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…
The Yamaha ‘Tuning Fork’ logo is historically important because Yamaha has been in the piano business since 1887, motorcycles didn’t come along until 1954…The YA-1 ‘Red Dragonfly’, 125cc of two stroke fun. Post World War Two was a big time for small displacement motorcycles around the world and truthfully, other than here in America, they…
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…
I truly do have this love / hate relationship with Bultaco. I raced Pursang’s in the desert, Matador’s in Enduro’s and an Astro in a TT race. I rode my Matador to and from school and all over the local mountains. What do they all have in common? They all left me stranded somewhere near…
I really love different (some may call ‘weird’) motorcycles. If there is something unique about it, I find it really interesting. Granted, riding friends I have had over the years have always questioned my taste in motorcycles but occasionally I have converted a few from ‘mainstream’ to a little left of center. Lucky for them?…
It’s that time of year that I start searching for, working on and writing about ‘winter projects’. Here in Southern California winter is all about having to switch from shorts to long pants and maybe a long sleeve t-shirt. OK…I said that just to make all of you that live in colder climates a bit…
1976 was a really tough time for ‘The Motor Company’, they had been bought up by AMF and quality control was pretty low on the priority list…bowling balls and pool tables were more important than motorcycles. I’m guessing that American Manufacturing and Foundry Company needed a tax write off? Everybody has heard this story many…
I have been riding, fixing, and building Vintage Motorcycles since before they were ‘Vintage’. I love the soul sounds old bikes make… I love the shakes that come up through the seat, foot pegs and handlebars that let you know the motorcycle is alive. And so are you. An old motorcycle may/will, require more attention…
This is really one of the coolest motorcycles up for sale now. It’s not so much about the bike, which is very cool indeed, but it’s more about the owner and why it’s being sold. Customized Bonneville’s are probably more common than stock versions on the road these days. Vintage Bonnie’s and new generation Bonneville’s…
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…
