Suzuki RM125

I traded this bike for my trusty R5 Yamaha when I stopped road racing the first time. I took it to Stonyford once or twice but it really didn't have the ponies I liked and used it to practice wheelies on Hawthorne drive in Walnut Creek. I'm sure I drove the neighbors crazy one of which was my aunt and uncle. Never been a big two stroke fan but I do understand why people are. I like the thump of a 4 stroke single thank you and even today my favorite bikes have been twins and singles.

1989 Honda NX125

Surfin Craigs list I came across a NX125. It's a different little bike and I always liked the NX series they made a 250 and 650. This ad said 2k miles and $800 dollars. I was in Walnut Creek and it was in Antioch. I called the guy and told him I wanted it. He said "I just put it on Craigslist and have 3 guys coming to see it". I hopped on the ST and flew out there but on the way the traffic on Hwy 4 was really backed up. I split lanes and arrived at his house. It was still available and it was nice so I bought it. These bikes usually go for around $1500 in this nice of shape. I gave the guy $100 bucks to hold it and a car pulls up. "Is the bike still available ?" he says. "Nope this gentlemen just bought it" and with that the guy looks at me and said " You split lanes by me on the Highway". He was a little upset because he had been looking for one for years.

After I had had it for a couple years a young man from CC Fire came in the shop and saw it sitting in the Motor Shop and said " My dad had one just like that" It turned out to be his dad that I bought it from. Small world.

1992 Yamaha TDM 850

Story

I guy stops by the shop and as a lot of guys who see bikes parked in front of good old Walnut Creek Vacuum he came in to find out who owns all the different bikes that get parked out front over the years.

Then the conversation stems to "What kinda bikes do you have ?".

"Well", he says, "I have a ex 500 Kawasaki and a Yamaha TDM 850". "Tell me about the TDM". "Well it's nice with 6k miles". "How nice ?". " I'll bring it by"

So like a month later he shows up with what has to be the nicest TDM I have ever seen and wants "All the money" for it. DONE. Great bike to ride around on but once again it was a 15 year old bike when I got it and old bikes ride like old bikes. I kept it for 2 years and sold it for "All the money".

I have to keep telling myself don't buy old bikes. They cost to much to maintain and are only fun for a short period of time. Less is better. Quality over quantity. The really great bikes I keep for awhile and the so-so ones are gone in no time.

1972 Tomm Mark and John

I was a skinny kid at 15 1/2 and that hair was the style, look at my brother Mark. I rode my SL350 and Dad had his 1971 CB750 and Marks was a 1970 CB750 with extended front forks and those really cool pull back bars (NOT).

1998 Honda Superhawk

OK so here is my Superhawk. I went in to buy a TL1000 Suzuki and walked out with the Superhawk. I guess I'm just a Honda guy. TL was a better racer but the Superhawk better all round and thats more what I needed. I did get a chance to go to Laguna and do a trackday with friends but can't find any pics of that event. What I do have is a ride of myself and Mark who had just purchased a Sportster. We hit the mountains for a 2 day ride and stopped to pose next to Silver Lake.

I really enjoyed the bike but when 2 years later Honda came out with a RC51 it was gone to make room for the new kid in town.

1990 KLR 650

The stories this bike could tell are to many but the one that sticks in my mind is 100 miles on Mt. Diablo.

When was the last time you got to ride on the trails on Mt. Diablo and not worry about a Ranger.

It was the early 90's and we put on Horse Endurance rides on the mountain where you would have to complete 100 miles in 24 hours on a horse. My wife's company Sportack was a sponsor and I marked trails for years in my Toyota 4X4. One year it rained and they wouldn't let us on the trail for fear of tearing it up. We talked them into letting me ride my KLR (wasn't easy to convince them) and off I went. You can't imagine how much fun I had. Blasting down fire roads that were wet enough to get great traction but not so bad as to be bogged down in the mud. I probably did 200 miles just because I was having so much fun but then it happened.

I pulled up to a trail that I had never been down and a friend who wasn't a big motorcycle fan said "We should walk down and mark this one, not ride the bike". I said "Why". She said she didn't think a motorcycle could do it. "Do horses do it" I asked. She said "Yes" and that was enough for me and down the trail I went.

About 1/4 mile down I hit a switch back that couldn't be done. I had to lay the bike down and drag the bike into position to make the turn. OK, off again and about 200 feet there was another one, and then another and another. I drug this KLR so much it broke the side stand kill switch and now the bike wouldn't start. Time to push.

