So what did your Dad ride?

[LJ.]

As an idea for a new topic I thought I'd ask what your Dad rode or Grandfather rode for that matter?

My Dad started off with a Bantam and then onto a B31 before upgrading to the Princely 500 Shooting Star. Cars came after that in 1959 along with me in a pram! Sadly biking then goes down hill as he then ran both a car and.... Honda cub!

Whatta bout yours?

[MG]

My Grandfather's very first motorcycle was a yellow (Steyr-Daimler-)Puch TF Twingle, followed by a black Puch SG. Quite typical bikes for Austrians to drive in the 50's. They were the only means of transport then, taking him and my Grandmother to Italy for their holidays as well as them two plus 2 children to church each Sunday later on (without a sidecar attached of course).  
Unfortunately I don't have any original pics of them. Have to ask him whether he has some....


The TF:


The SG:




My father, except joining me for trips with the BSAs, bought a new Honda Pan European back in 1993 and still is using it regularly, mainly for long distance journeys.

Guess that motorcycling virus must be inheritable...  

[manosound]

My Dad, in the sidecar, in the U.S. Navy and in the Phillipines circa 1924. My Uncle Al, in the Army and in the Phillipines at the same time. I think the bike is an Excelsior or Henderson Four, but I am not sure and would appreciate any help in identification. I don't know if they borrowed it, rented it, owned it or just sat on it. What was my Dad doing in the Phillipines on a submarine in 1924? Territorial occupation, I think. What submarine? Google "submarine S4" (or SS-109) for an amazing story. Obviously, he was not on it on December 17, 1927.

Richard L.

[gold33]

My Grandfathers passion was an M33/10 (side valve) 1933, 600 Sloper fitted with a Dustings standard tourer sidecar.

He also had an M20 but didn't have too many kind words for that one.

If there is a lonely M33 out there I would love to restore one... 

I have a photo of the actual M33 taken in 1937 at Kinglake in Victoria but the file size is too large, if I can I will try to shrink and load later. I love the old photos of these machines in their prime.

[Russ]

My father-in-law bought a new 250 Jawa around 1940 in Holland. Some years ago we had the original receipt but unfortunately that little piece of family history has gone missing.  I do however, have the original full length leather coat which was the motorcycle wear for that period. Attached is a photo of him on what I presume is the Jawa but I'm not sure.  Does anyone have a more definate idea of what the bike is.

Cheers Russ

[Russ]

Further to my previous post.
Googled Jawa to findout they had a 175 single from 1932 to 1946. Perhaps I had it wrong and father-in-law had a 175. Jawa then built their 250 twin from 1946 on, however my wife tells me the photo I posted, which appears to be a twin, must be prior to 1946 so again I'm not sure what the bike is.  Could it be a BSA?

Russ

[MG]

Russ,

I'm not sure, but I think this is an early Jawa 350 SV. These were produced from 1934-1936, only 2004 machines of that type had ever been made. Probably rare as hen's teeth nowadays.
It's a 350cc side valve single with 11 hp.


btw, for those interested: Jawa was founded in 1929 by the Czech weapon- and ammunition-manufacturer Frantisek Janecek, who bought the rights to produce a 500cc bike from the German Wanderer Werke AG. Hence the name: JAnecek + WAnderer = JAWA. During the first years of production they also used Villiers engines.

Cheers, Markus

[Brian]

Hard one Bill, I'm definitely no expert but I dont think its a Jawa. It definitely looks European, something like a FN or Sarolea or similar.

Its a single cylinder side valve I reckon from about 1930. It has a non-detachable cylinder head like a vintage machine plus the throttle control is the two lever type. Its a saddle tank though and as a general rule saddle tanks didnt come in until around 1929 so I am guessing about 1930. The frame and forks look reasonably substantial so I would say its at least a 350cc, probably a 500cc.

Hopefully someone will recognise it for you.

[manosound]

Well, I'm not sure that my story and picture in my previous post qualify as "what did your Dad ride?", but it amuses me, of course. I was wrong about it being an Exelsior or Henderson. I am now somewhat certain it is a 1918 (or therabouts) Harley Davidson. The acetylene lamp is interesting. If you want to see one fully restored you can click on the ridiculously long (but working) link below.

Richard L.



http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://image53.webshots.com/753/9/21/31/2339921310044689800rrvopx_ph.jpg&imgrefurl=http://rides.webshots.com/photo/2339921310044689800rrvopx&usg=__uNgKK1gKfmqlahvxFouzlsfpfIc=&h=720&w=800&sz=262&hl=en&start=14&um=1&itbs=1&tbnid=rCAHXakO1GrXGM:&tbnh=129&tbnw=143&prev=/images%3Fq%3D1918%2Bharley%2Bdavidson%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DG%26rlz%3D1T4ADBF_enUS318US323%26tbs%3Disch:1

[Mosin]

My Dad rode a Francis Barnett amongst others before I was born. The only bike I can remember him riding was a Honda Superdream which was also my first bike. The least said about that the better.

