Brad's Bikes - Your Thoughts

The site has seen a lot of visitors recently, and some of you have provided great feedback. Here are some of the notes we've received:

G'Day Brad.
Now have the bike .

Picked up on Friday and uncrated yesterday.

Did what you said,.... swapped fuel, charged battery ......and it took all of three kicks to fire for the first time and about 4 more to get it ticking over smoothly!! Bloody good for an old bike that has been sitting in a shed and then at sea for four months!! And then the engine sounded fantastic - really tight with good compression it seems.

The bike is absolutely beautiful!!! Everybody who saw it yesterday said "i thought you were buying a used bike Richard - not a new one!!"

And finally finally if you want to use me as referral for you and your service for other potential buyers please feel free to. As you can see I will be giving a glowing reference!!

Rgds

Richard

So glad you liked the bike, Richard!! Brad

Dear Brad, My bike made it here yesterday. It is great. This is the 2nd bike I have bought through you. My 1975 Yamaha DT400 is still showing at the top of your values page. The movers Kelly at Keyboard Carriage were outstanding. Pick it up in 1 week and got it here less than 1 week. I would recommend them. Fair price too! Greg was great to work with. Called me several times and more than happy to give advice on the bike. The pictures of it in my messy garage are for you to see. I am working on cleaning it up. The Honda MT 250 my Father bought for me new back in 1976. Sincerely, Shaun

Brad -
Wanted to report that the Triumph arrived yesterday afternoon.  I've only been able to give her a quick look over as I had to be in DC from 4 to 10pm yesterday, and had to work today. So far, it looks good and was exactly what I was looking for.

Thank you for all your help with this. You really went overboard in selling the bike and arranging for transport. If anyone needs a reference, you can point them my way.

-Maurice

YES! SCAMMED!

I FOUND MY 1975 HONDA CB400F ON E-BAY AND LOST A LOT OF MONEY!

JUST A WARNING! BE CAREFUL!

I WAS BIDDING UP UNTIL CLOSING OF THE AUCTION AND E-BAY SENT ME A MESSAGE THAT I LOST AT THE LAST MINUTE! O.K. NO PROBLEM...MAYBE NEXT TIME.

THEN, THE NEXT MORNING I GOT A MESSAGE THAT LOOKED JUST LIKE IT CAME FROM E-BAY! SAYING THAT THE BUYER COULD NOT PURCHASE AND SINCE I BID THE NEXT BEST AMOUNT I HAD A SECOND CHANCE TO WIN IT!

I SURE WAS HAPPY AND SAID YES I WANTED IT! THEY SAID THEY WOULD E-MAIL SPECIFIC DIRECTIONS FOR PAYMENT, ETC. AND I FOLLOWED THEM TO THE LETTER!

I NOW KNOW THAT SOMEHOW MY E-MAIL TO E-BAY WAS HAACKED!

I REALLY DON'T BLAME E-BAY EXCEPT THAT THERE SHOULD HAVE BEEN A WARNING ON THE MESSAGE THAT I DID NOT WIN AND SHOULD REALLY BE LEARY OF GETTING A SECOND CHANCE OFFER! MAYBE E-BAY SHOULD HAVE A SPECIAL PERSON TO CHECK WITH IF YOU GET A SECOND CHANCE OFFER?

I HAVE REPORTED THE FRAUD TO EVERY OFFICIAL SOURCE AND WILL NOT GET MY MONEY BACK!

I REALLY FEEL BAD BECAUSE ANOTHER LADY HERE IN RABUN COUNTY LOST ALMOST AS MUCH AS I DID WHEN BIDDING ON ANOTHER MOTORCYCLE FROM E-BAY AND LOST IT IN THE SAME WAY!

THE POLICE DEPARTMENT  HERE IN RABUN COUNTY SAID THAT THEY GET ABOUT 2 A WEEK REPORTED! AND THIS IS JUST IN ONE COUNTY OF ONE STATE!

