Post by entropy on May 6, 2008 23:03:30 GMT -5
Just found this website, happy to be here.
It all started back in 1980 when I was in high school and working at a local Yamaha dealership, Scottsdale Yamaha (now out of business). My older brother was working there as a mechanic and he got me a job as the shop's "gunk-brush". That is, I was the kid who swept the floor and ran deliveries to other shops for parts, etc.
On thing led to another and I began hanging around the mechanic area more and more. Soon I was put in charge of uncrating new Yamahas and setting them up for sale. I was quickly taken under the wing of the mechanics at the shop and quickly learned the ropes of how to be a line mechanic. In about 1982,or so, I was promoted to full line mechanic and spent the next ten years wrenching on bikes for a living.
In 1981 the shop hired a parts guy who just moved to town from Wisconsin. His name was Fred. Fred owned a mint RD 400 and a 1978 SR 500 E. He named the SR "The Beast" because he thought the bike was heavy and hard to kick start. My brother, Jerry, was looking for some cheap and relyable transportation because he was working partime and taking classes at Arizona State University, talked Fred into selling him The Beast. The bike was only a couple of years old but was in absolutely mint condition.
My brother road The Beast to work and school for the next several years and eventually graduated with a mechanical engineering degree in 1986. My brother took a job in California with an airplane manufacturer and quit working as a mechanic. I remeber fondly helping him move to California and I transported The Beast over in the back of my pickup truck.
About this time I decided to start taking classses at the University (putting myself through working part time as a mechanic) and eventually graduated as well. My major took me far away from being a mechanic, though I have found that once you are a mechaic you are always a mechanic. I have since worked in my chosen field since 1990.
All the way through from my childhood I have always been a dirt biker. Living in Arizona lends itself to the most amazing offroad riding anywhere (except Baja, which I LOVE to ride). Through the years I Raced Moto-X, and fell in love with Desert racing, Hare and hound, and especially timed enduros. I have always ridden and raced for fun, but I have done quite well in many local races and points series. I currently own and ride a KTM 450 EXC. Great bike!
Needless to say, I have NEVER owned a street bike in all of these years.
After my brother moved to California, he got out of motorcycling completely and he esentially parked The Beast. He told me he started the bike up once or twice but never road it. the Beast sat covered in his garage for nearly 20 years, unused. Finally, a couple of months ago my brother told me that he wished to get rid of the Beast because he felt he would never start or ride it again. that got the wheels in my head turning. Though I had never owned a street bike, I had always thought the SR 500 was a cool bike. I asked my brother what he wanted for the bike. We struck a deal for about $300.00, with the cavieat that I had to drive to California and pick up the bike.
Several weeks later I decided to make the trip. I hadn't seen the bike for a number of years, and when I had seen it it was under a bike cover. We wnt out in my brother's garage and pulled the cover off the bike. Holy $hit! it was like digging up a time capsule! the bike was complete and though it was nearly 30 years old, the bike was (and is) in complete mint condition! After my visit was over, we loaded the SR 500 in the back of my truck for the trip home. It was like deja vu hauling the bike back across the desert from LA to Phoenix.
I have been slowly putting the bike back in running order. It naturally needed a carb clean and tune up, and had other maladies such as leaking brake master cylinders and such. But it had no Major problems. It was also to my welcomed relief that the local Yamaha dealer can still order most of the hard parts for
this bike and it only take a couple of days to order parts in. I finally started The Beast up the other day and it started on the first kick (no kidding!). I still need to do a couple of maintenance items on the bike but I am anxious to re-register The Beast and get it back on the road. I even went and got my Motorcycle endorsement on my operators license.
Anyway, I am glad to have found this web forum and will visit it often. I am familiar with other motorcycle web forums (KTM Talk comes to mind) and I find them to be exceptionally helpful.
I'm glad to be here! ;D
It all started back in 1980 when I was in high school and working at a local Yamaha dealership, Scottsdale Yamaha (now out of business). My older brother was working there as a mechanic and he got me a job as the shop's "gunk-brush". That is, I was the kid who swept the floor and ran deliveries to other shops for parts, etc.
On thing led to another and I began hanging around the mechanic area more and more. Soon I was put in charge of uncrating new Yamahas and setting them up for sale. I was quickly taken under the wing of the mechanics at the shop and quickly learned the ropes of how to be a line mechanic. In about 1982,or so, I was promoted to full line mechanic and spent the next ten years wrenching on bikes for a living.
In 1981 the shop hired a parts guy who just moved to town from Wisconsin. His name was Fred. Fred owned a mint RD 400 and a 1978 SR 500 E. He named the SR "The Beast" because he thought the bike was heavy and hard to kick start. My brother, Jerry, was looking for some cheap and relyable transportation because he was working partime and taking classes at Arizona State University, talked Fred into selling him The Beast. The bike was only a couple of years old but was in absolutely mint condition.
My brother road The Beast to work and school for the next several years and eventually graduated with a mechanical engineering degree in 1986. My brother took a job in California with an airplane manufacturer and quit working as a mechanic. I remeber fondly helping him move to California and I transported The Beast over in the back of my pickup truck.
About this time I decided to start taking classses at the University (putting myself through working part time as a mechanic) and eventually graduated as well. My major took me far away from being a mechanic, though I have found that once you are a mechaic you are always a mechanic. I have since worked in my chosen field since 1990.
All the way through from my childhood I have always been a dirt biker. Living in Arizona lends itself to the most amazing offroad riding anywhere (except Baja, which I LOVE to ride). Through the years I Raced Moto-X, and fell in love with Desert racing, Hare and hound, and especially timed enduros. I have always ridden and raced for fun, but I have done quite well in many local races and points series. I currently own and ride a KTM 450 EXC. Great bike!
Needless to say, I have NEVER owned a street bike in all of these years.
After my brother moved to California, he got out of motorcycling completely and he esentially parked The Beast. He told me he started the bike up once or twice but never road it. the Beast sat covered in his garage for nearly 20 years, unused. Finally, a couple of months ago my brother told me that he wished to get rid of the Beast because he felt he would never start or ride it again. that got the wheels in my head turning. Though I had never owned a street bike, I had always thought the SR 500 was a cool bike. I asked my brother what he wanted for the bike. We struck a deal for about $300.00, with the cavieat that I had to drive to California and pick up the bike.
Several weeks later I decided to make the trip. I hadn't seen the bike for a number of years, and when I had seen it it was under a bike cover. We wnt out in my brother's garage and pulled the cover off the bike. Holy $hit! it was like digging up a time capsule! the bike was complete and though it was nearly 30 years old, the bike was (and is) in complete mint condition! After my visit was over, we loaded the SR 500 in the back of my truck for the trip home. It was like deja vu hauling the bike back across the desert from LA to Phoenix.
I have been slowly putting the bike back in running order. It naturally needed a carb clean and tune up, and had other maladies such as leaking brake master cylinders and such. But it had no Major problems. It was also to my welcomed relief that the local Yamaha dealer can still order most of the hard parts for
this bike and it only take a couple of days to order parts in. I finally started The Beast up the other day and it started on the first kick (no kidding!). I still need to do a couple of maintenance items on the bike but I am anxious to re-register The Beast and get it back on the road. I even went and got my Motorcycle endorsement on my operators license.
Anyway, I am glad to have found this web forum and will visit it often. I am familiar with other motorcycle web forums (KTM Talk comes to mind) and I find them to be exceptionally helpful.
I'm glad to be here! ;D
