1968 Kind of a new owner ...

[robert campbell]

I am an old motocrosser from the 1970's! I have a 1972 Suzuki T-500 Titan street bike and just purchased a 1976 Suzuki GT-750 Lemans. 2 Strokes forever!!! T-500 has expansion chambers on it!! GT-750 may need a set for it.

I call them my "anti Harleys"!!! As with cars I must be different!!

Rob

 

[FirecrackerKTM]

Yep, still mixing my gas too. Way more fun factor that way. I started on a beat up old XR, never wanted another thumper after that. I'm lucky to work for a motorcycle dealer--in fact, my desk is up in our "museum" of old bikes, so I have lots of eye candy.

 

[robert campbell]

1972 DKW 125 "Hornet" was my first serious race bike. 1974 TM-125 Suzuki was next. Kind of a step backward in handling. Last race bike was a 1976 Maico 250. HUGE step forward. I do not care what you were riding in 1976 a Maico would make you faster! Would go through a corner always a gear higher than any other bike. Well except a factory works bike.

Also owned a 1975 CanAm 250. What an awesome engine in the worst handling bike I ever owned. HUGE power, no suspension. What a waste!!

Retired from racing in 1976. Owned a 1978 Suzuki PE 175, and later a 1979 KLX Kawasaki. My only 4 cycle. They were nearly giving them away up here, as they made zero power. Gave you a straight pipe and bigger carb and a KX 200 camshaft. That woke them up a bit. One thumper for me also.

Before I raced I had a 1966 Suzuki 80 "hillbilly". Everyone in my riding area had Honda 90's. My dad told me that a 2 stroke, size for size, would always beat a 4 stroke. Rob had to be different so a Suzuki it was. Loved beating all my friends on their Honda 90's!!

Rob

 

[FirecrackerKTM]

My dad raced a Husky 400 "back in the day." He used to tell stories about the Desert 100 when it was still at Mattawa. I think there might be a YZ490 sitting around somewhere, and he bought a TW200 for my mom, who has never even sat on it. My first bike with a clutch was a TS250 that my younger brother blew up (didn't realize that just because you didn't need to mix the gas, it still needed oil somewhere)

I gotta say though, I love my modern(ish) KTM. Old bikes are neat, but I don't want to ride one. Odd how I feel the opposite about cars.

 

[robert campbell]

Husky had Close Ratio CR for motocross and Wide Ratio WR for desert racing! Gosh, just like a Mustang!

You Dad did the "mat" and is still alive. Never went. Going 60 or 70 miles an hour over unknown terrain!!!

Friend of mine went.... He said it was dusty and dangerous!!

Not for this weenie!!

 

[BroadwayBlue]

You have the best 4-speed ever built, and built by Ford!!! By the way, I rebuild them. Bring it up and spend a day with me. We will freshen that baby up if it needs it!! I work nearly for free!! Beer is always accepted! I have one in our 1967 Fastback and hammer it to death!!

Rob

Rob,
Are we still talking toploaders or beer at this point? :grin:

 

[robert campbell]

Arlie and I like really "thick and dark" beer!!!! Just ask him!!

Rob

 

[FirecrackerKTM]

I managed to be injured darn near every spring around the time of the Dez 100 so I always had an excuse not to go It never sounded fun to me either. I like hare scrambles and MX, not flying blind through dust clouds and barbed wire.

Anyway I get sidetracked on bikes pretty easily. We can talk beer or toploaders or bikes or whatever

We have a batch of stout that needs to be bottled

 

[hookedtrout]

We actually have quite a stable ... herd? ... I had a Jeep when I met my husband, and so did he, so now we have two. (no question of selling one) He also had a 96 Impreza for a nice little DD that has 230k on the clock, which still runs awesome. We are thinking about getting a pickup because EVERYBODY needs a truck, there's one snowmobile and (so far) two KTMs. I wanted to get a pair of street bikes this year too but now with the Mustang that might have to wait a bit.

Both of us grew up with vehicles filling the garage/driveway, so I guess we were doomed from the beginning.

Not so sure I was doomed from the beginning but I sure ended up there, up until recently we had 6 vehicles (sold 2), also have 2 ATV's, 1 motorcycle, 1 boat (drift for fly fishing), a 27 foot Toy Hauler RV, 18' car hauler, 12' ATV trailer and probably some other junk that I'm forgetting or it's buried and I can't find it.

Currently in the process of getting a 36x54 shop started so I can get some of the stuff that doesn't fit under the 4 garage/carport spots out of the weather. Can't wait till it's done.

 

[robert campbell]

I have size envy of your new garage!!! Mine will be 24 by 40.... Hope to break ground soon. Size does matter sometimes!!!

