The Streets of Willow @ Willow Springs
Haven’t been there in a while but found this old picture (probably taken in 2001). Same Superhawk as I have now.
Streets is a fun technical track. I found, having all the torque of the Superhawk, that staying in 3rd gear worked great for a smooth run around this track, where the speeds could range between 30 and 115 mph.
Pala MX Track
Took the 620SX out to the MX track today at Pala Indian Reservation. Mimi, from the San Diego Adventure Riders met up with me and she was very patient with me, as I had not been on a closed MX course since the 70’s. The Vet track was a bit too much for me. 2 laps and I was worn out. We got permission to ride on the PeeWee track, since no one was on it, and I was more comfortable there. The KTM just has too much power to manage on short tracks like this, but was fun, non the less.
Here’s a short video of Mimi on her Kawasaki 250 (2 stroke)
Advanced Rider Course-Sportbike Techniques (ARC-ST)
I just got back from Rocklin, Ca (just east of Sacramento) attending the RiderCoach prep class for the new MSF’s ARC-ST. I was honored to be in this very first class offered for non-military use in California. There was about 20 hours of reading and homework BEFORE doing these 3 days of training and certification.
The course is practically identical to the Military Sportbike Course that was developed by the Motorcycle Safety Foundation (and others) for the Marine and Sailors who ride sportbikes. The one difference for us, on the outside of the military, will be that this class will be offered to any rider, as the skills learned can be applied to all motorcycles. We had Goldwings, cruisers, dual-sports, supermotos, sportbikes, and even an old classic 1975 Norton 750 Commando being used during our weekend.
What is learned in the 3 hour classroom portion is the real eye opener! Check with your local MSF training site to see when this course is coming your way!
Baja Blitz DB30 Mini Bike aka Doodle Bug
I picked up one of these last week on Craig’s List. It is so new, it still has the protective plastic over the seat. Hopefully, when my grandkids come to visit next year, they will be able to ride it around and have some fun.
Mini Bikes were real popular back when I was a kid and rode many, but never owned one. These bikes are the only current ones being built and sold as new, although there are “kits” out there. There is a site called http://www.oldminibikes.com/ and it has so much information about people that collect and restore the old ones. Usually powered by a lawn mower engine, some were sold with small motorcycle engines. Because of the very light weight, not much power is really needed to make these go.
This one has a 2.5 hp engine and it takes a bit to get going with an adult on it. A popular, and relatively inexpensive, modification is to change the engine out with a 6.5 horsepower engine that is usually sold at Harbor Freight for around $100. Anyway, for the time being, I will just keep this one as new.
Hot September Days
This heat is not as bad as elsewhere in the country, so I am not complaining. I do want to say that you know it is hot when you crack open your face shield and it feels like a hot blast from an oven. I sure like my mesh jacket though, just wished the vents in the helmet would actually circulate over my wet hair. Anyway readers (and riders), take care and ride safe!
Pre-Dusk Ride at Pine Valley
Keith called me up late in the afternoon and said he was taking his kids riding at Pine Valley, so I took off on my DR650 to meet them. Asland and I rode about 18 miles of trails and Keith and Ella rode out about a mile . Ella’s engine quit, so she coasted downhill back to the parking area. She rides very well for a 7 year old and she just started learning last week! Ahsland is a natural, not much I can say for his dad though (haha). The DR did well with the 50/50 tires and I enjoyed the workout I got!
Another Trail Ride
Went back to Corral Canyon yesterday (no pictures this time) and took a fellow RiderCoach who had never been in the dirt before. Christine did well for being on my Qlink with street tires. She could not straddle the KTM enough to be comfortable about riding it. We rode for 2 hours and made it up to the Tower and met Joellen, the other person who watches for fires. The official name of the tower is Los Pinos.
Trail Riding
Matt, Chris, Paula, and I went trail riding today. We went early in the morning (630ish) and it was really cool when we got there. We started out in Pine Valley at 7 and headed towards Corral Canyon. It never really got unbearable hot and we just kept riding. We (everyone but me) did see a rattlesnake. We stopped a couple times for a quick rest and water.
And, eventually, we made it up to the tower to see Norm.
We also got some good photos of some hummingbirds up close, that Norm makes sure has enough sugar water available while he is on watch.
Here is the view of our motorcycles from the tower. Mine is the one leaning against the fence because I have no kickstand.
Here is a group shot that Norm took for us in his tower. That’s Paula, me, Chris and Matt.
Matt will be posting a full ride report in the forums on http://www.dualsport-sd.com/.
We all had a good ride and it was the 1st time for me to take my new dirt bike out in the dirt (97 KTM620SX). The KTM proved to have alot of power and handles like a charm, and very predictable after I got used to the touchy throttle. I think I was more comfortable on the fire roads than on the single track trails simply because I could go a bit faster and smoother. I am glad I got this KTM and look forward to riding it in the dirt even more.
We were done riding by 1, which is a bit longer than I thought we would of ridden, but you know how time flies when you are having fun!
Follow up on the 1997 KTM 620 SX
AAA is great! (the auto club). No long DMV lines! I took my paperwork in after work this morning and brought the KTM out of non-op and transferred the title. Came home, put the sticker on the plate and went riding.
