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What has happened to motorcycling?

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MotoTex said:
Anybody remember riding laps on the flat track at Strawberry Park in Pasadena, Texas?
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I got one, does anybody remember the flat track night races during the week in the old Circle 8 Rodeo Arena off of Aldine Mail Rt in north Houston? That's where they filmed part of Urban Cowboy later on. Buddy of mine let me ride one of his bikes a Suzuki 100 set up for flat tracking and lent me his metal sliding shoe for a night. Not long after we raced there it closed down.
 
ST/SV said:
I got one, does anybody remember the flat track night races during the week in the old Circle 8 Rodeo Arena off of Aldine Mail Rt in north Houston? That's where they filmed part of Urban Cowboy later on. Buddy of mine let me ride one of his bikes a Suzuki 100 set up for flat tracking and lent me his metal sliding shoe for a night. Not long after we raced there it closed down.
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Yep I was the guy on the TL250 sliding and grinning all night long, the TL made a great flat track bike


Liberty Sand Pits were another favorite place to ride
 
To some extent the sagging economy may bring back some of those remembered days. And, Honda may be leading the way again. We may still meet the nicest people on a Honda.
With their new CRF250L and the smaller 500 series, I think Honda has a clue to what's coming. The mega-ADV bikes are here for awhile, but the motorcyclist generations behind us may usher in an era that's sorely missed.

Yes Ed, I remember 360. A little before then, the Hurst/Richland Hills area had the "Dairy Queen" trails. A culvert under Texas Hwy 10 (then US183) near the local Dairy Queen led to the gravel pits that lined the Trinity River. Dirt bke heaven for 12 year olds.
Eventually as we out-grew our parents reach, a well-wore bike path traversed the river bottoms along the railroad tracks, through Mosier Valley and spilled out at the 360 trails. Heaven and Nirvana combined!

I only wish kids today had that area to mess with... we'd have better local kids today, I'd bet.

I miss the smell of the new Honda S-90's back then. Waaaaaa!

.
 
tshelfer said:
I first saw that movie in a theater when I was in college. Geez, am I that old???

There was also the area long Pipeline Road, kind of behind Buddy's Supermarket.
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That's it! :eek2: You're so close!

Buddies Supermarket was a little farther North on Precinct Line Rd at Pipeline, but you could get to the Dairy Queen trails if you were willing to do a little creek riding. There was a large stock pond (tank) across the street from Buddies (a popular place to ride in it's own right) and the spillway channel ran SW to a branch of Bear Creek (the one that starts up in Keller). That channel ran just to the West of the DQ on TX10 and Precinct Line. The culvert was large enough for kids to ride under TX10 and on down to the Harston Gravel quarry between Trinity Blvd and the River.

:zen: Agggh! Flash-backs! :zen:
 
ed29 said:
A more recent movie that has become a favorite of mine is "Dust to Glory" The race budget is higher, but the camaraderie amongst the teams is an uplifting thing to see. Sure, they are competing against each other on the track, but if a rider has a bike issue near another team's pit they do help them get going again. Even on course a rider stops to help a crashed rider get going again, spending time stationary during a race.

My kind of people.
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Just started on this movie as well. Great movie. I'm liking this one even more than the one that was the genesis of this thread.
 
Yeeha! Stephen said:
I miss the smell of the new Honda S-90's back then. Waaaaaa!

.
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That was my first real motorcycle. 1965 model. Dad bought it for me from one of the nieghbors, it was a year old with about 250 miles on it and I put another 10000 miles on it, mostly within a few miles from the house. I was 15.
 
bmcdonau said:
That's true Drew and its hard to tell how much fun someone playing a video game is having.
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Now for kidos it is video game magazines instead of a Cycle World mag. Exercise lifting the bike after that endo or sitting on the ole rearend in front of the tube. Not the motorcycle tube but television. I cannot figure out why children have got so big. Maybe no exercise? When I rode the RM or YZ around the pasture I was tired enough that I had to have help taking off those boots. Now that was a work-out. Drew
 
Yup, back in the early 70's, a kid could make enough money with a paper route and mowing lawns to buy a dual sport bike. I did that, would ride it to high school, take off the lights and fit a different pipe with number plates and go race on sunday. Put it back together sunday night to ride to school again on monday! Gas and entry fees were cheap ($5.00 per class) too. Riding was what kept me out of trouble as a teenager and gave me something to focus on. Saw On Any Sunday when it came out at the theatre and it inspired me like nothing else. Couldn't care less about ball sports back then (and now too) - I just wanted to ride!!

