DESTINATION EUSTIS WHAT’S INSIDE: the National Motorcycle Museum
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Volume 35 / Number 3 JUNE/JULY 2014 • $5 DESTINATION EUSTIS WHAT’S INSIDE: The National Motorcycle Museum Death Valley Ride Honda Gauge Lube OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE VINTAGE JAPANESE MOTORCYCLE CLUB OF NORTH AMERICA, INC. IN THIS ISSUE FEATURES RIDES: Fantasy Ride 6 EVENTS: The International Motorcycle Show 12 PROJECT BIKE: Super Cub how a little honda introduced me to the 19 joy of two-wheeled motoring MAINTENANCE & RESTORATION: Honda Gauge Lube 23 COLLECTIONS: The National COVER STORY Motorcycle Museum 25 years of celebrating DESTINATION 26 motorcycling history EUSTIS EVENTS: 32 2014 Vintage Motorcycle Festival 38 at LeMay RIDES: Death Valley 2014 42 DEPARTMENTS PRESIDENT’S LETTER: EVENTS: Ride Every Day This Summer .............................................................5 Bikes on the Beach BACK IN THE DAY: 46 The Black Bomber ............................................................................ 17 RIDING SAFETY: REVIEW: Long-Distance Riding The Tiddler Invasion: Small Motorcycles of the Sixties ............. 57 in Hot Weather 51 TECH HELP: Tech Tip #2: Where Can I Find Parts? ..........................................59 Volume 35 / Number 3 JUNE/JULY 2014 • $5 ADVERTISER’S SPOTLIGHT DESTINATION EUSTIS ................................................... WHAT’S INSIDE: Rick’s Motorsport Electrics, Inc. 63 The National Motorcycle Museum Death Valley Ride ON THE COVER Honda Gauge Lube EVENTS CORNER ....................................................................... VJMC member bikes 65 lined up at “Beads and Bikes,” in downtown CLASSIFIEDS ................................................................................66 Eustis, on the evening OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE VINTAGE JAPANESE MOTORCYCLE CLUB OF NORTH AMERICA, INC. before the show cover photo: Michael Fitterling VI NTAGE JAPANESE MOTORCYCLE MAGAZINE 3 PRESIDENT’S LETTER Ride Every Day This Summer Official Publication of the VJMC ometimes you just have to set some tough personal goals. I have JUNE/JULY 2014 Scommitted to riding my two wheel motorized critters every day Volume 35, Number 3 this summer. After the winter from hell, even here in Georgia, the Current VJMC Enrollment: 3779 need to ride dominates my fun center. I hope you will join me in PRESIDENT exercising the Japanese bikes in our garages because that’s what it’s Tom Kolenko all about—the ride. When people ask me what I ride, I reply with the 770-427-4820 [email protected] usual, “Whatever runs.” It may be a Honda minitrail, CB160, RD60, or my favorite CB400F, and none are show bikes, but all bring a EDITOR Michael Fitterling smile to this 62 year old face. Keep the ride alive. 863-632-1981 The VJMC has a full slate of vintage events for the membership in 2014. Event Coordina- [email protected] tor, Pete Slatcoff, has posted a great lineup on the website and in this magazine. Members DESIGN DIRECTOR often ask me why we don’t do something in their state or area. It all begins with one com- Nadine G. Messier [email protected] mitted, selfless volunteer who jump starts the process. Ideally, they have several friends or family who also commit to the task. This model seems to work everywhere those individu- CLASSIFIED ADS Gary Gadd als exist: Idaho, Scottsdale, Kansas City, Kentucky, South Carolina, Ohio, and other locales. 817-284-8195 Sometimes it starts with area field representatives, but more often from fresh blood who [email protected] just want to make things happen. The VJMC Board is committed to helping these member DISPLAY AD DIRECTOR volunteers get started in establishing successful annual events in their areas. Guido Cardillo As this club has grown, we have been increasingly asked to partner with other motorcycle 404-587-0190 [email protected] organizations and participate at existing events. We evaluate these offers on a case-by-case AD SALES REPRESENTATIVE basis, evaluating the likelihood that our membership will benefit directly or that the event Art Snow can recruit new members. The VJMC has built a solid reputation on its volunteers and the [email protected] quality of their contributions to events. If we don’t have a committed group of VJMC boots MEMBERSHIP DIRECTOR on the ground for an event, it makes little sense to proceed. Bill Granade Feel free to bring your ideas or event proposals to any of our board members. The Na- 813-961-3737 [email protected] tional Rally in Spring Mill, Indiana, will also host our required annual Board of Directors meeting. This provides another great opportunity to share your ideas and recommenda- CHANGE OF ADDRESS Please direct these requests to Bill Granade: tions with the leadership of this club. It should be our largest rally ever, with the inn already [email protected] sold out of rooms. ADDITIONAL COPIES It is my pleasure to announce the addition of Guido Carrillo to the VJMC Board of Di- I n order to minimize unnecessary expenses rectors. He has served as Advertising Director for the past four months and brings years of to the club, VJMC prints a limited number of each issue of