To keep it short I got out about 9PM that night and I was exhausted. Horses can bend in ways big bikes can't. If it would have been a little 125 it would have been fine but at 400lbs the KLR is not a tight trail bike. I think I was the last person to legally ride a motorcycle on the trails of Mt. Diablo but even if I wasn't it was one of the best times I've had.

Mike and The Bikes

So lets start with a stock RZ350 and go racing. Mike's RZ was looking good and like a Yamaha of all things but then give the young man some paint and...

The next thing you know it's a Honda. I guess Yamaha should have put up more sponsorship money............But wait......................... I guess Honda didn't do any better so on to Kawasaki. There going to pay big bucks to see this flagship rolling down the track...........

OK so maybe he set his sites a little high Can you say "Wonder Bread"

Well I'm not sure on this one but I think it might be a gay theme. It's Rainbow Mike Rainbow

Ethans leg takes a ride

1982 FT500 Ascot

When Honda came out with this bike I had to have one. Great commuter and fun in the twisties.
Richard had one too but his was red and the starter kept going bad.
"Hey Richard, Maybe you shouldn't have put that high compression piston in that bike". The starters were already overloaded.
One story I have with this bike was really about Richard and his FT500. We were at a stop light over in Pittsburg coming back from a ride. I think I was on my CX500 turbo. Just getting ready to leave the light before you go up and over Kirker Pass we both started racing our motors as if to drag race when the light turned green. When it turned green Richard took off and I pretended to but instead pulled away slowly. Once Richard saw that I didn't take off fast he stood it on the rear wheel and rode it though first and second gear. It was a nice wheelie. Only problem was right before the light turned green I noticed a cop two cars back. As the cop went flying by me with his lights blaring I was laughing so hard I just about wet my pants. I pulled off the road about a 1/4 mile up and waited for him.
He tried to tell the cop his throttle stuck but even I heard him blipping it as he rode the rear wheel. That ticket matched a couple others he had and I think he lost his licence for awhile. Always entertaining to ride with Richard.

Keith Code Superbike School

After not racing for a number of years we went to a California Superbike School with the old gang and a few new friends. I believe it was 1984 if my memory serves me. Eman, Tompinky, Mikey, Richard and myself. It's the main reason for getting RZ350's because we had a good time and thought "Let's do it again". At this point I could tell you the rest of the story but I don't want to sound arrogant, cocky and obnoxious so let me just say that one of us set the track record for the school at Sears Point and the rest of us didn't. Nuff said. LOL

I thank Mikey for this post. He sent some pics of him during this school which reminded me of these pics.

Peace out

1984 XL600

Another dual sport was my 1984 XL600R. Fun bike hard to start when hot and sometimes when cold. I tried every combination of things to get it to start and some would work for awhile but then KICK KICK KICK !!!. Nothing worse than splitting lanes up to a stop light, light turns green and the already to lean motor coughs and leaves you sitting there kicking while the traffic honks as they go by flipping you off yelling foul words . All you can do is kick it or push it off to the side of the road. I think this was the bike that I finally said "If it doesn't have a electric start I'm not buying it".

XR600

Here's one that's a little different. First my XR600 that was street legal but only because my Cousin worked for aHonda dealer and sent the paper work in as if it were a street legal bike. I thought it woud be a better bike than my XL500 but it wasn't. Too tall and more dirt than street but to heavy for the dirt. Nope I never really connected with it and sold it soon after buying it. I can't even remember what year it was but I believe it was late 80's.

I do remember that if you dumped it it took forever to start it. I'd kick the thing till I was blue in the face and I hate kick starting bikes that don't fire up on the first or second kick.

1979 XL 500 Honda

This bike was a lot of fun !!!
I rode it up to Stonyford and back countless times with no sissy trailers involved. I hit the road then once there I hit the fire roads at full speed, did a little camping for a few days then hit the road again for home. I beat this bike to death and it ran and ran, to my recollection it was one of the first bikes you could do that to and not have to wrench on it along the way.
This was one of the best dual sport bikes I'd had up to that time. It was the right bike at the right time and I had so much fun on it. My buddies at the time trailered up to Stonyford but sometimes I rode which was nice because someone had to bring the camping gear. I like riding alone, you don't have to worry about other riders and you can ride at your pace. On the other hand it's nice to have friends along too and a little safer.

OK so now I can add video. Wish I had some of the old days.