Craig
 
Think: mid 60s. My parents (Mom basically) hated the idea of me getting a motorcycle. I was a young teen. When they said "NO!", I just responded, "Crap. All my friends are starting to do drugs, and I wanted to ride a motorcycle instead." I had approval within the week.
 
foggy said:
Yup, back in the early 70's, a kid could make enough money with a paper route and mowing lawns to buy a dual sport bike. I did that, would ride it to high school, take off the lights and fit a different pipe with number plates and go race on sunday. Put it back together sunday night to ride to school again on monday! Gas and entry fees were cheap ($5.00 per class) too. Riding was what kept me out of trouble as a teenager and gave me something to focus on. Saw On Any Sunday when it came out at the theatre and it inspired me like nothing else. Couldn't care less about ball sports back then (and now too) - I just wanted to ride!!

Craig
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Craig you are right on,now motorcycles are so expensive it would be difficult to reproduce that same result. All this talk makes me want to get out the old VHS tape and get my fill of Bert and Steve.:rider:
 
I started riding in 1968. Kids in Jr High were drooling over bikes and everyone was trying to get one. We were all riding by age 14. Access to off-roading was everywhere. Corp land almost all the way around Lake Waco, numerous gravel pits, and one of the best places.... Cameron Park. All free! About 1972or so, all this started to rapidly change. Anyone who started to ride after that never experienced that wild fun or enthusiasm about the sport. It was suffocated.

Bikes were simpler, you fixed your own flats, repaired your own bikes/engines when we broke them, enthusiasts eager to help, my experience enjoyed reliable bikes, ... well, the bikes had personality also.

We would go on campouts with the bikes then strip them down on another day and race them only to re-outfit them the for another day of competitive hill climbs.

Just not the same today.
 
I got another one, has anyone heard of Motorcycle World? Dirt bike heaven back in the early 80's. It was private owned land near Point Blank across from Lake Livingston. Had to be a memeber to ride there or a guest. Had some pretty neat trails over quite a few acres. Electrical hook ups. You could go up there anytime as long as you were a member and had a key to get in the gate. It was a neat place, they had a lot of events for family, Easter egg hunts, night poker runs on motorcycles and Halloween activities. About 2 years after I joined they sold the land and closed it down. Man I miss the good old days.
 
I love motorcycles. I love old ones, new ones, fast ones, slow ones, and even cruisers and such. I grew up in Richardson, I rode Rabbit Run, we rode at Arapaho and Central (Bust your ***** it was called then). We used to go "up the dirt road" which was about 15 miles straight north where Campbell and I think Floyd are now. We used to go to Renner and ride there. The store had old guys playing dominoes, they would always comment on our wounds from riding. I used to like a Grape Nehi when I went there. We also used to ride the "hidden trails" over by Preston road. Of course, if you had hair hanging out of your helmet, Plano Police would all but strip search you, it was the accepted penalty for long hair in the 70's.

Not so true anymore, there actually are laws against that stuff now. But trust me, until you lay on chip and seal in August, you just can't relate.

In 1999 (at age 41) I started riding on the road race track. This is what I always wanted to do on a scooter, but never had a chance. So for me, riding is better now than it ever has been.