I AM SURE YOU ARE SMARTER THAN ME, HOWEVER, PLEASE ALWAYS BE CAREFUL!

MOST SINCERELY,

MARIA

Hello Brad, After a little bit of work I was able to show the 1983 Mike Hailwood replica at the Ducati Daytona Day bike show and to my delight was awarded best in show. The bike is a real joy to own and especially to ride.

                                                                           Sincerely,
                                                                        Lou

Hi Brad,

Just received the Velocette today. All is well, ridden it around the block few times and it rides good for a old bike.

Phillip

Hey Brad:

Dude, you've had every bike, fer cryin' out loud. It's like a wish list of bikes I'd love to own. Yankees, Moto Morinis, Huskys, Centauros...wow!

Glad to see you wrote nice things about the 750 Paso. Mine's an '88. It's blue, which is sort of an oddball. In 2001-2002, it was my daily ride into Boston from the suburbs. Great bike.

We're a KTM family now. My wife rides a Duke II and I've got a 950 Adventure S. Just sold my K100RS, and I've still got a '65 Vespa scooter that I built.

Craig Fitzgerald

Editor

Hemmings

Gee Brad,

    How could I have been on the net all these years and not found your site until today. Thanks for bringing back some great memories from my early years (I'm 47 now). And blast you for planting a seed that's likely to grow wild, regardless of what my wife says! Just when I was becoming respectible... what a shame!

Terry

Dear Brad, As I'm about to turn 50 years of age, with grand children older than they should be, the bikes you display have a direct connection for me. The 60's and 70's were a truly unique time in motor cycling. I was lucky enough to have supportive parents and enough "summer jobs" to have owned, rode or sat on a lot of bikes from that era. (Pop bought the first bike, a 50cc Suzuki, in 1963 and it was love at first sight). I decided this morning to tell you how much your web site is appreciated by this writer, but after reading the various comments sent to you, there isn't much to add other than .. THANK YOU.

Jim, a rider since 1963.

Brad, how can you sleep at night from having so much fun?

I am a Vintage 'rebuilder', not a restorer. I build mostly Vintage race bikes for AHRMA racing. I build street bikes like we did when they were new. No body left them stock.

I am attaching a sample of my work for your enjoyment. I just completed a 1965 C15S for a customer to race in AHRMA. Enjoy!

Very best regards,

Chuck Herron

'Chuck's Vintage Motorcycles'

We can all relate, Jon!! Brad

Brad, Thanks for your web-site. I love seeing what's out there and may be buying from you in the future.At 45, I am in your "demographic". In the early 70's I used to go to thedealers every spring to sit on the new bikes. They only let us sit on the small ones (70's thru 125's)....so I think that's why I got hooked on smallbikes. My favorite was an RD80 (if I remember right it was dark purple)....though later I decided I liked 4-strokes better. My first bike was an XL100 in 1976...MANY miles on the fire trails in theUP of Michigan and country roads of Ohio. In 1981 I got a CB125 for commuting to college. Now I have a Trail 90 for buzzing around the neighborhood on errands (with the requisite oversized milk crate on the luggage rack). Though I need to check again, my first read on gas mileage was 115 mpg, better than the new scooters out there. I currently have my eye on getting a C70 Passport or an S90. The couple of S90's on your site and an article in Cycle World by Peter Egan got me going along that vein. However, a low mileage 1975 CB125 showed up on CraigsList the other day.......decisions, decisions, indecision!! Thanks again and regards,Jon

Don't we all wish we'd worked at such a dealership!! Brad

Hello Brad,

   Looks like your living the dream I had 30 years ago. I allowed business to get in the way of having fun though, and though I have a few great bikes, nothing to compare with what you have. I have seen you ad regularly in Walnecks, and just today looked at your web site for the first time.

   Have you ever been to the Barber Museum in Alabama? I was there last year, and they have an incredible collection. Do you have yours on display?