1st impression: Wow, this bike is light! Next impression: Whoa, this engine has torque! Overall impression: this belongs in the dirt, not on the street. The front wheel does not want to stay on the ground, the full knobbies seem to slip and slide a bit. I see what they mean when they call these 620’s a paint shaker. It is not annoying, but you do feel the heavy rumbles of the engine and the knobby tires.
With no side stand, I did not want to even think about stalling the engine. I am tip toed on it as it is, and need to lean the bike against something on the right side to start it. It does start easy, 1 kick when warm, 2 kicks when cold.
I am planning on taking it to do some trail riding this Thursday, so will check in then and give a dirt report. (and maybe some pictures)
1997 KTM 620 SX
Just sold my XS750 Yamaha and picked up this KTM. Although it is the SX model, it has been modified to be California street legal. As soon as I get it re-registered (it is currently non-op) I will take it on the road and dirt and write more about it. It starts on the second kick, sounds great (crisp) and is super light!:
Trail Ride Pine Valley
Got up early this morning, loaded up the Qlink, drove over to pick up Keith and his KTM400 and then headed east to Pine Valley where we met up with Chris, who rode out from Coronado on his DRZ400. It was 6am, cool and time to ride! We road until 9:30am until it started getting very warm, had some Gatorade, hung out and rode each others motorcycles and then loaded up and headed home. Here’s some pictures after the trail ride.
1999 Suzuki GSXR600 SRAD Track Day at CA Speedway-YOUTUBE
Here’s an onboard cam shot of about 10 minutes on the CA Speedway AMA course back in September of 2007 on my old Suzuki trackbike.
VTR1000 @ CA Speedway-YOUTUBE VIDEO
I am hoping this works. I uploaded my 1st video to youtube and now hope I can embed it properly. So here goes:
It works! Anyway, this was taken with my onboard camera at the California Speedway AMA course on 06-28-2007.
Victor’s Ducati Monster
Here’s a beautiful motorcycle owned by my good friend Victor. He has MMS also (Honda Nighthawk 750 and a dirt bike).
1966 Yamaha 200 Electric
I had a friend I worked with (James Cunningham) in Houston, Texas in 1970 that owned one of these. He used to let me ride it to work, with him on back, almost every morning when my motorcycle was down for whatever reason. We both worked at R. Leon Sheetmetal Specialties. I remember it being a very smooth running motorcycle, I loved the 2 stroke smell too. Anyway, here is a picture I found somewhere on the Internet that looks like the one I used to ride.
1971 Honda 750 K1
I found these pictures on the Internet that looks alot like one of the many Honda 750s that I had owned in the past. They certainly were nice smooth bikes back in the day and there were tons of aftermarket stuff for it. Enjoy these pictures:
1971 Suzuki T 125 in Kansas
David in Kansas sent me these pictures of his Dad’s 1971 T 125. It has been garaged all these years and is pretty much original only needing a throttle cable and the usual maintenance to bring a classic like this back to life. If anyone is interested in buying this, email me and I will put you in contact with David.
Sure brings back memories!
KZ400 Website
This site has the most info and pictures I have found so far about the KZ400. Check it out!
June is a busy month so far
It is almost the middle of the month and I have not posted anything. Work has been good. I guess with our gasoline prices near $3 a gallon, we are getting more people wanting to ride again, plus you cannot beat the San Diego weather.
I have over 3200 miles on the DR650 (in less than a 2 1/2 months) and have had no problems whatsoever with it. I changed the sprockets on the Qlink from 14/48 to 15/44 so now it runs a slower and more normal RPM at road speeds. It was geared very low for stock. I keep it down at the range mostly, so I can run errands during the week when I have my truck there. I have taken the other 3 bikes out this month, the Superhawk, the XS650E, and the XS750F and they are all fine. The Superhawk is still the torque monster and prone to wheelies even without trying, so I have to be very careful on it. Both of the old Yamahas have nothing but character and they are a pleasure to ride.
I installed some larger florescent lighting fixtures in the garage as when the heat of the summer comes, I will probably work more in the evening than during the day.
I am still looking for some pictures of a KZ750 (twin), a Cimatti 100 short tracker, and a stock KZ400.
Have a great month of June and remember, if you do not ride your motorcycle to work daily, then at least ride in on June 15th!
My old 96 DR350 Suzuki is still going STRONG!
Kevin, the new owner of my old DR350 recently made a trip from San Clemente to Mojave. Kevin sure knows how to enjoy that bike! Here are some pictures he emailed me:
Thank you Kevin for keeping in touch and sending the pics!
2009 Vintage Motorcycle Photo Show by Jim Franklin
From the Micapeak XS650 mailing list:
2009 Kawasaki ER6N-More Pics
Pat is already doing some mods to his ER6N. Looking pretty sleek and I bet the new exhaust system sounds great!
