Because it's boring....

[Super Dave]

Ok, a guy I raced for put up a website...

So, here's a picture of me racing on a true street course....

[cornercamping]

It's not boring.  Let's go in the MotoGP thread and talk trash about Biaggi and make bets for next seasons races  ;D

[Super Dave]

MotoGP?

Bah!  Look at the muffler on that little bike...

MotoGP was just trying to copy our "sound"...

 8)

[cornercamping]

lol... I hate those kinda bikes.  I remember when I cornworked at the WERA GNF last year, a bike like that lost it's entire exhaust system, headers and all mid turn  :o   I was like what the hell?  Then they want you to go get it off the track and stuff  :o  Uhm... kinda like 200 deg. exhaust and stuff.. not me.  ;D  Vintage bikes are funny.  Nothing like watching them TRY and go up hill at Road Atlanta.   You see the rider just nailing on the gas, a bunch of smoke coming out of the exhuast, an a whole crap load of noise, but the bike is BARELY making it up hill, and fighting it's way up.   All that noise and no go  ;D Kinda like when I'm on the track.  All that noise coming from a huge V-Twin, and my ass is parking every corner  ;D

[Super Dave]

That bike had a reverse megaphone on it...muffler didn't fall off.

Didn't have any problems meeting sound tech at 104db.

Smoke?  No smoke.

In 1994, I was invited to ride the bike at Taledega GP course.  Beat all the guys in Formula 750 from the second wave (that CB400F is a Formula 500 bike)...

And in the open vintage class, I won...and beat all but two guys in the open battle of the twins class.  888 Ducati's and stuff.  

Only 51HP, but it's still about handing, riding, and momentum.  I know that I still have laps at Daytona on this 1969 CB750 that are faster than what a lot of people might do at Daytona.



I'm on the left.  #970

[cornercamping]

Your old Dave  :o  Does Vintage go by the year of the bike, or the rider  ???


 :P  ;D

[Super Dave]

I'm only 36.

So, if that makes me vintage...there are still a lot of younger guys that should be whippin' my behind...

I am older than Duhammel.

Here's what I'm riding next weekend.



Vintage stuff is hard.

Trust is a big thing.  The blue bike number "970" is probably worth about $70k.  

Somehow I gained a feel for them and I am recognized by a lot of the owners, so I get opportunities.  They aren't easy to ride.  Sometimes frustrating.  But I never quit.  

Maybe "never quitting" is a vintage attribute?  If it is, I guess I'm there.

[cornercamping]

I couldn't get into vintage.  Maybe because I"m only 27.  Maybe when I get to be in my late 30's I'll be all geeked to ride a Ducati 916 or 748.  By that time though, bikes will be jet propelled 780 HP GSXR10000   :P

[Super Dave]

I just wanted to ride a bit more.  Started in 1994 at Daytona.  I was 26 and had just handed everyone except Randy Renfrow (AMA Champion, former factory rider, etc) and Mike Hale (HRC Camel Honda Rider) their backside at the CCS races at Daytona riding on Avon's.  I was carrying a big number one on the bike for winning an overall championship...it was still fun.  

Two wheels.  Isn't much difference whether it has drum brakes with 44HP or 180HP with big Brembo's;  the stuff is fun.

[dylanfan53]

I miss my '58 Matchless thumper... :'(
Then again, my wife says I'm older than dirt.  :-/

It looked like the '58 G3LS (SD adds...) here...



Quick memories of it...
I was in Zaire (now Congo, again).
I hit numerous chickens and a goat with it.  (Had to pay for the goat).  
I botched the decompression lever once and the kick starter bit back and hit me in the shin bone.  All the little kids watching thought it was hilarious.  I guess it was a slapstick thing.
There was a giant steering damper knob on top of the upper triple.  I didn't know what it was for at the time but I learned.

Dave, I've seen your victory wave and you'd appreciate this.  I was out in the middle of nowhere (literally, in the northeast corner of the country near the Sudan and Uganda borders), the roads were paths that were nearly impassable by cars so we took motorcycles everywhere.  As nearly the only motorized thing going down the path the bike could be heard coming from a long way off.  As I rode, kids would come running up to the road waving, smiling and jumping up and down like I was a celebrity.  I'd wave as I went by, kinda like a cool down lap.  It was fun for all.  :)

[Super Dave]

LOL!  Cool!

The guy that owns the Yellow CB400F has some parts to a G45 that he was always going to build for me to race.

Knob steering dampeners...two of my early H1's had those.  The later models have nicer hydraulic dampers stock...what's that tell you...LOL!

[dylanfan53]

The other bike we had was a BSA 650 twin.  The brits left these British bikes in Kenya and Uganda when they left in the early 60's.  I can't remember the model, probably a mid 60s A65.  The thing was a monster!  We called it the njuku, or "elephant".  We had knobby tires on it and it was totally stripped of nonessentials.  It was a heck of a first dirtbike.  ;D

Favorite memory of that thing was running along a walking path.  I knew there was a small stream up ahead and normally would just jump it.  Well, it was the time of year that they pull mantioch root and soak it it in the streams before drying it out and pounding into flour on the rocks.  To do this they dammed up the stream.  When I came flying airborne over the hill all I saw was a pond in front of me.  I landed smack in the middle of it in about 3 feet of water and a cloud of steam.
There were about 20 women and children around who laughed themselves silly while I tried to get the swamped BSA out of the water and dried out to get back home.
I was just a dumb 18 year old kid.
My other favorite memory was taking my pet baboon for rides.
These oldies weren't boring. It's what you did with them that mattered. ;)

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