   I saw my first Yankee in Topeka, KS., about 1973 or 74. What a great machine. The dealer also handled Ossa, Montessa, Ducati. Bikes I had only seen in magazines. I have a Benelli 650 Tornado, a Gilera 124, both I bought and restored, and an original Kawasaki Z1R that I bought new in 78. I have a Rickman that I bought just the rolling chassis, and have a Gilera 98 engine on it. My first bike was a Gilera, so somewhat partial to them. I have a Harley as a daily ride, but it has no personality like the others have.

   Thanks for putting up your site. It was great to view, and glad to see that someone follows their dreams.

I think they will be just like Muscle Cars--Brad

What's Up Brad, I love your site. Wondering if you might have some advise for a Newbie. I got intomotorcycles a few years ago and purchased a new bonneville which has sparkedmy interest in classic rides. I would love to purchase a 60's bonnie or a Norton commando. Unfortunely, these bikes are a little out of my price range at the moment. I'll keep saving I guess. I can see the problem,these bikes were built before I was born. So the baby boomers want them and have alittle more disposable income than myself(getting married, school loans), can't blame em, it's what they use to ride back in the day. However, what do you see in the future as far as pricing. Will they become more valueable or less. Should I pay the inflated price now because they could go dramaticallyup or look for an alternative and wait for prices to fall a little. Look what happened to muscle cars! Prices went through the roof. Maybe we will see a $30,000 66' Bonneville in the future. However, as the baby boomers get older you would think that prices would fall as they stop riding and less shops available to work on classics.

Mike is the Editor of DealerNews - Brad

Hi Brad,

I visited your site finally, nice work. I believe you and I talked at last years (2003) Vintage Japanese meet. I had the Kawasaki W1 and W3. Next year, long about September be sure and email me about your listing.

Mike

View his Katana in my Photo Gallery - Brad

Brad,

Glad to hear your hobby continues to grow and you have an appreciation for old bikes. Just wanted thank you for a nice web site and also pass on one of my classic bikes for your pleasure. You may know the history, but this is an 82 Katana gsx1000s, designed by Hanz Muth, Target Design. During the 1980 Köln motorcycle show held in then West Germany , the world was stunned by the unveiling of the Suzuki Katana. It ruled the show with it's radically aggressive styling, racer-replica design, making it the Godfather of the bullet bikes. It sold in the US for two years will mild interest, but sold well in Europe where it was built in many smaller sizes.

Enjoy

Bob

We all live in the past, Paul!! No relation to me--Brad

Brad, I just had to drop a short line to tell you what an absolutely great site you have set up, I have spent so much time looking through it tonight, it took me awhile to remember what I typed into the search to find you! I was looking for anything Suzuki 250 scrambler and immediately found that you have just sold exactly the same bike I had bought new in 68 and sold it only to buy 2 Kawasaki 500 triple basket cases in early 70. I still have the 69, with most all the original goodies but can't decide what I want to do with it. It needs a restore (the tank and side covers are root beer brown and the engine is in a desert three wheeler.

I am very experienced with all of the working details of the bike and know I could make it a real head turner but wanted to get your opinion about whether a restored bike would be worth anything in the real world as I know it would take at least $2500.00 to do it right. What I would really like to do is find somebody that has a 68 Suzuki scrambler (preferably blue) that would like to do a little horse trading for the H1 as it is.

PS, was a member of California AFM 68 to 72 and got to know some great riders of the era, Ron Grant, Art Bowman and such. Also drag raced the 250 Suzuki (AHRA street stock record 1969) and then drag raced the 500 until a Buick wagon hit me head on in Sacramento. A year in the hospital cured me of riding on the highways.

Sorry for the long winded e-mail but your site put me in a place I truly miss!!! My wife tells me sometimes I live in the past, maybe she's right but I can't help it.

Thanks again for what you do (and obviously have fun at) Paul Powell San Diego, CA

hanks, Paul, see you at the races!