Qlink XF200
With the funds from my recently sold XS2, I bought this 2008 Qlink XF200 from an old (I mean really old) motorcycle buddy. It has a Suzuki DR200 engine in it and was geared very low (I immediately put a bigger countershaft sprocket on it). A fellow RiderCoach and I put it through the paces on the BRC range and it will be a very nice demo bike. I think it looks pretty nice too. Time will tell if the Tiawanese quality holds out to be better than the Chinese. 
My Son’s new 2009 Kawasaki ER6N
My oldest son, Patrick, in Texas, just sent me these pictures of his new motorcycle!
Sold my XS2 today
Someone in Phoenix is going to turn it into a tracker! He also got all my XS2 spares and now I have so much more room on my side of the garage now! I’m gonna miss that bike, it will never be forgotten!
04-02-09 Ride Report (208 miles)
John & I left at 9am this morning heading east on the 94 to Lyons Valley Road, took it all the way to the 8, which we headed eastwards to Buckman Springs Road, where we got on the Old Hiway 80 and then we found a trail between Jacuma and Ocotillo (just south of In-Ko-Pah) that was too much fun! Found a couple old gold mines back there, but we were more interested in riding:
The DR650 performed flawlessly. It was like riding my DR350 with much more power! Riding on the roads, freeway, or trails, it just purred along, no straining of the engine; instant power and it feels so light!
I know, the bike is only 3 days old, but the owners manual says not to use more than 1/2 throttle and I never needed more than that for all I did today. Went 208 miles and averaged 54 mile per gallon. After this trail ride, we went to Acorn Casino and had lunch, then to Sunrise highway, but we stopped to get pictures of the Border fence and windmill generator farm:
John just emailed me the GPS map of our ride today:
No more pictures, but we did explore another trail close to the Laguna Mountain CDF station on Sunrise Hiway. We then proceeded on to Julian and then west to home through Ramona. Great day!
No April Fool’s Joke!
Today, California sales taxes went up at least 1%, and in some locales, even more. (San Diego is now 8.75%) I wish it were a joke, but it is not. I hope the plan works, whatever it really is.
The good thing is, for motorcycle riders who have completed the Motorcycle Safety Foundation’s Basic Rider Course (BRC) and/or the Experienced Rider Couse (ERC) can get discounts at most motorcycle dealers/retailers. (Cycle Gear gives a 10% discount). Just show your completion card. If your dealer/retailer (or even insurance company) does not give a discount, leave and go somewhere that does!
09 Suzuki DR650
Just brought my new Suzuki home! Sarah Andrew from Quincey Power Sports in Lemon Grove, CA really put together a nice deal for me, Adrian & Eric in parts helped out with the accessories, and Mark in service did a fine job making the bike ready to go, and even allowed me to watch the bike fire up for the very first time! Thanks to all of them for a super smooth and trouble free deal! If you ever need a new motorcycle in San Diego, go see these professionals!
Work
This is part of what I do during the week. I have almost 50 motorcycles, that are used for training, that I take care of. (I do have help-Thanks Rod). Sometimes, some unusual parts break, like this, where a student jammed on the gear shifter and actually broke a shifter shaft. Here is the clutch cover and clutch removed, and a new shift shaft set in place:
And then there’s, some regular maintenance that I do, such as valve adjustments on this Honda Nighthawk 250:
All in all, I really enjoy this type of work, next to being a RiderCoach.
What a cherry 1972 Yamaha XS2 is supposed to look like:
I found these pictures on Ebay and I hope who ever won this takes very good care of it!
VW Trike!
I met Tim through the CMA and he came by my home so I could check his trike out, as he is not allowed to work on his trike at his apartment. We did some general maintenance and had a great time. The local CMA chapter (#70 Gospel Rider’s) president, Dwight was on hand and took these pictures and also helped with the maintenance and did some special repairs with good ole JB Weld! A great way to spend a morning indeed!
My turn to Rant!
As I ride almost every day, it is important for me to be very aware of my surroundings. In fact, I imagine myself as being invisible, so that I can anticipate most drivers are not seeing me and ride accordingly. Most drivers are NOT seeing motorcyclist because of inattention and distractions.
What really irks me is that even though California enacted the “hands free” law, I still see about 25% of drivers still yacking on their cell phones, with one hand holding the phone up against their ear. These drivers almost never use turn signals. They are not paying attention to driving and seem completely oblivious to the traffic around them.
The thing that really gets me is our local (San Diego, Chula Vista, El Cajon, National City, La Mesa) police officers and state CHP (California Highway Patrol) talk on their cells while driving and almost never use turn signals (even if they are not on their cell). What ever happened to setting the example?
Only in a perfect world? I guess. It sure isn’t here.
New Pics of my Current Motorcycles
I brought all my bikes out of the garage so I could do some general cleaning today. Had my camera and figured I would get some recent shots, so here they are:
Amsoil and Sportbike Racing at Daytona
Nice to see some sponsorship with Amsoil. Read article here on Roadracingworld.com:
www.roadracingworld.com/news/article/?article=35744
As a Certified Amsoil Independent Dealer, you can go to my Amsoil site and check out the products available:
Cimatti 100 Short Tracker
Looking f or pictures and or information on this bike. I remember seeing them in the late 60’s and wonder if anyone else remembers them.