IMG_0056.jpg


That said, I did 120 miles on a 1978 SR500E, a bike which I owned back when they were new. I got to say, I was a bit overwhelmed at the joy it brought back. Riding with my brother, friends, and long lost riding buddies. I loved riding the old crappy bikes, and I get a little weepy when I do. I also love working on any motorcycle, and this one needs some work. Just like in 1971 when I started, I ride motorcycles because I love it, I need it, and they are a part of my life. I have to say, every day I love it even more, so for me, the riding is better, the bikes are better, the friends are as good or better. There is rivalry, there are little tiffs over who rides a better what. But in the end, we all ride because we love it. That hasn't ever changed for me, nor will it any time soon. I always remember standing in the driveway on Medaris Rd. in Huntsville, Alabama on a Saturday morning when the Honda Superhawk with a straigh pipe blasted by. It belonged to the neighbors kid across the street. Right then and there I knew I had to have a scooter. Got a 1971 Suzuki TS90 Honcho and here we are.

My latest toy, a 1978 Yamaha SR500E, I rode her yesterday, and will again today.

IMG_2299.jpg


So finally, I must say, motorcycling, while more specialized, is still a wonderful sport, you meet the best folks anywhere. I can still get on a scooter and spend all day winding around somewhere on pavement or dirt and at the end of the day, I loved what I did. I love motorcycling, it makes me, err, well me. I couldn't imagine not playing with scooters any more. I have crashed, I will likely crash again, but I love it so much, it is worth the risk. Ride a lot, wear a lot of gear, and don't forget to enjoy what you are doing, eventually we will all have to give it up. But what a time I had while I was riding!:rider:
 
I remember MC World, I was just a kid living in Livingston. MC World belonged to the Ogletree family, they also owned Motorcyle Madman in Livingston. I never got to go ride in the park but heard great stories of the place. One was that Steve McQeen use to visit and ride in the park. I also heard that the reason it closed was one of their grandchildren was run over and killed by a tractor or something.
 
My cousin Redpill made reference to this earlier, so let's see if anybody besides us actually remembers the place. Our uncle was a partner in what, in the early 70s, was called Sundance Cycle Park. It was just outside of Bowie. 720 acres of prime land. A couple of dirt roads to get in and out, but mostly it was just unimproved land. There were meadows, rolling hills, woods, creeks, steep rocky hills, ponds - plenty of terrain varieties to have fun and test your skills with.

The park was open most weekends. For $1 per day per person you could camp on the premises and ride your brains out. And they had several event weekends per year with cross country races, enduros, and the occasional novelty event. My favorite was when they put 20 guys on dirt bikes inside a great big circle. They taped a balloon to every helmet and gave each rider a fly swatter. Last balloon standing won.

That was how Redpill and I learned to ride, back around '71 and '72. I was usually on my uncle's Yamaha 175. In those days, you could learn a lot of riding skills without getting seriously hurt - as long as you didn't fall in prickly pear or mess with the bull who lived on the edge of the property.
 
tshelfer said:
My cousin Redpill made reference to this earlier, so let's see if anybody besides us actually remembers the place. Our uncle was a partner in what, in the early 70s, was called Sundance Cycle Park. It was just outside of Bowie. 720 acres of prime land. A couple of dirt roads to get in and out, but mostly it was just unimproved land. There were meadows, rolling hills, woods, creeks, steep rocky hills, ponds - plenty of terrain varieties to have fun and test your skills with.

The park was open most weekends. For $1 per day per person you could camp on the premises and ride your brains out. And they had several event weekends per year with cross country races, enduros, and the occasional novelty event. My favorite was when they put 20 guys on dirt bikes inside a great big circle. They taped a balloon to every helmet and gave each rider a fly swatter. Last balloon standing won.

That was how Redpill and I learned to ride, back around '71 and '72. I was usually on my uncle's Yamaha 175. In those days, you could learn a lot of riding skills without getting seriously hurt - as long as you didn't fall in prickly pear or mess with the bull who lived on the edge of the property.
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That would have been a blast. You guys who had the opportunity to enjoy things like this are pretty fortunate.
 