1985 RZ350

It's 1985 and Yamaha brings out the RZ350. My old racing buddies say "Let buy some RZ's and go racing". Next thing you know Tompinky, Mikey, Erine and I all have brand new RZ's and we are putting the 600 mile break in on them while at the same time prepping them for race day.

Mine was NICE. Mikes looked like a Kawasaki then it looked like a Honda and Tompinky's looked like well, Tompinky's. He was never one to wash a bike.



Here's a great picture of Mikey with his Honda RZ350 (No they didn't make one he did) Needless to say it was a hit at the track

We all had a great time and I stopped racing when a youngster took me out in the carousel at Sears Point and broke my heel which was a hard bone to heal (No pun intended). It was a lot of fun but working on crutches for the next 8 weeks really sucked.

Here's Mr Pinky who always claimed to be faster than me but in all the races we raced only was only able to beat me once. That's a race that will live in infamy. He saw it one way and I saw it another. "WHO CARES" ????.

Tompinky 1986 with duct tape for knee pucks

Life at the track was fun but sometimes got more competitive than I liked. Track days make it fun again.

1971 Yamaha R5

Lots of memories with this bike. It was bought from Rick Shell in Lafayette and was the first bike I road raced.

My buddy Tompinky wanted to run it around the track and while prepping it stuck a screwdriver in his eye so he was out of commission for awhile and he talked me into doing it instead. That started something that I really thank him for today. I really enjoy the track. I was never really fast but always finished top 10 and sometimes better if things went right.

Here's an old picture at Sears Point on that bike. Notice the hiking boots and socks exposed. I don't think you can get away with that today. Sears Point like me looks a little different today. It's been cleaned up and I've let myself go. No worries though, It's been a great life.

1975 GL1000 Goldwing "Honda"

My 1975 Goldwing was a incredible bike. I drove it across the United States shortly after getting it. Dave a good buddy (bought my 79 CBX) and I headed out Hwy 80 heading for New York. Along the way we met up with a guy on a KZ400 who had come from New Jersey to California just to drive across the Golden Gate Bridge. He met a girl on the beach in California and she gave him a kitten. He was traveling back home with the kitten in his back pack and we traveled with him to Chicago. He convinced us to head south and not go to New York telling me my bike would be stolen the first time I turned my back. We went with his suggestion and I've regretted it ever since. Never been to New York but I will.
Funny thing about owning the first model of a bike and for me I always would get the first one the dealer got. Half the fun was riding a bike that everyone was waiting to see on the street. I got a lot of attention and with my Goldwing and as I was driving it home from the dealer I got pulled over by a Walnut Creek Cop. Wondering what I did wrong he got out of his car and quickly came up to me on the bike and said " I'm really sorry but I had to see your bike". We talked for an hour and he let me go on my way. Great bike that felt as if it was electric rather than gas powered. Smooth like no other bike I had ever ridden. I was 19 years old.

1976 MR 250 Yup it's a HONDA

So the story on this bike was that my wonderful wife worked at Walnut Creek Honda doing the DMV on bikes and cars. I had been eyeing this bike for sometime and it had been there for awhile. As my birthday approached the bike suddenly disappeared off the showroom floor. I asked what happened to it and she told me someone had bought it. I looked around the dealership and tucked way in the back like someone was trying to hide it was the MR250 with a tag that had my name on it. Surprise spoiled again. Didn't get to ride it to much because while going off a little jump I landed wrong and tore up my knee. That started a long list of knee problems I have to this day. Shortly after that our garage caught on fire and the bike burnt along with a 1960 Corvette. It was not insured but the Vette was. I do wish I still had the Vette.

1978 CX500 standard

This ones a little different. It's a 1978 CX500 that was just a bike that made sense to me. Liquid cooled-shaft drive Vee twin with 4 valves per cylinder 50 HP @ 9000 RPM and a little heavy at 490 Lbs but built like a brick s__t house to last forever. City of San Francisco still runs them today as three wheelers.
As you can tell by now I was and still am a Honda guy. Hard to beat Honda if you like to ride and hate to wrench. I wrench for a living and like things that are put together with the thought of not needing a lot of maintenance. This was a fun bike with a great power band and really got me into the whole twin thing.

