Anyone care to share their Origins???

[Fat Hack]

Just thought it might be cool to take a moment to tell you all about what it was that brought me into bikes. This being a newly started site, I kinda figured it'd help members get a feel for where their fellow scoot warriors first contracted "the disease".

For me, it happened at a real early age, like about seven. My aunt used to run with a prominent member of a Detroit based motorcycle club know as "Hell's Our Home", and she'd sneak me over to his garage (Mom didn't approve!) as often as she could.

Seeing and HEARING their Sportsters and chops in person left a burning impression on me as a wide-eyed little kid, and these guys built some sick CARS, too! For a future gearhead, this little garage on the East Side was HEAVEN!

As I got older, I came to know more about the bikes and cars I would see on our visits, and the guys always had mini-bikes or go-karts around for me to tear up the alley with. There was no greater thrill for an eager youngster, I assure you...the hours flew by, and that rough and tumble bunch of seasoned bikers always went outta their way to make a dopey, skinny little kid feel welcome! To this day, they remain a fond part of my earliest memories, and the passion they ignited for bikes and good times still burns strong in my heart!

Though it would twist their socks a bit, I took the Other Road when purchasing my first scoot...it was a heavily modified early 70s Honda 350 based chopper that I picked up from a lady at a garage sale for essentially pocket change in the mid 80s. Her son had built the bike prior to going off to Vietnam, and had never returned. She said that after so many years, it was simply time to let the bike go...in hopes that it would allow something her boy had created to live on and touch the lives of others. I taught myself how to ride on that bike (after pushing a mile and a half home and buying a battery and stuff for it!), and spent every waking moment working on it or riding it that Summer.

I took a job as a sevice porter at a Honda dealer, and got to sharpen my riding and wrenching abilities further...while getting PAID to do so! The assembly guys had me doing the pre-sale assembly and preps on the smaller bikes, and the seasoned mechanic took an interest in my quirky old scoot and tweaked more power out of it than I would have thought possible! (Seems that the original owner had put some time and money into the motor...it actually displaced closer to 500cc, and had lots of trick internals. I saw the difference right away the first time I rode a customer's STOCK CB-350...what a dog that was!).

No, it wasn't cool to own or ride a chopper in the mid 80s, but I didn't give a shit! Chops and bobbers were really the only types of bikes I'd ever seen up close, so they were all that mattered to me. I later came to dig the muscle-bikes...especially the V-65 Magna and KZ-1000 variants...but old school (skinny tire, apehanger, sissy bar) chops and stripped-down bobbers and Sportys remaind my core faves...and still are today. I took alot of kidding and shrugged off lots of strange looks while tooling around on that old chop...but to me...everyone ELSE was weird!

(Now EVERYBODY'S a "chopper" nut! Ha...where were they in '86...riding a Spree???)

My sincerest "Thanks" go out to Harold Eberts (now passed on), and the rest of the East Detroit "Hell's Our Home" brothers that opened their World up to this clumsy young kid without reservation all those years ago...the Memories you helped to create, and the Fire you started will long burn on! Ride safe, wherever the Road may take you!

(Here's a vintage picture from Harold's garage, and one of me with my first scoot...to share a glimpse into my past and theirs...)

[Tony]

Mine is pretty simple..

I was brought up around bike's. My dad used to ride 'back in the day', and i used to hear all about the crazy thing's they did when they rode.
When i was real young, i had one cousin that used to race motocross,and i thought that was pretty cool too. He was one of those cousin's ya looked up to as a kid ya know..
There was alway's something about bike's i loved.
When the go cart craze was in full swing, i wanted a mini bike..could careless about go carts..
Then the minibike led to a 72 Kawi 75cc..then to a honda80cc..then a few other bigger bike's til i ended up with mylast one. A '77 sporty.
1000cc..
I tore it all apart, painted it candy wineberry and did all the typical thing's i could at the time..
Bad part was i sold it..dumb move..
I don't have any pics scanned, sorry..

But they all fueled my interest's in 'em.
In fact, i still have my first minibike! Could never sell it...