My first was a 71 Yamaha Mini-Enduro (60cc) at age 9, then a 72 Kawasaki G5 (100cc) at age 12. The Mini was bought used for $175 (1973) and the Kawasaki for $275 (1976). My father fixed up the Mini (new paint, stickers, tires, jets) and sold it for $250 after we bought the Kawi. He had a 72 Kawasaki F7 (175cc) that was bought the same time as my Mini for $350.

There were many of the families in our neighborhood that did trail riding, most of them got into it together. We started riding on the railroad right-of-way behind our houses and some land around NW 10th & Council in far west OKC near the river until houses were built there. our main riding areas was Oklahoma City park land, an area close in on the North Canadian River north of Lake Overholser (now a wildlife refuge) and the large riding area was OKC park land as well in southeast OKC south of Tinker Air Force Base around Lake Stanley Draper. My understanding is that one is still a riding area but operated by a private entity in a land lease arrangement. We also would do a yearly trip to the Flying P Cycle Ranch near Weatherford just west of Fort Worth. It was a great way to grow up.

We sold the enduro bikes when I was at OU to one of my fathers co-workers (who later became one of mine as well) so he and his son could ride together. I didn't have a street bike until later but would ride my friend's bikes, usually when he needed a car so I got my fix then. He still rides most of the time (80,000 miles on his 97 Blackbird) although not this weekend since we had some snow/cold move through up here (he moved to Denver from Oklahoma in 1991) but it's supposed to be back up near 60 by next weekend so he will be on it again. He also has a CBR600RR race bike and runs in the MRA series up here. He has had a motorcycle for all but a few years since I have known him since jr. high.
 
OldTLSDoug your bringing back some more memories. That first bike, my Honda S90, I had installed a megapone pipe made by Hooker, which had a wingnut that you could take the end baffle out. One day I decided to take it on loop 610, baffle out, and top it out, got it up to 70 when I noticed some flashing lights behind me. He said he could here me from miles away. Got my first ticket, loud exhaust, around '68 at 16. Few weeks later a friend and I went down to pay the ticket one night at the police station and after we walked over to the Coliseum where Cream was playing. Back of the Coliseum had a door, unlocked, so we went in and went up the stairs. You could here the music. We looked over the railing and Cream was just below us playing. Eric Clapton and I have both changed a little since then.

Talking about the police, I hardly ever saw another motorcyle on the road, unless it was a cop on one, so you basicly stuck out like a sore thumb. Can't remember how many times you would pass a cop and they would immediately whip around and pull you over for nothing but to check license and inspection.
 
MPS said:
I agree with Kojak. I love vintage bikes and riding my old Norton and RZ. Then I hop on my K1200R and am almost mesmerized at the differences. Not only the mechanical and suspension enhancements, but tires are incredibly better today. It is refreshing, however, to tinker on a bike without a computer.
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Did you say RZ? Do you have a picture of the RZ? Here a quick One before Santa rode off.100_8523.jpg
 
tshelfer said:
My cousin Redpill made reference to this earlier, so let's see if anybody besides us actually remembers the place. Our uncle was a partner in what, in the early 70s, was called Sundance Cycle Park. It was just outside of Bowie. 720 acres of prime land. A couple of dirt roads to get in and out, but mostly it was just unimproved land. There were meadows, rolling hills, woods, creeks, steep rocky hills, ponds - plenty of terrain varieties to have fun and test your skills with.

The park was open most weekends. For $1 per day per person you could camp on the premises and ride your brains out. And they had several event weekends per year with cross country races, enduros, and the occasional novelty event. My favorite was when they put 20 guys on dirt bikes inside a great big circle. They taped a balloon to every helmet and gave each rider a fly swatter. Last balloon standing won.

That was how Redpill and I learned to ride, back around '71 and '72. I was usually on my uncle's Yamaha 175. In those days, you could learn a lot of riding skills without getting seriously hurt - as long as you didn't fall in prickly pear or mess with the bull who lived on the edge of the property.
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Sounds like a blast. Dad had 80 acres near Bowie in Buffalo Springs. Drew
 
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