Deans BMW
01-06-2007, 02:09 PM
http://www.vintagebike.co.uk/Bike%20Directories/BSA%20Bikes/images/BSA%20A65.jpg
http://www.vintagebike.co.uk/Bike%20Directories/BSA%20Bikes/images/BSA%20Thunderbolt.jpg
The BSA Lightning is the motorcycle that first pops into mind when someone or something first triggers my memory banks pertaining to motorcycles, it is the first download then followed by all the others.
I had flown all my life up to then as my dad always had an airplane but never had any formal training so went to a flight school in St Petersburg Florida called National Aviation Academy to get all my ratings. I had at the time a '67,I think, Yamaha 350 twin, one of the earliest ones. I used to hang out at a motorcycle shop called Barneys in St Pete. I seem to remember that they handled, Yamaha, Norton, BMW and BSA, also had something to do with Royal Infield I think. I soon started teaching at the flight school, but on the weekends sold motorcycles at Barneys. Two names that some of you old farts might be familiar with are Ray Hemstead and Royal Sherbert, we three became very close running and racing buddies. Rayss wifes dad owned Barneys.
My RD 350 holed both pistons and siezed one night crossing the bridge to Tampa to see some girl of course, my first Mile Hi Club conquest BTW. The next day I bought a beautiful '68 BSA lightning. I remember that some of the mufflers were quiter than others, a baffel placed mid way in the muffler. I went thru every bike they had until I had matching no baffel mufflers. I chose a BSA because every one else chose Triumphs. I loved that BSA, my first long trip was on that bike, road from St Petersburg to the Texas Hill country and back, what an adventure. I remember cruising at 72 MPH, don't know why but that has stuck with me all these years.
I used to road race that bike in Dade City, Fl....won against the Triumphs :pot: and I used to drag race the same bike at Sunshine Dragway in St Pete. Won the stste championship in the "C" Stock bike class with a best time of 13.1 and 101 MPH. Amazing how we used to ride our bikes to the race track, race them and then ride them home.
I don't remember how far it was but Dade City was several hours, perhaps more from Indian Rocks Beach where I lived and a close friend used to always to ride with me to the races on his bike............A BMW R69S, I remember to this day the exact sound that bike made, no matter how fast I would go, he was right there beside me, grinning, no sweat, 100-110 MPH, he did not care, always a precision sewing machine. That started my love afair with BMW, His Beemer had something over 40,000 miles and had never done anything to it repair wise....totaly unheard of in bikes of that era..
Well I left Florida to go to work for Aerostar Aircraft as a systems/flight test engineer and test pilot. I rember driving completely cross country with my red Triumph TR 4A, spoked wheels with white convertable top pulling my BSA and all worldly possesions in a trailer behind to start a new adventure. Road that BSA all thru Southern Calif, Topanga Canyon, the hippies, Venice Beach, Holywood Blvd, what an adventure, the girls...oh my god...the girls...that Red BSA, that red Triumph.....the girls.....Also became Skipper of a 1936 Alden Yawl birthed at Marina Del Ray.....oh my god.....the girls...and adventures......woops off topic.
Aerostar was bought by a company that also bought Mooney Aircraft and moved 98 out of appx 1200 employees to the Mooney plant in Kerrville, Texas, I was one of the lucky 98. Sold the Beezer, moved to the old family place in Hunt, Tex. ended up getting married to a local Kerrville girl and I remember jonesing for a new motorcycle. We drove down to San Antonio to William Walters BMW and there it was, a brand new 1972 R75/5 Toaster tank, beautiful blue Beemer, bought it with out ever hearing it run, much less riding one. That ride back to Kerrville, wow, what torque what a machine, the handling, that did it for me.
My friends R69S started the intrest, I never followed the crowd, they bought Triumphs, I bought a BSA, they bought Hondas, I bought a BMW.
Enough prattling. :028:
http://www.vintagebike.co.uk/Bike%20Directories/BSA%20Bikes/images/BSA%20Thunderbolt.jpg
The BSA Lightning is the motorcycle that first pops into mind when someone or something first triggers my memory banks pertaining to motorcycles, it is the first download then followed by all the others.
I had flown all my life up to then as my dad always had an airplane but never had any formal training so went to a flight school in St Petersburg Florida called National Aviation Academy to get all my ratings. I had at the time a '67,I think, Yamaha 350 twin, one of the earliest ones. I used to hang out at a motorcycle shop called Barneys in St Pete. I seem to remember that they handled, Yamaha, Norton, BMW and BSA, also had something to do with Royal Infield I think. I soon started teaching at the flight school, but on the weekends sold motorcycles at Barneys. Two names that some of you old farts might be familiar with are Ray Hemstead and Royal Sherbert, we three became very close running and racing buddies. Rayss wifes dad owned Barneys.
My RD 350 holed both pistons and siezed one night crossing the bridge to Tampa to see some girl of course, my first Mile Hi Club conquest BTW. The next day I bought a beautiful '68 BSA lightning. I remember that some of the mufflers were quiter than others, a baffel placed mid way in the muffler. I went thru every bike they had until I had matching no baffel mufflers. I chose a BSA because every one else chose Triumphs. I loved that BSA, my first long trip was on that bike, road from St Petersburg to the Texas Hill country and back, what an adventure. I remember cruising at 72 MPH, don't know why but that has stuck with me all these years.
I used to road race that bike in Dade City, Fl....won against the Triumphs :pot: and I used to drag race the same bike at Sunshine Dragway in St Pete. Won the stste championship in the "C" Stock bike class with a best time of 13.1 and 101 MPH. Amazing how we used to ride our bikes to the race track, race them and then ride them home.
I don't remember how far it was but Dade City was several hours, perhaps more from Indian Rocks Beach where I lived and a close friend used to always to ride with me to the races on his bike............A BMW R69S, I remember to this day the exact sound that bike made, no matter how fast I would go, he was right there beside me, grinning, no sweat, 100-110 MPH, he did not care, always a precision sewing machine. That started my love afair with BMW, His Beemer had something over 40,000 miles and had never done anything to it repair wise....totaly unheard of in bikes of that era..
Well I left Florida to go to work for Aerostar Aircraft as a systems/flight test engineer and test pilot. I rember driving completely cross country with my red Triumph TR 4A, spoked wheels with white convertable top pulling my BSA and all worldly possesions in a trailer behind to start a new adventure. Road that BSA all thru Southern Calif, Topanga Canyon, the hippies, Venice Beach, Holywood Blvd, what an adventure, the girls...oh my god...the girls...that Red BSA, that red Triumph.....the girls.....Also became Skipper of a 1936 Alden Yawl birthed at Marina Del Ray.....oh my god.....the girls...and adventures......woops off topic.
Aerostar was bought by a company that also bought Mooney Aircraft and moved 98 out of appx 1200 employees to the Mooney plant in Kerrville, Texas, I was one of the lucky 98. Sold the Beezer, moved to the old family place in Hunt, Tex. ended up getting married to a local Kerrville girl and I remember jonesing for a new motorcycle. We drove down to San Antonio to William Walters BMW and there it was, a brand new 1972 R75/5 Toaster tank, beautiful blue Beemer, bought it with out ever hearing it run, much less riding one. That ride back to Kerrville, wow, what torque what a machine, the handling, that did it for me.
My friends R69S started the intrest, I never followed the crowd, they bought Triumphs, I bought a BSA, they bought Hondas, I bought a BMW.
Enough prattling. :028: