Like most addictions, it all starts innocently enough…………………
Let’s go back to a simpler time. 1971.
Richard Nixon was in the White House, All in the Family was a new TV hit, Diamonds are Forever was playing at theaters, and The Allman Brothers had just recorded a live set “At the Fillmore East”. But best of all a certain 9 year old boy had just gotten a brand new JT1 Yamaha Mini Enduro.
Everyone was riding. We rode all over the neighborhoods, staged hill climbs in backyards, and learned to wheelie. One day we heard of a new movie, On Any Sunday, and went to the Cherokee Drive In to check it out. I was fascinated by the segments on the ISDT.
In the creek behind our house, I was Malcolm Smith, riding in the pouring rain and late for a check. Having to keep the bike running by yourself was intriguing, and I was in a similar situation, because if I wanted to ride I had to learn to fix things. I wonder how many learned mechanics out of necessity. We learned to weld, set points, glue cases, solder ends on cables, and all kinds of trickery just to keep riding.
Racing came next,
Long Cane 1989
and I spent years chasing the pot of gold on the enduro and hare scramble circuits, but I never shook the challenge of the ISDT. We crisscrossed the country racing the qualifiers, and I finally got my shot at the 1991 ISDE in Czechoslovakia.
Tech Inspections 1991
Oklahoma Special Test
The experience lived up to all expectations. You had to ride fast, you had to ride long, you had to preserve your bike, you had to repair your bike, and all under the close eye of the FIM. I rode the ISDE again in 1994, and closed that chapter with 2 silver medals, which serve today as reminders of an era gone by.
Fast forward to 2010.
I had gotten interested in old bikes, and had enjoyed restoring a couple of BMWs.
1967 R50/2
1974 R90/6
I ran across an article in a magazine about the Cannonball Run. Pre 1915 motorcycles, in a reliability trial across the US. The stories in the article again captured my imagination. Then while walking around at Barbers in 2012, I ran across some Cannonballers. Seized pistons on display, old motorcycles with route sheet holders, spare gas cans strapped on, band brakes on driveshafts, total loss oiling, and over 3000 miles of riding. 1 point for a mile ridden. What’s not to love, I was hooked.
My 1929 Indian Scout 101
Two months later, I cross paths with a 1929 Indian 101 Scout , and become its current caretaker.
Then start franticly emailing the Cannonball promoters:
Let Me In, Let Me In!
Let’s go back to a simpler time. 1971.
Everyone was riding. We rode all over the neighborhoods, staged hill climbs in backyards, and learned to wheelie. One day we heard of a new movie, On Any Sunday, and went to the Cherokee Drive In to check it out. I was fascinated by the segments on the ISDT.
In the creek behind our house, I was Malcolm Smith, riding in the pouring rain and late for a check. Having to keep the bike running by yourself was intriguing, and I was in a similar situation, because if I wanted to ride I had to learn to fix things. I wonder how many learned mechanics out of necessity. We learned to weld, set points, glue cases, solder ends on cables, and all kinds of trickery just to keep riding.
Racing came next,
Long Cane 1989
and I spent years chasing the pot of gold on the enduro and hare scramble circuits, but I never shook the challenge of the ISDT. We crisscrossed the country racing the qualifiers, and I finally got my shot at the 1991 ISDE in Czechoslovakia.
Tech Inspections 1991
Oklahoma Special Test
The experience lived up to all expectations. You had to ride fast, you had to ride long, you had to preserve your bike, you had to repair your bike, and all under the close eye of the FIM. I rode the ISDE again in 1994, and closed that chapter with 2 silver medals, which serve today as reminders of an era gone by.
Fast forward to 2010.
I had gotten interested in old bikes, and had enjoyed restoring a couple of BMWs.
 |
| 1967 R50/2 |
1974 R90/6
I ran across an article in a magazine about the Cannonball Run. Pre 1915 motorcycles, in a reliability trial across the US. The stories in the article again captured my imagination. Then while walking around at Barbers in 2012, I ran across some Cannonballers. Seized pistons on display, old motorcycles with route sheet holders, spare gas cans strapped on, band brakes on driveshafts, total loss oiling, and over 3000 miles of riding. 1 point for a mile ridden. What’s not to love, I was hooked.
|
| My 1929 Indian Scout 101 |
Two months later, I cross paths with a 1929 Indian 101 Scout , and become its current caretaker.
Then start franticly emailing the Cannonball promoters:
Let Me In, Let Me In!
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