Passin the torch....

[muzzmann]

Mr Moderator ... before you bump this blurb to another "room" have a read...I think this belongs here...

As many of you are most likely aware I have been involved in this way of life for decades .When I was a young'n whilst everyone else was playing hockey and football (zzzzzzzzzzzz)...I was jumping my bicycles over headstones in the graveyard or piles of whatever until that fatefull day when I was about 11 and a guy took me for a 2 block "roast" on back of his Honda CB 160. (cb160 gallery Classic Images - Classic Motorbikes) He created a monster! (no pun intended)

Being involved in motorcycles ..of any make...that had a hard-core following would put you in the company of some real , to say the least, characters .....

You Tube

You Tube

Over the years I have been honored to meet a few famous and tons of not-so-famous serious individualists. Wild men all - crazy as stink house rats . I could tell you stories that would have you rollin'. Things that just dont go on today. In the early 70s I got to watch maniac Canadian AMA hall of fame inductee Yvonne Duhamel grind the pipes, pegs, covers and oil pump offa H2 Kawi triple till it wouldnt run no more at the 24hrs of Mosport AMA Motorcycle Museum Hall of Fame | Yvon Duhamel Then in 1977 I worked for the Canadian dealer for RC Engineering and met Russ Collins a few times AMA Motorcycle Museum Hall of Fame | Russ Collins . I'm telling ya ..they just dont make 'em like that anymore !

Guys like Yvonne , Russ, Giacomo Agostini, Barry Sheene, Paul Smart, Burt Munro, Steve McQueen and others were larger than life and a heavy influence on all of us. They made you feel members of a club by "proxy" if you will. We spoke of them as tho we knew them.There was a comradry with all wherever you went. It was no fad . It was truely a way of life. This says nothing of people I would run into along the road to wherever. One guy I met at a gas station in Quebec on my way to the East coast talked about taking his Suzuki "water buffalo" from Canada on a tour of the perimeter of Australia. Ya right, I thought and we teamed up for the 1,000 miles to the east coast and then parted ways. (there weren't no email)The following year I read about his effort and about 20 flat tires he got down under in some bike mag. Then there was a guy from here in BC who rode his Beemer from the furthest most north settlement in the Canadian Arctic to the tip of South America.Another who had done the same in Africa ...I tore down his engine which was full of red sand and still kept running ! I could go on and on but you get the idea. If your thinking no big deal think again. Travelling like that back then was not for the weak of heart...back-in-the-day times were simpler, no internet, no cell phones, no gps. An overseas call was a big deal ...you had to go thru an operator and then yell for the other party to hear about your tale of woe...and there was no Fedexing parts whilst you rested in a Club Med with the 15 member crew from your so-called "reality show " . Please ! In 1973 some parts of my province were still on "party line exchanges " that still used these phones ...top row 6th from left ...pic of old crank phone - Google Search

You had to be tough as nails back then to ride or race ...the bikes had no brakes, suspension sucked , tires were crap so they didnt handle worth S**t . Straight line, high speed, tank -slappin shakers were part of the deal and riding gear (nice thick leathers excluded) was a joke. No heated this or gortex(tm) that . I remember riding 300 miles in the rain, in Canada, in April on my CB450 Honda with garbage bags duct taped all over me ..well the bags made it about 75 miles ! Pulled inot a Bates Motel Universal Studios Picture - Bates Motel and thawed out overnite...( which leads me into the story of the owners daughter drying out my clothes for me..ahhhh...but I digress ...)

To get the feel I strongly recommend getting the full version of this movie or watch all 9 parts on youtube (pay close attention to the kid on bicycle # 1 ..give him some dark hair = little Muzz

On Any Sunday (1971) part 1 - YouTube

On Any Sunday (1971) part 1 - YouTube

One more story...I remember working at a dealer in 1974-75 that had Honda, Harley, BMW , Ducati , Triumph & Hercules (Hercules W2000 Rotary) . One day in the spring I had the priveledge of pdi'ing an out of the crate Ducati 750ss. Of course I had to take it out for a shake down run to ensure it was good to go (ya right)...I almost got fired over the 65miles I ran up on the odometer most of which were accumulated along a winding road following the river in Ottawa. (I almost clinched the deal a 2nd time when caught by local PD for wheelin' some customers Triumph triple thru a school zone.....cop took pity on my stupid asss and sent me on my way ...wheeewwww !)

Roaming around town or just standing outside the local bar ..your triumph, honda, ducati, bmw or whatever was a regular adventure and modifying your bike to be a rolling advertisement of who you were was what you did. We always used to say " dont wanna have to check the plate to see which one is mine "


I am of the opinion and I am sure you will all agree the Sport Classic has managed to capture those times. It is plain to see here demonstrated by the same passion, comradry and innovation of the members, contributors and vendors. Ducati was crazy to drop this line.

Have I set the mood? Good ! Now to the point.

London Dutch as I am sure you are all aware has a blog going appropriately titled " The Bike Shed" the Bike Shed . I swear that photo in the section of his blog "Behind the Bike Shed" coulda been taken at the rear of me and my buddies little repair shop in 1976 . He was good enuf to feature the SCs of Geoff (that dude is a throw back to the 70s ), MojoDuc and myself and we , I'm sure , are all grateful for the recognition.

That aside Dutch has managed grab the feeling of the times. Thru the layout of his blog, his showcasing of different makes and models, all "personalized" and perfected by their owners and particularly Dutch's intuitive ( he named my project SC Black and Blue due to paint...I use that scheme alot in memory of all my injuries over the years ) "I was there" writing style (I get the feeling from his emails that he had not yet been born the day I was out on that SS ) makes his blog unique as hell . He has captured the "spirit of the 70s " and is a credit to this forum.