1977 Kawasaki KZ750 (twin cyclinder)
I cannot find any pictures of this, but I bought one of these (blue) in Alameda, CA and it was the motorcycle I traded for my Drag bike later that year in Kingsville, Texas. I had put a 2 into 1 header on it and lower handlebars. I remember it being very torquey and a nice sounding twin.
2009 Supercross Races in San Diego Qualcomm Stadium
Sorry, no pictures. I went to the races last night on a spur of the moment, invited by my friend Mike from Full Throttle Power Sports (Santee, CA). Since I had already taken Tina out for Valentine’s the night before, I was good to go.
Did not get there in time to cruise through all the vendor and pit areas, was sorta bummed about that. From outside the fence, it looked as if there were many intersting booths to check out. Maybe next year.
The pre race show (which I was not expecting) was spectacular! Fireworks, laser lights, and fireballs! Wow, they sure did not have stuff like that when Iwas a kid. But we came to see the races.
The Superlites (why don’t they just call it the 250cc race?) was pretty good. It was easy to see that maybe the top 5 racers were really spectacular. Once the man in front got going, no one could catch him and the real racing was behind him. Ryan Dungey was the winner.
Now, the Supercross event: That James Stewart is some rider! By lap 8 (out of 20) he was already starting to lap the last place guy. Unbelievable! This guy is good, so smooth and his Yamaha wasn’t really faster than the others, as evidenced in the drag race at the start. I would say James is to Supercross as Rossi is to MotoGP. At the finish he was many many seconds away from the second place rider, Chad Reed.
I usally am not a spectator, I preffer to be doing, than watching, but this was really fun and I will go again next year, but this time, earlier so I can check out the vendors. Thanks, Mike for inviting me, and thanks to my wife Tina, for allowing me to go on Valentine’s Day!
You can read the official report on the races here on my favorite weekly newspaper, Cycle News.http://www.cyclenews.com/articles/supercross/2009/02/14/james-stewart-san-diego-supercross-win
1972 Kawasaki 350 Big Horn
I had one of these for a short while and remember it being a rotary valve single that was pretty torquey. If I remember correctly, it had some “Hatta” front forks that had 3 position axle adjustments, which was pretty unique for the period. I am looking for pictures of this ride as well.
1974 Kawasaki 90 G3SS
I had one of these in Alameda, CA in 1975-76. I used it for going back and forth to the base, I cannot remember what happened to that bike. I probably sold it to someone on the ship before I transferred. I remember it was fun to ride and sounded really neat winding out. I was only 135 lbs back then. I cannot find a picture of it. It was Kawasaki Green.
55
Today I turned 55, so I rode my 5 motorcycles at least 5 miles each today. (If my wife did not have other plans for me, I would have rather rode each one at least 55 miles to commemorate my birthday)
It is hard to imagine myself being 55. Where did time go? I have surely been blessed with a great wife, 2 great sons, with great families of their own now, with 6 grand kids. I have had 2 nice careers and am enjoying my newest one as an MSF RiderCoach.
I will continue to live life to the fullest and be thankful for each and every day God allows me to wake up and breath!
Mike Kincaid of Rampant Racing
I bought an engine stand from Mike a about 3 or 4 years ago when my friends and I were really getting into the Ninja 250’s. It was very high quality and adjustable for many small (under 500cc) engines.
He later sent me a tire rack he designed, which is what my small garage really needed. I also use it to hang my jackets and leathers:
Mike has kept in touch with me and recently shared some pictures of his Yamaha XS650 Flat Tracker. This is his story on this beautiful motorcycle:
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If you would like to email Mike about his Yamaha, his engine stands, or tire racks, you may do so at rampantracing@sbcglobal.net . He is one of the nicest motorcycle enthusiasts I know, and is probably more of a motorcyclenut than I am!My Drag Bike in Edinburg, TX (Circa 1978)
Here is another scan of a Polaroid of my Honda drag bike. Originally 1080cc, after having a broken chain slice through the cases, I built a new engine with 836cc displacement. Using RC Engineering components, this engine revved higher and I was using all 5 gears going down the track instead of only the 1st 3 on the 1080cc engine. The ET was in the mid 10’s and the MPH was in the mid 120’s. It sounded a lot different too! Sure wished I would of had the ability to make and save sound clips back in the 70’s!
Hodaka
I think these were the finest little dirt bikes you could get back in the late 60’s and early 70’s. They were easy to maintain and work on and so much fun. I had the “Dirt Squirt” model and an “Ace 100″ like this picture I found on the Internet. I remember the company that brought them to the US was called PABATCO which stood for Pacific Basin Trading Company. Two motorcycle shops I worked at in the past (Gentry Cycle Center & Floyde Emde’s Motorcycles in National City, CA) serviced and sold the Hodaka, so I was always around them in those days.
Modified Honda 750 in 1978
This is a Honda CB750K (I think a 1973 or 74 model) I built an engine for in 1978. John, the owner, wanted his engine to be almost like the one on my drag bike, but be able to use on the street. I put RC Engineering pistons (10.5 to 1 compression ratio) a mild cam, ARD magneto and some stronger valve springs with titanium retainers. I also did some cleaning up of the head and ports. We used a 4 into one exhaust, I believe it was a Kerker. Anyway, the Honda turned out to be really hot and John, who now lives in Michigan, still has this motorcycle!