BRAD, MY NAME IS PAUL PARKER.....AKA......ROHO.......ANYWAY I MET YOUR DAUGHTER TODAY AT THE GYM.........SHE WAS BEING TRAINED BY A PERSONAL TRAINER WHO I WENT TO HIGH SCHOOL WITH.....I WAS CHATTING WITH HER PERSONAL TRAINER AND WE STARTED TALKING ABOUT MOTOX AND YOUR DAUGHTER SAID "MY DAD USED TO RACE MOTOX".....THEN SHE TOLD ME ABOUT YOUR WEBSITE SO I DECIDED TO CHECK IT OUT AND WOW!!!!!!!!........COULD NOT BELIEVE YOUR GALLERY.......MY FIRST MOTOX BIKE WAS A HODAKA SUPER-RAT 100CC........I AM 46 YRS OLD AND NOT MANY PEOPLE KNOW OF THESE BIKES .....I WAS EXCITED TO SEE YOUR BIKES......I AM CURRENTLY TRAINING TO START RACING IN THE WINTER IN THE GA. AREA.....I HAVE AN O3 YAMAHA 450 4-STROKER.........MY DAD IS ALSO AN AVID MOTORCYCLIST AS WELL........HE STARTED IN THE MID 60S AND ALSO RACED MOTOX ON AN OSSA 250.......AND FLAT-TRACKED AS WELL........ANYWAY JUST WANTED TO SAY AWSOME........SEE YA........PAUL

Hi Brad...

Love your site and your attitude! Great bikes!!!

I've just recently relocated to the Atlanta area, and I am looking for employment in the business! I'm a certified Yamaha, Honda, Bombardier, AMI tecnician, and I worked for Harper's Moto Guzzi doing restorations and general tech work when their main tech, David, was going through surgery for hand damage (Guzzi's don't have the ground clearance on corners he expected them to have!!). I also roadrace, formerly on an RD, and then on an RZ, and now on a bike of my own creation, an RGV frame with an XL600 engine. I'm just wondering if you might need some help getting your bikes together for sale. It seems as though you are kind of a one man band, but I thought I would ask, just in case you're backed up and need some assistance. I've also worked for GMD Computrack, so I have training in suspension work, and I'm working on a kit to replace damping rods in forks with a cartridge assembly. If it works, I think it could be a great benefit to racers and street riders!

Let me know if you can use a smiling helpful skilled hand, and thanks for your time!!!

Good Luck with your endevors,

Kurt

Hey Brad

Iv'e just got a site going for the Cooper, it's not much at the moment but I'll

build it up as I go.

I have a heap of stuff to get on there, some brochures, more photos and I'll

also do a restoration n my MX and Enduro shortly.

The site is http://www.cooper-250.com/

Cheers

Robert

Great to hear from you Dick--stay warm in Chicago!!

Brad,

Got a note fromTom Kolenko who mentioned you got the VJMC into the Cycle
World show, and it reminded me to shoot a note.

My company, Ceridian, a HR, Payroll and Benefits software provider and
outsourcer, had a management shakeup recently, and as the highest level
outside hire, I got the axe. They gave me a good package, and I'm now
searching for my next opportunity, utilizing an outplacement service here in
Chicago.

So I took advantage of the downtime, and 4 friends and I did a 9 day bike
trip around eastern Canada, followed by bird hunting in northern Maine.

The bikes were as follows: 1977 CB 550 (me), 1978 Yamaha 1100, 1984 Yamaha
Kenny Roberts RZ 350, 1982 Laverda Mirage and 2004 Goldwing (obviously
misplaced, but he was out "tourguide").

Our Laverda guy dropped out after 3 days - he needed to get back to his
business. By the way, he is internationally known as a Laverda expert, so
if you need any Laverda help, I can get you his contact info.

