A Few Pictures of Motorcycles Past & Present
"Those who travel the fastest see the least, but he that would see, feel, and hear the most of life, nature, and God, let him go down to the sea in a small sailing vessel."
-- L. Francis Herreshoff (1925-1971).
I have always ridden motorcycles and always had at least one in the stable. Here are some pictures of some of my bikes and others through out the years.
The first is a scan of an old photo from 1992. My 1974 Moto Guzzi California Special (Eldorado, Police Special). This picture was taken shortly after I acquired the bike.
The next picture is of the same bike 18 years later with her twin. The picture was taken at a scenic outlook on Hwy 154 the autumn after the big fires above Santa Barbara.
Now this one is an eBay find. 1998 Moto Guzzi EV11. I got this one 5/20/2010. I wanted a bike I could ride and not have to work on... well at least it is a nice ride.
I have changed out the seat to a "Ned's of Iowa" custom (another eBay purchase) added some old '70s saddlebags and plan to get a larger windshield. I also have a set of genuine Guzzi hard leather bags on the way. Not sure which I will use.
Now for the hack. I had to find a way to ride and keep my dog close. Found this in Missouri, bought it and shipped it... byb bye $. Now it seems it doesn't have the proper EPA sticker for California registration. Well, Chili likes it so something will work out. Even if I have to build an older bike with a later motor. A sidecar rig is not a motorcycle! Driving this thing is a whole new experience. Not to mention that driving a sidecar with a dog in it means meeting lots of people.
Drug this one home the other day.
Now, after buying the '98 EV and the sidecar rig, I had no business buying another bike but this one appeared and was priced right. It has a blown rear drive and unknown other issues.
It took about a month to get it in my hands. Meanwhile I found a later model Eldorado rear drive on eBay and had it waiting. Not sure it would bolt up but it was ¼ the price from the Guzzi shops and was at least good swapping material.
Rear drive bolted up fine, with a new battery the bike started and seems to run just fine. I am considering using this as a tug for the sidecar and changing out the motor for the 1000cc from the Cal II. It doesn't look like the State of California is going to let me register that one here.
I Think I Have the New Sidecar Tug
I got this from a salvage guy. The bike was left at a shop for service work and then never picked up. When the shop wrote to the guy prior to a lien sale, turned out he has passed away and his family just sent the pink slip. The salvage guy bought it and then crashed it in his yard.
The bike was kept outside and the seat is rotted from the sun. The tank is dented up, the mufflers smashed, floorboards bent, crashbar bent and the seat ruined. It only has 13K miles and runs perfectly so with a little refurbishing I can move the sidecar to this one.
Some of the Past Bikes
Here's a 2002 Triumph Bonneville America I owned for a couple of months. It was a beauty but the riding position was just not a good fit for me.
