Boys and Their Toys

10-03-2012, 07:59 PM

Nick Cagle

Boys and Their Toys

I found these two pictures and thought I would post them just for the fun of it. I know Bill H., Corey, and others are big motorcycle fans.

I built these almost 50 years ago. Long before it was cool and there was no "Orange County Choppers" or "West Coast Choppers.

The first one was built in 1965 and I rode it for a year while building the second one. Talk about the "Good Old Days"!! Total investment in the first one was less than $500.00. Started with a $50.00 basket job and did all the work myself.

You might guess there was a "little more" invested in this one. Almost All Chrome. Frame, Hubs, Springer front forks (very rare I-beam front forks), etc. Sold it when I went to Vietnam in 1968.

Ahhh! The Memories.

Nick

10-03-2012, 09:45 PM

Kirk & Elise

Nick! Those scooters are tough! Betcha' wish you still had that springer/pan.

10-03-2012, 11:32 PM

Mogan David

Thanks for posting those, Nick.
Long before I got the maxi-scooter I had at Goshen, I had more than two dozen motorcycles -- varied in size from a Whizzer (does that even count?) to Yamaha Venture 1300.

10-04-2012, 10:31 AM

Steve VW

Sweet "scooters"! Once again, I'm impressed by the talents of our members!

I had 5 of them, put on about 30,000 miles before the little old ladies in their Cadillacs scared me off the road. (Got hit twice...)

10-04-2012, 06:46 PM

bill h

Had one kinda like the top one.

Drag bars and no sissy bar, though. And Dunstall straight-through mufflers. (decently quiet, but powerful) And a bigger Cibié Super Oscar headlamp.

10-04-2012, 10:42 PM

Don in Niagara

This one is my latest project. A 750 Royal Enfield Interceptor British twin from 1965. Found it in Carlsbad NM a couple of years ago.

So far I've just put together everything to get it back to original. Still needs magneto rebuild and some cosmetics. It does run strong but smokes out of the left pipe, probably from sitting for 25 years.
Everyone needs a hobby.

10-05-2012, 06:36 PM

Nick Cagle

quote:
Originally posted by bill h:
Drag bars and no sissy bar, though.

Let me venture a guess. Yours was a couple of years behind mine. Maybe late 67 or 68. Drag Bars became very popular right after I finished the "Chrome" bike and I actually took off the "Ape Hangers" and put "Drag Bars" on it before I sold it.

Nick

10-05-2012, 08:33 PM

Lou

quote:
Sold it when I went to Vietnam in 1968.

by Nick Cagle.

Thanks for serving, friend.

Lou

10-05-2012, 09:52 PM

bill h

quote:
Originally posted by Nick Cagle:
quote:
Originally posted by bill h:
Drag bars and no sissy bar, though.
Let me venture a guess. Yours was a couple of years behind mine. Maybe late 67 or 68. t.

Nick

'64..fresh out of the Army. They weren't called drag bars, then. Maybe just flat bars. No risers, either. I couldn't stand the flex and lack of road feel caused by extended forks, risers and high bars. I liked the older style of customized Harleys, often called "bobbers" in Ca. As in bobbed fenders.

The engine was a little warmed, too, so hard acceleration with the high bars make it hard to hold on to, let alone control.

To this day, I much prefer flat bars. I am getting a little old for clip ons, though.

10-05-2012, 10:00 PM

Nick Cagle

64 Shoulda known!!!!!!!!! Trends always start on the left coast

Nick

10-05-2012, 10:55 PM

Rusty

I guess I'm going to have to drag out a photo of me standing on the wing of Charley Tuna (Chicken of the Air).

Rusty

MilSpec AMG 6.5L TD 230HP; built-to-order by Peninsular Engines: Hi-pop injectors, gear-driven camshaft, non-waste-gated, high-output turbo, 18:1 pistons. Fuel economy increased by 15-20%, power, WOW!

"StaRV II"

'94 28' Breakaway: MilSpec AMG 6.5L TD 230HP

Nelson and Chester, not-spoiled Golden Retrievers

Sometimes I think we're alone in the universe, and sometimes I think we're not.
In either case the idea is quite staggering. - Arthur C. Clarke

It was a woman who drove me to drink, and I've been searching thirty years to find her and thank her - W. C. Fields

10-06-2012, 12:35 AM

bill h

quote:
Originally posted by Nick Cagle:
64 Shoulda known!!!!!!!!! Trends always start on the left coast

Nick

This might have come from Blighty. Some folks called them Vincent bars or Black Shadow Bars. My first Norton came from England with flat bars, too.

In Ca, bobbers that were used in the desert (sleds) had high (cowhorn) bars, but hill-climbers and dragsters had flat bars. There weren't many really fast HDs on the road, but the really fast ones had flat bars. If nothing else, to get lower and narrower for less wind resistance.

10-06-2012, 06:41 AM

Don in Niagara

quote:
Originally posted by Don in Niagara:
Bill
Flat bars are known as Ace bars in the britbike fraternity, as in The Ace Cafe, home of the Rockers and "Ton up boys." ... Google "Mods and Rockers and Ton up boys" for some fun!
Don

quote:
Originally posted by bill h:

This might have come from Blighty. Some folks called them Vincent bars or Black Shadow Bars. My first Norton came from England with flat bars, too.

In Ca, bobbers that were used in the desert (sleds) had high (cowhorn) bars, but hill-climbers and dragsters had flat bars. There weren't many really fast HDs on the road, but the really fast ones had flat bars. If nothing else, to get lower and narrower for less wind resistance.

10-06-2012, 11:53 AM

bill h

quote:
Originally posted by Don in Niagara:

Bill
Flat bars are known as Ace bars

My memory seems to recall Ace bars as being bars that went forward of the stanchions, allowing a more forward position. I really don't remember the term Ace bars from that period, but do recall it from later. But, of course, I was here, and not there. I did, however, devour the Brit bike mags at the time. I recall them being called "dropped bars", or "clubman bars", too. Flat bars just came out of the stanchions and pulled back a little. Rotating them a little gave the grips a downward tilt and a racy look, like clip-ons.

There was also a later fad in CA with Harley riders to use drag bars on top of 6 inch risers. Kinda like they couldn't choose between ape hangers and flat bars on the top triple clamp.