What non husky did you cherish at one time?

[Motosportz]

Before I started on the "new" huskys in 04 I had a 02 YZF250. Cool bike I did a bunch of stuff to. I revalved the suspension myself including playing with and building a air cell (on top the bars, looks like the crossbar), 20" front wheel, the then new product the autoclutch (notice no clutch lever), custom "Rooster" graphics, my skid plate, my disk guards, custom shaped seat, fastway pegs, triple clamp PMB kick stand and one of the first JD jetting kits. That bike worked very well, was EZ to ride fast, had a great motor and treated me right. Labor of love...

 

[Norman Foley]

My most beloved non-Husky.... My '66 Ducati 250 Diana (Desmo). My first real street bike(I had a Ducati Cadet 50), my first dirt bike, my first Cafe Racer. Came in standard trim and I made into "Scrambler" trim to ride in the dirt and ride my first enduro. I did the whole clip ons and rear sets thing the Summer before college. While I was at college my 6'3" 250lb brother comes home from Nam. He decides the 250 is too puny to haul his big @$$ around and signs my name to the back of the reg to trade for a BSA Rocket Three. We didn't talk for quite some time after that deal! I know it may seem strange to slightly younger guys, but back in the late sixties, in rural NY there weren't any Jap bike shops yet. Little shops sold Euro bikes of every description though. In just a few years it all changed.
Norman

 

[somdale]

My most beloved non-Husky.... My '66 Ducati 250 Diana (Desmo). My first real street bike(I had a Ducati Cadet 50), my first dirt bike, my first Cafe Racer. Came in standard trim and I made into "Scrambler" trim to ride in the dirt and ride my first enduro. I did the whole clip ons and rear sets thing the Summer before college. While I was at college my 6'3" 250lb brother comes home from Nam. He decides the 250 is too puny to haul his big @$$ around and signs my name to the back of the reg to trade for a BSA Rocket Three. We didn't talk for quite some time after that deal! I know it may seem strange to slightly younger guys, but back in the late sixties, in rural NY there weren't any Jap bike shops yet. Little shops sold Euro bikes of every description though. In just a few years it all changed.
Norman

Yea Norm that Diana would be worth a mint right now.

I liked my Bultacos. '72 Pursang and several Alpinas. I had alot of fun on Honda XRs too. My fav was the '85 XR-350. A little heavy but wheelie city. My '88 XR-250 was good to me also. I blew it up and got involved in life ( 4 kids=no$$). I gave it to a friend of mine after it sat for 8 years and last winter he re-built the whole thing. He bought a '94 parts bike for the rear disc and cartridge forks and being an "antique" bike walked right in to the MVA and got a plate for it with no hassle at all. He rode in the Dual-sport in South Jersey last weekend with 92 trouble free miles and hit all the hero sections. I'm supposed to ride with him this weekend and can't wait to ride my old XR.

Dale

 

[RLW]

wow, this brings in a flood of memories.
Over the years I've only actually owned 8 bikes (one being a '84 XR350), but had the chance to ride quite a bit on dozens of bikes. (including a '72 Bultaco Pursang)
Of these two really stand for me.

Late 70's early 80's my favorite was the 1978 Suzuki RM400 a friend had. It was a strong fast bike that gave me a huge adrenaline rush at the time.
He talked me into entering the '79 Ram Bam 100 desert in SW Idaho, my personal bike at the time was a lowly, but reliable, 1978 Suzuki DS185 (similar pic attached). Not exactly the ideal desert racing bike, but I finished.....with both back shocks bent/busted. Last 4-5 miles was riding a hard-tail.

Another friends bike, that took the crown from the RM400 was the Kawasaki KX500. To this day, it's probably my favorite big bore 2-stroke.
Almost bought one in '94 but opted instead (w/strong influence from my wife not wanting to cash in my life insurance....yet) for a more sedate 1994 Suzuki DR350. This bike was with me from new until I bought my new '05 TE510 just June '07.
The DR never left me stranded, could "kick" start it by hand (which really annoyed old XR guys), and after carb/airbox mods and complete suspension work, actually rode well everywhere short of racing.
Attached a pic of it from early 2006 after I freshened it up a bit and installed new plastic and graphics

 

[rajobigguy]

