Purchased and sold a batch of new Jawa and CZ motocycles years ago. They were dirt cheap to buy and usually required minor work to get then to run when received.

First bike I repaired was a Enfield 350 single I believe. Rebore and new piston and rings was 17.00 back in that day. The papers classified ads were full of used motorcycles. I wish for example I had tried a sunbeam with a drive system setup like a car.

Those were the days when in general motorcycles were not the rockets they became. The last bike I rode.. The handlebars where tilted back a little. When I gave it some gas in first gear it really was a job to even hold on to the hand grips. It took a real effort to back off the throttle.

I dumped two bikes and nearly lost one. I just decided this was a little too dangerous to pursue. In the large city I came from all too many cars did not seem to see you.

Try a fast front tire flat on gravel. Sitting there picking gravel out of yourself in the aftermath. Or setting up for a ninety degree crossing of railroad tracks and the bike still jumping off sideways. I stayed on but it was close. The inertia from the S curve setup to cross those tracks at ninety degrees was not totally dissipated yet. Or at least the bike and tracks did not think so. This cars not seeing me all too often amounted to the final straw.

I had the usual attempts by dogs to get me as well. One big fellow was so experienced as I changed speed. I noticed he was too good at correcting his angle of attack. He had started his run at me from way out front. I evaluated the situation and just braked for all I was worth and stopped.

Probably in only a very few seconds initially. I knew he was going to get me otherwise.. He had it all pre calculated. This was on a back country paved road. A very smart dog in my mind. People did not keep their dogs confined in those days as much as now.

A friend and myself seriously considered doing an across the country trip with motorcycles but did not do it.