Motorcycles!

         "Only bikers understand why dogs like to hang their heads out of car windows." - Flynch

I have been riding motorcycles and scooters of some kind since I was 14 years old and flush
with paper route money, when I bought an Allstate "Compact" scooter on closeout at Sears.
I was hooked, and I've had some kind of bike ever since, over 35 years now.

Here is some of the stuff I have had between my legs down through the years -

The Allstate Compact, usually considered a scooter because of the small wheels, but actually a small motorcycle. This was my first 'motorcycle', bought with paper-route money when I was 14.  Actually made by Puch, it was sold by Sears under the Allstate brand from about 1962-66, and was being closed out when I bought this one, a '65 model.  A 60cc 2-stroke, it was good for about  35 mph, and this one delivered a bunch o' papers, and no local back road was left unexplored.  I had more fun on this thing than a teenager should be allowed to have, and rode it as a fun toy for years.

1972 Vespa Rally 200. A 197cc 2-stroke,  deceptively fast and kinda funky/cool looking, too heavy, legendary transmission problems, and will seize the engine just to piss you off. I liked it.

1966 BSA Lightning 650. Without a doubt, the most leaky, unreliable, weirdest-handling bike I ever owned. The electricals were a nightmare, the engine leaked at every seam, and the brakes should have been outlawed. Ride it for an hour, it breaks down, truck it home, work on it for five hours and spend $100, repeat as needed. I owned, or rather suffered through owning, this thing for about a year, and spent more wrenching time on this thing than all the Hondas I've ever owned, combined. Good riddance...

1964 Norton Atlas. Another one I wish I had back. Like most British bikes, it leaked oil and the electrics were a nightmare, but at least this one had character. ("Yeah, I leak. You got a problem with that?") Strong, handled beautifully, and started every time. This one never left me stranded. Nice bike.

1963 Cushman Super Eagle.  This thing was ultra-crude, and used what was, for all purposes, a slant-cylinder lawn mower engine. It was more comfortable than it looks, but the handling was not awe-inspiring. 50 mph was an attention-getting experience. It was fun, though, and a real conversation-starter. No regrets. 

1974 Honda CB350 K2.  My first Honda, and the one that converted me to Honda.  Well engineered, well put together, reliable, easy to work on,  good electrics, and a good value for the money. I would like to have this one back. It did nothing extremely well, but it did everything satisfactorily, which is rare. People rode these things for years, for grocery-getting, commuting, and general fun. High school parking lots were lousy with them, and some folks even put crude fairings on them and rode them cross-country. A milestone machine.

1978 Honda CX500, on a trip with  my ample ass aboard.  Loved and loathed, the CX is an aquired taste, and in it's day, fit no real established category. It had troubles early on, but became one of Honda's best. Sturdy, reliable, and funky, it became a cult classic. Honda dragged it through several versions, including a factory custom and even a turbocharged musclebike, before it finally matured into the Silver Wing Touring, a little brother to the Gold Wing. It still has a cult following, with owner's clubs all over the world, and was a favorite in Europe with despatch riders and motorcycle campers.  I had no way to shift it anymore with my fake foot - passed on to my brother.

Under Construction - More to come...