| Author | Message | ||
     Ferris |
Ferris- Hey thank you very much for all your help on Saturday! hey, that's very cool! i was a little bummed when i finally got done on the phone, as it seemed like it hadn't gone particularly well. glad you guys hooked up, hope you and Mrs. Sand and the kids can make it up here to Lake Isabella sometime  Flying the car is very addicting. THAT is the truth!!! | ||
| Buelliedan |
The sidecar safety course is offered in Texas as well throught A+ motorcycle safety school. They even provide the bike!! | ||
| Bluzm2 |
Kiom, Great to see you drop in! Long time no see... Please give my warmest Christmas greets to Cheryl (aka Chris.. ) I still want one of those things... It was a hoot to drive it to the beer store with 2 passengers. I came close to getting one of the new ones last year, I bought a S2 instead. Brand new Scout model is still under $10,000! Hmmmm, maybe my wife go on a few rides with me in a sidecar. Brad | ||
| Kim |
Brad, Bring the wife out to Colorado sometime for a vacation. Then drop in and take her for a ride. You must be thinking of the Patrol. The only Scout I know of is an Indian. Even though I don't post much I'm always here . Kim | ||
| Firemanjim |
Ferris,I sent him a note asking the same thing and never heard back--turkey!! | ||
| Bluzm2 |
Kim, You're right. I have to learn to proof read and spell a bit better..... BJ | ||
| Rocketman |
Urals eh. Well I could tell you lots of stories about Urals but better still I know a man who could tell you more than the Russian's know themselves about Urals, Dneipers, Voskods and Minsks. That man is Nev Mason - a blunt and direct and very very clever Yorkshireman and a somewhat unrecognized genius in things two wheeled. Nev Mason and Allan Voase were keen motorcycle scramblers in their youthful days - which is how they met and became lifelong friends and business partners. In the early seventies a company called Satra based in Bridlington, Yorkshire use to import Lada cars and 125 Minsk motorcycles into the UK via the port of Hull, my home town and Nev's and Allan's. Nev and Al heard through the grape vine that Satra had gone bust and up in Bridlington sat a compound full of 125 Minsks. Nev and Al struck a deal with the receivers and bought the lot. That is briefly how the NEVAL motorcycles were born. Coincidentally I haven't seen Nev for a number of years, that is until last Friday when I and a number of ex Neval employees attended his 60th birthday and 40th wedding anniversary party. It was great reminiscing over all the old stories - many of which you Americans especially would not believe. In the old days the Ural really was agricultural to say the least. In our time we always worked on and sold Dneipers - the later and better examples of the Ural. It was our job to take them out of the timber crate and build them up. We worked from a lengthy check list which included tasks as mundane as rewiring the lights and fitting UK spec bulbs. All the MT10 650's had their rocker covers removed then we'd take out the rockers themselves and file off a slight amount of metal on the inside of the rocker mount casting to prevent seizure. Stuff like this was learnt the hard way by us all after many failures through our own testing and customer problems. In the case of the sidecar we use to take the body off and strip the chassis naked then we'd cut off all the mounting lugs turn the chassis upside down and weld 'em all back on again then build the chair back up. Of course all the hacks came with the chair on the right which wasn't ideal for the UK! The exception to the rule was the wicked MT12 - the one with the sidecar driven wheel. It simply wasn't possible to make a cost effective conversion to enable the wheel drive chair to go on the left and this was eventually one of the deciding factors in the winding up of the Neval company. Years back the British government made it illegal for motorcycles to have the sidecar on the right side and with the MT12 far outselling the MT10 the British market eventually dropped off. Exporting to the states and other countries carried on well into the nineties but Nev had long since sold his half to Al. Allan is a successful and wealthy property developer these days. As for Nev it was really his brainchild and he'd seen his baby come from an agricultural nothing to a pretty reliable and rather unique machine which was really the reason he bailed out earlier than Al did. In Nev's own words he attended the Earls Court Show one year and not one person came to slag of his Neval creations so without anyone to argue with and no point left to prove he left motorcycling behind for 5 years. What's worth knowing though is that when you see todays Russian motorcycles they are what they are today - Japanese electrics disc brakes suspension that works and chrome plate and metallic paint- because of Nev Mason constantly pushing the Russian's into bettering the product which they did