Vintage shots from days gone by!

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Yes, it is.

 

My brother has a '52 standard that was the 4th 4 banger made, in terms of parts, some are different from J's, easier to fix a J, lots more available.

 

Also some Sears Motorcycles were 'Puch's. I have a 1960 175 cc 'twingle'. I also have a early 50's 'David Bradley' Chain Saw, sold by Sears.

 

Times do change. When this picture was taken, riding that Honda was not going to get you in trouble with your friends, unless they were hard core bikers. People rode those bikes everywhere and often long distances and it was acceptable. If you had to drive your dad's Plymouth, you would park it a block away so as not to be seen.
Today that bike would be considered tiny, the Plymouth would now be a cool old car.

 

That is my first motorcycle ever. Had a lot of fun on it and in it's day it was considered cool to have one the up location of the pipes had a lot to do with it. The other low down pipes on the almost same bike in standard trim was looked at as just one more Jap bike.

 

There was the pressed steel frame model called the "300 Dream".

My buddy Dan went overseas during the Viet Nam years. Got to spend some time at the end of his tour on the 2nd of Japan's 2 biggest islands for R&R. Anyway, he met up with a guy that ran the factory team for Honda, and owned the dealership. Got a free ride on a motocross version of the 305 Scrambler. Also he married the guy's sister - Yoshi. Helluva girl.

Dan came back over here with a bike and some spares - by that time I was off the Suzukis and onto a bare-knuckled fright machine called the Yamaha SC500. Only 4 gears and only two effective throttle positions- FULL and OFF. Turns out brute force CAN beat finesse - I got a partially paid for ride by an outfit called "Proffer Yamaha" out of Flint/Grand Blanc.

 

But they will surely get you in trouble with your parents.
I think that's a Honda Scrambler, a friend of mine had an older brother with one.
About 1967 they talked me into sneaking out after the folks had gone to bed so they could show me how fast the Honda was. After the friend took it down the street they said to give it a try, now keep in mind, the only bike I had ever straddled prior to this was my Schwinn Stingray, cripes, how I survived that ride is beyond me.
They just showed me the throttle and how to shift it but said nothing about how to stop it.
I managed to survive the m/c ride but boy did I ever catch hell from my folks. Apparently the neighbor called them and said something like "do you know where your son is right now".
I lost the use of my Stingray for a month over that.

 

Yep 305 Honda Scrambler.

 

Look out buddy......if this isn't your wife....got a feeling she soon will be!

 

The sauna bus!

 

Rootie....Is this the Pace Lap for th 1951 Indy 500?????

 

Something didn't look quite right about the Honda. The shape of the tank and the front fender brace make it a 160.

 

Another fanstastic photo! Thanks again, Rootie.

I assume that this photo was taken in the Kurtis shop?

At any rate notice that the frame is being gas welded. This was common for much longer than most people believe. It was also common to use straightened out clothes hangers for filler rod.

I've seen photos of roadster builder Eddie Kuzma gas welding his frames. Arc welding was also common.

I've also been told that Lujie Lesovsky was one of the best of the roadster arc welders. Supposedly, he could take a 180 degree curved welding rod and weld continuously around the back side of a round tube by holding a mirror in one hand to see while welding with the other.

 

It is. Another view:

 

I had both a 250 & 160 Scramblers, that looks like a 305 to me.

 

I agree!!!

Ben

 

305 on top.... 160 below or google image is wrong.

 

The bike is the160 ,smaller jugs , short skid plate , long rubber fork seals , front fender..........and on and on .

 

Yep, 160...thanks for posting, I couldn't figure it out, the points cover had me thinking 350 but the fender and tank wasn't right for that.

 

Probably Hollywood and Vine. There was an Owl Drugs there.

 

Rolls Royce Merlin, engine porn from back in the day.

 

Supposedly Floyd Trevis gas welded all his frames too.

 

We have to go home, Bossie, you're drunk.

 

Dean Lowes dad showed me some sheet aluminum gas welded by Frank Kurtis. Guy was good.
I have tried but never could get the job done....

 

N. Lombard St., Portland, OR

 

The Merlin is still an awesome fantastic piece. A GREAT, immortal engine!