 

[hookedtrout]

Boy...that's no kidding, size does matter in this application. Luckily I have 8.5 acres with which to work in, my limiting factor is the $$$. The bid I'm going with is right around $28,000 for the building completed with a 14' high overhead so my RV will fit inside, one man door and three 3x4 vinyl windows, I think it's a good time to get contractors, they seem starving for work around here and I know this guy personally so he's on the level.

I'm going 17' 8" high between the concrete pad and the bottom of the trusses so I can build a two story enclosed shop in the back end that will be 36' wide by probably 14'-16' deep, I may not enclose the top but at least it will be over 8' high so it is usable for what ever I decide. This will allow me to move my wood shop out into this building and turn my current 11'x22' wood shop attached to my 2 car garage into something else????

I can't wait to get it done, initially it will be a big old open building but it will give me two huge changes in my life that I'm so looking forward to. First, room in all the little places that I have crap piled high now and second, it will give me something to occupy my need to be tinkering with things all the time so I don't become an Idaho couch potato, I can go out and start working on enclosing the inside shop and finishing off the inside, the possibilites are endless.

I will also now have more incentive to get my Mustang restoration started as I just haven't had the desire with limited room. I'm currenlty in the process of getting building permits, I can't believe they require stamped enginering on the drawings when it's just a 6X6 post building but the county I live in has a lot of snow so they have unusual requirements. Should be breaking ground in the next couple of weeks, shouldn't take long to get it up...I hope.

 

[Powell]

Cory, Wow you have all of us in envy over such a large garage. I hope you are looking at the future with this project. I built my little shop a few years before I retired and was only looking for a chance to work on my stuff under cover. Not knowing that a few years later my wife and I would start an engraving business. As I mentioned to Rob, it MUST have a bathroom with a shower. After we retired we found that the 12 hours of daylight are spent in the shop working on all of our projects. You will need to think of the hugh electrical needs, heating / air conditioning, insulation etc. All are really cheap when first constructed, but very expensive to add afterward. Just IMO.

Ralph

 

[robert campbell]

Bathroom and shower!!!

I just want heat, lights, and insulation!!

Rob

 

[CougarCJ]

Rob, Today I was at Portland Int'l Raceway doing the Portland swapmeet. Just prior to meeting up with Steve Wick, I noticed a booth that was selling a 1970 Suzuki Titan, pretty complete bike, but it didn't look like it had been kicked in years. Came with an extra engine for $500.
Probably should have gotten a phone number at the time. My bad.

 

[hookedtrout]

Cory, Wow you have all of us in envy over such a large garage. I hope you are looking at the future with this project. I built my little shop a few years before I retired and was only looking for a chance to work on my stuff under cover. Not knowing that a few years later my wife and I would start an engraving business. As I mentioned to Rob, it MUST have a bathroom with a shower. After we retired we found that the 12 hours of daylight are spent in the shop working on all of our projects. You will need to think of the hugh electrical needs, heating / air conditioning, insulation etc. All are really cheap when first constructed, but very expensive to add afterward. Just IMO.

Ralph

Well the electrical will be covered as my son is an electrician, he's already planned out making sure there are appropriate electrical needs where ever they may be needed in the future.

As for bathrooms and water, therein lies the disadvantage to living in the country, I'd have to put in a new septic system as there isn't any city plumbing anywhere in the neighborhood, there isn't any city in the neighborhood. I have water within a short distance so bringing water over won't be an issue should I decide to do so. right now it will simply be a 36x54x18 open building with a concrete floor and for now that will tickle me pink vs having my camper shell and carpet kit and fishing gear and lawn tools and what ever else leaned up against the wall and stuffed in behind the Mustang so I have to move it all to get the car out and on and on.

The only thing left to decide is should I put the overhead door offset to one side so I don't split the floor space all up, should I put the man door right next to the overhead to keep the doors together so I have more wall space for benches etc...Decisions, Decisions.

 

[FirecrackerKTM]

DEFINITELY garage envy here! Our two-car is packed full of stuff.

 

[FirecrackerKTM]

Well ... back to my car ...

Turns out the rear end is drum after all, so I have NO idea who did that or why. It does have a SSBC disc kit in the front, and some type of handling kit, don't know which one. Mom was going to dig out some receipts.

Also it still has points. I thought my dad had put in electronic ignition, but I guess not.

It has a big Moroso oil pan, but somebody must have bounced it on a speed bump or something and then did a bad job braising--it drips oil pretty good. Heck, I don't even know how much it holds!! Looks like there's a leak somewhere in the transmission too. The entire drivetrain is gooey.

So, we have some projects to take care of. But still ... it's a pretty good place to start from! I drove it to work today, had a smile on my face all day and I was the cool chick for a while.

Oh, and we pulled off that darn trailer hitch. Ugh.

 

[hookedtrout]

Have you had a chance to get any pictures of the car yet? Love to see some.

 

[FirecrackerKTM]

Yeah I need to do that!

 

[Mosesatm]

Did you drive the car at typical highway speeds (70mph) from Washington to Colorado?