READERS AND
RIDERS
The adventure of a lifetime
Here is a picture of me (on the Yammy)
and my good buddy Bob Kass (Captain
America) taken in May 1971. In a few weeks
we took off on a summer adventure of a
lifetime. Leaving our homes in Michigan,
we traveled west across Canada, south
on the Pacific Coast Highway and finally
east on Route 66 towards home, nearly
8,000 miles and more than eight weeks
in the saddle. I still ride and enjoy your
magazine. I currently have a 1972 Yamaha
XS650 and a Ducati Scrambler. Thanks for
a great magazine.
Chuck Proulx/via emailChuck,
What a road trip that must have been. Thanks
for sharing the memories! — Ed.Triumphs gone,
but not forgotten
I am a longtime subscriber to Motorcycle
Classics. I currently ride a 2017 Triumph
Bobber and I really dig the torque of
that engine! I have had many bikes over
the last 43 years, including a Yamaha
Radian which I really liked a lot. It was
a good looking machine. I also had a
1989 Sporty which fit my 5-foot-7-inch
frame just right. Somewhere along the“I rode the wheels off of that machine.”
Rider: Fred Hawley, Middletown, New Jersey
Age: 69
Occupation: Electrical engineer
Rides: 1966 Honda CL77, 1978 Honda CB550, 1975 Honda
CB750, 1975 Yamaha XS650, 1981 Yamaha 750 Virago and
2006 Harley-Davidson 883 SportsterI have always had a passion for
motorcycles ever since I was a young
boy growing up in the Sixties in
Stratford, Connecticut. That’s not
surprising considering my dad owned
several Harley-Davidson motorcycles. I
still remember my dad picking me up
from grammar school on his Harley
— very cool for an 8-year-old boy.
On my 16th birthday I was ready for
my first motorcycle. Seeing Honda’s
ad campaign “You Meet the Nicest
People on a Honda,” I set my goal
on a Honda CL77 Scrambler. My dad
insisted I first learn to ride his 1,200cc
Harley — not an easy task for a skinny
130-pound boy.
After learning to ride Dad’s Harley,
I headed over to my local Honda
dealer with $700 cash, earned from
my paper route, to buy a new 1966
Honda CL77 Scrambler. At this
moment, I knew my life was about to
change. Riding my 305cc Scrambler
to high school every day, I instantly
transformed from a nerdy kid to a
cool dude on a 305 Honda. The fol-
lowing year my brother Ray turned
16 years old and purchased a new1967 Scrambler. This photo shows me and Ray in 1967 on our
Scramblers. Ray’s bike is totally stock while mine has new paint,
a custom seat and, of course, straight pipes.
Fast forward 50 years, I wondered if any 305 Scramblers exist-
ed in running condition. I was surprised to see many for sale, but
very few in the Northeast. I did find
one in California on eBay advertised as
original and in good running condi-
tion. I purchased the bike sight unseen
for $3,200 plus $600 to ship it from
California to my home in New Jersey.
After a new set of spark plugs and
some fresh gas, she fired up with only
a few kicks.
Today I ride my Scrambler to local
car and motorcycle shows and enjoy
guys telling me how much fun they
had on their 305 Scramblers. I tell
them I rode to high school, college,
and basically all over the state of
Connecticut. I even met my wife on
my Scrambler when she came up to
me and asked for a ride, and the rest
is history. Today after 50 years of mar-
riage she refuses to get on the back
stating she wants to be around for our
five grandkids.
I enjoy all my vintage motorcycles,
especially my Honda fours. However,
I have the fondest memories of my
teenage years every time I hop on my
little 305 Scrambler to go for a ride
around town. I tell my wife I’m taking
my “little sweetie” for a ride and she
affectionately smiles and says, “Be safe
and enjoy.”8 MOTORCYCLE CLASSICS September/October 2019
Fred and his 305 Scrambler today (above). Ray
(right) and Fred and their Scramblers in 1967.RIDERS
Bob Kass (left) and Chuck Proulx,
ready for adventure in May 1971.