when they were younger.  Side note my kids have been on gas powered things since they were 2. From the 2 stroke snowblower engine swapped barbie power wheels Jeep, atvs, snowmobiles to jet skis. So they know a little bit about control.  Anyway, I come home last week from work and they are both ready to go to the dealer and get one.... They kind of left me out because he wanted this Chinese thing and my wife and him knew I am not a fan and probably wouldn't go for that. But he was paying for it and he did research it (the company was started by an ex honda engineer and the bike uses a 230 cc 4 stroke that is pretty much a 100% knock off of the 2016 CRF230F engine. 

For the money he got a much larger bike and it was new. My wife said if it last 5 years, he can pitch it if it dies. Probably a good thing I could rebuild it if I wanted.  Here he is and with his cousins. They all have Hondas but being a 230cc it would smoke them. Overall it does seem pretty decent aside from some of the cheep plastic.  It also has electric strart along with kick.

He has ridden a few over the years but he road 25 hrs in a few days trying to break it in knowing we were going to my father's property which has trails hills and a pretty good place to ride.

[5th T/A]

Luke, I personally am in favor of anything that lets kids get out and socialize. Especially using their muscles and developing some athletic skills over sitting in the house playing with electronic devices all day. Having a dirt bike at that age and a place to safely ride, he has to be on top of the world.

Two great pictures that some day these kids will look back at and say remember when!

[hakitup]

I’ve decide to try off road racing, currently building an 82 Ramcharger. First race is in May our goal is to be painted like a Rod Hall truck.

[5th T/A]

This looks like a very serious off-road vehicle. Four shocks for each front wheel? I would love to hear more.

[kentucky yeti]

After seeing others, and being involved in a few deer strikes here (including one on my bike) I sold mine a few years back.  I miss it, but around here every year- at least 3 motorcycle deaths are attributed to deer.  My personal incident was very mild.  I almost got completely stopped before me and the doe collided.  I don't see another bike in my future.  These pics were all taken yesterday around noon.  Deer, turkey and my latest ride (with 4 wheels).

[roadking77]

2018-04-26_08-53-44 by Kerry Grubb, on Flickr
Larry, I have probably posted before but here is my Roadking. Its now almost an antique (2000). I use the trip meter for a gas gauge, it will go exactly 120 miles on a tank! so I dont know the mileage off hand. I think its around 70k. I have ridden it all over the country and its been a great bike. My buddies give me a hard time because its a bit ugly, and a 5 speed with a carb. But I suppose those are some of the things that appeal to me. I am a person if I find a vehicle I like I stick with it. I dont need to go into debt to have the latest shiniest vehicle with the best upgrades. Originally a 2 tone blue, I went on vacation and my son decided to take it for a stroll. He ended up ditching it and tore it up pretty good. Thats when I did the rebuild and matte black paint. Also has screamin eagle pipes but thats about it for performance stuff. It rides nice, def not cadillac style though. I traded a full dresser on it as that was too much bike to cruise around in. The ironic part is once I started doing long distance touring the little rides around town didnt mean that much too me!
I had wanted a BMW r series forever. My brother finally bought one, even had the lowered seat and  my stubby legs can barely touch. It is a great riding/handling bike but way too tall for me to be comfortable. I decided to stick with my ol 'king.

Mike, deer are crazy in my area as well. I ride on a limited basis in the fall just because of that. My neighbor who was a great Pontiac guy, bought a bike. It was something 650sh maybe a honda or something. It was his first bike and he was a bit intimidated so only drove it on the back roads. He was afraid to go on the highway. He ended up hitting a deer and was killed. About 2 miles from his house. The plumber that does work for me hit a deer in almost the same place a few years later. He was banged up pretty bad but lived to tell the tale. I started riding dirt bikes in 1973, I will go through periods of riding a lot to not touching it for months. Since 1973 I think there has only been about 4 or 5 years that I did not have a motorcycle in my posession. I am always as careful and diligent as I can be when I go out. (I hope I didnt jinx myself )

[hakitup]

This looks like a very serious off-road vehicle. Four shocks for each front wheel? I would love to hear more.

I’ll be running the YORR series, 2 races in Montana, 1 in Wyoming and 1 in Sturgis SD, if all goes well I’ll be doing the Mint 400 2024. The class is stock mod or SCORE vintage 1 which limits engines, suspensions tire size (33”) and shocks. No coil overs, bypass or rebuildable shocks nothing over 2.0 and if you use a 2.0 you’re limited to one per wheel. However standard shocks are unlimited in amount per wheel. I will have 4 per wheel, the reason is they get super hot and fade, 4 has been found to work the best overall.

