I started my street bike life on a Lightning 650. It vibrated, it leaked oil everywhere (we called it marking it’s territory…or also remembering where you parked it), and it was a bit unreliable. Some days it would run great, others…well, not so much. But…I loved the bike. Up until the day I traded it…
In 1978 Cycle Guide magazine editor Paul Dean was asked, what is the most boring motorcycle out there? Without one bit of hesitation “The Kawasaki KZ400.” This was for an article to be written by Rich Taylor on how to take an ‘Everybike’ and make it more. Well, there was no more an ‘Everybike’ than…
Ricky…”Lucy….I’m home!! Look what I got you!!” Lucy…”Is it a new dishwasher? A new clothes washer?” Ricky…”It’s Honda VT500 Ascot!…you’re going to love it!!” Lucy…”Does it do dishes and clothes?” Ricky…”No, it’s a motorcycle” Lucy…”Is it a Dual Sport? Because thats what I really want” Ricky…”Well, no…but it’s a really great motorcycle…” You know, I…
Is there a motorcycle in your past that you regret ‘not’ buying? Many of us have come home with a bike that once it is in our garage we asked ourselves “what was I thinking?” Worse yet is when your significant other asks you the same question, in a much different tone of voice. And…
“Just as much at home threading its way through slow traffic with two up or ‘Thunderbolting’ up a steep grade”. That is how Motorcyclist magazine described the 1968 BSA A65 Thunderbolt. Some may disagree but I think the A65T was probably BSA’s best twin ever. The A65 twin was built from 1962 to ’72 in…
The ‘Water Buffalo’, the ‘Kettle’, the ‘Water Bottle’, the ‘Le Mans’ (formal name here in the US). No matter what it’s called the Suzuki GT750 is really a fabulous motorcycle. Suzuki designed the GT750 to compete with Honda’s CB750, Triumph’s Trident and a couple of others in the GT, ‘Gran Tourismo’ class…not to go up…
1968 was the end of an era for ‘The Motor Company’, in 1969 they merged with AMF, American Manufacturing and Foundry. Here is where I stand on my soap box for a moment. In the case of the merger (takeover/sellout) with Harley Davidson it meant ‘Adios Mother F#@*&%R’. AMF made great bowling alleys and pool…
Royal Enfield has quite a history, starting with the fact that it is the oldest and currently still, building motorcycles company on the planet. And, even though there have been a good number of technological improvements, it is still the same classic British single motorbike. Enfield started off as a bicycle company, making guns (that…
This is a bike that is not for the faint of heart, but…it’s a really cool motorcycle. The rotary engine was nothing new at the time of the RE5. The first patent of the Wankell’Rotary’engine was back in 1927! However, work didn’t begin in earnest until the early 50’s at NSU in Germany. There is…
Well, the time has come to sell my R90S. I love this bike but I think that somebody may love it a bit more. I bought the bike a few years ago from my son’s father in law. It had been sitting for seventeen years under some boxes of vintage radios, a piece of old…