I wouldn't say I had a love affair with this bike but it was my best learning experience. It was a '69 Honda SL100, my first "real" motorcycle. I had saved up enough money to buy a bike and went down to Norm Reeves Honda to purchase a Hodaka 100 that I had been eyeing for some time but before I laid down the money I saw a sales brochure on the new SL100 and decided that I had to have it. They hadn't even started importing them yet and I had to wait a couple of months to take delivery. I got one of the first 5 to hit the U.S. It didn't take long before I started to get the bug to go racing so off came the lights and away I went but the little Honda didn't have what it took to be competitve against the Euro bikes of the early 70's. Time to start figuring out what to do with the little guy, as a matter of fact that piont in time was a defineing moment in my life and set the tone for everything else that would follow.
I rippped it down to every last nut and bolt and started reenginering it. The first thing was that it needed more power so in went a Powrol 125 kit, Yosimira cam, et magneto, and a better exhaust. For the exhaust I bought a Basanini straight pipe and cut the last 10" off then welded on a reverse cone megaphone.
Since I was going to be riding mostly open desert it needed to be more stable at speed so I cut 1/4" out of the back bone of the frame pulled it back together and welded it. That gave me a little more trail angle for higher speed stuff.
I got a set of Girling long travel shocks for the rear and moved the upper mounting points forward to lay them down a little bit, then moved the lower monting points back about a inch. I didn't really know that I was building a good lay down shock arrangement I was just trying to get the longer shocks to fit without it looing like a stink bug.
My next door neighbor worked at a chrome shop and I asked him if he could nickle plate the frame. He was so impressed that a 14 yr. old kid had taken on this big of a project with no help from anyone that he did the frame for free!
I figured that I need more damping action on the froks so I took them apart to see what made them tick. It was basically a spring loaded valve with a balll check so opened up the holes and put some larger balls that pirated from from my skateboard wheels in there, with a little heavier fork oil they actually worked out pretty good.
Once the project was complete it turned out to be an absolute terror in the desert and I did did pretty well competeing with anything in my class.
All in all I learned a lot from that little machine and it pretty much set the stage for the direction that my life was going to take.

 

[Motosportz]

Another friends bike, that took the crown from the RM400 was the Kawasaki KX500. To this day, it's probably my favorite big bore 2-stroke.

I have one here, come get it

 

[RLW]

Thanks, but I'll somehow make due w/my TE510 for now.......besides, you might get tired of lugging that four stroke weight around and want a nice light 500 2 stroke for those tight Washington trails.

 

[Motosportz]

Thanks, but I'll somehow make due w/my TE510 for now.......besides, you might get tired of lugging that four stroke weight around and want a nice light 500 2 stroke for those tight Washington trails.

it is a surprisingly good woods bike with power similar to a modern BB 4 stroke with less over-rev.

 

[RLW]

agreed...actually that is what I like about the KX500 & early RM400, a lot of power, but good trackable power. Not the brute hit the Honda CR500 had in one of it's first years ('85 model?)

When I rode the '07 Husky TC510 prior to buying my TE, the bike it's power reminded me of was the KX500.

 

[Colo moto]

I have only ever owned 2 non husky dirt bikes. My first bike was a '87 XT 350. That was my high school escape vehicle. I used to sneak out around midnight and push that bike about 3/4 mile, till I was out of earshot, then fire her up and ride a couple of towns over to pick up my girlfriend (sheriff's daughter). We would blast all over the place in the middle of the night. Drop her off, push the bike back in the shed and sneak back in. I practically lived on that bike. If I could find her I would definately try to get her back.

 

[Ruffus]

Two bikes come to mind, my first was a home made mini bike I bought for somewhere around $30 to $50. Can't remember exactly, but I do remember it had a treadless airplane tire & wheel on the front & a wheelbarrow wheel & tire on the back, old Briggs & Stratton engine, flying down my street in pouring rain on a hot summer day giggling my ass off every time I hit a puddle, no helmet, no brakes, just shorts, t-shirt & sneakers, (I was the original squid ) Ahhhhhhh the good old days.

Next bike that turned my crank was when I bought a brand new 81 IT 250, I didn't know how bad my past bike sucked (mid 70's Zuk TS 250) until I got the new Yamaha. I lived on that bike, until girls & partying got in the way. I lost the few pics I had so I have to post this

 

[pvduke]

..........say it aint so****************************************!........

Cherish another, other than a Husky?



Blasphemy!

 

[Motosportz]

Two bikes come to mind, my first was a home made mini bike I bought for somewhere around $30 to $50. Can't remember exactly, but I do remember it had a treadless airplane tire & wheel on the front & a wheelbarrow wheel & tire on the back, old Briggs & Stratton engine, flying down my street in pouring rain on a hot summer day giggling my ass off every time I hit a puddle, no helmet, no brakes, just shorts, t-shirt & sneakers, (I was the original squid ) Ahhhhhhh the good old days.

