Any motorcyclists?

[Figbuck]

Just trippin' on my favorite web site besides this one and saw these pics. Laguna Seca was (is) like a second home to me. The very best days of my life were spent there watching IMSA Sprorts Cars, Can Am cars, IndyCars, AMA Road Race Nationals, WSBK, USGPs, MOTO GP, IKF carts, Historic Races and even NASCARS. I went to the first Keith Code's California Superbike Schools in the early '80s and did many, many track days at Laguna, Sears Point and Thunder Hill Raceway Park. Cresting Turn one in top gear and trying to take the old Turn Two "Dogleg" WFO, or rocketing out of the new Turn Five on the rev limiter is better than sex.

 

Here are some pics from a race that I was at. It is hard for me to figure out how to post up the images off Soup's site. You will have to go to the page and look at the bottom row. Check out the signage on the what was, at the time the new pedestrian bridge across the Start/Finish line.

 

http://superbikeplanet.com/image/archive/laguna/9/

 

I seem to remember that there was a couple of 620 4x4s that lived at the Laguna race facility. They were used to do maintenance and construction work around the track. I don't think I ever saw a 620 4x4 out on the road, 720s yes. In a rear or two these 620 looked beat and rusty, being within in view of the Pacific Ocean, and were replaced by white 720 4x4s. A couple had flat beds and they used to retrieve crashed bike in them.

 

I guess that was around the time of the name change frome Datsun to Nissan. I vaguely remember one year the radio and TV ads all said "Datsun Saves" and there were bumper stickers that said "Jesus Saves, He Drives a Datsun". Then the next year they made Nissan Trucks "The Official Truck of Laguna Seca Raceway. A couple years later Toyota was the "Official Truck". Now they call the place Mazda Raceway. Wish I had money... I'd name the place Figbuck Motor Sports Park. :P

 

Anyway, I digress. I think I read somewhere that one of you guys has an RD fetish. Anybody else here ride bikes?

[tnip]

 

 

[kiznook]

I currently have one of these, with a pipe and intake, good little bike for putting around town, makes lots of noise and rides smooth. Hasn't gotten much (any) love this year though, too busy enjoying my dime

 

For a short time I had one of these...wish I still did, I'll get another some day

 

Before that (before my endorsement)

 

AND before that, this one kinda tried to kill me. I was WAY too small for that bike :D

 

but I guess it really started with the bike my brother had when we were kids

[datsun dreamer]

I started dirt biking in 1979, I was 9 yrs. old....Use to go into the deserts til' I was 16 then i got My first street bike a 1976 honda 400/4 supersport that i restored,customized and drove til' 1992 When the cal. Helmut law:mad: passed at that point i had 2 other bikes a suzuki and kawasaki....i sold them all, the helmut law felt like it took away alot of freedom as a biker! recently 2 years ago I purchased a 1975 honda 400/4 supersport that i began to restore but sold due to too many projects.......I still enjoy riding and hopefully one day will get a old school Harley to restore and cruise:D

[1lo620]

Ya I am into bikes a bit. I was into them alot more as a younger man...But I am to old and to damn fat to ride and do all that crazy shit..

I am the owner of a CBR 1000R and it is fast. I also own a 86 Honda 300x 3 wheeler, Extended swing arm, wider rearend and bored out full exhaust and it is a screamer. I love the dirt and dunes...Dont get to ride as much as I want. Real Estate has ate up most of the nice areas around here. Go to Moses Lake when I am able. Try to get to Florence Ore, at least 1 a year.

Oh ya,no matter how much Icehouse begs...dont let him ride your bike....sorry Jeff had to do it....:rolleyes:

[datzenmike]

Don't laugh, in '72-ish my first bike was a 175 CZ trials bike. Here's a picture of one. Mine looked just like it but had an orange tank . The oil had leaked out of the forks and the shift and the kick start were the same lever! You can see it in the shifter position. To kick start you push on the lever, with the inside of your boot, then lift up, over top and kick down to start. Let go and it flips back and pops out and it's a shifter. Up shifts were DOWN. Hard left turns were a bitch as weeds would wrap around the shifter and yank it down into a higher gear, stall and face plant! Look at that sprocket! it's the size of a dinner plate. At 175cc and 10 pathetic HP it was no screamer but it would climb a tree. You could get off and climb a hill on foot and it would idle along beside you. This was no moto cross bike and I only found out about trials riding much later. Sort of an extreme cross country, no trails, compass only race against the clock. Try that on a moto cross bike!