1973 CB750

As I turned 16 my dad and I had planned a trip across the United States, We both rode CB750's. I was 15 when we left on Saturday and Sunday was my 16th birthday. I tried to get my real drivers licence on Friday before we left but was turned down by Walnut Creek DMV after being told I could. I ended up taking the test in Chula Vista Ca.
The next 2 weeks were spent on the bike going across Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Louisiana, Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Arkansas, Oklahoma and then back though Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada and then home to California. Not bad for the first motorcycle ride the day you turn 16.
My dad would tease me because I got home sick in Oklahoma City. We left there Sunday morning and slept in my bed Tuesday night putting on over 1000 miles in one day. Hard to see the sites that way but at 16 that's not what it was about for me.

Posters

Here's some fun old posters

Thanks Mikey

1982 CX500 Turbo

My CX500 Turbo was a fun bike but lacked the handling and had the turbo lag issue most turbos have. It was a good little touring bike with pretty good wind coverage but fit and finish were not up to Honda standards. I believe it was better in the CX650 series that followed. My leg was in a cast from a knee operation and I for the first time couldn't ride the bike home from the dealership. My buddy Dave did the honors but I found myself making a support and a reverse shifter so I could ride the bike with a cast on. It wasn't easy but I couldn't bare having a bike in the garage that I'd never ridden. It's only one of many stupid things I've done but not the only time people saw me riding with crutches hanging off the back of one of my bikes.

Honda Interceptor's

I've had three Interceptor's the first was a 1983 that I ordered 6 month's before it got here from old Walnut Creek Honda when they sold motorcycles, now they only sell cars. Great bike for it's time, If I remember they did a 11.3 1/4 mile which was as good as my old CBX 1024cc and it was only a 750cc

I also had a 1986 500cc Interceptor which I traded straight across for my 1982 CX 500 Turbo to a guy who just stopped by the shop and said "You want to trade ?". I didn't really like the bike at first because everyone had one but in the end it was one of the best. Handled like a dream and stopped on a dime. I could carry speed into a turn better than any bike I'd had to that point so kickin butt on bigger bikes on the twisties was easy. I learned a lot ridding this bike. When someone says smaller is better this is what they mean.Then there was my 1990 VFR. I had this bike for 11 years which is longer than I keep most of my bikes but then that's how good it was.

This line of bikes still lives today which says a lot.

Marty's 305 scrambler story

Hi Tom,

My first bike was a Honda 305 scrambler also. Bought it from a sailor over at hunter point in 1967 (it was a 66) for $500.00, rode it across the bay bridge, I think it was my first time on a bike, no helmet of course, never used one till I got my Harley. the first thing I did was take off the ugly muffler and put different one with baffles. Used it to hill climb out at richmond and redwood road, boy was I dumb, but it was fun. you brought back memories with that picture. you could get any color you wanted as long as it was silver.

Marty

Guess what Marty.

Silver wasn't the only color. Here is a RARE blue version

I would have liked one of these but lets remember. They ride like old motorcycles.

1979 Honda CBX

It was one of the funnest bikes I've owned but not the best handling bike on the road. It had a high speed wobble that drove me crazy. Ended up buying it back from Dave and then selling it to a Japanese fellow who shipped it back to japan for restoration. Probably worth some money today but not from me. The one thing I've learned about old bikes is that they ride like old bikes. Fun for awhile but then you just have something neat to look at. I like to ride !!!!

Jimmy chimes in on his first bike

A 1975 Honda 360 Scrambler, brand new. Took my brother down to San Jose Honda so he could ride it back. It took a good day to learn how to ride. My Dad never said a word. I put 38000 miles on it. Rebuilt the engine once. In 1978, I loaded it up and took it to San Diego State. I rode it back up I-5 to WC one winter day to see friends for a weekend. Wore one sweatshirt under a jean jacket, one pair of jeans, no gloves. It lightly snowed over the Grape Vine. It took me 12 hours to get home. I pulled in at 1;30 in the morning. My Dad had to lifted me off of the bike in his robe. He never said a word. I never forget it.

The next bike was a Honda CL 900. I put almost 60.000 miles on it. I sold it right after the "Groveland crash".

Yes, I was there. I saw it all. Tomm, 20 feet in the air, spinning head over heels with his arms and legs out stretched and his CBX corkscrewing straight up another 15 feet above him and a Ford LTD stopped dead on the highway. I knew right then that my touring days were over.

Thanks Jimmy

Yes it happened and was one of my only (Knock on wood) major street crashes. It was a 1980 CBX and another friend Dave was driving my 1979 CBX which I had sold to him. I broke both wrists and tore up my lower shins pretty good. I was unconscious for awhile. I remember waking up in the ambulance asking the EMT (a nice looking young lady my own age) to check my family jewels to my sure they were OK because they hurt big time.