The rest of us rode a bit over 3000 miles, including the Gaspe Peninsula,
Prince Edward Island, Cape Breton, etc. and had gorgeous weather,
spectacular scenery, and great camraderie. And not one of the bikes had the
first hiccup. I swapped with the RZ guy for a while and was impressed with
the power and handling of that little bike in the twisties. The owner and
the Yamaha 1100 guy raced RD's and RZ's in the 70's and 80's, and each is a
high school classmate of mine. The RZ guy has about 40 bikes, including some
rare Duc's, etc.

We returned for my buddy's Oktoberfest party (he has a big farm and gets
about 150 people each year 1/3 arrive by bike - notables were a perfect 56
BSA Goldie and 52 Triumph - for home brewed beer and foolishness), then
drove up to northern Maine for woodcock and grouse hunting for a few days.

Returned last week, and am now heads down job hunting, but with lots of
photos and memories.

Hope all is well with you and family.

Best regards,

Dick

Thanks for the memories, Dan!!

Hi Brad, I enjoy your website very much. Being 47, I was a big Honda fanatic by age 10. Each year, all my friends got new mini bikes, and motorcycles. QA-50's, Trail 70's, and by 1970, a whole host of the CL's, and SL's haunted me from the 100 to the big scrambler 450. My parents couldn't buy me a motorcycle then, so I never got my itch scratched. They were unreachable candy for me, but I had a few opportunities to ride my friends bikes, which made the desire even more painful. After I graduated college, and started a carrer, I always had a different bike under me from one time to another. I rode several models of Harley's as an adult, and took a break from bikes for about 15 years to raise a family. I ride an old '95 Buell Thunderbolt now, and for off the road fun, I rode an old '94 XR250L I had fixed up, and my 15 year old son took for his own, and loved as much as I did. It was sadly stolen from our carport when I left it carelessly unlocked one day after unloading it from the truck. I didn't think anyone would take such a risk for a 10 year old motorcycle with over 18,000 miles on it! She still rode very good with no smoke. It had quite a bit of slop in the transmission though, but I was going to crack it open, and replace the gears. I have since lost out on a few deals from not being in the area fast enough. I lost a 1991 250L that only had 3400 miles on it to a local with cash in hand. I lost a ebay auction with a '92 model with only 1360 miles on it(??) Since I have some spare parts for this model, I would love to find a clean low milage XR250L to replace it with. If you ever come across one, please let us know.

Glad you liked the RZ 500, Chris!!

Hello Brad,

I still have a grin on my face! I just got back from my first ride on the RZ500. What a blast! The blue smoke and sound reminds me of the GP races of the 80s. I love that bike. Thanks again for all your help. I will keep an eye on your web site for another RZ500. I think I need another one! :-)

Take care, Chris

Glad you liked the Bimota, Bob

Brad,
I just got back from taking the DB1 on it's first long ride; about an hour.
(With that riding position, and me being 6'1", and hour is a long ride).
LOVE IT. You really miss-described the bike: you said "not mint, but very
nice". Well then I don't know what "mint" is because neither I nor my
riding buddy can get over how great this bike is. Even my wife likes it.
It's almost 20 years old and unless you press your nose to it, it looks new.
Once I got used to the very different gearing of this bike versus the Paso I
had, I really enjoyed it. I think you'd have to be at license-losing speeds
to use 4th or 5th, though. I rode around for an hour and never went above
3rd: you were right when you said it's heart is as a 'track bike'. But I've
always had a crush on the DB1 since I first saw one in the Ducati Buyers
Guide, even though I had never seen one in person before buying this bike
from you (I'd never even seen one for sale before).

Best regards
Bob

Thanks Brent!! Make MidOhio next year!!!