with relish. Nev is now very well connected to Chinese motorcycles and if you don't know what Chinese motorcycle production is about prepare to be amazed. Nev can design and build a kids off road motorcycle in a matter of days using mainly parts from the Chinese catalogue - ship it back to China where upon a prototype is built then returned to Nev for his approval. His approval is met with orders for several thousand of these things which he sells not just here in the UK but also to countries such as India and Brazil. There are many stories like I said and I recall one with fondness where Nev was out for a burn in the countryside one pleasant Sunday years ago enjoying the delights of the MT12 side hack (the one with the sidecar driven wheel) when he sees a sign post with a display board tied to it informing of a 4 wheel drive trials event. Nev promptly arrives at said event and spends a few minutes watching the lightened and stripped down Land Rovers Range Rovers and assembled other Jeep style specialist vehicles attempting their way around what appears to be a tough and challenging course for them. It isn't long before the event organizers are laughing openly at Nev for asking if they'd allow him to ride the course on the MT12. After moto crossing his way around for a second time in a matter of minutes those same event organizers were politely asking Nev not to go around again as he and the 12 were making the assembled specialist vehicles look incompetent. Oh man there are so many more we'd need a new thread!! Rocket  | ||
| Bluzm2 |
Rocket, I think you better start that new thread... Great stuff. Now I really want one! Brad | ||
| Rocketman |
Well in the early eighties Nevals were based at Elsham airfield near Scunthorpe in North Lincolnshire, the south bank of the River Humber, and which was pretty close to a disused quarry. We used this quarry often for testing some of Nevals creations as well as the unmodified Russian stuff. Nev was always a dab hand at cutting and welding, like the time Suzuki introduced the SP370 - Nev bought several got them straight back to the workshop and stood looking at them for several minutes. He then told one of the lads to cut the shock top mounts off the frame and weld 'em back on several inches further forward. This was way before the manufacturers had caught on to the laid down shock principal. Anyway back to the quarry. Often Nev use to come in to the workshop and tell us to load the trucks with our off road contraptions and off we'd go to play in the quarry. This was Nev's favourite stomping ground and he knew it like the back of his hand and thus it was a sight to behold watching Nev, a very big bloke, throwing around an MT12 in said quarry. There was one section where he could ride up a slight slope that would get him vertical on to the quarry wall and he would proceed to ride along the quarry wall for some distance and I kid you not the wall was vertical. He could also ride the MT12 off the edge of the quarry and nose dive the hack down that same vertical wall which must have been 20ft high. Nevals were never short of buyers for the MT12. Upon request for a test drive Nev delighted in scarring the living daylights out of any potential buyer by telling them he'd take the reigns first whilst they sat in the chair for what they thought would be a leisurely exercise in sidecar control. Not so! Nev would head straight for the quarry where the unsuspecting participant had no idea what laid in wait for them. As Nev drove along the road suddenly he would put the chair into full left lock and aim it for the sapling trees lining the roadside. The procedure went something like this. He would ram the trees until the MT12 could make no further progress then he'd select reverse go back and then charge forward once again repeating this exercise until if possible he could break through the tree line and be straight through on to the quarry tops and not far from the edge. By now the unwilling sidecar occupant had shit his pants and Nev would be stood there rubbing the bodywork of the MT praising the durability of the seemingly un-scratchable Russian paint. Meanwhile worse was yet still to come as Nev would proceed to batter and bruise the prospective purchaser around the quarry for an amount of time that always felt like an eternity. Surprisingly he hardly ever failed to sell after such heroics! I recall once a well known and respected bike journo took to the hot seat once with Nev and he asked Nev when he should consider getting out - as if he'd ever need to - Nev's reply was typical "when you see me jump off". Rocket edited by rocketman on December 16, 2003 | ||
| Loki |