The really bad part was it was Mothers Day and Janeen (my wife) was home pregnant with twins. Took awhile for her to get over that one.

My First LEGAL Street ride

At 15 1/2 You can legally ride a motorcycle on the street with a permit. I counted down the days and with permit in hand on Feb 20th 1972 at 6:00am I was on the road and legal.
My first ride was up to the top of Mt. Diablo by myself on my Honda 305 Dream. Heaven !!!. I don't think I came home till the sun went down because with a permit you couldn't ride at night or with someone on the back and not on the freeway.
Who cares, you could ride on the street and I had waited for this day for what seemed like forever. I had 2 bikes at this time and the other was a 1970 SL350 which had a hole in the left case from hitting a pole that was bent over in back of Las Lomas High school near the tracks. A dog started to chase me and as I looked back to roost him and didn't see the pole. It stopped me dead and the dog ran away and with a hole in the case and oil pouring out, I got home as quick as I could. The bike was going to be OK but with just a few days to go before I could ride on the street, the bike I was hoping to ride was now out of commission with parts on order. Break out the 305.

It's hard to explain how much I loved riding on the street and still do but for me there is nothing better.

From My Buddy Daryl

Well, Tomm I'm not a blogger....but here goes.........
It all started in 1969, this kid I went to school with said he had a mini-bike in his garage! We siphoned some gas from his moms car and it was on !!!! This thing was a Penny's Foremost no clutch, just push-it and gas-it Wa.....Hooo! From that day on my life was changed. Never had I experienced anything close to that cool! That was a tough year for me. Sixth grade, new school,new friends, mom even made me join PCL baseball(not my cup of tee). Seems the only thing that kept me going was the thought of two wheels between my legs, and how I could do it again? Well Mom and Dad were pretty cool after-all....I got a used Taco 44 for my birthday, 3.5hp Briggs, springs in the forks and all! (man that thing ate jackshaft sprockets) Got all that stuff from Joesph's lawn mower shop. (I'm sure you remember) My parents had a hard time gettin me off that thing ! That is..........., until my 1972 Yamaha Mini-Enduro...................life would never be the same! What a machine.......although I do remember this guy who lived up by the lakes who had an SL 70 that would beat me in a drag-race. Rick and I are still friends to this day. I guess I could go on forever............I'll just let the list speak for itself.
Taco 44 (year?) (discovered masturbation)
1972 Yamaha Mini-Enduro 60 (better than masturbation)
1972 Steens Factroy Hodaka 100 (short tracker)(not the mini)
1975 Yamaha 250 MXB (first production mono-shock)
1969 Triumph Trophy 250
1972 Norton 750 Commando Roadster(traded the 250B)
1976 Kawasaki KZ 650
1979 Kawasaki Mk 2 1000
1982 Kawasaki KZ 750
1983 Maico 490 Spyder
1998 Honda VTR 996 (my fave)(Norton was very cool too)
2007 Yamaha FJR 1300
The list is not long..............just full of GREAT MEMORIES Oh yeah ........ there was a 250 Bultaco (which i gave away, as I did the Norton?) And almost forgot.......there was a CB 200 that did 'stoppies' before the word was even invented !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I have ridden and shared many motorcycles with friends over the years....... (can't do that with your wife)
Daryl.
by the way ..........the Blog was neat! Wish I had pic's of my old stuff! wait this is actually my old Norton........Nice to see it's still around!

My First Real Motorcycle

My first real motorcycle was a Honda 305 Scrambler. I was 13 years old and I believe it was a hand me down from my dad or brother. I'd had other so called motorcycles before then but really they were CT90's my brothers Hodaka and Moto Beta (There's one you don't hear everyday) but this was a REAL motorcycle. The problem was I'm only 13.
I learned to ride it at Parkmead school where I lived next door to and they had what had to be a 10 acre Baseball/Football field with another 20 acres of hills surrounding it. It was a good safe place to learn to hill climbing and flat track and just all round motorcycle skills that stay with me to this day. I soon ventured on to the street and was picked up by a cop on Canyon Rd in Moraga with my buddy Jim Harris on the back. No helmet, 13 years old with a passenger on back and I was having the time of my life--I'm hooked on this street bike thing.
Bad news is when they called my mom to say we have your son out here in Moraga and she said " Oh that can't be my son" and hung up the phone. My Dad picked us up about a 1/2 hour later and my brother rode the bike home. I was grounded and couldn't ride bikes for the next 6 months. Those were the longest 6 months of my life.