Bike Trouble

During the AMF years Harley's had a few problems. Here I am repairing a compensating sprocket in two pics and waiting to replace a flat tire in another. I had to take the sprocket out and get it re-welded, the weld actually broke loose from around the sprocket. I did alot of my own work, I learned alot. I learned that old Harleys really were not that difficult to work on. Some things I didnt want to mess with but the work actually turned out easier than it first looked.

The neighbors loved us, those were loud pipes. We had women upstairs, women across the hallway, women next door. I cant remember one complaint about noise, of course I did try to work only when most people were at work :).

Some pics along the way

Once I had a blue Honda 100 I purchased from my brother.

Once Charles and I checked out Real Estate at Greers Ferry.

Once I even felt the need to ride along the edge of Greers Ferry Lake.

Sometimes I did what I should not have done at the tower in Hot Springs .

Sometimes me and Dick sat around with our bikes in the living room.

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I had friends

Charle's 1998 95th Anniversary Special Edition Ultra Classic Electraglide

Charle's 1999 Dynaglide

Charle's 1966 Electraglide


Charles and his 1970 Electraglide

Dick's Honda CB 350

Phillip T.

One of my riding partners from about 1978-1981 was Charles P. He was a lucky man, he owned not only a 1970 Electra Glide (green) but a 1966 (red) as well and here they are.

My other main riding partners were George S. and my brother, Dick (the blue Honda is his). Neither of them had Harley's but not many people did in those days.

Dick had a Honda 350 that at times he rode as far away as Kentucky. Sometimes he would ride with Phillip T. (thats Phillip with no shirt on the Honda 750).

George had a little orange and white Honda 175 (at present I cant find a pic of Georges bike) and he had no trouble at all keeping up with the Harleys.

My brother, well, he's my brother, he does'nt ride anymore but I know he wants to.

George is still a great friend although I havent heard from him in probably 10 years.

Charles is my best friend and we still ride together occasionally, he still has two Harleys. He sold the old ones but now has a 1998 95th Anniversary Edition Ultra Classic (716/3000)and a 1999 Dynaglide. Charles has put many miles on motorcycles, along with his wife and two Yorkies and his son Barrett occasionally would tag along on rides, sometimes on a Suzuki.

Charles is also a good friend of Dave Barr http://www.davebarr.com/ . He's the first man to ride a Harley around the world (and he did it with no legs). He's a very interesting person, if you have'nt read about him, maybe nows the time.

Back in Arkansas

My 75 FXE Superglide.

Its February 1977, I've spent almost 5 years in the Air Force and now I'm back home. It will take some getting used to. It's alot slower here and a whole lot less to do than the places I've been the last five years.

This state has some of the best motorcycle riding in the Nation though, and I planned on seeing all of it. Not long after returning I starting searching for a bike. Harley Davidson is what I wanted and its what I got. I found a 1975 Harley Superglide (and this time with electric start, wow!!!) for $2000. and purchased it.

I road that bike for over 5 years, selling it in 1982 for $1500. to a man on Crow Mtn. near Russellville. The speedometer was broke when I got it so I have no idea how many miles I rode, but I can say that it was an aweful lot. I rode it all year the entire time I had it and three of those years I was single. All I did after work was ride, ride, ride.

After I got the bike, I started keeping a record of where I rode. I used a highlighter and marked a map and I covered most of the roads within a radius of around 100 miles of Russellville (when I got my next bike in 2001, I started over and have covered the same roads and more). I just wish I'd had a digital camera in 1978, that would have been great.

North to Alaska

After returning from Thailand I received the bad news/good news. The good news was that I was being sent to Elmendorf AFB, Ak. (at Anchorage, Ak.). The bad news was I thought I would be better off selling my bike. I did sell it for $1500. , a good deal for someone. The thing is I could of had it shipped to Alaska and stored it during the winter and rode in the summer. Live and learn I suppose, so I went three years without riding.

I will say though, that Alaska was my kind of place except for the short riding season. Thats the only reason I would'nt live there. I could show tons of pictures of Alaska and Canada but hey Dave this is Biking Arkansas, remember? Someday though, I would like to ride there. Heres the only two pics I could find that had bikes in them. One is of an unidentified couple riding South out of Anchorage towards Eagle River. The other is group of Hells Angels. I was sitting across the street waiting on something. The Angels pulled into the Gas Station and began tinkering with one of the bikes. A couple of minutes later two Police vehicles showed up and began checking the Angels Vehicle Registrations and Drivers Licenses. I didnt notice a reason for it. Seems like the station operator may have freaked out or something. The two main motorcycle clubs in the Anchorage area from what I can recall were the Hells Angels MC and The Brothers MC. If i'm not mistaken the Brothers were allied with the Angels.

Off to Thailand

A Thai friends Yamaha 80 I borrowed to ride around the countryside.

I could talk all day about Thailand but I won't. Suffice it to say that I loved the land, the people and the culture. I got married there, that lasted five years. I borrowed a little Yamaha occasionally while I was there, if I remember correctly it was a 80 cc. I rode that little bike all over the place and I'm living proof that it is possible to ride in Thailand and live to tell about it. If you've ever driven a vehicle there, you know what I mean. The friend that let me borrow it didnt mind, I would always leave the tank full plus give him a few dollars. I ate some food in Thailand, oh so good... man it was good, especially in those little villages outside Korat. Did I say I liked it over there, I tried to stay but the Air Force had other things in store for me. Oh, I arrived there in late February 1973, the war was going to be over for the U.S. pretty soon, so why were all those planes taking off with bomb loads and returning without them?

California

Me and a friends Norton 750 Commando.

My 73 FX Superglide.

While in California I tried to enjoy it, knowing I may not go that way again. I would ride every evening after work and most Friday evenings I would load up my sleeping bag and head out in one direction or another. Occasionally with someone, either as a passenger or on another bike. Usually though, I was alone. I cant say I preferred being alone, but I did enjoy my time. Sometimes I would meet interesting people along the way, sometimes we would spend time together, talking or riding. Sometimes I got into situations that I could of done without.

After all that I'd heard about the state, to actually be there....it was just amazing! In the evening nothing could compare with riding up and down streets like Sunset Strip or Hollywood Blvd. The sights, sounds and the people were awesome. During the day I would occasionally ride thru Beverly Hills. I saw Jack Benny getting out of his Rolls and another time saw Marlo Thompson in her yard. Once when at Big Bear near Arrowhead Lake I saw the man who played Barnabus Collins on the series "Dark Shadows", I believe he was driving a 1957 Chevy.

Remember the series "Along came Bronson"? Remember Hwy. 1 and the long bridge next to the ocean that Bronson crossed at the beginning of each show. well I crossed it! Well, for me it was exiting, that show was another reason I started riding, and crossing that bridge was something I had to do.

I remember Lopez Lake and camping beneath the stars there and on up the road was Pebble Beach and Pismo Beach. Me and a friend camped at Pebble Beach on the sand. We didnt have a fire so our neighbor, a hippy girl driving a VW Van asked if we wanted to share hers. My friend by that time was a little drunk and wanted to sleep but I accepted the offer. She had some fine wine. The Van was much nicer than the sand, an experiance I'll never forget.

Santa Barbara was a really cool place as was Fresno and San Luis Obispo but Big Sur Park was the place to be on a weekend. Groups of bikers would spend the weekend or an evening there. Lots of Harleys, Triumphs and choppers of all makes. It was motorcycle heaven and the scenary was indiscribable, absolutely beautiful and spellbinding.

It was difficult to not visit the coast on weekends but I did break away and spent time in the Yucca Tree Forest, Angeles and Big Bear Mtns. and of course the High Desert. The road going west out of Adelanto was like a Roller Coaster in places. We called it the Roller Coaster Highway, straight as an arrow in places and if you got up enough speed you could almost come off your seat at the top then the shocks would bottom out at the bottom! Very entertaining and luckily I never hit a Jack Rabbit.

I had a friend that bought a Nortin 750 Commando, an awesome bike if you could keep the pipes from falling off. On his first long ride we had to stop numberous times to tighten bolts. I kept telling him he needed a Harley.....then one of my rear shocks broke off in the Angeles Mountains and I had to ride back with him.