We all bitch about the bad and praise the good here so... I think Lockhart-Phillips needs a pat on the back. Awhile back I had purchased a front lift of theirs. The one that under the lower triple tree. The dealer(non-HD) sold me one that was obsolete. I did not know this.....well to make a long tale shorter, the support arm failed with the bike up on it. The welds on it let go and dropped the bike to the floor. At least the bike was also on a swing-arm stand. So I called LP-USA and asked about replacement parts, the upper section that failed. They asked if I could send them some pictures of the failed area. I did, they acknowledged by telephone and sent me a pre-paid FedEx shipping label. I sent the stand to them and they sent me a brand spanking new stand back. Now that is what I call standing behind your product. So LP-USA gets a pat on their collective backs. loki | ||
| Arbalest |
Rocket, I own a Neval 2wd bike. I bought it instead of a Buell. The bike is incredible. The motor is a piece of sh*t. I am currently transplanting an 800cc BMW motor into it. Would you mind if I re-posted your comments over on the Dnepr board? | ||
| Iamike |
Cheryl- Sorry about that, it was late (I knew when I wrote 'Chris', that it didn't sound right). And no, Kim isn't seeing someone else. | ||
| Loki |
For those of you who may remember. Awhile back I lost my namesake; Loki(the ferret). The one solace, other than all of you was Babs(my other ferret). Yesterday morning I had to rush her to the vet. It was pretty serious. last night things were looking better. I was just told that Babs did not make it. She had a seizure and crashed this morning. Babs was my adopted kid(monster,carpet shark). When I took her in she was a true wild child. Wanted nothing to do with me, only with Loki would she allow me to really handle her. The two of them were inseperable, with Lokis' passing she totally bonded with me. Still only wanting to be handled(picked up) on her own terms. A ball of energy and attitude. As with Loki, Babs will be missed. Maybe even more so. What I have left are some fond memories and a few pictures. Bryan | ||
| Doncasto |
Bryan: I am sorry to hear you lost both Loki and Babs. As a fellow ferret caretaker, I know how much they become part of our lives and how much of a vacuum their departure leaves. Although the menagerie has now shrunk to just my adopted Chesapeake Bay Retriever Charly and my daughters "long term daddy promise" foster cat, the ferrets will always be right at the top of my list of favorites. Don Casto Boulder, Colorado  | ||
| Iceracer |
I am thinking about trying to turn an S3 that I have with a bad title into a flattrack bike. I know there will be a lot of mods to do, I was going to start with the swing arm. I am looking for someone to possibly workout a trade with. Your steel box arm for my aluminum one. | ||
| Ebear |
Hey , Blake or any other Webmasters.......Could you PLEASE move the post that Ralphthe3rd posted in the Tale section to General Discussion???? I think this story deserves FRONT page posting....it is the funniest Buell story I have EVER heard!!!! | ||
| Peter |
...or just copy and paste it... IMPORTANT NOTICE: Do NOT be drinking anything as you read... =============================================================== Neighborhood Hazard (or: Why the Cops Won't Patrol Brice Street) I never dreamed slowly cruising through a residential neighborhood could be so incredibly dangerous! Studies have shown that motorcycling requires more decisions per second, and more sheer data processing than nearly any other common activity or sport. The reactions and accurate decision making abilities needed have been likened to the reactions of fighter pilots! The consequences of bad decisions or poor situational awareness are pretty much the same for both groups too. Occasionally, as a rider I have caught myself starting to make bad or late decisions while riding. In flight training, my instructors called this being "behind the power curve". It is a mark of experience that when this begins to happen, the rider recognizes the situation, and more importantly, does something about it. A short break, a meal, or even a gas stop can set things right again as it gives the brain a chance to catch up. Good, accurate, and timely decisions are essential when riding a motorcycle... at least if you want to remain among the living. In short, the brain needs to keep up with the machine. I had been banging around the roads of east Texas and as I headed back into Dallas, found myself in very heavy, high-speed traffic on the freeways. Normally, this is not a problem, I commute in these conditions daily, but suddenly I was nearly run down by a cage that decided it needed my lane more than I did. This is not normally a big deal either, as it happens around here often, but usually I can accurately predict which drivers are not paying attention and avoid them before we are even close. This one I missed seeing until it was nearly too late, and as I took evasive action I nearly broadsided another car that I was not even aware was there! Two bad decisions and insufficient situational awareness... all within seconds. I was behind the power curve. Time to get off the freeway. I hit the next