Tom M Posted August 28, 2009 Posted August 28, 2009 While digging through some old family pictures I came across a pic of my first bike, which I bought when I was 15 in 1973. It looked a lot different when I first bought it. Anybody care to guess what it was? Here I am next to it in my Sidi Full-Bores. My brother wasn't too good with the camera. Or maybe he was more interested in my bike than my mug? Here's my younger brother's bike from the same era. He hacked tweaked it too. This one is easy if you cheat. I couldn't find any pics of my other brothers's bike, which was either a Yamaha 100 or a Can-Am 175 around that time. FWIW we all worked and bought and maintained our own bikes. Our parents didn't like them and certainly wouldn't pay for them.
Fred C. Dobbs Posted August 28, 2009 Posted August 28, 2009 The first one looks like a tricked out TC 125 Suzuki, the second a Hodaka trying real hard to be a Husky in much the same way I tried to be Malcom Smith back in '73. About as successful, too. I dig the boots and the Country Squire in the backround.
Tom M Posted August 28, 2009 Author Posted August 28, 2009 The first one looks like a tricked out TC 125 Suzuki, the second a Hodaka trying real hard to be a Husky in much the same way I tried to be Malcom Smith back in '73. About as successful, too. I dig the boots and the Country Squire in the backround. You're close on the Suzuki. I think Dan was going for the Bultaco look on the Hodie. Didn't every family have a station wagon with wood grain trim back then?
Tom M Posted August 29, 2009 Author Posted August 29, 2009 I guess me & Fred are the only ones here who rode dirt bikes in the early seventies? The bike was a Suzuki TS185. I tried to turn it into a TM175. I stripped off the steel fenders and all the road-legal parts to lighten it up, then added the 175cc factory race kit, which made it legal to race in the 175 class. The kit included the cylinder, piston, head, bigger carb, and the expansion chamber. Fenders and plates were from Preston Petty. I don't remember if the CZ replica plastic coffin tank came from Petty or somewhere else. What it started out as:
Keith Foster Posted August 29, 2009 Posted August 29, 2009 I guess me & Fred are the only ones here who rode dirt bikes in the early seventies? The bike was a Suzuki TS185. I tried to turn it into a TM175. I stripped off the steel fenders and all the road-legal parts to lighten it up, then added the 175cc factory race kit, which made it legal to race in the 175 class. The kit included the cylinder, piston, head, bigger carb, and the expansion chamber. Fenders and plates were from Preston Petty. I don't remember if the CZ replica plastic coffin tank came from Petty or somewhere else. Wonderful story Tom M, I have great memories of the same era. I had a '73 TS185 (or was it a '74?), a silver one. Maybe it was a '74, as I recall it had a plastic front fender, metal rear. You were styling to have proper MX boots in those days. The Preston Petty stuff was such a leap in durability back then. A nearby shop had a couple of CZ's on the floor - man, they were the Holy Grail, along with the Huskys. There was one Husky on the trails we rode, it drew gasps from me and my buddies when it was spotted! I later took my TS into more street duty with a Bassani expansion chamber and drag bars (as I couldn't afford real clip-ons) for a cafe racer look. The problem was it still had the high style MX fender Hey, when you are 16 ya gotta improvise! 34 years later and I'm still riding
Tom M Posted August 31, 2009 Author Posted August 31, 2009 Wonderful story Tom M, I have great memories of the same era. I had a '73 TS185 (or was it a '74?), a silver one. Maybe it was a '74, as I recall it had a plastic front fender, metal rear. You were styling to have proper MX boots in those days. The Preston Petty stuff was such a leap in durability back then. A nearby shop had a couple of CZ's on the floor - man, they were the Holy Grail, along with the Huskys. There was one Husky on the trails we rode, it drew gasps from me and my buddies when it was spotted! I later took my TS into more street duty with a Bassani expansion chamber and drag bars (as I couldn't afford real clip-ons) for a cafe racer look. The problem was it still had the high style MX fender Hey, when you are 16 ya gotta improvise! 34 years later and I'm still riding I knew me & Fred couldn't be the only victims of that era around here Keith. A buddy of mine had a later silver 185 like yours. It had better forks than the earlier bikes did. If you come across any old pics please post them. I've never seen a TS185 cafe racer! I'm glad my brother and I weren't the only teenagers who messed with our trail bikes because we couldn't afford anything better. I bought the Full Bores used from the kid across the street from me who was a pretty serious racer. He had a string of CZs, Maicos, Huskys, and an Elsinore or two. He's still racing at age 53, as are a few other guys I was friends with back then. I sent the old Suzi pic to my former Hodaka owning little brother reminded me that Roger Decoster did NOT have buddy pegs on his Suzuki, and Joel Robert's factory Suzuki didn't have a kickstand. So I had to point out the MASKING TAPE holding the front brake cable to the fork leg on his Hodaka Super Pursang, and the REAR TIRE that was mounted on his front rim. I complemented him on his cut-my-head-off photography skills too. It went down hill from there...
Tom M Posted August 31, 2009 Author Posted August 31, 2009 here's my son on my first motorcycle, That's a great started bike Foto. How does he like riding? My kids have no interest in motorcycles
Admin Jaap Posted August 31, 2009 Posted August 31, 2009 My first bike: Yamaha DT 400 Engine ruined by a broken (nylon?) oil pump gear... (btw, pic is from Google)
fotoguzzi Posted August 31, 2009 Posted August 31, 2009 That's a great started bike Foto. How does he like riding? My kids have no interest in motorcycles none of my 3 kids has much interest in motorcycles... that's fine w/me.. I've been to enough emergency rooms w/them for a lifetime.
Tom M Posted August 31, 2009 Author Posted August 31, 2009 none of my 3 kids has much interest in motorcycles... that's fine w/me.. I've been to enough emergency rooms w/them for a lifetime. Oops. That was supposed to say STARTER bike, not started bike. I completely understand where you're coming from on the kids & motorcycles Foto. I'm both a little disappointed and a little relieved that neither of my kids have any real interest in bikes or cars. Neither one has been to the emergency room yet and I'd like that streak to continue. Jaap, how old were you when you had the 400? That's a big bike for a teen to learn on.
David L Posted September 2, 2009 Posted September 2, 2009 here's my son on my first motorcycle, first bike? My dad is pushing 60 and it's his bike as well....
DeBenGuzzi Posted September 5, 2009 Posted September 5, 2009 here's my first bike but I stripped it down and painted it metallic blue, the faux tank was already gone or never there when I got it, no sissy bar either. I got it as just a frame not sure what happened to the foto's of our my rebuild but we put in a tecumseh like 3.5hp? I want to say out of a garden tiller google find as close as I could my first almost proper bike With all I've gone through and done I kind of think of the Guzzi as my first Real bike
gstallons Posted September 6, 2009 Posted September 6, 2009 BAD TO THE BONE! Were you at Sturgis on this a few years ago?
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