This picture was taken on an abandoned air strip in Kingsville, Texas, then known as South Field.
Update on my 1993 Kawasaki EX250
Today I put on new tires, new brake pads and changed the oil and filter. I was amazed that I got almost 9000 miles on this last set of tires. They were Dunlop GT501’s. (as in the picture below) I put some Kenda K671 Cruiser tires which are supposed to be as good as the Dunlops at 1/2 the price. I had previously had Pirelli Sport Demons but those tires lasted less than 2000 miles. We shall see how long these Kenda tires last. I did take it for a quick spin tonight and it felt nice to be on new rubber!
1977 Suzuki GS750 Dragbike
Found some still pictures to share today. I found the Suzuki on Craigs List and turned it into this dragbike for the 2004 Summit Series at Barona Drag Strip. The 1st pic is what it looked like when I bought it, and the second is how it looked after I modified it for drag racing.
BEFORE
AFTER
Long Beach International Motorcycle Show 2008
I rode my 93 Ninja 250 to Long Beach, CA (118 miles each way) today and took a few pics. Bought some soft saddlebags that I hope to be able to use on any of my motorcycles. Here’s what it looked like just straddling the Ninja after the trip home.
Here is a pic of a bike I would like to get, a Suzuki DR650 (I would want the white one, which they did not have on display)
And then there was this Harley Davidson drag bike I had to take a picture of:
Then there were some old motorcycles that I liked:
Then, when I decided to leave, the parking lot was filled about 10 times more than it was when I arrived earlier in the morning:
That is a lot of motorcycles! Some say they enjoyed checking out the parked motorcycles more that the show inside. There was certainly a variety!
1973 Kawasaki S-3 350cc Triple
Here’s another triple I owned. This picture was taken in 1974 in National City, CA.
My Very Good Friend, Benji
I met Benji in Kingsville, TX when he was 16 years old (1977). When I got my laydown Honda drag bike, he became the rider for my Kawasaki 500 triple drag bike. He was really good and very consistant. Always cut a good light and never missed a shift. As I was in the Navy, I eventually left the area. He came out to San Diego when he was 18 and worked a while at San Diego Motorcycle Salvage and then eventually went back to Texas. Fast forward to a few years ago, he finds a mutual old friend at the Edinburgh drag strip and gets my email address and we have been in touch ever since. Today, he sent me these pictures and I asked if I could put it on this blog and he said okay.
And here he is a long time ago! Very cool (in more ways than one)!
Track Day @ Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, CA
Had a great day at the track today! Pictures show the fun! Pitted with 2 fine riders, Stu and Matt. The weather was perfect and after I got my tire pressures sorted out, I got very consistent with my lap times. Stu was riding a BMW with 60K miles on it and it was fast!. Matt had a GSXR track bike and he was was always out of sight. There was a TV film crew at the track filming Dean McDermott for some reality show called Tori & Dean: Home Sweet Hollywood. I guess I will have to tune in. He was riding in my group.
And my beautiful wife came to support me! She’s great help in the pits!
1972 Yamaha R5C
Here are 2 photos I scanned in of my R5C taken around September 1972. I bought this motorcycle in Okinawa and brought it back on the USS Blueridge LCC19. We had just completed a 9 month Western Pacific (WESPAC) deployment, most of which was spent off the coast of Vietnam. After unloading it off the ship in San Diego, I put low bars and a narrow fiberglass front fender on it and then rode it 1475 miles to Houston, Texas.
Humble, Tx December 1967 Honda S90
Scanned in this old poloroid of me taken in December of 1967, which means I was 13 years old. I was very fortunate to live in a quiet suburb near some oil fields by the San Jacinto River. I was also very fortunate to have many friends that also had motorcycles and we often rode each others bikes. The oil fields provided areas of hard packed sand that was excellent for making our own tracks and courses. The surrounding wooded areas had plenty of challenging trails as well. Growing up in the 60’s was good!
My Sons (Patrick & Franklin) on an Italjet 50
This picture was taken in Texas around 1980. The Italjet was an automatic and pretty pipey. Both my sons still ride, but not as avid as I, as they are raising families of their own now. My older son, Pat, was a victim of a left hand turn accident 3 years ago and nearly died, but has recovered and just recently rode a motorcycle for the 1st time since the accident and he says it felt as good as ever.
Nice Friday Ride on my XS2
Went for a nice ride in the gusty wind and twisty roads east of San Diego. Made it to the top of a little mountain (4805 feet above sea level) where a look out tower is, and met a nice man who was being the look out for fires and stuff. Was really nice to see my old Yamaha could even do some light trail riding and go up steep twisty one way roads.
Getting ready for a Track Day at Fontana
I plan on riding my VTR1000 the Saturday after Thanksgiving at Autoclub Speedway in Fontana, CA with the Fastrackriders.com organization. I need to be ready in advance, so today, I changed my oil and filter, put on new tires (Michelin Pilot Power 2CT) and installed new brake pads (EBC HH). Later, I will take off the mirrors, disconnect the lights, and tape over the glass and plastic of the headlight and tail light.
