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[FLH91]

Here we go,  Brings back some great memories....

[Mano]

1966 Sachs Prior Hercules K50 - 5 Speed.

My grandfather bought this bike new in 1966. At about 5 years old he had me on the gas tank and would ride me around while he ran his daily duties. By 7 I was on the back seat and by the time I was 11 years old I was riding it myself. It was my ride by 1978 until I parked it in 1989 in my grandmothers basement. It sat the way I left it (with oil in the piston) until 2009. 20 years later grandma said "take the thing out of here, your grandfather always wanted you to have it". God bless her. I never had the nerve to ask for it as I did not want her to think I wanted her things in her old age. She passed away in 2011 at 101 years old. I shipped the bike here to Toronto, Canada from a little Greek island in 2009. Last year I finally started to tear it down to restore it. I will be restoring it as it was in 1966. I am hoping to have it completed sometime next year. Some things called work and riding are getting in the way, lol. The good thing is that the bike is all there. Nothing is missing. Motor turns over. I have all original paper work and keys. Original licence plate, heck I even have my grandfathers drivers licence. Since I have his name can I say I am the original owner. We just have a different date of birth.

[HillCity]

Mano, what a great story.  This bike is a treasure as-is and will be beautiful when restored.  Would like to see the "after" photos when completed.

[Mano]

Mano, what a great story.  This bike is a treasure as-is and will be beautiful when restored.  Would like to see the "after" photos when completed.

Thank you HillCity. I see it more like a family heirloom. I own 7 motorcycles but this is the one that does it for me. Forgot to mention that my dad also rode this bike too. I will post pictures when it is completed.

[RGlideKid]

Thank you HillCity. I see it more like a family heirloom. I own 7 motorcycles but this is the one that does it for me. Forgot to mention that my dad also rode this bike too. I will post pictures when it is completed.

This pretty much deserves a new section all to itself on this forum for these types of stories and projects.  I too, would be very eager to see not only the before and after, but follow along with you as you describe your efforts to bring this bike back to its former glory.  And to hear the story "through your eyes" would make it even better.
With the availability of so many old photos now on the internet, I get on a kick every now and then to do research on and find pictures of the bikes I rode or owned from the time it all began for me in the early 70's.  It thrills me now to see pictures of bikes I rode back then, especially if they are clean or restored.  It's like being in a dream to see them again, in a way my mind's eye could only remember them.  I wish my parents took more pictures of those things back then, but neither were much for photography.  It was an expensive hobby for some, I suppose and not like digital images are today.
This is an excellent story.  We thank you for sharing it and hope you will keep us updated on your progress. 

[Royalroadie]

Well I finally stumbled across a picture of my first bike!  This was taken in1973.  I really did have hair back then.  I have to chuckle,  Frye boots, flaired jeans, wide belt any watch strap, it was very cool back then. 

Edit: what a dumb ass expression!

[ultrarider123]

Hey Roadie, did ol' Affleck use your picture for that part?.....

[Royalroadie]

Hey Roadie, did ol' Affleck use your picture for that part?.....

What can I say, it was the 70s!

[Mikey]

No Cushman owners out there?
These bikes were built in Omaha, Nebraska until the early 60's, Mine was a 1955 Iron Eagle. The later models had a Silver Eagle the first model with the kick starter on the side. They had an industrial motor that sounded more like an overgrown lawn mower. When I was 14 I traded the Cushman for a Honda 50 that would rev up like a big bike. My best friend and I had numerous bikes all through the 60's and 70's before interest changed to cars and women. That ended with no bikes for a number of years. We bought Harley's in the late 90's. After riding the Harley's and remembering all the fun we had when we were young, we started collecting bikes that we had as kids. We found and have most of those so we began collecting Classic Muscle Bikes. The collecting turned in to hoarding and the rest is history!
www.Classicmusclebikes.com
Mikey

[RGlideKid]

72 Suzuki GT550 3 cylinder

Hey Chuck!
Funny story for you about the GT550.  My dad fought 2 tours in the south Pacific in WWII fighting the Japanese.  He came home with a distinct hatred for anything made in Japan.  Fast forward to the late 60's and I buy my first bike, a Suzuki 50cc Gaucho.  Then my second, a 125cc Kaw.  Then my third, a 400cc Kaw.  In the meantime, my dad buys a 250cc Triumph Trials bike.  I only drove it a few times, and felt it was quite inferior to my metric bikes.  Just before I leave home after college, dad comes home with a mid-70's GT550, which he rode the heck out of for many years to come.  After that, I noticed a few "made in Japan" things in their house, but he always refused to buy anything made by Mitsubishi for the rest of his life.  He hated to admit it, but he loved that old Suzuki of his!

[RGlideKid]

Well I finally stumbled across a picture of my first bike!  This was taken in1973.  I really did have hair back then.  I have to chuckle,  Frye boots, flaired jeans, wide belt any watch strap, it was very cool back then. 

Edit: what a dumb ass expression!

Wow!  Is that a yellow helmet?  Guess you were going for hi-rez even back then, John!

[Grizzly]

I had ridden bikes through my teenage years but they were borrowed from friends.

After purchasing my first bike  (1983 Honda V45 Magna), and 3 days prior to picking it up from the shop,  I broke my foot playing in a ball hockey tournament.

My friend and neighbour (who convinced me I needed a bike, but that was because he had one and no one to ride with), picked up my new bike for me, and it sat in my garage for the next 5 weeks until my cast was off. 

After outfitting it with custom made leather saddlebags and a tombstone windshield, my friends called it my Honda-Davidson.  It was a fun bike to ride.

A few years later I got serious and bought my dream bike (1991 Heritage Softail Classic) which I still ride today!

[RGlideKid]

I had ridden bikes through my teenage years but they were borrowed from friends.

After purchasing my first bike  (1983 Honda V45 Magna), and 3 days prior to picking it up from the shop,  I broke my foot playing in a ball hockey tournament.

My friend and neighbour (who convinced me I needed a bike, but that was because he had one and no one to ride with), picked up my new bike for me, and it sat in my garage for the next 5 weeks until my cast was off. 

After outfitting it with custom made leather saddlebags and a tombstone windshield, my friends called it my Honda-Davidson.  It was a fun bike to ride.

A few years later I got serious a bought my dream bike (1991 Heritage Softail Classic) and still ride it today!

Cool story!  I looked at an '82 in the same model back when I was in the service.  Test drove it and a Kaw 750.  Opted for a Suzuki 750 based on ergonomics and all-around feel.  They were all three cool bikes.  It was a tough choice.

[Lars]

My first bike was a belt final drive Whizzer that my older brother got during one of his travels and gave it to me. That was in the late 50's. I was around 10 or 12 years old. I didn't ride it on the street but I wore an oval path out in the pasture next to our home. Those were the days.
Like others have stated, we were too poor to even think about taking pictures back in those days.

[fastfreddy]

Mikey i took a look at the link in your post... are those your bikes ?? my last metric was a KZ900 LTD and man i miss that bike. have always thought about getting another one