On The Pegs June 2020 - Volume 5 - Issue 6 | Page 118
On The Pegs 118
compliment I was ever paid was by a competitor was at the Houston yacht club
in Houston Texas. We had sailed a regatta and at the party afterwards I was at the
keg to get another beer. A guy I didn’t know said “I haven’t seen you out lately“.
I told him I’ve been busy at work and that I had not been able to come out for a
few weeks. Mind you, that year, I spent 36 weekends of the year racing a boat for
a neurologist on Galveston Bay South of Houston, Texas. The guy at the keg asked
me what boat I was on. I told him I was on Synapse, and his answer was “can you
believe Dr. Bill (the boat owner) hires a guy from Oklahoma to sail his boat?“ I told
him yes I can believe that. To that he asked, “where are you living now”? My response
was Tulsa, Oklahoma.... He said “oh, you’re the guy!” To that I just nodded
my head and got another beer! By far the best compliment I’ve ever been paid!
I started riding again in 1988 I think it was. I bought a 86 TY 350 Mono. Had it
for a couple of years and rode some regional events and quit again.
I got the bug again recently after a 30 year hiatus. This time it got started with
a want to ride again and a call to my old friend Lane Leavitt from California USA
while sitting in the parking lot of a Lowe’s Home improvement center one Sunday
morning. I told him that I had the bug to start rid-ing again and he immediately
suggested that I ditch the idea of a modern bike and return to my roots and get a
Yamaha Twin Shock like I had in the 70’s. He and I started scouring the web for a
good scooter to start with. I had one located in Western Colorado USA but never
could come to terms on a purchase with the owner. I ended up driving 12 hours
one-way to Tennessee to look at one. It looked a lot better than what it really was
but I didn’t know it at the time. I ended up buy-ing it and within 2 hours after
reaching home, I had it disassembled down to the bare frame. I thought I was
getting a respectable motorcycle to start with. But, the more parts I took off of
it the more I uncovered the dirty secret it had hidden! I. I started my laundry list
of what I needed to make it right again. The list was immense. I contacted Bob
Ginder at B&J Racing in Dickson, Tennessee USA and gave him my list and Cred
Card Number. He and other suppliers around the globe helped in procuring the
ever-lengthening list of spares. Suppliers from Canada, The United States, Spain,
Japan, England, Scot-land, Taiwan and the Netherlands have assisted in helping
build a scooter that blows away my Factory Yamaha I had in the 70’s. I have replaced
Front & Rear Rims, Stainless Spokes, Wheel Bearings and seals, Brake Shoes,
Domino Throttle Assembly, Boysen Two Stage Reeds and Reed Block Spacer, All
New Cables, 520 Chain Conversion, MSR Shift Lever, 76-77 Seat & Brackets, Front
& Rear Fenders, Modified Clutch Assembly, Elec-tronic Ignition , Alloy Skid Plate
, New Domino Lever Assemblies, Fork Seals and Wip-ers, Footpeg Lowering Kit,