New Pictures from the Dirt Bike School
Got these in the mail today from Ramey Stroud, one of the fine instructors we had that day.
Plaster City-Ocotillo Desert Riding
Comments for each picture by John, who also took the pictures.
Base camp, Jeff’s camp on the left Paula on the right Phil’s truck center.
Jeff and Paula: What do you mean hot! This is nothing! I like it hot! The hotter the better! I could think of a million good captions for this shot. Thanks to Jeff we had a great ride.
Phil with coolest dune behind him, Phil went to the top of the hill and back. I think he was saying, “Hey come on I want to do it again!” “Why is everybody stopping?” Jeff checking out his cool boots.
You know that look a dog has when he brings back a stick. His tail going so fast it shakes his body like an earth quake. Give me more! (The Happy look) Phil you looked like you were having fun.
John and his TW200 meet Ocotillo for the first time.
Here is the trip as seen from my Garmin V GPS that logged the day. Over 60 miles for a single ride.
Trail Riding
Rode some trails just south of Pine Valley with my friend, John. Had an absolute blast! He set his camera to take a self photo of us on top of a small hill. Absolutely beautiful weather and riding conditions! That TW200 is some machine! I see now why they are so popular. My DR350 did very well on its initial outting. Very stable and fun to ride!
1996 Suzuki DR350SE
Well, after going to the Dirt Bike School last weekend, I started searching for a dual purpose bike of my own with the money I had left over from the sale of my 04 Ninja 250. I found this bike through a new dirt bike riding friend (thanks John!) . It only has 4636 miles on it and should turn out to be a reliable bike! I replaced the petcock with a Pingle petcock and did a full maintenance check and service on it. It runs great!
Dirt Bike School
I was invited to be a student last weekend at an MSF Dirt Bike School, Introduction to Trail Riding. I took a neighbors 1975 Yamaha DT250B. The course was held at Hidden Valley State Recreational Vehicle Area near Gorman, Ca. I had a blast and made some new friends as well! Even though I originally learned to ride in the dirt in 1964 and rode dirt regularly up until 1983, I felt this class would be a good time to see if I could still do it and learn anything I could. I exceeded all my expectations by learning alot and having so much fun, and I wasn’t completely wore out after it was over. I should have some action pictures sent to me soon. Here’s a pic of the DT250B after unloading from the trip, pretty dusty!:
1971 Suzuki 125 Stinger
Found this picture of my actual Suzuki I owned before I joined the Navy. Sure wished I would of kept it. It was a 125cc 2 cylinder 2 stroke that ran pretty good. I rode it from Houston, Texas to Sonora, Texas and back in the summer of 1971. Had to stop in Fredricksburg, Texas to repair some broken spokes in the rear wheel. Never figured out why they broke.
1973 Kawasaki 500 H1d
I bought this right after selling my 1971 500, liking the newer style at the time. I kept this bike for many years and ended up drag racing with it too. I think it ran in the mid 12 second range in the 1/4 mile. Certainly not as fast as it was advertized to go. But, it was still a very quick bike in its day and also very wheelie prone.
Wards Riverside Mojave Benelli 125
This is the bike I got my license on in 1969. This is a 1968 model that was on sale for $179 at Montgomery Wards.
1967 Wards Riverside Benelli 250
I turned this motorcycle into a short tracker and had more fun than most 16 year olds have nowadays. I did all my own work and paid my own way.
Ossa 230
I don’t remember the year of this Ossa, but I remember it was a 230cc and a friend of the family let me use it for a few short track races and also to play around on in the field close to our house. I think I was 14 year old here.
Destroyed Engine Honda SOHC Dragbike
This was an 836cc SOHC Honda engine in my laydown dragbike that dropped a valve and shattered the #4 piston allowing the rod to slice the case open. Not fun.
1967 Suzuki X-6 Hustler 250cc
I put this together from a bunch of boxes of parts in 1978. I sure wished I would of kept it!
1971 Kawasaki 500 H1
Here I am on pier 6 at Naval Station San Diego with a trophy I won on a lime run with my 71 500 triple.
Pics of my 1973 Kaw 500 H1D and Honda 1080cc dragbike
This was taken in Kingsville, Texas in 1977.
VTR1000 Vs Harley at Barona Drags
Here is a pic I found of me on my 1998 VTR1000 racing against a Harley at Barona Drag Strip (1/8 mile).
1972 Yamaha R5C at White Beach, Okinawa
I scanned in this picture I found of my R5C on the pier in Okinawa before it was loaded on the ship to bring back to the states after my tour in Vietnam on the USS Blueridge
LCC19.
1975 Suzuki TS185
Found a picture of this bike I bought while going to the Naval School of Cryogenics in Portsmouth, Virginia in 1976. It was a pretty neat bike with 5 low gears and 5 high gears. I took it with me when I left Virginia and when I was stationed in Kingsville, Texas in 1978, I took a jump at a local motocross park and landed wrong and cracked some ribs. I ended up selling the Suzuki in 1979.
