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Hmm lots of Go carts and Mini bikes. Maybe a KZ250 if I recall.
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I was 8 years old, the year was 1984 and it was a 1948 Massey Ferguson. Got a little goat at 10, used and abused with a pillow wrapped in duct tape for a seat. 3rd lap around the yard and I crashed it into my uncles mustang. Funny thing, I dont remember ever seeing it again.I don't remember exactly, but it was most likely an old Case tractor on the farm
@Mikej Those are precious pictures, Thanks for sharing.
Don't happen to still have that Goat around, do you?
Forget the mini bike, that VW Bug in the picture is the real prize.
I wasn't driving it but this would most likely be the first motorized bike I rode. Pic says June 1962 so figure dad was pretty proud of his creation and this couldn't be too long after building it. I was 7 at the time.
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Frame, handlebars, bracing all hand bent and welded by hand. A CVT clutch system like on a snowmobile. That was a 6hp Briggs & Stratton motor on it. I remember Dad having to hold the throttle with his left hand when pulling the starter rope, which was on the right side. He had to switch back quick when it started so he could apply the brake which was on the left. Brake levers for both throttle and brake. There were small chains/cables keeping the front tubes from falling completely out if you caught some air with the front wheel. It's possible they figured that one out, the hard way!
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Later we got a little 50cc mini bike, followed by the Honda ATC 90 3-wheeler in the early 80's. Next it was a Honda TL125 trials bike. Eventually moved up to a Yamaha YZ 125 and 250.
Those 3-wheelers were some dangerous, scary things to ride! When I worked on them I'd need to test ride it. And of course you'd have to do some hot-dogging in our small dirt lot at the shop. I learned that if you're foot slipped of the peg you could run your own leg over and pull yourself right off the machine! Those were some unstable pieces of equipment for sure.
Yet we somehow survived
Yeah they were dangerous, very unstable in a turn. I learned not to take a tight turn at over 1-2 mph and managed to never roll one over. Actually had more injuries from the 2-wheel machines. I look at the quads now and think about how much fun they would be.
I don't get that. I'd like to feel the freedom of the two wheeler under me again. More control and get into smaller spaces. I don't know.....but I'm too old now to risk doing what I used to do on my bike anyway! And having a quad and having to trailer, license, permit, insure, pay to park at The Dunes, ride around with a bunch of others. doesn't sound fun. When were down near Florence we can hear the machines running all over the dunes from a couple miles away. Doesn't sound fun at all. Now when were mushroom hunting in The Tillamook? Hoo boy, I see those on the bikes on those trails that criss-cross everywhere? It makes my heart ache.