My First Scooter...

[BullKurtz]

1969 250cc Ducati Scramber:

Had a BLAST on the Duke (I could never call it a Duck).....rattle-canned a flat black over that beautiful tank paint, put a knobby on the back and a trials universal on the front.....but it was way too heavy for any serious dirt riding....electrics in the case behind the headlight....it ate fuses like peanuts. Still, after 30+ bikes it's still my first and my favorite.

 

[Roadrunner]

1969 250cc Ducati Scramber:

Had a BLAST on the Duke (I could never call it a Duck).....rattle-canned a flat black over that beautiful tank paint, put a knobby on the back and a trials universal on the front.....but it was way to heavy for any serious dirt riding....electrics in the case behind the headlight....it ate fuses like peanuts. Still, after 30+ bikes it's still my first and my favorite.

I got on a big with a dude I knew who had just been drafted into the Marines.

He took me on a ride all around BRLA at speeds I would not go in a car.

When I got off, I never got on another one.

I am lucky to be alive.

I should have kept up with him, he became a crack millionaire.

 

[BullKurtz]

1969 250cc Ducati Scramber:

Had a BLAST on the Duke (I could never call it a Duck).....rattle-canned a flat black over that beautiful tank paint, put a knobby on the back and a trials universal on the front.....but it was way to heavy for any serious dirt riding....electrics in the case behind the headlight....it ate fuses like peanuts. Still, after 30+ bikes it's still my first and my favorite.

I got on a big with a dude I knew who had just been drafted into the Marines.

He took me on a ride all around BRLA at speeds I would not go in a car.

When I got off, I never got on another one.

I am lucky to be alive.

I should have kept up with him, he became a crack millionaire.

I couldn't afford a Triumph and BSA's were unreliable....I wanted to ride dirt so when I sold the Duke I got a Bultaco 250cc Matador. I raced scrambles and some half-mile for Ken Anna's dealership on a Ducati 450RT...then when I was ready to head out west, I bought a 441 BSA Victor. Then model #16 4-speed Matador I kept for 20 years without riding it....just kicked it over once a year to keep the rings from seizing.

One day I walked by the shed it was in and I swear it said: "ride me"....thought I was losing my marbles....so I bought a Mikuni carb for it and kicked it over....damn thing STARTED! New motor rebuild at Steve's Bultaco in Van Nuys, Calf. The clutch plates were welded together from corrosion but I wanted to ride it so I ran it up to speed, hopped on and stuck it into first gear....WHEELIE...I was in love again! Took it through the gears down the alley with the neighborhood kids peeking over their fences cheering me on....still, no clutch and Buls are notorious for false neutrals so I finally quit while I was ahead.....restored 19 other Buls after that one. Pursang Mxers mostly...Matadors, a Sherpa T, 2 El Montaderos (Bandito with lights and a detuned engine), a little Campera and a few Alpinas, and Fronteras. Loved the Buls....the model #135 Pursang to this day is the fastest bike I ever rode.

 

[Roadrunner]

1969 250cc Ducati Scramber:

Had a BLAST on the Duke (I could never call it a Duck).....rattle-canned a flat black over that beautiful tank paint, put a knobby on the back and a trials universal on the front.....but it was way to heavy for any serious dirt riding....electrics in the case behind the headlight....it ate fuses like peanuts. Still, after 30+ bikes it's still my first and my favorite.

I got on a big with a dude I knew who had just been drafted into the Marines.

He took me on a ride all around BRLA at speeds I would not go in a car.

When I got off, I never got on another one.

I am lucky to be alive.

I should have kept up with him, he became a crack millionaire.

I couldn't afford a Triumph and BSA's were unreliable....I wanted to ride dirt so when I sold the Duke I got a Bultaco 250cc Matador. I raced scrambles and some half-mile for Ken Anna's dealership on a Ducati 450RT...then when I was ready to head out west, I bought a 441 BSA Victor. Then model 16 4-speed Matador I kept for 20 years without riding it....just kicked it over once a year to keep the rings from seizing.

One day I walked by the shed it was in and I swear it "ride me"....thought I was losing my marbles....so I bought a Mikuni carb for it and kicked it over....damn thing STARTED! New motor rebuild at Steve's Bultaco in Van Nuys, Calf. The clutch plates were welded together from corrosion but I wanted to ride it so I ran it up to speed, hopped on and stuck it into first gear....WHEELIE...I was in love again! Took it through the gears down the alley with the neighborhood kids peeking over their fences cheering me on....still, no clutch and Buls are notorious for false neutrals so I finally quit while I was ahead.....restored 19 other Buls after that one. Pursang Mxers mostly...Matadors, a Sherpa T, 2 El Montaderos (Bandito with lights and a detuned engine), a little Campera and a few Alpinas, and Fronteras. Loved the Buls....the model #135 Pursang to this day is the fastest bike I ever rode.

