Motorcycles

[Albert GRANT]

Based on the logo on the gas tank & the chrome bar around the back of the seat, my guess would be a circa-1946 Indian Chief. But a real expert might come along & provide a more exact identification since I'm not an Indian guru. Great photo though!



Because of @Albert GRANT's post from a couple of weeks ago, I found myself in a dealership yesterday sitting on top of a Triumph 400 Scrambler XC making vroom-vroom sounds. I was out on my BMW R1200 GS in the Flatside Wilderness Area of central Arkansas last week enjoying myself. But I was also thinking it would be a hoot to have something smaller & lighter to play on. I absolutely loved my little 1980 Yamaha 400 XS Special that got me through college at LSU. The current Triumph lineup has a bunch of classic-looking bikes from my youth that appeal!

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The question is, did you test drive it? I hope you did and would love to hear your thoughts. I initially went for the looks but quickly fell for the riding!

 

[C.W. Richter]

*Taught both kids to ride well, but one is a Dr/Mother and no time for such, the other (also Dr) had to be eased out of it slowly. He's still living his life, but IF anything happened to his right hand, he'd be FINISHED with work, so he gets it and hunting the globe on foot it is! There's that great book "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance," and there's a LOT of truth to that-it teaches a kid Soooo much (it just involves so many skills, places and people.) You learn a LOT of skills spending time around 'em! Like, dodging deer, bear (and Zebra, Kudu, Eland etc. in TX!!) Just zip across the (wet) cattle guard and don't get killed...lol Once rode home from a Spring celebration at a ski resort, only to get caught in a snowstorm (road racing bike with slick tires)...i followed other cars closely, in the center of the lane where car exhaust systems were melting the snow a bit...I was prepared to go down, but it never happened. 'Was hrs from home so no one was going to come rescue me (and I had to be at my strict corporate job the next a.m.) Co-workers would always joke with me...On snowy/hurricane/ice storm days they'd all say "Hey! Ride in today??" LOL 60K mi/yr. I didn't need coffee at work and the ride homes were very scenic (i'd hit 3-4 states very quickly, taking different routes every eve.)

 

[BeeMaa]

Please excuse the bad picture. Here is my dad I think sometime between 1959-1961 not 100% sure. Ironically, he was killed in a vehicle accident, not on a motorcycle. When I told my mom I was thinking of getting a motorcycle, she said to me "I brought you to this world, I will send you back" and she was serious. I never got a motorcycle.

Does anyone know what motorcycle this is?

It's a ca 1950 Harley Davidson Hydraglide

It's a Harley Panhead engine that was made from 1948-1965. The rear suspension looks to be rigid with telescoping front, making it a Hydra-Glide that was made from '49 to '57.

 

[odonata]

The question is, did you test drive it? I hope you did and would love to hear your thoughts. I initially went for the looks but quickly fell for the riding!

I didn't test drive the Triumph 400 Scramber XC. I was just giving my brother a ride to drop off his truck for some repair work & knew the Triumph dealership was nearby so I did a quick stop since I'm normally not in that area. I retire next month so I'm looking forward to having a lot more free time to do what I like (and I like motorcycles!). The problem is too many options to choose from & limited garage space. Besides, endlessly mulling over the choices is half the fun. But that scrambler did check a large number of boxes for me based on the intended usage.

 

[BeeMaa]

The problem is too many options to choose from & limited garage space. Besides, endlessly mulling over the choices is half the fun. But that scrambler did check a large number of boxes for me based on the intended usage.

Just like firearms and having enough room in the vault.

 

[Altitude sickness]

Yep

Dear Mr @Ontario Hunter,

I cannot answer your question in a meaningful manner.
There is history behind these things.... if you don't know or care for it, it won't make sense.

I have 2 options only:
Keep it DSB or make it SSB.

Removing both bridges is simply NOT NEGOTIABLE

Please excuse the bad picture. Here is my dad I think sometime between 1959-1961 not 100% sure. Ironically, he was killed in a vehicle accident, not on a motorcycle. When I told my mom I was thinking of getting a motorcycle, she said to me "I brought you to this world, I will send you back" and she was serious. I never got a motorcycle.

Does anyone know what motorcycle this is?

View attachment 780996

It’s a 1949 or 1950 FL hydraglide. The tank emblem changed in 1949. But they moved away from the “springer” front end in 1949. So it’s in the range of 1949 and 1950

Very cool picture

 

[matt85]

Wishing you a speedy recovery.

Thank you, i came out surprisingly good considers i was launched off the bike. If anything, getting thrown free was what saved me. My entire right side was bruised, sore, and had some light road rash on my leg. But nothing on me was broken.

The bike also came out pretty good. It is costing the guy who hit me $3000 to fix and it will likely be at the shop for a while. Hopefully ill have it back before the summer ends!

 

[hoytcanon]

'Had just about every Honda there was, from the QA-50 to the XR-75, two-stroke enduro and MX bikes (that Damn Evel Knievel was the BEST Salesman EVER!) and then the on-off road 650 Twin (now called the Africa Twin as it was used in the Dakkar Rally,) and then the CBRs 600-900-929-1000 cc, and my absolute favorites the VFR 750 and RVT 1000 (RC-51)-had 2 of them as the 1st was stolen after an entire winter of mods in the shop. 'Raced MX, enduro and on asphalt tracks. Many fond memories riding with lifelong friends, some no longer here because of motorcycling, and gave it up after 41 years (age 6-46) as I had hit my 4th deer at night near home. With the first 2 (frontal shots), the bikes went down and were extensively damaged (similar to the rider), but the last 2 I just freaked, sped up to keep it to broadside shots and kicked them away-one's head got caught in the rear wheel, but 'did manage to scrub the speed and skid to a stop! My teen daughter at the time said "Dad, you need to get one of those vanity tags for your truck that reads 1 (or 0) Left, as in Lives, so I gave it up and sold everything. Only own a Polaris 500 Scrambler now (which is used as more of a workhorse) and I far prefer tractors...Proud to say that, learning as a young boy off-road, 'never had wipeout that was my fault, other than getting caught in the dark in deer/bear territory either after work, or even later in the eve chasing 2-legged creatures (two of which took really good care of me after the aforementioned! LOL) My Dad dropped by to check on me and this absolutely gorgeous nurse from the hospital (who struck up a convo while attending to my feet, legs, ribs hands, wrists, ribs, etc.) brought me dinner every night after work for a long time! Memories. A lot of time and money spent. Did all my own work (as you just don't trust someone else when you're riding >200 MPH!!!) and for one that was really into it, I far prefer the Hunting life (as that began at age 3 and is less dangerous lol)! ALWAYS wear ALL the (safety) gear. You can rationalize that you're just putting around on your Hardly-Dangerous cruiser, but that doesn't stop elderly people from T-boning you when they don't look, pull out, and drag the rest of us to your funerals! I knew it had to be given up when I had absolutely zero fear of anything! View attachment 781009View attachment 781011View attachment 781012

Nah... they can scrape me off the pavement if that is to be my end... after 6 decades on this spinning ball, I have completed everything that needs completing... if my time is up, my time is up.