72 MOTORCYCLETRADER
WritetoMT’[email protected]
orMotorcycleTrader,POBox2094,Oakleigh,Vic 3166CARBDAY
Root hy’s‘CarbLoading’
article (MT #353) reminded
me of my only attempt at
motorcycle journalism,
writing about how to
modify and fit 1967 Honda
450 carbs to a 1970 BMW
R75/5. Bought in early 1970,
the boxer was filled with
problems, from porous
cylinder castings that
leaked, a starter battery that
was too small, a kickstarter
that fell off and horrible
carburation. The idle would
constantly rise and fall by
itself, causing much grief.
I was a poor grad student
in Gainesville, Florida,
and used the bike as
primary transport, but it
got me hating riding.
I noticedtheKeihin
Hondacarbsofmy
previousCL450werealso
constant velocity and
32mm. I bought a used
set and they fit perfectly
using the original tubes
and mounts. The choke
set up meant only one
carb was choked, but
it ran great after a bit
of rejetting. I wrote
a short article with a
friend taking pictures to
illustrate how to make the
change, the story of which
appeared in a spring
1973 edition of Cycle
Mechanics quarterly (US)
and was the only article I
was paid to write ($140) in
my 40 years as a writer.
I still have the bike,
but the carbs were
changedback 10 yearsLETTER OF THEISSUE
FIRST BIKE & GIRLFRIEND
In response to your article
about first bike/girlfriend,
I’ve attached a few photos
when I was 18, back in
1973.
I survived on the Mach
III for three years then
bought a Bonnie. The girlMailbox
Y O U R
LETTERS
ago by Bruce at Munich
Motorcycles in Perth.
Thanks for the memories.
Dick Mizerski
[email protected]MONOSHOCKS, MANY
BIKES AND MY SON
Far be it for me to call into
question the infallibility of
Mr Falloon, but his article
on the Bimota SB2 in the
December issue contains
a couple of errors which
I, being a pedant, couldn’t
help but notice.
Fi r s t ly, Mr Falloon
makes mention of ‘the
monoshock Yamaha
RD400’ when speaking of
the streetbikes of the ’70s.
I’m old enough to fondly
remember the ’70s as my
formative motorcycling
years. In fact, the RD400
was the first road bike
I ever rode. A friend
came over one day with
a brand-new RD400 he’d
just bought from ClipstoneYamaha in Ringwood,
Victoria. He offered me a
ride, which was an offer
I couldn’t refuse. Despite
having never ridden
anything bigger than my
trusty Honda SL70, I was
confident I could tame the
big Yammie and even show
my friend a few tricks.
“Don’t take it over
5000rpm” was the distant
trailing voice of my friend
as I sped off down the
street. Well, that was like
telling a five-year-old not
to eat the jellybeans in
front of him. As the bike
hit 5000rpm, the front
wheel began pointing
skyward. A sudden clutch
pull saw that wheel hit
the road just as hastily.
A crowd had gathered,
mostly my friends who
were mightily impressed
at my riding prowess, little
knowing I was completely
out of control.
It was a long time ago,
but I do recall that theeventually bought her own
CB750 and realised she
liked girls as much as I did.
Dave Pendrich
[email protected]If it makes you feel any
better, Dave, Spannerman’s
record for repulsing
girlfriendsto switch teams
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LOADING MOTORCYCLE TRADER 99
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