Support him in his efforts..take my word for it ...one day you will look back on this and remember.....he promoted this forum where modifying your bike as a rolling ad of who you were was what you did......

Thanks Dutch for resurrecting the age and carry on !

PS .. Dutch ...I just now this minute noticed the wording "Spirit of the 70s" on the door of your shed ! Ironic !

Stephano


Pic 1 - Our "On Every Sunday " motocross \ murder-was-legal \ weekly "race" in an abandoned gold mine ...me in the middle on my 175 (Can of Worms) Can AM - trip to the emerg almost every 2nd week

Pic 2 - Crawlin the mall circa '73 with my $5 brain bucket

Pic 3 - Me on the left ..I told you we stayed where we ran outta gas

Pic 4 - 1976 project bike

Pic 5 - Z-1 Wheelie 1976

Pic 6 - Drag Racin 82

[shivertown1]

Thanks Stephano ! Ahhhhh the memories

[Kayser Söze]

Originally Posted by muzzmann

Roaming around or juts standing outside the bar ..your triumph, honda, ducati, bmw or whatever was a regular adventure and modifying your bike to be a rolling advertisement of who you were was what you did. We always used to say " dont wanna have to check the plate to see which one is mine "

I especially like this part.

Great writing Muzzy !

I also have those garbage bag stories. good times !

[GreyDuck]

Nice piece Stephano,
You are the Hunter S Thompson of this forum.

[MojoDuc]

Stephano! I got nothing more to say! You picked the perfect words!
Very emotional...
Makes me think about a worldwide meeting...It'd have to be a week long though!!

Thanks again,Dutch!

Guido

[jcasella]

Cool shit bro, love the pic of you kids dragging the dirt bikes, done it many times but no camera's to doc anything, hardly have a pic of any of my old rides.

[LondonDutch]

Dude, I don't know what to say. I love your story and your history, and the part it plays in all our biking stories combined, and that's why I started the Shed. I love forums like this, reading - and taking part - but the blog allows me to pick stuff out and amplify it...

...and having watched the biking stories unfold of characters like you, Geoff, Guido, Christian and co, this site has been an inspiration, and has provided a rich vein of storytelling gold.

Let's just keep the story going, in here, in the Shed, and in as many places as possible, especially out there on the street.

[TheDucnutOfBevelville]

Moderators please do not move this.

[muzzmann]

Originally Posted by shivertown1

Thanks Stephano ! Ahhhhh the memories

Im sure we all have em !! Why not post a few ...this thread could get really entertaining..so dig out your old photos...tell a few tales !!

Originally Posted by GreyDuck

Nice piece Stephano,
You are the Hunter S Thompson of this forum.

HA GD ! The only thing I have in common with him were a couple of "trips"

Originally Posted by MojoDuc

Stephano! I got nothing more to say! You picked the perfect words!
Very emotional...
Makes me think about a worldwide meeting...It'd have to be a week long though!!

Thanks again,Dutch!

Guido

Guido ...Dutch & his great blog set me off !

Your idea of a world wide meeting is excellent ! Lets get on it !!

Originally Posted by jcasella

Cool shit bro, love the pic of you kids dragging the dirt bikes, done it many times but no camera's to doc anything, hardly have a pic of any of my old rides.

I only have a few myself... can you imagine if we had video or cell phone cameras back then? Or all the video surveillance equipment that is everywhere these days??I would be just gettin released from the crowbar hotel right about now

Originally Posted by LondonDutch

Dude, I don't know what to say. I love your story and your history, and the part it plays in all our biking stories combined, and that's why I started the Shed. I love forums like this, reading - and taking part - but the blog allows me to pick stuff out and amplify it...

...and having watched the biking stories unfold of characters like you, Geoff, Guido, Christian and co, this site has been an inspiration, and has provided a rich vein of storytelling gold.

Let's just keep the story going, in here, in the Shed, and in as many places as possible, especially out there on the street.

Take some credit my man !

[muzzmann]

This thread wouldnt be complete without some comedy ...these are true stories :
There was a neighborhood guy ... "Zeke the Freak" aka "crash" who was quite the hacker when it came to working on a bike..he would literally wreck it bolt by bolt ..whilst attempting his own "mods"..one day he couldnt start his CB750 Honda(he installed a hot cam 180 deg out...so he got his brother to tow him with a Volvo wagon...tied a rope to only one fork...he was promtly dumped off the bike and it was dragged the length of the street flopping from side to side, his brother (as brite as Zeke) oblivious as he had just smoked a fatty and the stereo up full blast...when he stopped, realized what he had done he took off runnin' down the train tracks ...Zeke hot in pursuit screamin' "Illl kill you ! You bastard!" NO joking ...we used to call them the "Adams Family "

You Tube

You Tube

even had an Uncle Fester !

Anyone old enug to remember when ArmourAll came out? It became apparent at the shop that some guys thought it was "tune up in a can" . One guy had us do a bunch of performance bolt ons to his spanking new 1975 Kawi Z1. Tires, shocks, Yoshi header, etc....he picked it up from the shop along with a bottle of Armour All. He went home and polished up the whole bike ...including tires and brakes ....it came back to the shop 2 days later on the back of a truck....the whole header side of the bike gouged all to hell ! After that we had to warn everyone not to do likewise ! Yeesshhh.....


I have several more ...including a racer buddy getting his foot squashed by a cow one nite between races ...camping out...there's more to this one !

Stephano