BA CK IN TH E D A Y
Where the photos are blurry but the memories are clear!
R
iding under the watchful eye of my father — who died Dec. 2021 in a motorcycle accident at 80 years old — I was about 4 years old in this picture, riding a Montesa Cota 25…a kids’ trials bike. As you can see, there’s no way I’m touching
the ground, so dad put the training wheels from my first bicycle on the Montesa. Full disclosure, I couldn’t do the mental math for a clutch at the time. This became my dad’s pit bike during his road racing phase, though it was stolen off his trailer in a hotel parking lot during a weekend trip to Road America. Fortunately, he found a Suzuki JR50 shortly after that I really took to, and I started whizzing around on that. It’s been two wheels ever since! Steven Kohlscheen
My first bike was a modified Honda Trail 90 in the early ’60s. This photo would be circa ’68. Steve Bauerkemper
In 1968 I found an old engine in an alley and carried it home. My father taught me about four-cycle engines and helped me rebuild it. The front fork came from my sister’s bicycle, which I sawed off to use (got in big trouble for that!). Found scrap metal and welded up a frame with a friend’s Dad’s buzz box. Couldn’t find his welding mask, so we taped a bunch of sunglasses together and put them on a piece of carboard with a hole cut in it. Don’t remember where the wheels came from. I still have the forks and centrifugal clutch hanging in my shop. Must have liked the project, because after 50-plus years later I’m still an avid “American Motorcyclist.” Drew Gatewood Thanks, Drew! Is your sister still mad? —Ed
Submit your Back in the Day photos and stories to submissions@ama-cycle.org. Feel free to expound! Hi-rez images are preferred!
14
AMERICAN MOTORCYCLIST •APRIL 2022