1978 Yamaha XS1100
I finally got a new scanner so I could start scanning in some old pictures I have. The 1st one I scanned was of my 1978 Yamaha XS1100 which was a very powerful and fun bike to ride although it was very heavy. I totaled it in 1995 in a bad low side that took me more than 6 weeks to recuperate from. I really miss this bike and if I could ever find another one just like it, I would probably sell my Superhawk to get it (well maybe, or I would somehow find more space in my garage).
Featured on Motorcycle Classics Weekly Shop Talk
One of my photos made it to “Photo of the Week”. I didn’t even know they picked from the upload site for this. One of my XS650 buddies from Houston emailed me about it.
My Yamaha Trio
1972 XS2, 1978 XS650E and 1979 XS750F all cleaned up and ready to ride!
1979 Yamaha XS750F
Just got this and it sure sounds sweet! It is a 3 cylinder, double overhead camshaft, 5 speed transmission with a shaft drive. I am the 3rd owner and it has been well taken care of. Only 21000 miles. It is the 1st year of this model that is equipped with electronic ignition. When this motorcycle 1st came out in 1977, it had a points and condenser (old school) ignition system. Three cylinder engines have a sound of their very own that sounds so sweet!
XS2 & XS650E
Here is a picture I took this morning of both my Yamahas together. Looks like today is going to be a beautiful day for a ride after I go to our local CMA meeting. Hmmm, which one should I ride today?
New Exhaust for my 72 XS2
I got tired of the noise, so I bought a replica set of the stock exhaust from Mike’s XS. I had them installed within 2 hours of arrival. Sure sounds quiet (like my 78E) and runs smoother now.
1978 Honda CX500 (Ugly Duckling)
In 1982, while working for San Diego Motorcycle Salvage, I put one of these together from 2 wrecked ones. It was my 1st shaft driven, water cooled motorcycle and I had so much fun with it. The motorcycle was totally reliable and required almost no maintenance at all. I really miss this one.
1969 Wards Riverside 125
This motorcycle is for sale in Southern California for $1200. It is all original and has less than 2000 miles. I have emailed my offer in case they cannot sell it for what they want. I would love to add this to my collection!
1968 Benelli 250 aka Wards Riverside 250 & Mojave 250
This is a picture like the motorcycle I owned right before I turned 16. It was a nice little “thumper” that I eventually put a megaphone exhaust on and even stripped it down and used for short track racing on weekends. The engine eventually dropped a valve and busted the piston into a zillion pieces rendering the motorcycle to an early grave.
1968 Honda CB160
I put one of these together from parts while working at San Diego Motorcycle Salvage in 1979. It was a great motorcycle for getting around town and I sold it making a pretty good profit. I wished I would have kept this motorcycle as it has become known as the “baby” Superhawk.
1969 Suzuki 80
I bought one of these while working at Gentry’s Cycle Center in Houston, Texas in 1970. I rode it for a while and used it as a trade in when I bought my Suzuki 125 Stinger.
1974 Yamaha TX500
I owned one of these I resurrected out of San Diego Motorcycle Salvage in 1979. Rode it around for a while then sold it for another project. Pretty neat little motorcycle and handled great.
1971 Kawasaki 500 H1 Triple
After I sold my Volkswagen bug, this is the next motorcycle I bought. I tooled around Southern California for about 6 months before going back to Vietnam. This motorcycle was a blazing quick wheelie king, but did not handle worth a darn in any turns. It even had a hard time going straight sometimes because of wobbles! This bike did have character though!
1968 Kawasaki W2SS 650cc
In 1977, while stationed in Kingsville, Texas, I purchased one of these motorcycles in a basket case. It was only made for a couple years and parts were very hard to get. I never got it completely together and passed it on when I transfered out of the area. These were a Japanese clone of a BSA back in the day.
1968 Benelli 125 aka Wards Riverside
In Jan 1969, at the age of 15, I took my driver test in Texas on one of these. The law back then was at 15, you could ride a motorcycle with 5 BHP (Brake Horsepower) I don’t hear that term anymore (BHP) and I think I used to know the difference, but now only remember that the European motorcycles on the list were all 125’s or smaller, while the list of the Japanese motorcycles were 90cc or less. The Benelli was a large motorcycle in comparison to the Japanese counterparts and I remember mine costing $179 at our local Montgomery Wards. I put many miles on this before I picked up a Riverside 250 single cylinder 4 stroke right before I turned 16 and got my full motorcycle license.
1972 Yamaha R5C (350cc)
On the way back from Vietnam, I bought one of these in Okinawa and brought it back on the USS Blueridge LCC-19. I put clip on’’s on it and in September of 1972, rode it from San Diego to Houston in 2 days. It was hot, I was young and dumb and only wore a sleeveless shirt during the day and got sunburned very bad. The bike was nice, but I wasn’t going to ride it back to CA, so I used it in a trade to get my first car, a 1960 VW bug. I got the car and $400 cash for my Yamaha. I drove the car back to San Diego and within 2 weeks, sold it and bought a 1971 Kawasaki 500 H1. I never did get another car until I got married.