Vintage Japanese Motorcycle motorcycling industry experience to the job. While trained as a mechanical engineer, he Magazine. However, we would be glad to has been a flat track racer, partner in an upstate New York dealership, sales and marketing accommodate any requests for additional director for Unisys, and remains a passionate motorcyclist. Advertising is a very important copies from members. These requests must be submitted before the VJMC revenue generator, which keeps the cost to produce this magazine reasonable. Wel- 15th of the month preceding each issue. For come aboard Guido! example: for the Feb/Mar issue requests must One of our strongest supporters, the Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum, has also been be received by January 15. officially recognized by Guinness World Records as the world’s largest motorcycle muse- MISSION STATEMENT: The purpose of this organization is to promote um. Our congratulations to George Barber and his whole team for creating the world’s best the preservation, restoration, and enjoyment motorcycle museum, where visitors are treated to great Southern hospitality and amazing of vintage Japanese motorcycles (defined here motorcycle eye candy. This year will mark the tenth anniversary of the Barber Vintage as those 20 years old or older). The VJMC also will promote the sport of motorcycling and Festival, and over 65,000 guests are anticipated. This explosive growth has necessitated a cameraderie of motorcyclists everywhere. new, larger location on-site for the VJMC at this October event. Make plans now to attend © 2014 Vintage Japanese Motorcycle Club of this premier event. North America, an IRS-approved Not-for-prof- it 501(c)(7) corporation. All rights reserved. This club depends and runs on dedicated volunteers. They are generous with their time No part of this document may be reproduced and talents, which keeps this club growing. If a club is not growing, it’s dying. Our twelve or transmitted without permission. All articles copyright by their respective authors. board members meet monthly via conference calls to keep this club on course. It is a great Vintage Japanese Motorcycle Magazine is team of which I am proud to be a member. Equally gratifying is meeting so many new published six times per year, in February, members energized by the same love of classic Japanese motorcycles. Sharing rides, resto- April, June, August, October, and December. The views and opinions expressed in letters rations, and memories with others keeps everyone engaged and young. You can share your or other content are those of the author and motorcycle wisdom in person at rallies or through the pages of this magazine. do not necessarily represent VJMC policy. The VJMC accepts no liability for any loss, damage, or claims occuring as a result of advice given Ride safe and often this summer! in this publication or for claims made by ad- vertisers of products or services in this pub- lication. Tom Kolenko VJMC President VI NTAGE JAPANESE MOTORCYCLE MAGAZINE 5 Fantasy Ride 6 JUNE/JULY 2014 RIDES A 1928 New Standard D-25 five-seat aircraft was designed for both agricultural use and for joyriding VI NTAGE JAPANESE MOTORCYCLE MAGAZINE 7 Our bikes lined up for the afternoon ride led by my cherry 1972 Honda CB500 8 JUNE/JULY 2014 by Vince Ciotti / [email protected] f you ride in central Florida, you may have seen Fantasy of Flight in Polk City—an Iamazing collection of dozens of vintage aircraft from WWI and WWII right off of I-4. They have a wide array of aircraft on display including: WWI Sopwith Camel and Fokker Triplane; WWII P-51, B-25, B-26, Corsair, Hellcat, PBY Catalina; a V-1 “Buzz Bomb” and Viper rocket plane; Constellation and Sunderland Flying Boat passenger planes. They also have a great variety of historic engines, from early four-cylinders and ra- dials of the WWI era, double radials and V-12s that roared during WWII, and even a V-24 and H-24 that tried to keep up with early jets. Sadly, Fantasy of Flight’s proximity to Disney World doomed them to being only a “second rate” attraction, and, on Sun- day, April 6, they closed their doors to the public. The Florida VJMC chapter scheduled its spring ride there on that day to see these treasures one last time, enjoy lunch at their Compass Rose diner, and take a ride through the sweet-smelling orange groves nearby. About twenty bikers showed up to tour the planes and enjoy the eighty-mile ride on two-lane blacktops without a single traffic light! The photos and captions tell the rest of the story. Thanks to all who cared enough about these vintage flying machines to take their vintage two-wheeled ma- chines to see them! l TOP: A prop commercial airliner sits outside the north hangar ABOVE RIGHT: A tri-motor with float plane behind LEFT: A Wright Flyer hangs above WWI and WWII aircraft in the main hangar VI NTAGE JAPANESE MOTORCYCLE MAGAZINE 9 VJMC’s Bill Granade rode all the way from Tampa on I-4 – about as dangerous as Lindburgh crossing the Atlantic! Overview of the 20+ bikes that showed up Mitsubishi A6M “Zero” being restored 10 JUNE/JULY 2014 The International Motorcycle Show by Kelli Bones ppreciation for the vintage bike hung thick in the air all weekend.