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Motorcycles you wish you had kept~
- Thread starter Omega Man
- Start date
lmo1131
New member
I had fun with that old bike. I found it, literally, in a barn; it was in boxes for the most part. I built it at the workshop of a friends dad so MY dad wouldn't find out about it. He did, and didn't really care. He'd owned a '36 61 cu.in H-D long enough for HIS dad to tell him to turn it around and take it back wherever he'd found it.
The whole thing was there; tanks, speedo, springer, solo saddles, stock fenders, suicide clutch and handshift linkage, even the rear "jiffy" stand and tool box. I think the highest price I've seen paid for a complete Knucklehead was about $38K. I used to ride with a Harley group in Edinburg, Indiana and when the "Prez" showed up at the Saturday night party riding Monaco Blue R75/5 I was hooked. I sold it to the highest bidder in the club for $1,000 (about halfway to the /5) and I was off to Indianapolis to see Pop Dreyer about a new motorcycle. And the rest, as they say, is history.
Edit_ I just spotted the labor time on the engine rebuild receipt; $60 / 7.25 hrs. $8.28 an hour.
The whole thing was there; tanks, speedo, springer, solo saddles, stock fenders, suicide clutch and handshift linkage, even the rear "jiffy" stand and tool box. I think the highest price I've seen paid for a complete Knucklehead was about $38K. I used to ride with a Harley group in Edinburg, Indiana and when the "Prez" showed up at the Saturday night party riding Monaco Blue R75/5 I was hooked. I sold it to the highest bidder in the club for $1,000 (about halfway to the /5) and I was off to Indianapolis to see Pop Dreyer about a new motorcycle. And the rest, as they say, is history.
Edit_ I just spotted the labor time on the engine rebuild receipt; $60 / 7.25 hrs. $8.28 an hour.
36654
New member
My 1984 ST was lightweight and had a wonderful red gas tank, but the front brake was minimal. Traded mine on the 30th US k75c (1986) and immediately felt safer.
ponch1
Ponch
1977 Kawasaki KZ1000. Rebuilt her from A BOX OF SCRAPS!!!!! Loved that bike like nothing else, until the crankshaft grenaded and took pretty much everything else with it, after which I lost interest in riding for quite a while. Ended up selling her to a breaker.
View attachment 50190
Similar to my 1978. Mine had spoke wheels though and a straight stock seat. Mirrors were different too.
I wish both of these were still in my garage.
Got a R80ST back in the shed waiting for a resto. Glad I still have it. Just lookin at the red ST gets the juices flowing. Love that RED.
I had one of these back in the day, probably should have taken pictures. I had a Vetter faring with this crazy full bracket that was kinda a pain to get installed- just right. I was a great bike.
Just found all the paperwork on it.......It was a 1979.....It was $2695.00
The 600 mile check was $71.92
OM
Just found all the paperwork on it.......It was a 1979.....It was $2695.00
The 600 mile check was $71.92
OM
wineguyd
WineGuyD
1984 Honda V45 Sabre
The most refined motorcycle I've ever owned. The 750cc V four was balanced like a fine swiss watch...sooo smooth with a power band more like a Boxer. Shaft drive, anti brake lock, anti dive control, optical alarm system, and too many other advanced options to mention. I sold it (and sold it cheap god damn it) because we just had a baby and I had a momentary lapse of immaturity and decided to stop riding with a new born in the house. Should have gotten rid of the wife and kid and kept the bike!
The most refined motorcycle I've ever owned. The 750cc V four was balanced like a fine swiss watch...sooo smooth with a power band more like a Boxer. Shaft drive, anti brake lock, anti dive control, optical alarm system, and too many other advanced options to mention. I sold it (and sold it cheap god damn it) because we just had a baby and I had a momentary lapse of immaturity and decided to stop riding with a new born in the house. Should have gotten rid of the wife and kid and kept the bike!
wineguyd
WineGuyD
We'll just keep that last statement between us guys.
