I had come across the picture below some time ago and filed it away. Recently on Wayne's blog he posted an entry about his affection for motorcycles (I had forgotten about that Wayne). Take a close look at his former commuter bike. I think it's a Kawasaki, and I'm going to guess that is a late 70's or early 80's bike.
My bike was a Yamaha Enduro, one of the very first off-road models that spawned the dirt bike era. Older than Wayne's bike, it was probably a 1971 or 72 model. Although the bike in this picture is a 250, my bike was an odd (by today's standards) 175 cubic centimeters.
How I loved that motorcycle!
It looked exactly like the picture above. It is amazing how seeing the picture aroused 30 year old memories in a tactile way. I can feel the compression as I kick start it, I can remember how the pad was so worn that I tore it off and had to be careful not to let me foot slip off.
Look at that travel on the rear shocks! I remember one day taking the seat off and going for a ride to 'force' the skills of riding standing up on the pegs. I remember how my butt hurt when I was slammed down into the frame sans seat. Ah, the foolishness of youth.
I remember riding along and seeing two girls. Wanting to impress them I sailed off a fairly large jump, attempted to do a table top cross up before 'table top' was even vogue, and crashed miserable in front of them. Thankfully, only my ego was seriously busted up.
I remember taking off the exhaust pipe heat shield, thinking it looked dorky. I remember putting the exhaust pipe heat shield back on when it burned my leg.
I remember tinkering with the Mikuni carburetor. I remember spending a lot of tinkering trying to get it running right again.
I remember many times of stalling the engine riding through mud and water, and taking off the magneto cover and drying out the points. I remember being stuck in mud, using a stick and leaves to poke out the accumulation of mud in the rear tire and wiping the chain, and watching my mom drive up on the adjacent road, look at me...and keep on driving!
I remember learning how to pop a wheelie, then ride a wheelie. I was actually good at wheelies.
I remember showing off for some friends, pulling a textbook berm shot, and then crashing into the rear wall of John's market (Lakehead, CA). I remember having to pay John back for the hole I put in his wall. I also remember having to pay to have the forks straightened with a hydraulic press.
How I loved that motorcycle!