Hey Brad!
Love your website! Sure brings it all back! I'd be going to Mid Ohio
this year but my co-worker is going and we both can't be off at the same
time. I grew up in Southern Illinois where I had a great childhood
thanks to my dad who was and still is an avid motorcycle enthusiest.
Southern Illinois was just woods, fields and strip pits. I'm always
looking for the bikes of my youth. I've just aquired a little Honda MR50
Elsinore in like new condition (one of my favorites). Still looking for
the Yamaha JT60, TY80, and the Kawasaki G4TR Trail Boss (beautiful G4TR
you have on Bike Of The Month!). I'm finishing up a "71 Yamaha R5 350
right now and I have a "74 H1 500 that I'm probably going to part out.
But I just had to let you know how much I enjoy you website! In my
opinion it's the best vintage bike website in the world!
Thanks again!
Brent

Brad,
As you know, I enjoyed the Daytona auction as much as you did!
But I have a sense there were two sets of Triumph's up on the auction block.

First, the Dick Brown collection.
Simply put, these bikes were a breed apart.
They were of a museum-quality that has put quite a few of them on Calendars, and in Triumph books.
In retrospect, it was a once in a life-time opportunity.
Similar to if Bobby Sullivan or another noted collector was to put their collection up.
And the prices they brought...like that $14k T100R...reflected that.
(A price that made the Sidecar rig look like a bargain, by the way.)
I also got the feeling that a small fraternity of Dick Brown's counterparts...fellow restorers and collectors...were perhaps willing to pay a bit more to keep the bikes "in the family" so to speak. And perhaps even to help Dick Brown a bit in a time of need. Maybe I'm imagining all of that...maybe not.

My sense is the Dick Brown bikes went to folks that could not only afford them...but will preserve them in his honor.

Second, the other Triumphs offered.
In addition to the Dick Brown bikes, I think there was the usual collection of grade 1 through 5 bikes for auction.
Being in the market...I looked long and hard at each...decided on the few I wished to bid on...and set a "max" price that I was willing to go to.

I set that price based on what I see on the current market: E Bay, CycleTrader, and of course BradsBikes.
I got the 1967 T120R at what I consider a fair price...and less then the "max" amount I had penciled down in my notes.
Getting it home, and half apart, it has exceeded my expectations regarding it's condition.
So I'm a happy buyer.
Some of the others maybe went for a bit more then normal...possibly the Dick Brown "high tide" floated all of the Triumph prices...but not too far out of line.

So I predict that the overall price impact from the Daytona auction...particularly on Triumphs...will not be as drastic as some may fear.

Good clean bikes will continue to go for reasonable prices. And appreciate at a reasonable rate.

Take care,
Richard

Read on if you're into Bultacos-BJP:

Hi Brad,

A link from http://autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/W650riders/ took me to your
nifty site. Many thanks for the memories !

My bikepath was: '54? Tri Cub -> '56? BMW R26 in Europe -> '56 Tri TR5R ->
'62 racing Tri Cub -> '61? Hon CB72 (250cc; the 305 hadn't been introduced
yet) -> '61 Greeves scrambler -> '63 DOT scrambler -> '64 250 Bultaco
Metisse -> '65 Yam (TD1B) 250 roadracer -> led to 10 yr job with Cemoto
East, racing on weekends whatever they wanted to sell, and marketing it
during the week. I've stayed in the m/c industry ever since.

Now I enjoy a '66 Tri Bonneville, a Kaw W650, plus whatever I can borrow. I
also indulge myself in some other hobbies. (mostly waterborne)

Re: your comment: " But my bet is on the Baby Boomers, born between 46-64,
to drive the trend ..." I agree, sorta.

Some demographic info FYI:
The modern peak USA birth rate year was 1957 with 4.3 million born in USA.
Apprx 1942, the US baby boom started, and after the '57 peak, it stayed
strong to ~1960 (popularization of The Pill.) The peak modern US fertility
rate (live births from women 15 - 44) was 125/thou in '57. Now it's ~
65/thou.

So boomers are now ~ ages 44 - 62. Honda's nifty, thrifty 50 as I recall,
came out in late 50's, but the Honda ball really got rolling ~ '61, when
early boomers were ~ 20 yrs old, and late boomers were just born.