Now, the last few years i've had the itch to build another one..
This time a 'bar hopper' style..and this one's NOT going to leave me..

Tony

[inkorekt]

I was raised around bikes until I was in 6th grade. I wasn't but a week old before I was bungee strapped to my father's Harley and taken for a ride. I haven't been around bikes much since, but I still enjoy them.

[Tuck]

First off... I've never been into bikes like I have cars... My ass is here to learn. My main association with them is painting Harleys, its how I paid my way though college so I owe them that...

My grandfather had allot of old bikes... all I have are pictures and stories. Most of these I'm going to get blown up and hang in the office- He hand a few old harleys and X-Celsicers sp?- Most of the stuff he had made it to where we live today except the Bikes... My dad liked to SELL SHIT... but the stuff my Mom managed to hang on to is still here- I still use the welder he bought NEW in 1950... and the 8-N Tractor around the same time. Too bad we dont have the bikes.

Funny how that shit works. I've always wanted a early style "military" Harley to rip around on- I've had a few different bikes over the years but nothing worth keeping.

I have a BSA chopper that I got from a friend who lost his collection of bikes in a FIRE- It was done in candy lace late sixtys- I'll snap some pics and post them later.

Heres one of the pics of WALT-

[Broman]

Ok, I'd love to oblige you Fat Hack.

BTW - I just LOVE that chopped Pontiac Parisienne...

My bike loving began when I was realy little. My dad was a biker. He owned rode every kind of Harley they made - (there will be many pics and stories on this later, I'm just getting warmed up). When he came back from Vietnam it was not all that uncommon for a group of guys to go riding and bar hopping together on Americas old stand-by (Harley of course).

But dad's love for bikes went beyond that of the average biker. By the time the 70's came around he'd already owned and built every different kind of Harley that they made. He always kept and rode a Harley at all times , but just for kicks he and his buddies would tinker with the BSAs and Triumphs as well. They were cheap and easy to chop so it came natural.

This still wasn't enough for my dad though....he started riding off road on modified street bikes. Then the Jap manufactures started making bikes with better off road capabilities. Dad bought the very first REAL dirt-bike in this area, a Suzuki RM 125. Alone that doesn't sound very impressive, but dad tells us stories of how almost everyone on the local trails were riding the Yamaha Enduros. And so the story goes he could ride circles around the larger (350-500cc) Enduros because his bike was so quick and light - well that and the fact that the 125 was built to handle jumps much better than those other pigs.....(ps don't get the impression that I don't like the enduros, I eventually grew up riding one).

So to make a short story long, dad was riding at professional outdoor moto-x tracks when I was just a little squirt. I started on a 50cc Suzuki JR when I was just 5 years old. It just gets better from there......

When we weren't camping at the track (Tipton Iowa for anyone who might remember it) we were at a Harley rally. It was an every week thing for us to go somewhere and go riding. I caught the bug at an early age and it never went away.

....that's the story of how it all started for me. I know it's long winded so i'll wait a little while to post on what I have owned and what I like....

[Flatheadpete]

I've always liked bikes...especially choppers. Not them "Me and Vinnie" choppers but old school, rigid frame, if ya don't need it don't use it choppers. Bobbers are sorta new to me. I am however in the process of building an old style board track racer (cars first!).
Other than that, I like bikes like my cars...low, loud and faster than chit!

[Primo]

I grew up around custom Harleys my dad built so I got the bug from him. He stopped riding when I was 10 or so though. Just got my first bike a little under two years ago ( a 2000 Kawasaki Vulcan) and am now in the process of building a bobber XS650.

Primo

Heres a pic of my dad back in the day and on of his bikes. Not quite the style of the board i think but its what got me into bikes.

[El Caballo]

I started at 19, customizing my first bike, a '74 550K to look like a Bonneville.

[baytowngreaser]

I got into H-D about 5 years ago. I'm currently working on a '67 BSA. Hopefully will post pix soon!!

