'Real' Bikers

  • August 19, 2010 12:42 AM PDT

    Adventure Riders to the hilt back in the 1950s. Sunday rides were the thing for these guys. Introducing the riders here after filling up for gas somewhere near Fort Collins, CO, from left to right:

     
     


    Jerry Francis, 1950 Harley 74
    Mike Sadusky, 1950 Harley 74
    Warren Weber, 1950 Harley 74
    Wendell Rea, 1942 Harley 45 CI. Notice the front knobby!

    The 1950 Harley 74 was king.

  • August 19, 2010 12:44 AM PDT
    Here's the 'usual group' again taking a morning break on a nice Sunday ride.
  • August 19, 2010 12:45 AM PDT
    One Sunday ride took 'em to the top of   Mount Evans , elevation 14,264. This was back in the day before it was paved all the way to the top. It was, however, paved here if it hadn't been for the snow, and remember the FOOT CLUTCH!!! Yikes!
  • August 19, 2010 12:47 AM PDT
    Yet another 1952 Sunday ride ventured up Arapahoe   Pass - it's near   Eldora , Colorado .
    The
    y headed out from Wheat Ridge which is a stone's throw from Golden, CO.  They headed to Boulder ,  CO and followed the nice, twisty and scenic Boulder  Canyon to Nederland . From there they headed through the town of Eldora and up Arapahoe pass.
  • August 19, 2010 12:50 AM PDT
    Now some things never change. There's always that one person in the group that either insists that they absolutely positively know where to go, or that it"not that bad".  In this case, the group ended up venturing down this:
  • August 19, 2010 12:57 AM PDT
    Turned out that this the wrong way. The Harley guys actually let the English bike riders be guinea pigs on this part of the ride. Must've been one of those hot-headed British riding know-it-alls that suggested it in the first place...
  • August 19, 2010 1:00 AM PDT
  • August 19, 2010 1:02 AM PDT
    After some back tracking and de-mudding operations, they finally found the right trail and made it to the top at 11905 feet elevation. Nice day!
    • 568 posts
    August 19, 2010 1:02 AM PDT
    PHEW!!! i thought this was goin ta be another 'i'm more of a biker than thou' topic...

    way ta go TACO bro, thanx fer the history thread!

    EDIT: the wan above is now my desktop... thanx again!
  • August 19, 2010 1:03 AM PDT
  • August 19, 2010 1:06 AM PDT
    ezzyrider wrote...
    PHEW!!! i thought this was goin ta be another 'i'm more of a biker than thou' topic...

    way ta go TACO bro, thanx fer the history thread!






    your welcome brother...i ant into all that drama shit either....just a lil bit of history here is all....check out all the old bikes from back then.....still have more to post
     

  • August 19, 2010 1:06 AM PDT
    Holy Moses! My Sporty would never make it. I'd run out of gas.......LOL
    • 846 posts
    August 19, 2010 1:09 AM PDT
    Thanks for the history and photo's. That's when going for a ride had a different meaning.
  • August 19, 2010 1:10 AM PDT
    I also think these guys could've invented the "No Fear" logo. I have fear when it associates a 750 lb hard tail with a stream crossing on a trail. These guys really deserve some respect for being able to pull this off. Or they deserve to be taken away in straight jackets, I'm not really sure.
  • August 19, 2010 1:12 AM PDT
    • 568 posts
    August 19, 2010 1:12 AM PDT
    TACO wrote...
    I also think these guys could've invented the "No Fear" logo. I have fear when it associates a 750 lb hard tail with a stream crossing on a trail. These guys really deserve some respect for being able to pull this off. Or they deserve to be taken away in straight jackets, I'm not really sure.
    YAH!!! iron balls in front of iron butts!!! 
  • August 19, 2010 1:14 AM PDT
    Not that they didn't dab once or twice. OK, maybe they dabbed about 100 times, but they still made it across. Now it's time to take a break and dry out.
  • August 19, 2010 1:16 AM PDT
    A portrait of Warren Weber 1951, just before the start of a nice ride. Notice the cool stylish apparel. Helmet? I don't need no stinking helmet! Of course, this was pre-head injury days....
    • Moderator
    • 19046 posts
    August 19, 2010 1:17 AM PDT
    Chaz wrote...
    Thanks for the history and photo's. That's when going for a ride had a different meaning.



     

  • August 19, 2010 1:18 AM PDT
    These guys also had a lot of fun just playin around. Imagine getting a couple feet (OR MORE!) of air on a 750 HARD-TAIL Harley! This makes the GS-jumpers look like whimps, with your fancy rear suspension and all.
  • August 19, 2010 1:21 AM PDT

    • 568 posts
    August 19, 2010 1:23 AM PDT
    WOW!!! 5 stars***** gone yer way, brother!
  • August 19, 2010 1:24 AM PDT
  • August 19, 2010 1:26 AM PDT
    But the most insane member of the group in the area of piloting a Harley 74(7) through the air was a fellow named Kenny Erie. If Kenny was alive today and about 50 years younger, Im sure hed be one of the top names in freestyle!
  • August 19, 2010 1:29 AM PDT
    These guys weren't shy of riding on a bit of snow, either. Here's Mike Sadusky on his 50 Harley.  Mike had long legs and used to drape his legs over the handle bars to stretch on those long road trips.  Who needs hiway pegs?