Tag: vintage motorcycles

Must-Attend Motorcycle Events Coming Soon

jimmymac

The Monster Energy AMA Supercross Series gets the lion’s share of media attention every January and rightfully so. The 17-event series packs stadiums from Anaheim, California, to Detroit, Michigan, and is easily America’s most-watched motorcycle race series. That doesn’t mean you should miss out on two other annual motorcycle events that will take place between now and the first week in February. THE MECUM MOTORCYCLE AUCTION IN VEGAS I call it America’s largest motorcycle dealership showroom that is only open 5 days a year. The auction runs January 21 through…

Suzuki TS 250 Last RWP’ed Of 2019

jimmymac

What’s going on with “Running When Parked?” I usually find ten or twenty RWP’ed for sale locally but in the closing weeks of 2019, Running-When-Parked bikes became a rare find. Could my diligent reporting have influenced sellers to use different terminology? Ran ten years go? Ran the last time somebody rode it? Will run with a carb cleaning? A new battery? A new transmission? Well, sellers may be getting sneaky, but I did find this little beauty. The seat looks pretty good so if that is worth $1100 to you,…

Motorcycho’s Norman Turns 60 Years Young

jimmymac

When I was Editor of Motocross Journal I got an envelope packed with stickers, a zine titled Motorcycho and a cassette tape of a radio show that only played motorcycle songs. The sender’s name was Norman (a pseudonym for Kenneth Anderson) who turned out to be Motorcycho’s Editor, the radio show’s DJ and the stickers’ creator. I wrote back to tell the guy how much I enjoyed the care package. Little did I know that this was the beginning of a 20-plus-year friendship. Norman and I have met at motorcycle…

District 37 Riders’ Reunion Remembers The Glory Days

jimmymac

The 3rd Annual District 37 Riders’ Reunion took place today at Simi Valley’s best kept secret, the stunning Hummingbird Nest Ranch. The amazing venue was second only to the beautiful race machinery on display (and legendary District 37 racers). Kudos to all the riders who braved the gale-force winds to ride to the event. Here are just a few of the bikes that caught my eye.

Rokform Mount And Apple iPhone 11 Pro Max A Bad Combo

jimmymac

I’ve run into a big problem with the combination of my iPhone 11 Pro Max and the Rokform Rugged Case mounted to my Suzuki DR-Z400 with the Rokform motorcycle bar mount. I installed the bar mount on my Suzuki DR-Z400. I was careful that the mount (and the phone) had clearance between the mount and the handlebar’s crossbar. I believed if there was any contact, that could increase vibration passed from the motorcycle to the iPhone. The first time I used the combo was on a 100-mile dirt road ride.…

The Diluted David Mann Chopper Fest 2019

jimmymac

Take the annual David Mann Chopper Fest, add an inch or two of rain, and you’ve got the diluted 2019 David Mann Chopper Fest. I was going to blow it off after waking up to a deluge but the doppler showed the storm would move through Ventura around 10. I hit the gate at 10:30 and the clouds cleared, opening up a crystal-clear blue sky. But the damage was done. The rainfall turned the normally grassy judging area into a slippery, muddy mess. Some vendors sat twiddling their thumbs, separated…

Guzzi “Running When Parked” A Tough Call

jimmymac

This one has me stumped. This ’82 Moto Guzzi V50 Monza looks like it is all there and the asking price isn’t crazy high. So why do I hesitate? While the ad doesn’t state it, this bike appears to have been used for racing (there is a vintage racing organization sticker on the fork). Anyone who has road raced a motorcycle knows that everything on the bike is stressed way beyond what happens on the streets. While road racing a motorcycle the engine spends a lot of time at redline,…

Italian Harley-Davidson Needs More Than “Very Little” To Get Running Again

jimmymac

This is a cool old bike that looks like a fun project. The owner claims it will require “very little” to get the bike running. Technically, that may be true. Still, a running motor is only part of the equation. The bike still needs to shift through the gears, stop when the brakes are applied and move forward when the throttle is twisted. Looking closely reveals this little Italian stallion will take some serious elbow grease and a few bloody knuckles to get it ridable. The saddle is sure cool…

Steal This ’76 Yamaha TT500 Running When Parked

jimmymac

Kelly Blue Book lists the value of a good-running TT500 of this vintage at $3,990. While that seems like a lot of money for a 44-year-old motorcycle, the TTs have proven to be reliable off-road workhorses and a model that has never faded from popularity. The photos show a clean bike that doesn’t appear to need much work to get it on the trail. A sweet RWP’ed motorcycle for the TT fanatic at a reasonable price. Go for it! The phrase “Running When Parked” (RWP) is code for a once…