'67 Bonnie Bobber

Check out this SWEET Bonnie Bobber on Ebay. What a beauty!!!

A Bit More From V.M.D.

Here's a few more shots from Vintage Motorcycle Days. Husqvarna was the featured marque so why don't we start there. I'm not sure of the model or displacement of this bike. This was the first time I ever laid eyes on one, a clean little Husky road bike. If anyone knows anything about this bike, let me know. Here's a couple for Surly, a nicely turned out 350 sprint. And last but not least for today, a very fine BSA 441 for Beezer fan Unk

Till Next Time.........

Dirty

The only thing I have found on this bike so far that doesn't need to be replaced or refurbished is the battery. The previous owner really does not have a whole lot of experience with anything mechanical. He is a musician by trade and he studied playing guitar and writing music instead of how to fix or maintain motorcycles. So he thought that leaving the bike unattended for three years, all you would need to do to fire it up was to get a new battery and she would come to life. And if it was stored properly, this bike probably would have.

I have done a bit of researching of this model, the Yamaha TX/XS 500 line and found, while still having a few issues, most of the bugs were sorted out of this bike by '78 So with proper maintenance, this bike should have enjoyed a long service life. Some one put twenty seven thousand miles on the clock, so it was looked after for a while. The problem here is, after the last owner lost interest, the bike was forgotten about and left to rot. Which will happen is very short order if left to wallow in Michigan's changing weather conditions. He was probably completely unaware of the damage this would cause to the bike, because his ad stated like so many others, "that to get it running should be an easy fix". After being shown just how bad his bike had got, he started to get the picture. Not that that is a bad thing, some people get no joy out of working on bikes, cars etc. I can dig that. Most times that's how we find so many bikes in dire need of attention. And it really explains the condition of this bike.

I may be completely out of my mind, but despite everything I have read and heard about this model and the condition of this bike. I'm giving it a go anyway. Starting with the carbs. Since this bike had 2007 vintage gasoline in it, varnish is all that is left. The carbs, while not as dirty on the out side as the 650's were, are an absolute mess on the inside. The needle valves, jets and slider boots are in need of replacement, I have a line on a couple of kits, just want to make sure they are the right fit. I'm not to keen on going the a'la carte route and paying twice as much at my local purveyor of Yamaha's. It is going to be an interesting couple of months coming up. I have a lot on my plate already, adding this project to it isn't going to endear me to the wife. I guess she knew what she was getting into, she has hung around twenty three years so far. This bike might have her packing her bags before we hit twenty four. At least I get a new battery out of the deal.
The left carb after it's cleaning, the right one waiting it's turn.

Till Next Time..................

This Thing is a Monster

With styling only it's Mother could love is the Munch TTS. We ran across this behemoth in the swap meet section of V.M.D. and were bowled over by this bike's gargantuan proportions. I'm not sure what year this one is, but it is a rare beast any way you cut it. With a production run of only two hundred fifty, and less than fifty made it to U.S. shores.
It was produced by a German gentleman named Friedl Munch starting 1966. The mill is a 1200cc NSU automotive transplant. By the time production stopped they were making about 104 horse power, the one pictured here put out around 88. They were known for being a motorcycle of high quality. They certainly stand out in a crowd. Every thing on this bike is BIG. It looks as if a retired diesel-electric locomotive designer may have been behind the look of this bodacious creation. The headlights look as if someone stole them off a '64 Impala. Not really my cup of tea, but interesting none the less.

Till Next Time.............

1978 Yamaha XS500

I had been looking for a SR500 project bike when I came across this '78 XS500. It is in pretty rough shape and will need about as much attention as the old XT did. I pretty much exchanged a ball of lint for it as the owner was not having much luck getting anyone to take it off his hands. Being a glutton for punishment I stepped to the front of the line and raised my hand. This bike had been stored outside under a tarp for a couple of years, so there is much oxidation. The good news is, about everything on this bike is interchangeable with the XS650 except the engine. Most of the running gear and some of the electronics can be swapped between these models, so finding parts will not be a problem. Plus ebay is loaded with parts for this bike at pretty reasonable prices. I like the look of this bike and they are pretty scarce around these parts. They came in 360, 400 and 500cc flavors, I did not see a single one at Vintage Motorcycle Days, I was hoping to pick up some parts there, but could not track down what I was looking for. I did find a great manufacturer of fiberglass replacement parts though, I'll go into that in a later post, I'll just say his parts are high quality at hard to believe prices.
The WrenchMonkees built this hot version of the XS. I'm not heading down the same road they did, but they show what is possible using this bike as a canvas. Don't expect the same build quality as the monkees either, I am not nearly as skilled as those boys are. You can expect some turd polishing and quite a bit of procrastination as the tag line suggest. For more info on the XS500 check out the XS/TX500 Forum.


Till Next Time..............

Vintage Motorcycle Days

We just returned from Vintage Motorcycle Days and needless to say it was a hoot. You really do need a couple of days to poke around and see all there is to see. I took a ton of pics and will be posting few here. I'll start with a couple of CB750 Cafe' bikes. Discovery channel is filming a new series called Cafe' Bike Build Off and a few of the contestant bikes were on display. I'm not sure if any of the bikes I shot will be on the show or not. I just shot the bikes that I liked the most. These CB's are for Red, because he is currently building a CB. I hope these two give you some inspiration, they are both incredible, especially the red one, the detail and custom parts on it are pure art as far as I'm concerned
This blue one is a work of art as well. It was built by Old School Cafe Racers in Richmond Indiana, those boys do some nice work. It was hard to get decent shots here because it was so crowded, but I managed to get a couple.
This red Sporty Cafe' bike was back again this year so I snapped off another angle of it for Ya Red.

If you love vintage bikes of every description, you are more than likely to find more than a few to get your blood pumping here. From the most pristine show bikes to the biggest snot rag you'll ever lay eyes on, there is literally something for every one. I'm addicted to this show and will be a must attend on my calender. More to come.

Till Next Time............

New Blog Title

Seeing that I have not had any dirt bike content for quite some time, I decided it was time for a title change. I didn't want to go back to Gymi's Place (R.I.P.) I think Gymi's Cafe' sounds pretty good, so here we are. Not that more than three or four people read this blog anyway, I don't think anyone will really care. To those of you kind enough to link to this crappy little blog, you may want to update this in your links, but in the end that is up to you. To the three or four readers that stop by every now and then, Thanks and I hope you still drop in from time to time.

Till Next Time..........

Sweet Little CB160

Here is a sweet little CB160 was for sale on eBay. It brought $2,875.00 not too shabby. The bike has a lot of nice details. It's just a bit small for me though, VERY COOL. I really like how he concealed all his wiring in copper tubing, Very trick.


There must be something in the water, because I found this nice CB160 on craigslist in my neck of the woods.


Till Next Time......