Later
Eddie

[rt66jt]

I'm going with nature, because it sure wasn't nurture. Mom divorced when I was around five years old. She didn't even have a driver's license, yet even then all I was interested in was cars and bikes. She bought models for me to assemble as she read the instructions to me. She remarried a great guy, except he wasn't into cars, and certainly not bikes. I now have many interests, but cars and bikes are still tied for first place on my priority list.

Like some of you, I had a "cool" cousin. He was older than me, and he had a Honda ( I believe it was a 305 Dream) and a hopped up '58 Biscayne, complete with pinstriped dash and a shrunken head hanging from the rearview mirror. I envied him. Even though I had always been preoccupied with hot cars and bikes, my cousin gave me my first actual experience with them.

Over the years, Ive had some pretty cool wheels, but none that were really "mine." I'm working on rectifying that right now.

John

[Tony Bones]

Every summer a local outlaw club held their annual get-together at our local fireman's clubhouse, just outside of my town. Hundreds of bikes would come into town, and the road to the fire house ran right past my house. Man, it was rad to just sit out underneath our big ol' oak tree and watch those cats putt by.

Loud

Scary

Art

I built my Pan as best I could to resemble the bikes these guys rode. I JUST finished it. You'll all be seeing the bike w/ in the week.

[Broman]

Like some of you, I had a "cool" cousin. He was older than me, and he had a Honda ( I believe it was a 305 Dream) and a hopped up '58 Biscayne........


Hmm, that's odd.....all of my cousins were kinda lame.....

That either means that my family was really uncool or I was the cool cousin. ;)
Though I wasn't really the oldest of the cousins, so I doubt that's the case. Besides all of my cousins eventually got bikes of their own.

Most of them lost interrest in bikes and I am the only one who still rides (as far as cousins anyways).....

[Chandler]

My dad got me into bikes. Helped me get my first Sportster when I was 15. Im 28 now. Was out a bike for awhile. Got a good deal on a Evo a few years ago. Not as tricked out as some of the guys but its mine. Not a whole lot done to it. Put a S&S and a cam in it. Added the bars and the hand shift to it. Im slowly making changes. 2 knee surgerys in a year have seriously cut into my riding time and working on bikes time.

http://img271.echo.cx/img271/6004/untitled6xd.jpg (http://www.imageshack.us/)

[Broman]

Heres a pic of my dad back in the day and on of his bikes. Not quite the style of the board i think but its what got me into bikes.


Are you joking? That bike is perfect for this place.....

Of course I am assuming the Jockey Journal will follow in the tradition of letting the members make this place what it is - not a formula......

[scott]

OK. Ive owned and worked on scooters for about the past 30 years on and off.I started out with a 70 Bonneville and quickly found out that you have to maintain your own scoot or you will go broke really quick. I was never raised on bikes so I didnt get the "early start"
Over the last 30 years I have had the triumph 2 beezas 650s, A Kawasaki 1000, and the last 17 years Harley Davidson in one form or another. Pretty much put together a 73 sporty from swapmeet parts and had 3 incarnations of a 76 fxe that ended up more flh. Had various bikes in various stages of repair run through my garage including a 36 VL and a 50 pan.
Ive done a couple of top ends and rebuilt a few 4 speeds. Never did a bottom end due to lack of equipment. I dont consider myself an expert by any means but Ive busted knuckles for years.
I now ride a 98 heritage springer which I take every where. Just got back from a 2000 miler through Utah's national parks. As I have gotten older I enjoy the reliability of my EVO.
When I got back I found this place through the HAMB Thanks Ryan now I will have TWO obsessions
Scott:cool:

[Keith]

I'm dehudso over on the HAMB.

I've been riding since 4 years old and have been riding for the past 15 years. I had a lot of fun putting around on dad's shovelhead when I was a little kid. I'm finally going for my license in a month and will probably be runnign around on a early yamaha cafe racer type - 1972 DS7.

Looking forward to some more really cool stuff on par with the HAMB.

[Chandler]

Of course I am assuming the Jockey Journal will follow in the tradition of letting the members make this place what it is - not a formula......