exit, and as I was in an area I knew pretty well, headed through a few big residential neighborhoods as a new route home. As I turned onto the nearly empty streets I opened the visor on my full- face helmet to help get some air. I figured some slow riding through the quiet surface streets would give me time to relax, think, and regain that "edge"so frequently required when riding. Little did I suspect... As I passed an oncoming car, a brown furry missile shot out from under it and tumbled to a stop immediately in front of me. It was a squirrel, and must have been trying to run across the road when it encountered the car. I really was not going very fast, but there was no time to brake or avoid it - it was that close. I hate to run over animals... and I really hate it on a motorcycle, but a squirrel should pose no danger to me. I barely had time to brace for the impact. Animal lovers, never fear. Squirrels can take care of themselves! Inches before impact, the squirrel flipped to his feet. He was standing on his hind legs and facing my oncoming Buell XB12R with steadfast resolve in his little beady eyes. His mouth opened, and at the last possible second, he screamed and leapt! I am pretty sure the scream was squirrel for, "Banzai!" or maybe, "Die you gravy-sucking, heathen scum!" as the leap was spectacular and he flew over the windshield and impacted me squarely in the chest. Instantly he set upon me. If I did not know better I would have sworn he brought twenty of his little buddies along for the attack. Snarling,hissing, and tearing at my clothes, he was a frenzy of activity. As I was dressed only in a light t-shirt, summer riding gloves, and jeans this was a bit of a cause for concern. This furry little tornado was doing some damage! Picture a large man on a sleek- black and gold sportbike, dressed in jeans, a t-shirt, and leather gloves puttering maybe 25mph down a quiet residential street... and in the fight of his life with a squirrel. And losing. I grabbed for him with my left hand and managed to snag his tail. With all my strength I flung the evil rodent off the left of the bike, almost running into the right curb as I recoiled from the throw. That should have done it. The matter should have ended right there. It really should have. The squirrel could have sailed into one of the pristinely kept yards and gone on about his business, and I could have headed home. No one would have been the wiser. But this was no ordinary squirrel. This was not even an ordinary pissed-off squirrel. This was an evil attack squirrel of death! Somehow he caught my gloved finger with one of his little hands, and with the force of the throw swung around and with a resounding thump and an amazing impact he landed square on my back and resumed his rather anti-social and extremely distracting activities. He also managed to take my left glove with him! The situation was not improved. Not improved at all. His attacks were continuing, and now I could not reach him. I was startled to say the least. The combination of the force of the throw, only having one hand (the throttle hand) on the handlebars, and my jerking back unfortunately put a healthy twist through my right hand and into the throttle. A healthy twist on the throttle of a XB12 can only have one result. Torque. This is what the Big Buell is made for, and she is very, very good at it. The engine roared as the front wheel left the pavement. The squirrel screamed in anger. The Buell screamed in ecstasy. I screamed in... well... I just plain screamed. Now picture a large man on a sleek black and gold sportbike, dressed in jeans, a slightly squirrel torn t-shirt, and only one leather glove roaring at maybe 70mph and rapidly accelerating down a quiet residential street... on one wheel and with a demonic squirrel on his back. The man and the squirrel are both screaming bloody murder. With the sudden acceleration I was forced to put my other hand back on the clip-on handlebars and try to get control of the bike. This was leaving the mutant squirrel to his own devices, but I really did not want to crash into somebody's tree, house, or parked car. Also, I had not yet figured out how to release the throttle... my brain was just simply overloaded. I did manage to mash the back brake, but it had little affect against the massive power of the XB12. About this time the squirrel decided that I was not paying sufficient attention to this very serious battle (maybe he is a Scottish attack squirrel of death), and he came around my neck and got IN my full-face helmet with me. As the faceplate closed partway and he began hissing in my face I am quite sure my screaming changed tone and intensity. It seemed to have little affect on the squirrel however. The rpm's on The Big Buell maxed out (I was not concerned about shifting at the moment) and her front end started to drop. Now picture the large man on the sleek black and gold Sportbike, dressed in jeans, a very ragged torn