No cells back in my day,just these things?

 

Harley was not a cool bike back in the day. At least, I didn't see them that way. They were more the old police bike that some greasy wrench was working hard to keep going. Yeah there were some chromed out new Harleys that looked neat, but not many on the road. Triumph, Norton, BSA were the cool labels. They looked like designer jeans on a model, sounded like Gabriel's trumpet, and would move you. I sawa rare Triumph Sports like my old one at the World Golf Concours last weekend--they are still easily the best looking bikes around. The loss ofgood design and finishin the bike market is obvious toa lot of people--overheard a lot of comments at the Concours.

The only Harleys that caught my eye back then were the Sportsters. Beautiful, in a raw boned kind of way with snarling power. They are still the only Harleys that turn my head.

 

My third bike was an AMF Sporster. No where near as many wanta bees in those days.

Back then, if you owned a Harley, you were much more likely to get your bike ripped off. There was no cooperation between 1% clubs, wearing colors meant you had to watch your back at all times.

I wish I could still sit on a Sporty for nine hours, now I need a Glide and some vicodin.

 

I started riding in the 60's I was not legal but it was the times.
We rode Triumph, BSA and Harley's We had to make almost everything for our bikes used to rake and build our own front ends, modifiy frames weld on hard tales bend handlebars to make what we wanted.. The Dealer i went to was a rough place if you did not know what to ask for watch out.. And dont sit on the stools there unless you want grease and oil on your pants,
A few bikes on the floor (No Boutique) A few parts on the wall
no aftermarket stuff and one rack with a few factory shirts (No dealer shirts) Most people that came in were buying parts everybody wrenched and there was a great brotherhood The owners of the shop were hardcore riders (my shop now the guy thats owns it hates bikes his daddy wanted to get him a caddy dealer he wanted harely go figure) Most people that rode (not all) were pretty hard core.. The bikes needed alot of work and were rough to ride (many of mine had no front brake and a rear drum (What was that you said you want to stop) I will always miss the old times... I could write a book but since no one would read it i will stop here!

 

I just wanna say, what a great topic, and thanks for sharing all the stories. Unfortunately 30 years agoI was 12 and had to stay in my yard on my HondaXR75, when all you guys were hacking bikes, and tearing up the road in nothing more than a T shirt and an attutude for fun! We always bust the "old timers" balz about getting "old", BUT those "old timers" had the luxuryenjoyment of living motorcycles in a fun, carefree, and unfortunately bygone era......

Unfortunately now it's getting not to be about the ride, but how to ride andtoavoid all the politics and liability that have become so much a primarynegitive association withmotorcycling......

 

Ignition off, (almost forgot) turn gas petcock on, choke on, push kick starter till you were at TDC, kick it through, push kick starter until you were at TDC again, kick it through, pull back distributor, push kick starter until you were at TDC, turn ignition on, throw all your weight into your right leg, and hope like heck the engine caught on the first try. Push distributor forward, turn choke off, and ride off on a piece of history.

I'll try to post some pics later in the week.

 

That takes me back to the old days when I first started out ona BSA Bantam 125 in the early 70's - went everywhere on it at full tilt. Managed to get 45 mph out of it once downhill with a following wind and flat out on the handle bars. I was always falling off it but never did any damage to me or the bike. My old man was commandant at and army base back then and I lost count of how many times I would come home turn in to the base and loose it on the corner. The squadies on guard duty would come running down to pick up, dust off and send the Colonel's son on his way again. It was atwo stroke and the guy before me put speed paltes in the sump to reduce the cupbic capacity and increase the pressure to make it go oh all about 5 mph faster. He put them in with wood screws which fell out out so there as ahole between the gear box and the sump. If I braked too hard the oil would surge forward and come through the screw hole and then I'd send out a smoke screen behind me. Me and my mates would go round the roundabouts where I lived to see who could generate the best firework display from dragging the footrests on the tarmac. Loved that bike and did all my learning and eventually passed my test on it. Then I got a Norton Navigator 350 and had to wear plastic over trousers to stop my jeans getting covered in oil everytime I went out on it. Always kept a spare pair for the eye candy on the back when they were brave enough to ride with me. Norton had a 'unique' auto chain lube system which would always got blocked and so backed up the presure which would inevitably blow the rocker box seals. Did all my own wrenching in those days as it was so easy and simple.

 

In the 70's, if you were lucky, you wereable to see this.

 

YOu could git a scooter license at the age of 14 where I come from, I had one in 1964. Triumps and BSA were big back then. The biggest Honda was a CB450 and it would rock.
I remember all the Harleys. I got a 1975 Sporster and went to a 1964 Pan head that I rode forever. Wished I had never of sold it.
They were still running knuckle heads with jockey shift a lot back then too. But that was the years of the shovel heads.Can remember AMF taking over to keep HD from going under. They brought some new bikes out back then. A lot of folks didn't like them cause they had japaneese carbuerators on them.
And folks wanted long springer front ends and they raked their front end out. The KIng Queen seats ruled. The bikes back then really vibrated, shook and made noises like you couldn't believe. The riding wasn't as smooth as today.
If you was a poor dude like me, you hung out at the indy shops. You had to have money to go to a Harley Shop and git a bike. They sure was pretty oh.
I can remember once a year they had the Demo days at the dealer where you could demo the bikes. I made the DEmo Days.
Got to do lock work at the HD dealers and would go in and drool at all the stuff. HD has come a long way since back then.
A lot of guys today wouldn't ride a bike like they had back then.
I hear everybody crying all the time about if my bike makes a noise, or if the brakes squeel and the list goes on. We were proud to ride a Harley back then. And the Electra Glides ruled.
But just like today there were a lot of sporsters.
Cagers were very aware of bikes and didn't try to run us off the road all the time and gave us more room.

 

Motorcyclist were watched in public. We weren't always welcome. Had more hair on head and less on face. Weren't as many bikers. Didn't have as much money. Made door made it myself some. HD's leaked oil and they had chain oilers. The bikes weren't as well built but they all had character. Kick starting could be interesting sometimes. There were electric starters but I don't remember just hitting the button as now. Triumphs and Norton's were cool. You meet the nicest people on a Honda ----that was a disgusting statement. At that age I was looking for easy --not nice. Long fork hardtail choppers with upswept fishtail pipes. Riding is riding---never lost the thrill or need--same as then as now.