BACK IN THE DAY

Where the photos are blurry but the memories are clear!

6My first bike was a late-1960s Honda 90 my dad bought from a neighbor. That bike was too tall, and the seat was a burlap sack held in place over the foam with twine, but I learned to ride it. That’s my dad on a 1971 Honda CB450 next to me.

The neighbor kids were all riding Honda Mini Trails, so we sold the Honda 90 and, in the second photo, that’s me sitting cool for the photo with my hands off the handlebars. We could ride from our dead-end street to wonderful trails and hills in Western Tennessee during the early to late 1970s prior to expanding neighborhood developments. Thanks for sharing the memories!

Chuck “Old School” Matthews

My little brother and I posing in our front yard with our newly acquired rides around 1973. At 13, the Hodaka I’m sitting on became my transition bike when I graduated from recreational riding with the family in the desert to racing at the local SoCal MX tracks of the day — Saddleback, Escape Country, Indian Wells, etc.

I raced one season on my badged Super Rat (I’m pretty sure it was an “Ace” that my Dad remodeled before gifting to me), and then I bought (along with funds from my Uncle’s Orange County Machine Shop as a sponsor) a CR125M Elsinore in February of 1974, which made for a great year of racing on Honda’s legendary and awesome new 125.

Looking back, I feel lucky and privileged to have been a part of Honda’s entry into two-stroke MX racing in that legendary era. I’ve been racing VMX for the last 10 years in SoCal on a 1973 CR250 Elsinore (with the additional 75 pounds I carry over my teenage racing physique), and at each race I feel like that mid-’70s teenager that first got hooked on motocross!

Jim Barker

My first love was a 1981 Honda XL185 I bought with money earned cooking at Perkins Pancake House. Many great memories riding the trails at Great Bear with friends and commuting to school and work through two South Dakota winters. Seven bikes later and I’m still riding a 2009 BMW R1200GS today.

Clark Burns

Aren’t those neighborhood trail moments from the �60s and �70s epic, Chuck? Thanks for the mental nudge! – Ed.

In Michigan, spring can’t come soon enough sometimes. This was my first experience combining two wheels with a motor and being on a farm…it opened up a whole new world of adventure! Around 1975 I became the happy new owner of a 65cc Benelli Dynamo Trail. In a strange twist we purchased the bike from a dealership that was owned by the person that would become my future brother-in-law. I spent endless hours exploring, and when my father could find time he would join me on his 305 Scrambler. I remember thinking at the time that that thing was such a powerful beast!

As the years went by and the bikes I owned became more powerful, I’m sure at some point they surpassed the Scrambler…but sitting on the tank riding wheelies across the backyard with my dad at the controls, that bike holds a spot dear to my heart.

Kurt Cooper

Apparently, Dad knew to keep his right foot on the rear brake pedal, just in case! – Ed.

While I’ve always enjoyed your magazine, I’ve really become a big fan of the Back In The Day section. My first bike was a Honda 50 Sport I purchased from my cousin in 1968 when I was 17. He was going off to college and couldn’t take the bike. When I rode it home to show my parents, my mother said, “NO WAY are you buying that motorcycle,” and “just wait till your father gets home!” When he came home from work he asked me just two questions: First, did I have the money? And second, did that mean I wouldn’t be bugging him to borrow his car? I answered both with a “yes” and the rest is history. Eleven bikes later, riding is still my best form of therapy.

The attached picture is me getting ready to head off on my solo 2,000-plusmile ride from Louisville, Ky., to Thunder Bay, Canada. Riding along the entire length of Lake Superior in Canada was amazing. My 1975 CB550 (one of the best bikes I’ve ever had) was flawless, and it was one hell of a ride. I also rode that bike to the Outer Banks and then down the coast to Daytona. I’m still actively riding at 71 and rode my 100th Anniversary Softail to Sturgis this past summer.

Thanks, and keep up the good work.

My oldest brother taught me how ride at age 15 in 1970 on his Honda 350. He had customized it with Z-bars, fork extensions and his own paint job. My high school had a fund raiser/car and motorcycle show, and my brother let me take his bike. We placed second after a stock Sportster.

John Flores

Greetings from Oregon! This photo is of our two boys on my Yamaha 650 Special. As I write this, my oldest son is celebrating his 41st birthday, so that gives you a feel for how long ago the photo was taken. Both boys and myself are still actively riding. Mom would be, but she just sold her Vespa!

Dale S. Smith

C’mon, Mrs. Smith, you gotta replace that Vespa with something! – Ed.