Lets hope it does

[sparkymoffett]

Well, damn. I'm sort of new to bikes. Only had one now for about 2 years. Growing up I always wanted one. One of my friends had a dirtbike and I would sneak rides on it. I had the mother that wouldn't allow it. So, after having some bad luck with rods, I decided to pursue what I've always wanted. Starting off cheap with a 75 honda. Damn it feels good!

[spent]

I've been into bikes as long as I can remember. It all started with my dad. He rode short-track and motocross and had some cool BSA's, Triumph's, Yamaha and Suzuki motocross bikes, and an Indian Chief. He'd regale me with stories about riding, racing, hanging out with outlaws- the whole nine. One of my earliest memories is of my him riding me around on my uncle's old Honda XR200. I musta have been about two or three. My dad bought me a quad when I was about five, which was all well and good for a year or two, but what I really wanted was a motorcyle. Up to that point I didn't even know how to ride a bicycle [I just had no interest in 'em. They didn't have a motor, so I could have cared less]. Then, my pops made me the promise that he'd get me a real bike if I learned to ride the bicycle. I went out into the yard, hopped on my bike and within fifteen minutes I made dad stick to his end of the bargain. He picked me up from school with a used KX60 in the bed of his '66 about a week later. I was happy as a kid could be and pretty much stayed that way until I was around twelve, when some douche broke into the garage and swiped our bikes. We got 'em back a year later but they were roached. That was the end of my regular riding days up till now.

My first run-in with choppers was seeing the Pan that belonged to a buddy of my dad's, a guy who ran with an outlaw club. He'd repaint it a few times a year and I always thought it looked cool as hell. I really got into old school bikes in the past few years, and I've just been learning all I can [including buying up every '60's and '70's issue of Roth's Choppers mag I can get my hands on] and dreaming up the bikes I hope to someday build. Typical poser shit.:D

Hopefully, I'll be able to learn a lot here.

[aedan]

i got into bikes from being on the hamb and im here to learn

[Jimmy B]

I have been riding motorbikes since I was a kid I had a Yamaha MX80 & later a XR200. My brother had a '75 DT175 then he had a XL500. My Granddad had an '47 Indian with sidecar he sold that to buy this Honda CB125 & when he died My Dad inhereted it. Now I'm trying to get Dad to restore it.
http://www.users.bigpond.com/designjp/CB125/64HondaCB125.jpg
My goal is to have a BSA or AJS. This will have to wait until my Chev is finished.

[Stevie G]

Evel Knievel had a lot to do with my interest in bikes.
When I was a kid I tried to jump anything that wouldn' (Couldn't) get out of the way. At ten, my best friend and his family moved onto the Famiy Farm and his parents bought him a Honda XL70.
The infection started to spread.
It must have been A.D.D. before they knew what it was because I didn't focus on one style or type of bike.
While I loved cruising on something long and low I also loved to scrape the knees in the corners from time to time and my collection reflects that.
Loved??
Yup.....Don't ride anymore, just build.
Bad wreck in 2001 (Car, not bike) and the legs aren't what they used to be.

But, you see, I have this idea for a Tadpole Trike....yeah...just need to make it look old school, not Buck Rogers.

[30tudor]

Good idea Fat Hack, kind of an intro post.

I started rideing in the late sixties but got more serious in the seventies after I got out of the Army. Mostly european bikes here, Nortons for a while then tried BMW, Ducati and Moto Guzzi. I prefer euro twins from the seventies for their simplicity, dependability and style. Motorcycles with points, wire wheels and carburators interest me much more than the electronic rolling recliners of more recent years.

I don't ride as fast as I used to but I do ride as often as time will allow. I currently have a '78 BMW r100s with over 150,000 miles on the odometer. Also have a 1930 model a ford with a souped up engine in it and an MG. Diversity is a good thing.

