[68grandprix]

It's cool to see that there are so many cafe enthusiasts out there. I'm 21 and I own a '75 Cb750, and when I get my taxes back I'll have a '73 T500. The Cb was sitting in a lawn for a few years and I asked the guy if he'd sell it, and he said $200. It kicked over and that was enough for me. I had it running in three days, and the huge seat rack was taken off soon after. I've since tuned it up, put on clubmans, and built a fiberglass solo seat. Right now I'm getting it ready for paint (I went to school for auto collision repair, and painted at a dealer for four months). It has 46,000miles, so I'm planning an 836cc rebuild if I can save some money. I'd post a pic if I knew how.
I was wondering if there were any vintage bike races or events in Iowa? I haven't seen anything about them on the site, and I don't know of any road courses around here. It seems most people are (around here) are all about Harleys. Thanks, Jimmy

 

[texmawby]

jimmy,

check out these race orgs.....

www.ahrma.org
www.wera.com

google cmra (don't know the address).

there are some really cool vintage bike people from iowa. met a guy named dale who had a team hansen honda replica at daytona a few years back. good people. good luck!

tex

p.s.- you ever make it to the east coast, we'll take you racing with us for sure! welcome to the sight. damn, i'm in a chippery good freakin' mood today!

 

[Eric750]

Jimmy were in ia are close to des moines. there are a few of us
down here. one guy is a great tech on a lot of old stuff.
hope to see you around these parts this summer.


Eric

 

[68grandprix]

Thanks for the welcome and the links Tex. I do have family in Connecticut, so maybe I will make it to the east coast some time.
-Eric, I'm in Coggon, which is about 30 miles north of Cedar Rapids, so I'm about two hours from Des Moines. What do you guys usually do during the summer? Jimmy

 

[Eric750]

jimmy there is alot a fun rides south and we go out to mid america.
at least once. we'll see what this summer brings my wife and a other
other girl went down last summer and she has not picked a new one
out yet.so it mite just be the guys out this summer.


eric

 

[texmawby]

you iowa guys should think about riding to the ama round at road america. the ama does a sidecar exhibition class. some of the guys/gals from our club (uscra) haul their rigs out there to race. it's a good time and quite a spectacle.

jimmy, pack the bike and head back east to visit the family this summer. cordinate it to a weekend when the uscra is running up at nhis (loudon, nh). it will be a hoot.

cheers!

tex

 

[FR]

Golly Tex, a hoot? D'ya promise? I'm coming too!

FR

 

[68grandprix]

I looked up mid-america and it's in Omaha, I drove through there last summer. I saw they had a roadracing school, I'd like to do that sometime, so I could get a racing license. It might be something to do this summer, if I can afford it.
-Road America is about 5 hours away, so it's not out of the question.
-Loudon is about 20 hours away, and it's only three hours from where my family lives. I have driven about the same distance to Utah, in my 1968 Pontiac Grand Prix. If I can get another vehicle that gets more than 13mpg, I might be able to make that trip. Of course, maybe I'll win the lottery and not have to worry about gas money, but then that would ruin the whole "low-buck" (otherwise known as broke) vibe I've been trying for in my life. Jimmy

 

[texmawby]

geewilikers fr,

i promise to show you a extra special good time.

tex

 

[KeninIowa]

Hi, check this out www.ciamr.com. I've been over there and watched a couple times. Looks like a super cheap way to get some track time.

 

[kenessex]

Jimmy,
CCS races at Blackhawk Farms in South Beloit, IL. AHRMA races at GRattan, MI and at Gingerman in MI. I am in Western WI during the summer, just east of Minneapolis. I hope to race Gingerman this summer but I am probably going to get sucked into taking a class this June here in Alaska so I can finish my masters. But there are several tracks within 8 hrs or so from you. Go to the riders school and get racing.
Ken

AHRMA 412
Vintage racing - old guys on old bikes

 

[joe c]

and just so we're clear on this, if youre going to race, a days drive becomes easy. so dont hesitate to drive 8 hours for a weekend. its way worth it.


jc

 

[68grandprix]

The ciamr deal looks kind of cool. It's too bad it's just a .7mile go-kart track, but I'm excited because I have a 70s speedway scorpion minibike that I've been thinking about cafe-ing. It's going to have clipons, rearsets(just pegs), a bumpstop seat and fiberglass endurance tank. Right now it's got an old worn out(dead) briggs 5horse that's ported, carb flowed, 3stage header, 3horse flywheel, raptor springs, 3 degree advance key. My friend got it going 50mph beside my 750 before he got scared. When it ran it would stay dead even with my friends minibike(which is much smaller, and I weigh about 60lbs more than him)which had a stock 5horse, until he topped out at 25mph and I just kept pulling. My other friend was hauling ass up and down the street, probably doing about 60mph(not joking, it's geared high because I did away with the factory belt and jackshaft) , when the motor, which was smoking like crazy, finally crapped out. I'll have to build a nice kart spec motor and take it to that track. Jimmy

 

[KeninIowa]

Your mini-bike would be a blast around M-town. I haven't decided if I'm going to motard my dirt bike or buy a pocket bike, but I am going to make it to some days over there this year. By the way I'm in Vinton and working on a GT550. Is the T500 you're getting stock or already cafed?

 

[68grandprix]

The Titan is stock. My friend owns it and he wants to sell it so he can buy a crotch rocket. A few days after I got my clubmans I went over to his house and he had turned the stock bars upside down! I started laughing pretty hard. He took it out and looked idiotic riding it with his hands down by the tire. It wouldn't even wheelie.
-When I do buy it it's going on Ebay (I'm sure I can double my money, and I already told him this and he's fine with it) and I'm using the money to try and buy a 79 RD400F (Daytona Special) from a guy here in town. I haven't seen it out in years. When I asked him about it he said, "Hell no I won't sell my bike!" and he said it needed carb work. That was a year or so ago. I think this time if I show up with money he might be more interested.
-That bike would be the envy of all my friends. One of them has a 73 RD350 that is trashed. It was in decent shape (for a bike that sat in a rickety shed for 15 years)until he let everyone ride it. One friend tried a holeshot and crashed it sideways, bending the bars and breaking the gauge panel, etc. Right after that he let another friend ride it. This friend got many warnings about the wheelie power from us. He said, "I can handle it!" and then went out into the street, went about five feet, cracked the throttle wide open and wore the rd as a hat! His ass was hamburger. The worst thing is, my friend who owns the rd didn't even seem that upset! I would have been crying if that happened to my bike. Jimmy