reader ride

Update: And we’re back with a great photo album from Germany!

Here’s a rough youtube video that has some clips of the big NSU bison 2000 sidecars in action. They sound like cannons!

Ben sends in a link to his excellent Photo Album from his weekend travels.

He Writes in:
Hi Steve,
my name is Ben, i live in Germany (near Stuttgart in Swabia) and I did a little trip yesterday to the Technikmuseum Sinsheim. This is a museum full of cars, planes, bikes, tanks and so on. Additionally, this weekend was a bike meeting, too. Just about 1000 bikes, which distracted me from taking pictures. But I got some nice pics of the bikes from the museum, including the 1000 and 2000 ccm NSU Bisons (single cylinder!).
here is the link, feel free to use the pics, so I can donate something to your website (which i like very much)!
http://s734.photobucket.com/albums/ww341/boltgunbrother/Sinsheim/

Greetz Ben

Wow! I’ve never heard of this bike! I can only imagine the performance characteristics!

Excellent 1974 Honda CB160 Cafe

I love these  little bikes! This one is from Mike Soteros.

Nice garage… and cool pic from a Go-Pro

Tom Leeming sent in a this shop photo that he took with his Go-Pro a while back. I’ve been toying with the idea of buying a Go-Pro for videos but I was sort of holding off because I didn’t think the still camera was all that hot. I think I stand corrected. I even like the wide angle. Better panaromas and you can always carry a compact for the close-ups.

And that is a hell of a nice quiver there. A custom cafe’s Suzuki Titan. A KTM Adventure, A BMW(RS?), and a wicked GasGas trials bike. Hard to get bored with a collection like that.

Styling video.

Thanks to Todd Johnson who wrote in:

Not sure if it’s your bag or not, but here’s a video of some old bikes not riding like complete d-bags. On the one double yellow pass, the guy flat out pulled over to let us have our fun.

Regardless of whether or not I’d ride with those Greek guys, I did enjoy watching the videos. Probably not so much had someone been hurt. Anyways, your site has kept me going through many mundane work days. Keep up the good work.

Good Stuff Todd. Thanks! And I like the modded sky blue CM400 (?). Very original build!

Wrench. Ride. Repeat. from Indiesol on Vimeo.

Reader ride. An unusual kovrovetc-minsk framed 175cc.

A carry over from the s-stroke blog..

Valentin Voynov sends in this cool custom build. I confess that I don’t know much about the ofiginal bike but I like hat he did with this. More proof that you don’t need a deep pockets to build a cool bike.

From the “things you don’t see every day” department. A stretched and blinged 1969 Honda Trail 90!

David Shupe writes in with this truly unique Honda.

My 1969 Honda Trail 90 custom. stretched 12″, Raked forks, Hand made pegs, center bar (1/2 aluminum plate & 1/4 brass plate) and stainless sissy bar. Custom gray flake powder coat paint. 72 spoke rims and 140cc Pitster pro engine! Feel free to use all photos as you wish, Dave Shupe. Bellingham Wa. USA

If I was (a lot) lighter I’d be all over these small customs. Cool, easy to ride, affordable and unique. I mean who wouldn’t want a trail 90 with a velocity stack!!

Sweet Suzuki Reader Ride!

Mike Sternick from New Jersey sends in this cool budget beater build… I love bikes like this. More proof that you don’t need deep pockets to ride a cool bike! Nicely done!
Mike writes in:
Greetings ,
It was a $500.00 beater with potential.You don’t see to many GS’s cafe’d out.All new bearings and seals front to rear.Seat, cowl (battery box) and taillight made in house.
Works performance did the shocks and fork springs.Kerker header with a supertrapp exhaust from the junkyard.Fuse box and electronics are behind screen.Out of all the tanks I tried the stock tank had the best balance.The carbs and harness were a bitch,took a month to sort.That which doesn’t kill us makes us better fabricators.It now rides and runs great.Love your rag.

Cheers
Mike Sternick

Ducks and a Goose in the shade!

That’s my kind of parking lot! Thanks to Chris Lewis for the pics!

More information on the Greek hooligan videos and some great reader rides!

A reader from Greece was kind enough to do some translating and fill us in on the “Greek Hooligan” videos from the previous post. He also included some fantastic bikes of his own!

Thanasis Vgenis writes in:

Hello there!
I would like to congratulate you on your great blog, I’ve seen very nice bikes there since I subscribed! Well done, it’s priceless!

I come (and still live here) from Greece, so I had a laugh watching those nice old videos from “Agios Ioannis”. This is a place in island of Evia, not far from Athens, were many athenian bikers use to go for a ride since the scenery is nice and the twisties are great. The guys in the video are race riders, especially the one on the 749, and local heros, so they know the road like the back of their palm, which of course is no excuse for that silly riding…The “disclaimer” at the start of the video says that “this has been done by professional riders, in a controlled (!!!! 😀 ) environment, so don’t try this at home and ride safely” Funny enough I dare say….(we must admit that their are pretty good, though)

Seizing the opportunity, I am including a couple of pics from some of my bikes.
First is my 1970 Ducati Scrambler 350, almost completely restored. I got the bike in 2003, and studies and PhD included I got it running in 2010….But it’s a charm…
Next, the scrambler is together with my mate’s 1979 XT 500, a really lovely bike, almost unrestored, just some paint jobs and slight engine repairs.
Finally, my lovely 660 smc in a break from work, on to the mountains near by.

Hope you like ’em.

Keep up the great work,
Best regards,
Thanasis Vgenis

This post is a great example of why the internet is so great. Thank you very much for the information sir and congratulations on your excellent collection! I like your taste in bikes!

Reader ride! Beautiful and original 1975 XS650

I love these bikes. I’m not sure how I’ve avoided owning one for so long. Dennis Callnon sends in this well cared for classic! He’s the original owner with 40k miles!

Outstanding!