Kick Start only (well, almost only)

[Thruxton71]

Three motorcycles showed up this last Sunday. I rode my 1966 Velocette Endurance, a S Commando (high pipes.. 1969, 1970 with a lively 750 build), and a Honda GB 500 TT (not a kicker, but it does have a kick start). The Miata and a Dodge Van rounded out the motley crowd. Not much to report, as we rode our favorite road to our favorite turn around, Lynn's leap. The Honda and cages continued to The Place, the Norton and I motored gently back to Ojai and a Mexican breakfast. What can I say about 33 that I haven't obsessed about before? I moved to Ojai over 33 years ago, and started riding every Sunday with Pat Peddicord. We would always ride 33, up to Wolf's grill, avoid drinking the coffee and eating the very bad food, and race back down the hill to the Deer Lodge, before all the cruisers showed up. We would talk about the ride and the bikes. Sometimes, when there was a break down, we would have a coasting race. One can coast from Lynn's leap all the way to the bottom, just past Friend's ranch near town. We were harder on our cycles in those days. Pat twisted his throttle so hard on one infamous straight that the tip tore off. It was full throttle, heads on the tank, any edge would work. JP built a royal Enfield with a Suzuki front end and hot cams that gave the Velocettes fits. It took a triumph Daytona 500 to put him in his place.

So many memories on that strip of tarmac. Mostly good.

Ojai