 

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My next bike was an MX 100 Yamaha. Total race bike. No tach or lights, the only wiring was for a push and hold kill switch. 19 hp, half the size. It was so light that in the lower gears you had to lean forward or the front would snap up when the power came on at 9K. I rode a friends MX 175 and with the heavier frame it would just spin the tire. I traded it for a 10 band graphic equalizer.

 

http://i138.photobucket.com/albums/q251/datzenmike/mx100a74.jpg[/img]"]

[OL YELLER]

OH no....I am afraid that if I start answering this thread...there is not enuf space or you guys won't have enuff time to read it all...so lets just say that I have been riding a Long time..(both Dirt and Street)..I own or have owned everything from my Harley Davidson thru a very heavy Sachs 125 dirt bike!..we are talkin bout Hondas, Yamahas, and many many others........

 

[datrod]

In the third photo tnip put up how many datsuns do you see?

[datzenmike]

I see four Beatles, and four more that might be Datsuns trucks.

[1hr40minlate]

Hey Kiznook,

 

That 68 KO is sweet looking!

 

Protect the on/off switch if it is OEM. They are over 300.00 to replace them. I have one just like it including the green tag on the rear fender.

 

It looks very cool in the back of my 520 next to my 75 TL250

 

1hr40

[CharlieBucket]

In the third photo tnip put up how many datsuns do you see?

 

7 for sure, 9 maybe. just at quick glance

[Cruzn620]

no...i'm not a motorcyclist....:lol:

 

1971 AMF Harley Electroglide

 

1976 Yamaha RD400 (restoration in progress)

 

Boss Framed Rotax 505 Flattrack Racer

 

My old 1998 KTM250 dirt track bike (i miss her)

 

1998 ATK600DT

 

2001 KX125 (never should have sold her...first bike i ever bought new)

 

2004 KX250F

 

That is the collection for now...hoping to add a sport bike to the mix soon, and after i get my datto done, i'm wanting to build some sort harley bobber...and i would love to own a yamaha v-max too. love life on 2 wheels!!

[tnip]

i went to that link that figbuck posted and threw up the two that he was mentioning, and then i got to lookin at that third one with all the cars on the hill... i too think it looks like quite a few datto trucks and a couple x cars too, but i wasn't positive as a few trucks from the early to mid 70's looked similar from that distance.

 

kiznook- i've heard that the buell blast is a super fun bike to ride. that the torquey motor coupled with the relatively large diameter rear "sprocket" (altho i guess technically that's a pulley) make it want to lift the front end super easy.

[72 327]

84 FJ1100

 

 

 

[phiz]

 

Not me. I'm just a junk collector.:D

[tnip]

73 620 - that bike is pretty cool. doesn't look as cheesy as most 80's bikes do. is that a crx in the garage?

 

phiz - i like that two stroke yamaha with the race stripe and the solo seat... looks cool.

[kiznook]

Hey Kiznook,

 

That 68 KO is sweet looking!

 

Protect the on/off switch if it is OEM. They are over 300.00 to replace them. I have one just like it including the green tag on the rear fender.

 

It looks very cool in the back of my 520 next to my 75 TL250

 

1hr40

 

those are all webpics I found, ours WAS a 69 and not nearly as nice. But I do remember some fun times putting around the back yard, even though I didn't ride it much cause it was my brother's. It sat in the shed for a couple of years, some mystery problem that would be SUPER easy for me to fix now, but anyway, there was a guy down the street that already had a couple that were CHERRY, so we traded it for a lowrider bike and some cash. The lowrider was later traded for a single speed schwin cruiser.

kiznook- i've heard that the buell blast is a super fun bike to ride. that the torquey motor coupled with the relatively large diameter rear "sprocket" (altho i guess technically that's a pulley) make it want to lift the front end super easy.

 

They really are a BLAST! we have two of them actually, I ride the 03 with the hooker "header" and k&n (like) intake, and my brother rides a stock 01 that's actually from canada (km/h speedo). Great torque-y thumpers. wonderful entry level bike, or just for cruzin around town. Sound like a harley, especially with the pipe, but without the misfiring v-twin throbbing.

 

I think the motors make for good flat-track power plants, and it wouldn't surprise me given the powerband. Wouldn't expect it to pull the front wheel too easy though, not like a RZ :D

[kiznook]

Oh and thanks to you guys I had to watch "On Any Sunday" at work today, not that I don't fairly regularly anyway :)

[Cruzn620]

The buell blast was tried as a flat track racer back during the 02-04 seasons by factory harley davidson. The AMA let harley have a huge displacement advantage over the 450cc motocross (and 505cc rotax) power plants because the blast motor was 2 valve and used push rods. Rich King rode the bike for the factory and the program was scrapped because the bike was just too heavy. I watched Rich try to hustle that bike around the peoria TT...and after he didn't qualify, i offered to buy him a beer because it looked like he had had a miserable day. The race bike was much like my ATK600DT...boat anchor on the race track (but fun on the street!) and that has been your flat track history lesson for the day! HAHAHAHA...glad to see we have lots of two wheeled minds on this board!

