Pappy's Adventures Continue

Well, it’s Spring again. The snow is just about gone and it’s going to be in the 50’s this weekend. I am going to take the Zundapp out for a ride. It’s been a long time. I just finished up a welding night job. Boom... I got $350 bucks! That’s a shit load of cash! On my way home, I saw a guy rolling out some motorcycles. Triumphs! So, I stopped to see if I could buy one! “No” He said, “It’s all or none!” So, I asked how much. $300 bucks! So, I bought them all! All 11 frames, about 18 motors, and I got 11 titles from ’51 to ’58. This guy hill climbed and flat tracked, so lots of speed. Parts took three trips in my ‘47 Ford pickup. The last trip Larry Wordinger, (the Triumph guru of the area), was there. He was pissed! But, I made a deal with Larry Wordinger.... If he helped me to get a bike running, he got the rest for helping me. I wanted to build a ‘52 for me to ride. A good deal for both of us! The motor was a hot one-750, big cylinders and a Bonneville head, twin carburetor. F**king fast. Faster than Books K model. This thing would haul ASS. Hotter than hell. Had an 18” on the back and a 21” on the front. Had a front brake, buck horns bars, and a “P- nut” tank, not a real gas tank. Sprung solo seat and a p pad., AKA a ”pile on pad” or a “p*ssy pad.” Lucus taillight, low pipes and a shorty muffler. Lots of chrome. Blue and silver paint job. Cliff Blojett painted it. It was the fastest bike in the bunch, but I lived through it somehow! “Don’t like pain.” This is going to be one hell of a summer! I got Sundays off, so look out, Saturday nights! Still had to be in by midnight and I was never late. My dad was tough on us, but he loved us kids and I learned a lot from him. He had a ’29 JD “H” when mom and him started dating in the 1930’s. I came from good stock! Now, I knew if I got busted doing something dumb that would be the end of my riding until I was 16. That would suck. Played it cool, got two years to go and we all had good reputations. No big city bullshit. Just cool bikes and hot rods, my current side car looks like a ’33 Ford Roadster! I learned a long time ago that it’s never too late to have a second childhood! The Triumph was that summer. We all went to the Martin Drag Strip a lot. Book was building a 1957 Sportster called King Kong, 1200 and a 2-speed tranny. I got to meet Pete Hill that summer. I now am friends with him some 60 years later. He is helping me on a ‘45 project. got ahead of myself there. Sorry about that!

Anyway, I had two close calls that summer. Left turn in front of me; the front brakes save that one and the next one too. Well, to say the least, this has started out to be a super summer! I got "sweety,” My mom made her a bikini!. The ocean has nothing on Lake Michigan! Plus, just on the other side is Milwaukee, WI. You can almost smell the Harley 105. “That’s Panhead Oil!” 8 of us took the ferry boat from Ludington to Milwaukee to go to the Harley factory! Eight bucks, round trip!

Hope to see you at bike night! Ride Safe! ~Pappy

In 1887, Yamaha started as a piano manufacturer, but today is a multinational conglomerate that still produces musical instruments. They have added boats, car engines, swimming pools, industrial robots, wheelchairs, RVs, electronics, and golf carts, and motorcycles.

Photography Page By Cherokee

Want To Make A Few Extra Bucks This Year? -orWant To Volunteer Helping Veterans? -orTake a few pictures of “bikers being bikers”?? Contact Carolina Chrome @

carolinachrome@yahoo.com For more information: Selling advertisement -orBeing part of our yearly fundraiser for Veterans -orTaking pictures at bike related events or times!