As a small tribute to our oldies... My dad with his speedway bike in Stockholm at the early 50th. Where it all begun in my family.. And my 89 year old mother both still loves coming on a ride (at the rear seat now) Mum at my moped 1980 My wife at her Fireblade 20 years ago..
Nice pics, both my dad and his brother rode speedway at Brooklands and both where prototype testers but don't know the makes, my old mum used to come on the back of my bikes to go shopping she was a bit younger in here 70s though, it all started for me when my uncle took me on the back of his Thunderbird at the tender age of 8 and scared the shit out of me, but it obviously made the right impression as I started at the age of fifteen and apart from a few breaks I am still riding at 68 on a hard tail custom.
My father was a successful competitor in road and track cycling and rode motorcycles when coaching, but due to many accidents was dead against me riding them. I have ridden most of my life and my brother finally got his license at 50.
My brother and his wife also had the license after 50, he bought a couple custom bikes, I vent visiting them 2019 and gave my dad (93) a ride at the back, What a smile he had! after that pleasant siesta in the garden...
Not exactly the same.. Here is the true story, my father spent his life in the army. He was offered to pass the military motorcycle license on a Terrot 500. Did a little round, and tried to go a bit faster, then lost control and finished with the bike in the barracks kitchen. As I showed interest riding motorcycle, he was circumspect, but called some friends to help finding my first bike, a Yamaha RDX 125 model 1977.
My "real old man" was a go cart (zip cart?) champ (I think) and my Step father (since I was 4 so he's my dad) was a sidecar racer. All my childhood was in the back of the transit (twin rear wheel of course..) going to race meetings up and down the uk. I remember him selling the granada to buy some wiseco pistons on the gs1000 once......
First picture is my dad Roy #7 and my uncle Cecil #1 taken at Maghaberry. Second picture is my uncle David taken at Dundrod. I had another Uncle Jeffrey who died in a crash at the Temple 100. To this day they still hold a record for four brothers on the same grid
Can't compete with the stories above but my dad had bikes from when he was in his twenties then the first one I remember was a BSA Gold Flash 650 with a sidecar. We only got a car when he became a foreman and his boss said it was unbefitting for him to come to work on a bike! Used to take me to speedway meetings and one of his apprentices was Alan Wilkinson who was captain of Belle Vue. Unfortunately Alan was paralysed in a crash years ago.
Just to be clear, the like I gave you was for the nice story. Alan being paralysed is a terrible thing
Don't have any pictures, but my dad and his dad (my grandad) both rode bikes. Dad's had a BSA combination, which went all over in. Me and my sister in the sidecar and mum on the pillion. One of my fond memories was mum saying "your dad will be here in a minute I'll put the tea on", this was because you could hear that old thumper coming up the road to the house. Unfortunately my grandad was killed on his bike. They both had an influence on my love for motorbikes and the fact that I'm still riding today.
Same here. We went everywhere in the combo until I was maybe a teenager? Loved bikes ever since those days. Used to ride my push bike while wearing my dad's boots, gloves and helmet
Same story , my Dad's Gold flash combo, for years. Then he had a scooter for a time.then a Honda step threw. It's was more for going to work than biking. But I loved him taking me out on them. He let me take the step threw on my own to get him some tobacco one day when he came home drunk . It took me an hour as I went for a ride about. Luckily he was asleep when I got home so got away with it