[Steroid]

Neat photos!! Let's see............. in 1970 My Dad bought Me a new trail 70 (and NO, I'm NOT going to show THAT photo! Too nerdy!!!!) and He had a step-thru 90 that We went a few places on. Then I bought My neighbor's Yamaha 80 (with the manditory neighbor pissing off expanshion chamber!!) Then in about 1978 I bought a Honda 400 twin (My first street bike) and also a Kawasaki 250 trials bike. Had those for a few years. I stepped up to a Suzuki 550 that I "cafe'd out" that had a Kerker 4 into 1 pipe and lowered. Not any dirt bikes until 1984 when I bought a Honda 200 threewheeler (which I still have) and I molded in fender flares, hoodscoop and such to get a chopped 1972 Honda 500 built by Denver Mullins (which I also still have). In 1995 I bought My first Harley. It was a 1989 FLHS that was autographed in 1996 by The Doobie Brothers and was on Their website for about 4 years. About 3 years ago My son drug home a very complete Hodaka 100 Dirt Squirt (which would make an AWESOME restoration project for somebody!). In 2001 I traded My 1956 Ford Panel truck (that I owned almost to the month for 20 years) for a special construction Harley hotbike which I still have. I might make a theme bike from it or sell it, who knows. This April I donated the 1989 FLHS to Our Church's bike ministry and We bought a 2003 100th anniversary Harley full dresser in awesome gunmetal blue and LOTS of chrome. This summer I was driving by a garage sale and there was a 1985 Honda 200X threewheeler for $150.00, so it's in the collection, which will give Me 2 threewheelers to go places with another rider from time to time.

[Jester]

Tyler and Phiz: Have either of you checked out usa2strokers.com ? Great site for the 2strokes. I'm Jester there also.

 

As to bikes; started out on a RM50 then came a RM125. Rode that one for a few years. Jumped to the street bikes with a '85 Night Hawk 650. I am now building a '73 RD350 with RD400 wheels and suspension. My other is a '76 Gold Wing.

 

Jester

[Cruzn620]

Thanks for the link...Hainz here is a 2 smoke die hard too

[Figbuck]

Great! I know I'm in stellar company here.

 

Buell Blast :D

 

250 Elsinore :D

 

Honda 400/4 SS :D

 

Boss/Rotax :eek:

 

FJ 1100 :D

 

I came up riding Mini Bikes with Briggs and Strattons, Honda & Hodaka 90s, then Kawi & Yamaha dirt bikes, later KTM 250s. I quit riding in the dirt because I was always getting hurt. I had an assortment of crappy but cool bikes, BSA 650 Thunderbird, Triumph Bonny, Bultaco. The tires sucked on the old days. It didn't really do any good to have horsepower. The frames sucked and the suspensions sucked. Bikes didn't start getting halfway good IMO until the Dunlop SportMax radials in the mid '80. I didn't get serious about street riding until '78. I always had Honda 750s, then V4 750 Interceptors for sport touring. In the '90s I had a series of track bikes, 600 Ninja, F2 & F3 600.

 

Here is a pic of me riding a Kawazaki KZ550 at Sears Point (now Infineon) Raceway circa 1981.

 

 

This is me on my '90 VFR coming down throught the corkscrew circa 1995.

 

 

This shot is now ancient history. I'm about to put my knee puck on the top of the curbing at the bottom of the Corkscrew. This is a '90 600 Ninja on Dunlop slicks.

 

 

Two years ago they picked up the whole brdge and moved it uphill about a hundred yards, then bulldozed the hill in the background for more runoff room. The whole facility has undergone major alterations. Like I said before, I have had some of the best days of my life at this place.

[OL YELLER]

Did someone mention 2 stroke.......................I love the smell of Blenzall in the morning.............................

[hang_510]

1970 My Dad bought Me a new trail 70.

that was my first bike too! got mine in 73. i put about 10,000 miles on it

those things are going for crazy money now. i want another (w/a clutch)

 

bikeless now :(

sold my 84 honda CB700 nighthhawk last year. it had almost 90,000 miles on it.

only routine maintenance performed the entire time i had it :D