Enough rambling. Tnx again for your dandy site. Wish I lived closer.

Bill Dutcher
PS: As Director of Marketing for Bultaco Ltd., from ~ '72 - '75, we
sponsored Jimmy Pomeroy. Saw his photo. Nice guy (who sure shocked the MX
world in '73), but boy, has he ever gained weight ! Vs Lackey (aka
"Partly"), who hasn't changed so much. I guess dope isn't so bad for your
system, after all ! ;^)

Brad- you have a very interesting website. and I agree 100percent with your
assessment of the marketplace as it relates to baby boomers. Not only for
motorcycles but for cars to.

Baby-boomers( i am just 44) or any generation for that matter at whatever
point in time when that generation falls between the ages of 40-70 years
always holds a fondness for some article of memorabilia that was important
to them when they were youg. By that point in their lives they usually have
a little extra money to acquire these items and will pay a handsome price.

I have had discussions with my father who is 71 about this particular
subject and how relevant a piece of memorabilia(Car or motorcycle or
whatever) is for investments. His perspective is that a "memorabilia's"
price will be driven by those individuals that remember it when they were
10-20 years of age. Then popularity and price will increase when those
people hit the prime of life (40-70) and then popularity and price will
fall off for that memorabilia of that particular period when these people
start to die off. That would explain why we might not have an interest in
motorcycles or cars from the 40s or 50s and my dad does.

There may be some exceptions, like vintage Indian motorcycles, dusenburg
automobiles etc.

Brad,

Cool site ! I'm 54 so you know those memorable years as you say - 50's 60's 70's - dad was way into sports cars , had several while I was growing up and went to the sports car races often ( In Connecticut ). I like(ed) them too but also loved the early muscle cars and motorcycles perhaps the most..

I have several now plus a restored '51 Chevy ( Dads first car that I remember - still have the old black and white photos of course !

I'd love to find my first motorcycle - I have one photo of it - frankly ,all I can remember about it is that it was 1967 or possibly '68, we bought it new, it was a Moto Guzzi 125 cc, black frame, red tank, rather small bike ; I can't for the life of me remember the model ( name ) Have never seen one on ebay or any of the other sites - can you shed any light ??

best regards, Nick

I can still remember how bad I wanted a dirt bike growing up. It was the early 70's and my family didn't have "that" kind of money to be spending on toys for the middle child. However, my dad must of felt something for my dilema as he came home one night(after a poker game I think) with a late 60's Yamaha 80 street bike. I was horrified. I couldn't ride that thing on the dirt...but, I did and I had a blast. It is long gone and I have not seen one since. Can you help or point me in the right direction.It had a long tank and a matching rear tail section. If one installed clip-on's it would be very similar to the Honda "Dream." P.S. I love the website...memories.Keep it going.

Follow-up on my question about the Cooper 250-BJP: Dear Sir, It looks to be a 1972 Cooper 250. It came in three colors, yours is chrome (yellow). It had 28 horsepower at 6800 rpm, a 32 mm Mikuni carb, 70mm x 64mm bore and stroke with a compression of 9:1. A dry weight of 220 lbs, wide ratio gear box. The front forks were Ceriani with 7" of travel. double loop frame, 300 x 21" front tire and a 4.00 x 18 rear tire. It was Designed by Frank Cooper a pioneer of American moto cross and built by Moto Isla. It was built to be a (balance) of a English trials and the (power) European motocross motorcycle, at one time it was claimed to be the lightest and most powerful of all 250cc enduros. It is a very nice one! But where to get parts??? I want the BSA Victor 250 Trail (B-25T) 22.50 hp, 15.8 ft.lb. of torque, 67 x 70 with comp. ratio of only 10:1, a 4 speed gearbox, 2.5 gal aluminum tank, 287 pounds of British beauty, but where do you get a 20" Dunlop trials tire for the front? I have a hard enough time finding a 3.25 x 19 for my 1972 Yamaha 250 DT2! I thought the swing arm on the Victor was square tubing and round on the (B-25ss) Gold Star? I also thought the Victor handle bars came with a cross brace and were higher? The ones on you Victor looks like they also came off a 250-ss Gold Star (B-25ss)? The British did have a bad habit of using parts from any bin, a lot of mix and mis-match. I would love to have it! Aaron