1971 Suzuki 125cc “Stinger”
I bought one of these brand new when I was 16 years old. It was a fun bike and I have many fond memories of it. As you can see it was a very unique looking motorcycle and has not been duplicated since. I found this picture on Ebay and wished I had the room and resources to add this to my collection.
1987 Kawasaki Ninja 250 Track Bike
I got this motorcycle off Ebay a few years ago and made a track bike out of it. This is a picture of my friend Gene riding it at Buttonwillow. It was an ugly motorcycle, but it would blow past the 600/750’s in the turns.
Honda CBR1000F
Had this for a short while. Was given to me, and I ended up giving it away. The plastics sure were heavy on this model.
MSF RiderCoach Class of Saddleback’08
We finally made it today! There are now 9 more RiderCoaches in Southern California. We all worked hard and made good friends in the process. Thanks Gerard!
!
My Dad in 1947
My “Pops”, who taught me to ride, was an avid motorcyclist when he was young. This motorcycle, called a Rikou, was a Japanese copy of the Harley flathead 45 and is very rare. I think there are only 3 in the US.
Way back in 1977-Edinburg, TX
I had this drag bike and raced in 1977-1979 in south Texas. This motorcycle had a 6X15 car slick on the back, 1080cc SOHC Honda engine, RC Engineering valve train and cam and did the 1/4 mile in 10 seconds @130 mph. Nowadays, stock motorcycles are quicker than this.
1977 Suzuki GS750 Drag Bike (raced in 2004)
For my 50th year, I built this old school drag bike to run in the Summit Series at Barona Drag Strip. I placed 2nd place overall when the series was over. The motorcycle was not fast, but was very consistent. It ran 7.88 @ 90mph all day long in the 1/8th mile. 
After the series was over, the bike was placed on Ebay and auctioned off.
1997 Buell Cyclone Track Bike
This is the only Harley Davidson engined motorcycle I have ever owned. It handled great on the track, but did not have enough power to keep up with anything. It had a commanding sound and presence, and was very fun to ride. The bike is now back on the street in New Mexico taking my buddy Gene back and forth to work.
1999 GSXR600 Track Bike
This is another track bike I built and recently sold. I was able to do 1:56 lap times at CA Speedway on this one. It was a blast to ride and so
ooo smooth!
VTR1000 Track Bike
I recently sold this motorcycle to another track day enthusiast. It was alot of fun and very low maintenance. I finally was able to do 1:50 lap times at CA Speedway, which is pretty good for an old fat guy and only 106 HP at the rear wheel.
My “beater” 1993 Kawasaki EX250
Bought this bike for $500, put a good rear shock on it, a Bergman spin on oil filter adapter and ride it almost everywhere I go nowadays. Recently, I rode it a 100 miles up north for the weekend with a full gym bag on the back and a large tank bag on the tank. Got 72 miles per gallon and kept up with the traffic just fine. As with all my bikes, I do my own maintenance and use Amsoil products.
2004 Kawasaki EX250
This is an all around great motorcycle. I bought it when I was riding about a 100 miles a day for my work and this turned out to be the most economical and fun choice. I have used it for track days at Button Willow and California Speedway (infield course). I recently took off the Muzzy exhaust and Woodcraft rear sets and sold them on Ebay. I guess I am mellowing out and was tired of the noise. The rear sets were nice, but if you are not careful, your boot could slip off easily as the pegs are very short. I purchased this on July 20, 2004 for $3500 out the door. I do all my own maintenance. It has a Bergman spin on oil filter adapter, Woodcraft lowered risers and CRG bar end mirrors. The engine is stock and I have never had any problems. I use Amsoil synthetic motorcycle oil and the Amsoil EAO spin on oil filters. I adjust my own valves every 6000 miles. As of today, this motorcycle has over 27000 miles.
1998 Honda VTR1000F
This bike has been in the “family” for almost 8 years now. It is a powerful (to me) V twin that I have logged many miles on both as a commuter and a track bike. The list of modifications include: Coerce rear sets, Coerce sprocket guard, 520 chain conversion, Speedo Healer, Vortex clip ons, Jardine exhaust, Pazzo levers, Sargent seat, APE CCTs and all braided stainless steel hydraulic lines. I have also run this down an 1/8th mile drag strip at 7.52 seconds @101.12 miles per hour. This is a rock solid motorcycle that is so much fun! I have also turned 1:55 lap times at CA Speedway with this machine!
1978 Yamaha XS650E
I purchased this motorcycle when it had only 193 miles. It is original and unmolested, meaning no after market parts have been installed or used. It has some aging issues, like some rust, dried up rubber parts, pitting in the chrome and tarnish.
I had one of these bikes back in 1979-80 and had ridden from San Diego to Houston and back and remember it as being one of the nicest all around motorcycles I had owned. I am blessed to be able to have one again.
1972 Yamaha XS650
This is one of my daily riders. It is over 36 years old and has been modified quite a bit before I got it. 
Runs pretty good.
Modifications: TX750 front end and rear wheels, 34mm round slide Mikuni carbs. 1974 fuel tank with Pingle petcocks and short reverse cone megaphones. I will try to get some original exhaust for it someday.