My engine is a stock 1990 360 with around 130k miles on it, 727 trans, 208 transfer case, Dana 44 front and ford 9” with Detroit locker gears are 5.14. This is my first time building a cage and it was pretty fun to make it and fit the rules. It’s tied to the frame in 18 places, 9 per side.

Tom H

[roadking77]

Tom, that ramcharger looks like a beast!

[wheels78ta]

.

[5th T/A]

Off roading sure looks like a lot of fun. I already have too many hobbies, so I will make do with an occasional rental ride or bum a ride from someone! Thanks for sharing.

[5th T/A]

2018-04-26_08-53-44 by Kerry Grubb, on Flickr
Larry, I have probably posted before but here is my Roadking. Its now almost an antique (2000). I use the trip meter for a gas gauge, it will go exactly 120 miles on a tank! so I dont know the mileage off hand. I think its around 70k. I have ridden it all over the country and its been a great bike. My buddies give me a hard time because its a bit ugly, and a 5 speed with a carb. But I suppose those are some of the things that appeal to me. I am a person if I find a vehicle I like I stick with it. I dont need to go into debt to have the latest shiniest vehicle with the best upgrades. Originally a 2 tone blue, I went on vacation and my son decided to take it for a stroll. He ended up ditching it and tore it up pretty good. Thats when I did the rebuild and matte black paint. Also has screamin eagle pipes but thats about it for performance stuff. It rides nice, def not cadillac style though. I traded a full dresser on it as that was too much bike to cruise around in. The ironic part is once I started doing long distance touring the little rides around town didnt mean that much too me!
I had wanted a BMW r series forever. My brother finally bought one, even had the lowered seat and  my stubby legs can barely touch. It is a great riding/handling bike but way too tall for me to be comfortable. I decided to stick with my ol 'king.

Mike, deer are crazy in my area as well. I ride on a limited basis in the fall just because of that. My neighbor who was a great Pontiac guy, bought a bike. It was something 650sh maybe a honda or something. It was his first bike and he was a bit intimidated so only drove it on the back roads. He was afraid to go on the highway. He ended up hitting a deer and was killed. About 2 miles from his house. The plumber that does work for me hit a deer in almost the same place a few years later. He was banged up pretty bad but lived to tell the tale. I started riding dirt bikes in 1973, I will go through periods of riding a lot to not touching it for months. Since 1973 I think there has only been about 4 or 5 years that I did not have a motorcycle in my posession. I am always as careful and diligent as I can be when I go out. (I hope I didnt jinx myself )

Kerry and Mike, I can’t argue bikes are riskier than four wheels. A good friend got knocked off his bike by a deer, fortunately he was not seriously hurt. There is a scenic road about a mile and a half from my house, I pretty much avoid it while on a bike because I have witnessed deer collisions and had some close calls. I am due for a hip replacement this June, when I was talking to the surgeon I asked how soon before I can ride. He came back with a bunch of questions about what I ride. Then went on to tell me he did a stint in the ER and saw enough bike accidents that he no longer rides.

I know it’s a calculated risk, but I sure love to ride and I found it a great stress reliever when I was working. Short rides almost always turned into longer rides.

Kerry, my RoadKing was probably my all time favorite bike. It had the look, was comfortable for all day rides, on real hot days popping the windscreen off gave it a different personality.

[70_71_78]

One of my rides. Unfortunately my beat up hands can't tolerate handlebar controls anymore. I was on my around town ride, (Harley), when a taxi driver literally turned to the left and stomped the gas, running right into me as if he intended to do so. Totaled the bike and broke more bones in my hands and arms than I can remember. He was using a phone for GPS and got lost. In the background, the '78 body on the rotisserie! Anyone know somebody interested it it? The bike that is. 2009 Yamaha Royal Star Tour Deluxe. Looks and works like new.

[5th T/A]

One of my rides. Unfortunately my beat up hands can't tolerate handlebar controls anymore. I was on my around town ride, (Harley), when a taxi driver literally turned to the left and stomped the gas, running right into me as if he intended to do so. Totaled the bike and broke more bones in my hands and arms than I can remember. He was using a phone for GPS and got lost. In the background, the '78 body on the rotisserie! Anyone know somebody interested it it? The bike that is. 2009 Yamaha Royal Star Tour Deluxe. Looks and works like new.