Naa...wife and kid know where they stand...keeps them on their toes ;-)
wineguyd
WineGuyD
Both gorgeous!!! That Honda is the "Harley" I always wanted!
rad
Retired from riding
I had one of these back in the day, probably should have taken pictures. I had a Vetter faring with this crazy full bracket that was kinda a pain to get installed- just right. I was a great bike.
Just found all the paperwork on it.......It was a 1979.....It was $2695.00
The 600 mile check was $71.92
OM
I had 74 550k, before my 750f. I had the Vetter fairing. What a beast the fairing was, but it worked well. I really liked the two big covered pockets. That bike and fairing took my wife and I all over the western United States in the mid 70's.
lmo1131
New member
Sweet machines the 750F Super Sport. I was the Parts Manager in the local Honda shop when they came out in '74. Certainly a different personality than a twin, and I almost changed my marque, but in the end having to listen to that chain sing, constantly adjusting and lubricating it, but the $94 replacement chain price was the breaker. I was paying $130 a month rent for a two bedroom house at the time.
lmo1131
New member
I got to thinking back to what started me down this path. In 1968, in Indiana, you could drive a "motorized cycle", solo, on public streets with a Learner's Permit, which you could obtain at the age of 15.
So I did... and I still bare the burn scar on my inner left knee from that @%$&?/ chrome exhaust pipe extension.
So I did... and I still bare the burn scar on my inner left knee from that @%$&?/ chrome exhaust pipe extension.
Attachments
Had to go looking, best example of the first bike I had- a Rupp Roadster.
This one has been really cleaned and puffed up. A bunch of us "kids" drove the mechanics shop that started selling these crazy when they first arrived. 35 chain, centrifugal clutch......rode the wheels off that Rupp...
Good times.
OM
This one has been really cleaned and puffed up. A bunch of us "kids" drove the mechanics shop that started selling these crazy when they first arrived. 35 chain, centrifugal clutch......rode the wheels off that Rupp...
Good times.
OM
Attachments
One of my buddies was a rich kid with one of those.
Exhaust cracked and fell off, replaced with simple muffler.
The jackshaft on them was a feature that allowed these to have suspension. When I was a kid we did not like them because it seemed we always had jackshaft bearing failures.
It was a uncommon bearing that had to be ordered. Also the sprockets on the jackshaft were very soft. On the other mini bikes, it was replace the chain and clutch maybe. In this kind, you needed 2 chains, sprockets and usually bearings. I remember using oak, soaked in 90Wt oil for a week for jackshaft bearings. Then converting to farm store sprockets. It actually was better for where we rode. We all preferred no suspension and simple. Our young bodies could take the abuse. One of my buds had one with springs on the seat. It was the best. Now I have to have a custom seat and high dollar shocks.
We wore the tires off these, and wore out engines. The most impractical but most fun was fitting a chain saw engine to one. No suspension, worn steering head bearings, clutch engagement RPM was way too low, and scrub brake. It hit 45 so the local cop claimed as he made me take that damn thing home before we killed ourselves.
Smiling now.
Rod
Exhaust cracked and fell off, replaced with simple muffler.
The jackshaft on them was a feature that allowed these to have suspension. When I was a kid we did not like them because it seemed we always had jackshaft bearing failures.
It was a uncommon bearing that had to be ordered. Also the sprockets on the jackshaft were very soft. On the other mini bikes, it was replace the chain and clutch maybe. In this kind, you needed 2 chains, sprockets and usually bearings. I remember using oak, soaked in 90Wt oil for a week for jackshaft bearings. Then converting to farm store sprockets. It actually was better for where we rode. We all preferred no suspension and simple. Our young bodies could take the abuse. One of my buds had one with springs on the seat. It was the best. Now I have to have a custom seat and high dollar shocks.
We wore the tires off these, and wore out engines. The most impractical but most fun was fitting a chain saw engine to one. No suspension, worn steering head bearings, clutch engagement RPM was way too low, and scrub brake. It hit 45 so the local cop claimed as he made me take that damn thing home before we killed ourselves.
Smiling now.
Rod