Cheers

[tomslik]

Evel Knievel had a lot to do with my interest in bikes.
When I was a kid I tried to jump anything that wouldn' (Couldn't) get out of the way. At ten, my best friend and his family moved onto the Famiy Farm and his parents bought him a Honda XL70.
The infection started to spread.
It must have been A.D.D. before they knew what it was because I didn't focus on one style or type of bike.
While I loved cruising on something long and low I also loved to scrape the knees in the corners from time to time and my collection reflects that.
Loved??
Yup.....Don't ride anymore, just build.
Bad wreck in 2001 (Car, not bike) and the legs aren't what they used to be.

But, you see, I have this idea for a Tadpole Trike....yeah...just need to make it look old school, not Buck Rogers.

i think evel knievel had a lot to do with the WAY i rode.....dirt bikes

couple of years ago i bought my 1st street bike (98fxdwg) and moved up(?) to a geezerglide in january(wanna do some touring) but i kinda miss having something to hop on and go have a beer or a short ride so i'll be looking for a project in the near future and i'm always looking for ideas..

[dvlscoupe]

My 'rents weren't into bikes or cars, my uncle however took me for a ride when I was about eight. He had a big, loud, BLUE Harley. After seing my parents get all worked up over that I knew this is what I should be doing.
I was really into bicycles, and cutting 'em up, painting, and making vroom sounds while I rode around the 'hood.
As soon as I was allowed to drive I got into ol' cars and cuttin', paintin' and making vroom sounds while they were broke down in the driveway.
I got a 78 Harley for doing some paint work when I was 17. After tearin' it down and getting it to run the 'rents made me sell it. Well that steamed me a bit but what are ya gonna do.
Now I got a 72 and it's time to get back on the two wheel track!

[4t64rd]

I kinda backed into bikes, I was on my way back from getting a job after being unemployed for 4 months in 1987, and I got stopped in my car for speeding and I got popped for letting my insurance lapse, which threw me over the points limit of 12 points in 12 months, so my license was suspended.

So I still needed to get to my new job, so drove my car anyway. In order to keep a lower profile, I bought a 74 Suzuki GT250 from a guy at work for $185 and parked the car.

About a month later my roommate decided to go live with his girlfriend, and I couln't afford the rent alone, so I moved into a warehouse. It just so happened that it was 2 doors down from a bike repair shop, specailizing in Harley's.

My warehouse space wasn't a warehouse, it was the office for the warehouse, no hot water, no kitchen, but I could ride right in the door with a bike, and walk down to the bike shop. Where I made friends with the owner and spent most of my afterwork time. I would buy a 12 pack of Busch and I was welcome to hang out. I would help do minor repairs on the bikes he had in, and do my own work. I even burned the shit out of my hand on the bike Robert Blake rode in "Electraglide in Blue" and help build a Triumph bobber.

After a while I got a slightly bigger bike ('86 Honda Rebel 450), and I could almost keep up on the weekend rides with the Harley's and Triumphs. I was teased unmercifully though.

I eventually got my license back after having only a bike for transportation for 3 years, and the Honda developed a rod knock, so I bought a '62 LeMans and that was it for about 14 years.

I had just paid off my daily driver PU and had some extra money. So I put a deposit on a 2002 FXST. and kept it for about a year and a half before I realized that it was $275 a month for something that I could only drive on the weekends, and I needed to start back to school and I was having far too much fun on the Harley, so I sold it.

I finish up my degree at the end of August and I got me a project bike (no payments) another 70's Suzuki, this ones a T350, I have to get it next week and take a look at it and 1) get it running 2) see how I can modify it.
http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=84754
http://www.suzukicycles.org/photos/suzuki-history/1970/1970_TS350II_Rebel_450.jpg

I eventually want a Triumph, customized 60's style... and a big Electraglide for long rides.

How about we consider this my JockeyMB intro.