t-shirt, and wearing one leather glove,roaring at probably 80mph, still on one wheel, with a large puffy squirrel's tail sticking out his mostly closed full-face helmet. By now the screams are probably getting a little hoarse. Finally I got the upper hand... I managed to grab his tail again, pulled him out of my helmet, and slung him to the left as hard as I could. This time it worked... sort-of. Spectacularly sort-of, so to speak. Picture the scene. You are a cop. You and your partner have pulled off on a quiet residential street and parked with your windows down to do some paperwork. Suddenly a large man on a sleek black and gold Sportbike, dressed in jeans, a torn t-shirt flapping in the breeze, and wearing one leather glove, moving at probably 80mph on one wheel, and screaming bloody murder roars by and with all his strength throws a live squirrel grenade directly into your police car. I heard screams. They weren't mine... I managed to get the big motorcycle under directional control and dropped the front wheel to the ground. I then used maximum braking and skidded to a stop in a cloud of tire smoke at the stop sign at a busy cross street. I would have returned to fess up (and to get my glove back). I really would have. Really. But for two things. First, the cops did not seem interested or the slightest bit concerned about me at the moment. One of them was on his back in the front yard of the house they had been parked in front of and was rapidly crabbing backwards away from the patrol car. The other was standing in the street and was training a riot shotgun on the police cruiser. So the cops were not interested in me. They often insist to "let the professionals handle it" anyway. That was one thing. The other? Well, I swear I could see the squirrel, standing in the back window of the patrol car among shredded and flying pieces of foam and upholstery, and shaking his little fist at me. I think he was shooting me the finger! That is one dangerous squirrel. And now he has a patrol car! I took a deep breath, turned on my turn-signal, made an easy right turn, and sedately left the neighborhood. As for my easy and slow drive home? Screw it. Faced with a choice of 80mph cars and inattentive drivers, or the evil, demonic, attack squirrel of death... I'll take my chances with the freeway. Every time. And I'll buy myself a new pair of gloves. ____________________ | ||
| Ara |
Oh stop it, you're killing me!  | ||
| Rocketman |
Mike feel free please. Rocket | ||
| Henrik |
Iceracer - you've got mail Henrik | ||
| Ebear |
Thanks Peter.......I was kinda' asking permission too. | ||
| Rokoneer |
Lots of links to lots of bizarre rides: http://www.bikemenu.com/photosweirdother.html | ||
| Bud |
and a very merry x-mas to you  gr,Bud | ||
| Loki |
Don, Thanks bunches, this one is gonna leave a real big hole. Lots of good memories from both. Babs being my adopted child and Loki from a kit. Just going to take some time. Would like to adopt a pair from a shelter when it is time. As for the Buell content of this post.... The names will likely be T(hunder)-Bolt and Lightning, although Cyclone would work too. kind of quiet coming home from work now. B | ||
| Kreinke |
Rocketman, I was looking at your profile and noticed that you are using Avon Azaros tires. (Nice looking bike BTW). I just put the Azaro AV46/47's on my bike. How are you doing for mileage on the Avons? The mileage I got out of the Michelin Pilot Sports I had was crap which is why I switched brands. | ||
| Firemanjim |
Bryan,too bad your not out this way.The Woz(Mike Wozniak,former candidate for governor of CA.) is a ferret rescue guy and leader of the battle to legalize ferrets in CA.At any one time he has at least a dozen of the beasts in his house.Cute,cuddly,and hugely entertaining critters. | ||
| Mikej |
Ferrets can be shipped as live animals, used to see it done indirectly from the Placer County Animal Shelter when I helped out there some. Get in touch with Woz and a way to transport the critter(s) will most likely be worked out. My sister had one once and seemed to enjoy it. | ||
| Rex |
I just talked with Woz. His computer is old and when he goes to badweather biker and sacborg,it crashes...If anyone has any questions on ferrits, give him a call on email......michael@wozniak.com, or post a message on americansportbikenight@yahoogroups.com | ||
| Grndskpr |
Iceracer, if henrick can make the deal happen, i would love to trade my S3 swingarm(steel) for your aluminum unit, however you email was hidden from me so if you could email me at: behling@southchicago.net at let me know whats up thanks ROger | ||
| Ebear |
Dave or anyone out there....I need the part #s of the upper and lower triple tree's and the fork legs for the most recent tube framers.Also if any of you dealers can email me with a cost for one and in lots of ten I'd be mighty pleased.Got a project goin' on and need these by Easyrider Show time. thanks!! eobear99@aol.com |
