My first bike was a FT500 Ascot, which coincidentally, ended up being my first race bike. I commuted with that bike for a year or so (Dad said if I wanted to drive, I had to buy my own vehicle- so I bought a bike!) until I seized the engine while riding to El Campo. Who knew an air cooled 500 wasn’t really built for hot Texas commuting??!!?!?
During that time as a kid, learning to ride, getting my first wreck out of the way, and learning what degenerate criminals local big motorcycle shops were, I started to develop a way of thinking about how I wanted to conduct myself in the motorcycling community. I got screwed on more than one occasion by the local big Honda shop, who stole more than their fair share of my money for work they never performed. I finally found some ethical business owners at the now defunct Kawasaki of Stafford. They gave me lots of help and rebuilt my engine (with a big oversized pop-up Wiseco piston) while selling me a better commuter, a KZ 550 LTD. With the KZ around, I had a reliable commuter and now, a hopped up thumper. Hopped up thumper, what to do, what to do…
My friend Kevin Ward, local guy who raced with the likes of Doug Polen and other notables, invited me and a friend to the local races in College Station. I was hooked. I went to Oak Hill and got my license to race from Charles Brothers, who along with is Wife (the late Connie Brothers) ran the CRRC (Central Road Racing Club). I did some races and quickly found out that a rider with very little money, no help (or knowledge of my racing) from my parents, don’t last long in club racing. I did get a set of Cheng Shin “race” tires from a local vendor though. I made those suckers last forever! It was a miracle nobody was killed with those tires.
Back in those days, motorcycle shops didn’t seem to mind taking a little advantage of ignorant customers I think. I had a really hard time finding a reputable shop to get work done, so I decided to learn on my own. I trust me after all. Now, I do just about all of my own work except for a few things. I don’t do my own suspension work for my race bike, simply because other racers ride it (endurance racing), and I would rather just leave my faith in the professional builder for something like that. Otherwise, I’ve converted several bikes from street to race, and made more repairs and modifications to race bike than I can recall.
All of that is some of the reasons I want people to patronize my preferred vendors. Now, we have local shops that have loads of integrity! Andy at Metric Motorcycles in the Heights of Houston, is an incredible talent! He won’t screw people, and won’t tell you he can do something that he can’t. He has ethics, and morals. He also has a bitchin’ shop with a complete machine shop and dynometer! The shop is extremely clean, all the time, and Andy’s knowledge is without peer.
John Hutchinson with South Central Race Center is another one of those reputable guys. His tires are the best in the Texas region, and his Bridgestones keep on rockin’ my butt around the track. We had some class wins on his tires, and ended up third overall in our class on the Bridgestone slicks!
Patrick at Motorcycles Unlimited is another one of those unique folks that I didn’t think existed in the motorcycling community. With a racing background himself, and a sponsored team/ rider now, his knowledge is very valuable to any racer. It’s just a bigger benefit that he can get just about any part, any piece of gear, or perform any service that any racer could want/ need. None of that withstanding, the fact that once per month, he holds a clinic for street riders that want to learn more about their motorcycle and how to maintain it speaks volumes for the man. Basically, that takes business away from his shop! He does it for the “greater good” for the community. Class act.
Finally, there are now internet communities, and track day organizations. Motohouston.com and some other local web sites keep local riders in touch, organize rides, and organize “meets” offer vendors for riders. Man, if this community would have been around when I was a kid, I think my entry to the motorcycling community would have been much easier!
Track days back then were- go to Oak Hill and ride around that track until your heart’s content. Now, we have the ability to attend 3 or 4 organization’s track days. In my opinion, there is only one, the original in this area- Lone Star Track Days. Owned by Steve Macnamara, Jeff Grant, and Wade Pruetz, they provide a safe, organized and professionally run track riding experience at 3 different venues! The three owners conceived and launched this organization after attending a track day at Daytona. They’ve been running for 8 years now, and things only have gotten better. None of these guys do this to get rich, they do it for the pure enjoyment of the sport, and to promote racing in this area. They provide licensing classes for CMRA racers, and also provide track days for benefits. Another class act!
Anyway, things are different now from 1985. I’m sure those that have ridden longer than med didn’t think ’85 was so bad in comparison to earlier years. I think things like that actually were very beneficial because things like that taught people to be self-sufficient. I know it did with me.
Please, don’t hesitate to contact me for help or advice. I’ll do the best I can!