I could go on and on about my experiances in California but I wont, after all this is a Biking Arkansas blog, heres a couple of pics, one of me and my 73 Superglide and one of me sitting on my buddies Nortin.

Californing Dreamin Harleys

I sold the Triumph when I joined the Air Force in 1972. Too my good fortune I got stationed at George AFB, California, near Victorville in the Mohave Desert. I was 37 miles from San Bernadino and just another short hop to LA. I loved it there....the desert, the mountains, the bikes, it was all good. Shortly after arriving in my new 1972 Pinto Runabout, I went to the Harley Davidson dealer in San Bernadino. I had seen the 1973 FX 1200 and fell in love with it. The pic in a mag of the black one setting on an empty street at night was just too much for me to pass up, I had to have one.
I showed up at the dealer, and there it sat, black and chrome with that huge motor sitting under the ribbed seat. I Pintoed back to the High Desert Credit Union, got approved and the early the next day at the San Berdoo Harley dealer. I forked out my $2600.00 and rode off into the San Berdoo smog and it never smelled better, I was one happy young man. I did all the things a young man might do, I speed shifted, burned rubber, stood up on the seat going down the interstate, rode backwards, you name it I did it (and I paid for it). I learned after 1500 miles that you don't treat a Harley like a Triumph or a Honda without problems. I destroyed the transmission and got it replaced on warranty (they then gave me a crash course on what not to do with a Harley transmission).
I was riding to LA one day and saw this red light bouncing around in my rear view mirror. I looked over my shoulder and it was the California Highway Patrol. He asked me if I knew how fast I as going and not being much of a lier, I told him around 90 mph, he informed me I was doing 105 mph when I passed a car a ways back. To my luck though, he said he really just wanted to look at my new bike :). I was one of the first in the valley to buy one of the new ones with the peanut tank. I did'nt get a ticket, and he even helped me push it to get it started. It had vapor locked after my quick stop and I was still learning the ropes on kick starting a hog.
I loved that bike, went many miles on it up and down the Ca. coast and over Southern Ca.

History

Me on my first motorcycle, 1970 Triumph Trophy 500. Picture taken with a Polaroid Swinger.

I bought my first bike (henceforth when I say bike I will be referring to motorcycle) when I was 18. A beautiful bike it was, the problem is I can't remember exactly what the model was. I'll give some specs I remember and maybe someone can help me out with my memory.

The bike was a 1970 Triumph T-100c Trophy 500, I think it was single carb, it was purple, and had upswept pipes with guards on them. It had on road/offroad tires. It was used but just barely and I paid $700. for it.

I rode the heck out of this bike, I went on rides almost everyday to Harrison, Ar. or Ft. Smith, Little Rock or anywhere else I felt like riding to. It never gave me a single problem as long as I kept everything tight. I did have an accident while riding it. I had been awake chasing who knows what for a couple of days and fell asleep on a straight way out of Dardanelle, Ar. If the road stayed straight I would of been ok, but it did'nt and I was'nt. It hurt, my first accident and I had hoped it was my last.

Heres a pic of me and the Triumph (taken with a Poloroid Swinger). You'll get a laugh out of the pic. You have to remember, the year was 1971, I was kind of an introvert in school and I had recently watched "Easyrider". The movie influences can be seen in my shirt, boots and belt. I really liked the "Then Came Bronson" television series. That series was about a man, whos friend was killed in Vietnam. The friend had left him a Harley Sportster. The story went from there, traveling across the U.S., getting into all kinds of stuff.

I should explain before I get too far along.

I'm at work. Alot of my posting will be while I'm at work. I dont have access to my pics here yet, but I'll fix that soon.

The new Motorcycling Arkansas Blog

Soon I'll start posting pictures, stories and my views of roads across Arkansas. I'll probably start out with alot of pictures and notes from rides I've completed in the past few years. Then as I catch up I'll post a daily log on what I've done for the day. As of now, Ive ridden every numbered road (the Highways numbered on the map) and alot of other roads in a roughly 100 mile radius of Russellville, Ark. So keep checking back as I'll be pretty busy catching up.
Also, I ride the same roads alot, if there are any changes I'll let ya know.