You expect me to talk about something ''normal''? not likely.
In the early 70s chops were the thing,and my brother had a rather special one.A rigid frame Triumph with forward controls,peanut tank with the usual seat following frame and rear guard - the crowning glory a huge long springer front end.But the motor was what set it apart - a 650 motor out of a speedway sidecar,with a reversed head...Triumph twins have symetrical barrel and head stud patterns with twin camshafts and you could turn them around,retime cams and ign - the carbs go out the front and the exhausts out under your legs...this thing stood out from the usual slapped together crap at the time.
For those who remember the times the motor was out of Dave Tomkins outfit and Neville Lowe did the tank and painted it in metalic 3 colour flames,new stuff at the time,he also did the seat and a neat DA on the rear guard.
The bike was running sidecar gearing with a locked up cush drive and close ratio box.It was insanely powerful and aggressive - I remember riding beside him in the wet as he blipped the throttle in top gear,the bike just revved up like it was in neutral.Riding it one day I pulled out to pass a car in 2nd gear,as I got level with the car it pulled the front end up,so I short shifted into 3rd,but it just kept coming up! this was in 1971,bikes didn't do that back then - oh,the Mach III you say - well he had a drag with one of them and cleaned it up.It was the most powerful bike I ever rode in the era - barr none,but not exactly in a frame to match!
Xmas morning sometime in the early 90s a mate turned up on the front lawn with a 1984 or so Husky 250,a couple of years before this bike had been ridden to 1st place in the NZ Enduro Champs - I have no idea how,it was almost unriderble to us hopeless cases.It had the most insane power kick I've ever experianced,no matter what you did you couldn't keep the front wheel down when it took off,I lived on a good gravel road I knew well,but this thing was way faster than my C50.Just so much was happening in it's power curve your thoughts and reactions were 20 meters to the rear,off road was totaly beyond my ability - but I did race it on the dirt track...uncontrolable wheel spin and uncontrolable wheelstands.Thrilling - YES!
In and out of jobs, running free
Waging war with society
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