Hi Brad. Found your site while looking for vintage bikes. Very nice. I was surprised to see the photo of the Kawasaki 90! I have to tell you, being that it is the Christmas Season, it really brought back some great memories for me. You see, Christmas 1970 there was one of these great bikes sitting under our Christmas tree! Us kids couldn't believe it was a real motorcycle, we were so stunned!

Anyway, the other night my wife and I were talking about the greatest Christmas presents we ever received, and I told her about the little Kaw 90 as being the greatest gift I ever had. I haven't seen one since we sold it many years ago, and it was great seeing yours on your website. I've e-mailed her a copy so she can finally understand how I felt as a kid getting that great bike on Christmas morning so many years ago.

Wow, my eyes are sore from bugging out! I've just seen your website--AMAZING.

I was searching around, feeling nostalgic, for some of those bikes I drooled over and dreamed about when I was a kid--the Kaw/Suz/Yam lines--I'd dream of saving enough money for a Bushmaster or maybe even a HUGE 175 Yamaha!

What a kick to see so many of the very same bikes I drooled over as a kid. What a great collection you have! You must have a world of fun with those!

I never did get a little Japanese bike; when I was 14 I talked my dad into buying me a '68 Norton Atlas in 'mostly running' shape, and then a few years later
I got a '71 Commando. GREAT bikes.

THere's a part of me that would still love something like one of those great Yam 350 twins, or the Kaw 500 triple--friend of mine had one of those in college
and it was a ROCKET. (Another friend had the Yamaha 350 twin and it was so nimble compared to the Nortons that I loved borrowing it.)

Anyway, GREAT site, Brad! Thanks!

Ken K

Thought I'd drop you a line for the "your thoughts" department.I agree
with you, there doesn't seem to be much nicer stuff out there for sale.I've been going to Mid-Ohio AMA Vintage Days for the last 6 years, and this year there seemed to be more real "junk" than I've ever seen before, and what little nice stuff there was there, was priced ridiculously high.I honestly expected, with the economy being like it is (was?) that there would be some real bargains to be had at the swap meet...sure didn't turn out that way! I think you hit the nail on the head, many people are just holding onto their best stuff right now, maybe hoping to get top dollar in the future.It's amazing to me the prices some of the 60's-70's Japanese bikes are bringing these days, but in a way I'm glad to see those bikes start to get some respect...those are the bikes most of us boomers learned to ride on and I have nothing but fond memories of those days.I totally agree on the Cushman thing, they just hold no interest for me...from the wrong era, I guess!

Well, Chris, as you can see, my webmaster and I thought that was a great idea, and the Brad's Thoughts section of the site went "live" a few weeks ago. Thanks for the suggestion!

I love your site! It brings back many fond memories of all the SL series Hondas I owned when I was a kid in the 70's.

Found your site the other day...WOW. Cool stuff. I've just started in my "Vintage Bikes" so far have a 1975 RD 125 Yamaha, (had RD 350 and never knew about the "little one") mostly restored and a blast to ride. Just added an XT 500 Thumper 1977 and what a rust bucket when I found her. Working on many problems but it's my release. Worked out a deal for a 89 TW200 and ride it with the kids all the time. My son can't reach the ground on it but I can start him out and he will ride it all day long! Hope to one day have many more old 1970 Motorcycles. I see you have a 74 DT 175 wish I could afford it (that was the first bike rode to school and in Enduro's many years ago).