motorcycle forum

[Geoff Winnington-Ball (RIP)]

Hell, we'll start with this one, at least for non-military stuff and general discussion. We can always start a military motorcycle thread in one of the vehicle forums!

Sean... my first ride ever was a 1966 Suzuki X-6 belonging to a friend of mine. I remember getting up to the ton at one point. I was hooked...

Won't go into everything I've owned and/or ridden, but my pride in the early seventies was a Zundapp GS125 I rode in enduros. Now I own a 1978 Yamaha 500 single, which I bought in 1985, stripped to the bare frame, and rebuilt in my image. Put it up beside a stocker and you wouldn't recognize the two were the same....

It needs another rebuild now, but bits are still available. Strip to the bare frame again, then strip the engine for seals, bearings, a new piston and ring set, and a valve job (need hardened valve seats now for this shitty gas). I'll live with my 3/4 cam, 38mm Mikuni, custom oil feed/cooling system, Supertrapp exhaust, custom-made rearsets, yadeyadeyade. You get the picture! I'm particularly proud of the homemade bracketry for my modifed Rickman half-fairing.

The whole package weighs in about 325lbs, and on mountain roads, I can take anything. It'll rev 1000 rpm over redline, but the big bikes will clean me on straights.. and I don't care! I can still bust the ton, and it tracks beautifully.

As you might have gathered, I like the older stuff. I'd still like to find either another Zundapp or a 1975/76 Husky 250 WR. Miss the dirt!