I am so sorry, stories like this are very hard to hear. Unfortunately, many people don't take driving very seriously anymore. Then when you see a commercial with a Pickup driver letting go of the wheel and clapping his hands, to me this is sending the wrong message.

The Royal Star Tour Deluxe is a nice bike, basically has the same engine as the first generation Vmax.

[hakitup]

Completed our first race last weekend at Broadview Mt and we finished in second place out of 9 trucks. Only have a few things to change up before the next race.

Tom H

[kentucky yeti]

"Red Lightning"  I like it!

[5th T/A]

Been A while since I posted on this. I retired almost five years ago. I did field service on large computer systems and mostly large disk arrays. Snap On Tool was one of my customers. About 15 miles from my house, I would typically go there a couple times a week. I had a good relationship and worked with some very dedicated people there. In the lobby they had a couple of custom choppers. The one on the right was built on the TV show American Choppers. While Choppers were never my thing, in my opinion more of a rolling art form than a real motorcycle. I can still appreciate how they integrated many tools into the build.

IMG_2947 by Lawrence Alexander, on Flickr

[roadking77]

Cool bikes. Was that the OCC guys? We had a run in with them at Daytona one year, total %$%$^%$^%. I have 2 older brothers that share the motorcycle gene with me. We all started to ride about the same time in the early 70's. My one brother and myself are the classic bike collectors, my brother more serious than myself at this point. The other brother enjoys his electra glide but wanted to get a chopper. We were at bike week and he had made up his mind he was buying one. This was at the peak of the craze. There were literally hundreds of guys building them. From one offs and up. We looked at just about every one. EVERY body was more than accommodating as the competition was tough. OCC came out with their 'production' bike and we sat on one to try it out. They had a nice settup and about 10 bikes for sale. One of their guys came at us and said something to the effect of we werent allowed to sit on the bike unless we bought it, and we shouldnt have been behind the velvet rope. NO crowd or anything and their settup was similar to most everyone else. Guy was really belligerent, and the whole idea that they were more important then anyone else there. I saw them in a whole different light after that. We ended up buying one at the Broken Spoke of all places, he still has it.

[FormTA]

So, I'm not a motorcycle guy, my father was big into them in the late 60s early 70s. Lots of early Harleys, zundapp a motorguzzie and this BSA he bought new in 71 when he was drafted and needed something reliable to get around on. It is a 1971 BSA B50SS Goldstar. Unfortunately it isn't worth anything and it just a single (although a 500) and a late BSA so no one seems to want them. It has been sitting in a ban, garage a chicken coop or wherever he could keep it out of the weather. It was the only bike he ever bought new.

Anyway the kick starter would slip every so often and with a 500 and no decompression, it would smack you in the shin something fierce, so it sat. I pulled the case apart once when I was like 10 because,  well that's how I was and still am. Must not have gat far. Anyways, my son and I dug it out the other day from his garage with the plans of just trying to get it to run again.  It will probably never make it to the road as no one is a bike guy in our family and he's probably no going to ride it. I just wanted something to put around the yard on as my son has a dirt bike and it gives a a common interest.  It would be awesome fir my father to hear his old friend again too.



It has compression, it has points and a weird lucas ignition but I can make spark with a batery, points and a coil if I have to.

Some may notice he kind of made it into a dirt bike anyways. He removed the front fender, cut the rear and put a plastic one on, removed the turn signals, ect... That all could be because his brother road it when he was in the army sometime too amd laid it down. Didn't damage much that I can tell and my dad did ride it after that...She's rough!

Sorry if there are mistakes in the writing as I typed this out on my phone....

I gathered all the parts I could find and lightly assembled it.





First time a Snyder has been on it in 45 years.

[roadking77]

Sweet Goldie!  Like a lot of motor vehicles, compared to today its a slug, but when new that was a bike to be reckoned with. The Gold Stars were the premium line of BSA's.

[5th T/A]

Luke, that looks like a great father/son project, especially since you don’t have any other projects going! All kidding aside it could be fun and educational.

When I was close to your sons age, 500cc was considered a good sized bike. BSA and Triumphs were kings, then Honda came out with the 750 and the motorcycling world changed in the blink of an eye.