All my thrill seeking involved making money, and I never took risks I didn't need to take.

I have a biker friend put together with pins and wires; he still rides.

 

[BullKurtz]

All my thrill seeking involved making money, and I never took risks I didn't need to take.

I have a biker friend put together with pins and wires; he still rides.

Decided at 50 I shouldn't ride in the desert anymore....land closures and hard on older kidneys. I've had plenty of wreaks...was paralyzed briefly in a half-mile wreak....hit the hay bales headfirst....broke the frame on the Duke...got my pelvis and 2 vertebrae....laid on a gurney for 2 nights in a hallway at the hospital....finally felt my feet, got my legs moving, got up, walked out....they had the cops looking for me! Settled that one for $500.....today I'd have owned the track for lousy safety barriers. Oh well.....

 

[Porker]

I got on a big with a dude I knew who had just been drafted into the Marines.

He took me on a ride all around BRLA at speeds I would not go in a car.

When I got off, I never got on another one.

I am lucky to be alive.

I should have kept up with him, he became a crack millionaire.

Cocaine sales, eh?

 

[Aktas]

 

[DGS49]

My first bike was a Bridgestone 200 that I bought for $225 used. I learned to ride on the way home. I kept replacing my bike with something bigger and faster until I had a Kawa Mach III (500). It went like stink and got 17mpg. Then I took a 30 year break, and continued the process.

 

[HereWeGoAgain]

This was my first one back in 75.

 

[HereWeGoAgain]

Followed by this little beauty ...

 

[idb]

I bought my BSA B50 around 25 years ago.
I suffered an electrical fire soon after buying it, rebuilt it, covered a lot of distance with it and put it away when I moved onto bigger Ducatis.
I still have it although it hasn't run in a lot of years.

 

[BullKurtz]

Followed by this little beauty ...

Is that a YZ? When I was riding Buls nobody could pull me in a straightaway until Honda built the Elsinore. They did so because Yamaha started building multi-cylinder road bikes breaking a gentleman's agreement they had with Honda. The Elsinore was wicked fast but couldn't corner with a Pursang. The YZ was suspended better but didn't quite have the straight speed of the Honda. Both of them together made Sundays a lot more tedious than before when I was racing mostly Brit 4 strokes, CZs, Huskies, and other Spanish makes (Montessa and Ossa).

 

[HereWeGoAgain]

Followed by this little beauty ...

Is that a YZ? When I was riding Buls nobody could pull me in a straightaway until Honda built the Elsinore. They did so because Yamaha started building multi-cylinder road bikes breaking a gentleman's agreement they had with Honda. The Elsinore was wicked fast but couldn't corner with a Pursang. The YZ was suspended better but didn't quite have the straight speed of the Honda. Both of them together made Sundays a lot more tedious than before when I was racing mostly Brit 4 strokes, CZs, Huskies, and other Spanish makes (Montessa and Ossa).

Yep. It was the first year of the mono shock on the YZ80.
Man I loved that thing!!
I was around fourteen when I got it and by then most had gone away from the Can-Am,Huskies,Bultacos and the like.

 

[BullKurtz]

Open-class 370cc Pursang.....dig a trench through 4 gears, 100mph top-end:



Only restoration mistake is it should have a yellow side plate instead of white.

 

[HereWeGoAgain]

Open-class 370cc Pursang.....dig a trench through 4 gears, 100mph top-end:

That's one nice restoration job!!!

 

[BullKurtz]

Open-class 370cc Pursang.....dig a trench through 4 gears, 100mph top-end:

That's one nice restoration job!!!

Yep, he's taking his chances on it out in the scrub....tank-slapper and he has to start all over again.

 

[BullKurtz]

Here's a Pursang flat-tracker "Astro"...spooled front rim, no brake...still competitive today in 1/2 mile and mile:

 

[HereWeGoAgain]

Here's a Pursang flat-tracker "Astro"...spooled front rim, no brake...still competitive today in 1/2 mile and mile:

Had a buddy that was the state of Virginia champ in his age group on the flat track.
Love the sound of the compression release at the 48 second point.

 

[BullKurtz]

Nice catch! I never used a compression-release...they all suck dirt and it's tricky because you didn't want 2 fingers off the grip setting up a corner...kick it down a gear and brush off the speed by throwing it sideways WFO....here's a pretty 370cc Bandito..(notice the side plate is the correct yellow for open class):

 

[HereWeGoAgain]

Had to laugh at this one to keep from crying..
How far the mighty have fallen.
2015 new Bultaco Brinco electric bike first photos - YouTube