My Grandfather's pride and joy was this D3 Bantam which his mother (my Great-Grandmother) bought from new in 1959 and continued to ride well into her 70s. Unfortunately my Grandad crashed it some time in the early 70s and it stood in a leaky shed with no windows and precious little roof for the next 33 or so years until I was clearing the house out after his death in 2004. I trailered it home and restored it myself thus kick starting my current and expensive obsession with BSAs.

The second picture is me and my son who is named Joseph after my Grandfather and who will one day become the fourth generation of my family to own this lovely bike!

[chaterlea25]

Hi All,
Brian, the bike in the fancy photo does have a twistgrip, Amac or Amal straight pull, you can see the shiny tube about one inch long running under the handlebar!
I think its a Triumph (CSD?) 1929/30 it may be the German built version of the model
Just my 2 cent opinion!!!

My Dad never had a motorcycle, in fact I sat him on my Puch Cheetah scooter and he went off up the road on it
I think that was his only experience on a motorcycle
Cheers
John O Regan

[muskrat]

I'm with John. As far as I can gather I'm the only one on my family tree that has ever had anything to do with these foul smelling, noisy, dangerous, rebel rousing contraptions.
I think I have more fun on a weekend ride than they all did for their hole miserable lives.

[LJ.]

Oi! How come there are more views of the picture with my Mom in it than the picture of just my dad on his A7??  Some good interesting posts here, keep em comming! 

[orabanda]

This is my father on the new 1951 GF he bought from Jack Johnston Motorcycles, in Kalgoorlie.
He wanted a new Triumph, but the dealer (Ken Marshall) drove a hard bargain, so he walked across Hannan Street to the BSA dealer!

Picture is taken at Ora Banda, at the front of the homestead. "K 363" (Kalgoorlie registration).



Another pic at the woodcutters camp near Johnston's dam. Dad's brother Shaun is on the B31.



Dad always wanted a sidecar!

Moments after this pic was taken, my brother & I climbed aboard, and we charged up the Siberia (gravel) road.



I am wearing the blue shirt with red collar.



Five minutes later, we parted company! The sidecar shot off the road through the saltbush & salmon gums, and we had the ride of our lives!

Dad never got around to bolting it back on!

Here is the bike now.





Richard

[muskrat]

Now that's heritage. Looks better now than new. Good onya Richard.
Cheers

[Brian]

Dont suppose you know whatever happened to the B31 Richard.

Unfortunately I dont have any family history with motorcycles, I am the first in the line. However I have four children who are all avid motorcyclists, one makes his living as a stunt rider and instructor in China.

My motorcycling started after seeing a copper (policeman) on a A65 in the early sixties, being a kid I was very impressed by this beautiful black and chrome motorcycle and decided then I was going to have one, I was about 6 or 7  at the time.

[orabanda]

Brian,
Did you get the A65?

Don't know what happened to Shawn's B31.
However, he often mention the Star Twin which ge got after it. he said it was a heap of S..t, and let him down badly.

By the by, I was given a '51 Star twin a few years ago, and decided that I had too many bikes, so gave it away!

I tend to think more clearly these days!

Richard

[Brian]

Actually Richard I did buy a A65 and a A50. The A50 was quite a nice bike but I didnt like the A65 and gave it to one of my sons, he still has it. I have never ridden a bike that vibrated so badly as the A65, I thought there was something badly wrong with mine until I rode a couple of others and they were the same !

A 51' Star Twin and you gave it away !!!!! shame, shame, shame. Go and sit in the corner.....

[A10Boy]

My old dad had a Francis Barnett 150 plover in green with white leg shields. He loved that bike. He moved onto a morris 8 in about 1964. I used to sit on it in the shed as a lad, in fact it was the first bike I fell off, good job it wasnt moving! He came home and it was laying on the floor cos I couldnt pick it up..

I let him have a go on my kawasaki twin back in about 77, he rode off and phoned me from the call box in the next village to come and ride it home for him, so I took his car and we swapped over. He said it had just stopped on him, but it started first go for me... When we got home he said "its ok, but not like my Francis barnett" 

I think he had a little James at some point also.

[flashblack]

My dad started on a 2 speed excelsior consort, then progressed up to a 1946 c11 which you can see in the first pic.( the one at the back with the windscreen), while his mate is sat on (he thinks) a borrowed francis barnett. My dad then bought a 1954 sprung hub speed twin off the same mate, which he courted my mum on. That`s mum and dad on it in the late fifties.
Dad sold the triumph when they married, and didn`t have a bike again until the seventies, when he used a honda c90, for work, mainly.He`s had a go on most of the bikes i`ve owned, but not the a10 as yet.
       Rich