A McQueen meet

[motogrady]

Had the honor being invited to a very good friends showing
of some Steve McQueen clips and a movie.

Held at the local Church he had 3 bikes on show that were relevant to the occasion.



The 650 Rickman, the Honda 250 Elsinore,
and the works Husky were all part of the scene when Steve was around.  



A few clips were shown, along with the Honda Elsinore ad he did, and finally a short movie chronicling his life.  

Cut short at 50 years old, he crammed about as much life into a life as possible.

He died a reborn Christian with a bible on his chest,
leaving what some still say, is a void, limited not only to the movie industry.

Ya, he had a heck of a ride.  

[motogrady]

The centerpiece of the 3 bikes, in one’s humble opinion,
was a beautiful 650 Rickman.

[motogrady]

[motogrady]

[motogrady]

[motogrady]

[motogrady]

McQueen had a big hand in the design of this bike.
A longtime favorite of his was the 650 Bonnieville.
Note the trademark super slim Rickman tank.
The chain adjustment on many of the Rickman was done at the swingarm pivot, not at the rear axel.
Shift right brake left.
All fiberglass tank, fenders and bodywork.

Not a lot of these were made.
A very rare bike even in the museums.

Having ridden this one I can say, lite for an open bike,
tractor type power, loud as heck, and one of the most beautiful bikes out there.

[oldironnow]

That frame !

[motogrady]

[motogrady]

[motogrady]

The Honda Elsinore.

There are a few bikes out there, a dozen or so, that really
shook things up.

There was the Yamaha DT1.  
The 1969 Honda CB 750.
The Kawasaki 500 Mach 3.

And the Elsinore.

Just as the European lightweight 2 stroke dirt bikes
of the late 60s laid waste to the 441 Victor Specials, and the BSA Gold Stars, it was the Elsinore that really killed off the European Italian and Spanish dirt bikes of the 70s.
Maico, Montesa, Ossa, Bultaco, all fell victim to the Japanese onslaught.

I saw it firsthand.
A few times.
Riding buddies, racing buddies, that had a Sachs or Bultaco would ride an Elsinore and poof, a week later had a new Honda.

Sure, the Honda might not have had that killer low end of a Husky, or the blazing speed of a Montesa,
or weigh in less than an Ossa Phantom.

But they had good power.  
They were lighter than most. They shifted flawlessly.
They started right up. Long and low they handled great.
And everything else worked great. The clutch, the brakes,
the suspension front and rear, it was just a real good, refined and finished bike.

Ya, there were others that worked good.
Yamaha with their monoshock was another.

But really, it was that bike up there, that’s a 250, the 125 even more so,
that really put a hurting on the guys, sales wise, over the pond.

[hacksaw]

Well they were usually cheaper and had better dealer support .

[hacksaw]

Just mho
But I am pretty much over McQueen.
I was and still am , a fan of wanted dead or alive.
And much of his stuff.
But he put his pants on the  same way as any of us.
I kind of annoys me that “we” make hero’s out of celebrities while veterans can be homeless.

[motogrady]

Last but not least.
A true barn find.
A true Champion.
More than a pretty statue to look at.

The Husquvarna.  The real deal.

What makes this one special is was used
to win a Gold Medal in the 1970 International 6 Days Trials, held that year in Spain.

This is a factory works bike that was made that year for an
East Coast rider that had qualified for the event.  
Note the 8 speed transmission on the side cases.
Yes, there were a few 8 speeds shipped to the West Coast.
Both 250 and 360 models.  

But none were sent East of the Mississippi.

That’s why, when noticed in the back of a barn here in West Virginia, the present owner said yeah, I’ll take it.  
The widow whose husband had passed years ago needed
some money to fix her basement foundation.
Her grown sons had abandoned any interest in the mini bikes and the Husquvarna years ago.

She named a price, and was paid double what she asked for.

I got a call maybe 3 years back.
“You gotta see this one!”
“It’s an 8 speed 360!”
“And it has some weird numbers on the motor and frame!”

I had a 1970 250, so yeah, it was cool to sit on one again
and look it over.  
But, to me, it wasn’t anything really special.

Until call were made to the US Distributor for Husquvarna.

“No, you guys must be mistaken. That bike was one of 14 made that year, especially for our works team.  None of those bikes were sold to the public.  Are you sure about the numbers?”

Calls were made, to old retired racers.
Calls were made overseas, to guys that used to work in the Husky factory.
The guy that rode it to a Gold Medal was located.
He was still racing local senior events.

“Yeah, that was my bike.  Yeah I won a Gold on it.
At the time, we’d get bikes every year, given to us, straight from the factory. They’d have a tag on them with our names on them, delivered to our door.  
I had so many after awhile it was like, what the hell.
Sold that one to a good friend in West Virginia.”

[hacksaw]

That is a real Svedish Husky.

[motogrady]

[motogrady]

[motogrady]

Outside, this looks just like a standard 360.
That’s what it’s supposed look like.

But, after picking the heads of the US Distributor,  and
especially the guys over in Sweden, it’s anything but.

And that’s all I’m saying here about that.

The big debate at the meeting was……..do you
rebuild and restore this one, or leave it as is?

Some say ya, some say na.

“Leave it for another generation to see what’s in those cases.” I offered.  “It’s not like you’re gonna ever ride it anyway.”

The owner looked at me and smiled……

“I dunno about that.  I mean, how many times do you get the chance to ride a factory works bike?”

🙂

[motogrady]

When men were…….well, you know.  

https://youtu.be/YQHHL_TOLuA?si=Fgwr6k7Z7T4Iav6a

[hacksaw]

Anybody whom would even consider destroying the history earned and shown on this motorcycle does not deserve to own it.
I don’t understand what’s wrong with people.
Some creep thinks he will gain some sort of cred for a special machine by posing with it all nice and shiny?
No , the bike as it sits is a winning rare bike.
Destroy it by restoring it then it’s no longer the bike he bought.
I am sure the guy can have the opportunity to ride a works bike by putting this machine in running rideable condition as is.