[HELLBILLY]

I had bikes (Suzuki shop owner lived down the road) before I had a bicycle back in the mid 70s.
First was a POS Indian dirtbike that only had first gear!:D
This led to all things motorcycle.
The shop owner down the road was a Factory BSA road racer back in his racing days and introduced me to British bikes and Whitworth tools.
I tried some Flat tracking and moved on to Roadracing.
Always liked the simple design of the Cafe racers.
Thanks, John
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[greggski]

I grew up in idaho back when state and forest service land was still open to the off road riding groups. my step dad raced motocross,enduros,and flat track. He gave me the coolest present when i was 12, a slightly used honda xr100. Boy what a great bike! i rode that for a few years and moved up to xr 125, then a xr 250. All of those bikes were great. He gave me the foundation of basic wrench turning by mantaining my own equipement and taught me responibilaty. If i didn't take care of the bike i had nothing to ride. All of those bikes were handed down to my brothers so the whole family could go riding.
When i went to collage i bought a 1980 xt 500 yamaha that i rode everywhere. i evetially turned that bike into a flattrack racer. A gain what fun. I got out of bikes for a few years until a guy at work wanted to trade me for a large roll around tool box. I said what do you have and he said an old honda. So i went and look at the bike and it was a 1965 honda dream. I had never seen on before. To this day i think it is one ofhthe coolest bikes i have ever seen. Well we tradedand as they say the rest is history. I have had about 20 bikes since then. british bikes ,european bikes ,japaenese bikes scooter, mopeds what ever i love them all. Some i have restored , somei have not some i got just becase i like the way the look.If it has wheels (2 or 4) and is semi old and a little bit unuasal i like it. Im looking forward to seeing the developement of this board. I've learned a ton on the hamb i hope i can do the same here. Gregg (what a crappy speller i am, lazy too)<!-- / message -->

[mikes51]

The first motor vehicle I ever bought was a bike. I still remember the day well after all these years. Reason being I never drove anything except scooters or a cushman up to that time. The bike had a suicide clutch which I had never used before. I'm still amazed to this day I was able to get it going down the street without wrecking the first 20 feet.

I must have been riding around for an hour or so, starting to feel pretty confident.
I was going up a steep hill and I had to stop on the hill for a red light. No front brakes, hmmm, I can't use my right foot for the brake cause my left is on the spring loaded clutch. :eek: I don't need to explain the rest of the story.

It was a POS which didn't always start or even stop, but who sweats those details when you're just out of high school.

Here's what you could get for less than $100 in the mid sixties.

Then you could buy good running ones in the $250-$300 range any day of the week.

[TRIUMPH TERROR]

Kinda like everyone else.Eviel K and I also had a neighbors who were big time motocross racers whole damn family.Also the oldest brother of the family was about 5 ft tall would come out every morn and kick the shit out of his built up long bike sportster.After 20 mins it would finally set there and idle and man did it sound sweet.Hearing this every morning as a child probably ruined me.As for now I have a Triumph basket case I just finished (650 bonnie bobber).I have always been a died in the wool HD guy but aint nothin new doin it for me right now.So I went with the Brit.In the next couple weeks I am about to begin on the next one a BSA lightin.

Shoe

[Tman]

My dad rode when I was a kid, gas crunch years. I was going for rides on the tank before I could stay on the back. My aunt and uncle had a Harley dealership in the dark years, they would ride out to Sturgis for the rally every year and visit us as well.

I had all of the Evel K toys when I was a kid, even the motorhome! My folks even took me to his ranch when we were on vacation out west, cooler than Yellowstone to me!! RobbieK was young at the time and charged us a couple bucks to watch him jump out front of the ranch. If I remember right, the jump is smaller than what you find on most BMX tracks these days, but it was out there in the 70s! B.E. (thats before extreme)

Still own my first bike, an Italian made Indian dirtbike from the 70s. Torquey little brute. Also own a 72 CB500/4. Havent ridden hardly any in the last couple years as I built my hotrod. with my move out to the country, I am looking forward to riding on less crowded roads.

[singledownloop]

my dad had a kz 900 when i was a kid,it was wicked fast for it's time.I started out on a mini bike then progressed to a susuki dirt bike then to harleys.I've had two evo sportsters,a 1982 fxwg,a1967 flh,and a1960 pan based bobber.I bought the pan motor with the title so i could run it in an old aftermarket frame with no numbers.