Next bike that turned my crank was when I bought a brand new 81 IT 250, I didn't know bad my past bike sucked (mid 70's Zuk TS 250) until I got the new Yamaha. I lived on that bike, until girls & partying got in the way. I lost the few pics I had so I have to post this

I had an 81 YZ465, fun bike.

K

 

[gem]

Wow, I had to think about this. Most bikes I've owned I've really liked something about them and other things not quite so much.

I think I would have to reply with a 1986 Yamaha TT350. It was a very good bike just not well suited to the riding that I wanted to do at the time.

I can tell you the opposite. The bike I disliked the most. Easily hands down 1997 Honda XR400.

 

[Motosportz]

I can tell you the opposite. The bike I disliked the most. Easily hands down 1997 Honda XR400.

Funny you say that because as the magazines gushed all over this bike I was riding friends XR400's thinking WTF. I liked the motor the rest just scared me at speed.

 

[Ruffus]

I had an 81 YZ465, fun bike.

K

I tried my buddies YZ465, just up & down his street, that was enough for me, soon as it got on the pipe I shit me pants, I guess pinning the throttle like I did on my 250 wasn't proper etiquette

 

[dukepilot]

I like my Duc

 

[pvduke]

....ok, i'll play.....

A used, 1977 Maico AW 400.

Stroked the front end with longer damper rods, homemade pipe, Fox shocks layed down, GIANT M/S universal tank, trimmed seat, homemade roost-boost (PVC pipe).

Also had a 440 barrel and head on it, with, a flat-slide Lectron carb and homemade aluminum manifold adapters.

Solid alloy FlatTrack bar was a hoot too.

Kept having to adjust the points (remember those?) every ride. That sucked. So I ponied up for a Motoplat.

The clutch would give you popeye-arm in one squeeze- it was of the metal plate kind with the opposing spring/washers etc...just gnarly.

After the 9th broken kick starter I drilled the bore and installed a comp release. After the 10th broken kick-knuckle there were no more to be found so I left it that way and pushed started that thing everywhere.
Oh it was soooooooo funny when somone else rides off and roosts you with your own bike after you push start it. Yeh, hillairious. One learns not to stall quickly.

We called it 'Da Beater'.
God was it ugly but it freakin' ripped- as in scary fast......rode it all over the Dez and Glamis when paddle tires were a custom made, one off dealio.

It was my first real dirtbike. Gotta a couple of pics at home but no scanner. First time I rode it, I borrowed everything: an open-face helmet, a shirt to stuff under it to take up slack, boots, some acient Suzuki 'leathers' and a classic red with yellow Maico jersey- torn of course. It was something straight outta Super-Hunky.

I cherish that bike and the hook it set, there's a pic of me with it and a blown headgasket on my living room wall from 1980.
It started it all for me and I never looked back. Kinda funny how I almost forgot about those days, how far I've come and how much slower and less technical I'm getting- but the joy is never the less.

Thanks, ol' girl.

 

[Motosportz]

Kinda funny how I almost forgot about those days, how far I've come and how much slower and less technical I'm getting- but the joy is never the less.

Thanks, ol' girl.

That's why i started this thread, every time I see an pic of one of my old bikes I have to smile about the times I had on it.

 

[jmetteer]

After the 10th broken kick-knuckle there were no more to be found so I left it that way and pushed started that thing everywhere.
Oh it was soooooooo funny when somone else rides off and roosts you with your own bike after you push start it. Yeh, hillairious. One learns not to stall quickly.

Been there.

1978 DT125 with a 175 engine in it. I bought it for $100 and before I even got it running the kick start shaft broke off, I push started it from then on. The wire to the stator was broken when I got it, you can see the butt connector I used to fix it in the picture. I found that after I pulled the top end off so I put it back together with the old gaskets. I rode the wheels off of this bike when I was 12-15. I grafted a xl125 front suspension, wheel and rear fender. I blew out the stock front forks jumping and I didn't care what it took to get the bike running again, the motorcycle repair budget was non existent. My dad would usually just show up with another used bike for us to thrash on. I probably put 1500 miles on the bike and I don't think I ever changed the transmission oil. I checked the air filter once and it was just a piece of an old furnace filter wrapped around the filter cage. In all the miles I put on this bike it didn't have a silencer, just rode it with the open expansion chamber. It never let me down, until it did.

Here it is glory days long gone and a few parts robbed for other projects.

Later,