In The Garage

Spent the whole day in the garage getting it clean and ready to start building motorcycles again ! Tomorrow I'm supposed to mount some new tires for my friend Juan on his BMW R80 and then I'm going to get back to work on my 1965 Yamaha YDS3.I started working on it this past summer but got sidetracked with the camp.I'd like to take it out for my Thanksgiving day ride.It's such a fun bike to ride. Right now the tank is off,the carbs are off but all cleaned and set up ,and it has to be all polished and re assembled.After that then it gets all tuned . Been getting lots of motorcycle time in these past two months.I love riding in the cool weather.Was out yesterday and two other times last week.Getting old is good.Here is my yds3 in 1969 and also in 2013

They are different motorcycles but identical right down to the dealership they were purchased at in Huntington , NY . I got real lucky when I found this bike in 1990.I sold mine for gas money to go back out west in 1971 and regretted it .It took 19 years to replace.Then I had more good luck and got a 1966 YM1 From my friend Richard Carlstrand That also came from the same dealership.This one also came with the original bill of sale signed by the guy who sold me my very first motorcycle 50 years ago.

These bikes are my favorite bikes . This 66 is all original paint and chrome. Then there is this nice 1966 blye YM1 that I restored .This is the first bike I ever restored .Got this back in the 80's when I was looking for the red one.

I build bikes. This winter I'm gonna build bikes.Building bikes is going to get me to Arizona or wherever we end up going out west.My next build is going to be a 1970 Yamaha R5.I picked this bike up back in the mid 90's back in the days before there was an internet and we had magazines like The Old Bike Journal. I used to run ads in there to buy and sell parts.Made some real good friends doing this.I'd get calls from people from all over the country and the world.I met this one guy Don who lived out in Michigan.We were always helping each other out with parts and information.One day he calls and I told him I was looking at this 70 R5 in Michigan that was advertised in OBJ .I asked if he could check it out for me if it was close to him.Well,he went on a road trip and traveled a couple hundred miles to look at this thing .He bought it for me using his own money and didn't tell me until after he did it.I sent him the money to repay him right away then he stored it for me until I could drive from NY to Michigan to retrieve this thing.That spring I drove out there,helped him get his YDS3C (Big Bear Scrambler)running and picked it up.Now here we are 20 years later and I'm finally getting to fixing this thing up.They all have stories like this.This is what I love the most about motorcycling,the incredible people I have met over the years.I can't even begin to count all of them.I go to this little Japanese motorcycle show at White Rose Motorcycle Club in PA. Been going there for 26,27 years ,I forget how long it's been so long.I have met some of the best people in my life at this place.I used to go there in my truck with a couple bikes in the back.I'd show my bikes back then.I could afford it.Gas was cheap and I could drive the truck there unlike today.Now I ride there and on my Moto Guzzi not my R5 like I used to.Again,it's about the cost of riding.The 2stroke oil I burn costs 13 dollars a qt now so I go on the 4 stroke V twin 'cause it gets 48 mpg .One day before I move west I think I'll rent a big U Haul truck and take my whole collection of Yamahas down to White Rose to show them off in one hurrah .

White Rose is a great place !Then there are the other shows and swap meets like Mid Ohio and Barber down in Birmingham, AL . I have to get to Barber,my friends all tell me it's real good.Maybe next October if I get enough motorcycles sold to be able to take a little money from the house downpayment fund I'll go.Yeah,I can ride down on the "T" But,for today it's the garage.I've got bike work to take care of.Gotta get all my little projects out of the way so I can start building bikes again .It's going to be a good winter in the garage.