Alfredo brought back memories

[gordonscott]

Alfredo's thread "Christmas for my 8 year old daughter" http://www.xs650.com/forum/showthread.php?t=4956 brought back some memories I have no kids and have no excuse to buy one but in the back of my head always wanted another z50 like I got on Christmas day in 1976, my first bike. Well that thread pushed me over the edge so I bought one Top picture is me in "76" and bottom is the one I just bought Now I have to drive all the way from Mass to PA to get it On the bright side my wife is going with me and she said it will give us time to talk Love ya honey

 

[Wildwillyjohn]

My first bike was a hard tail maroon/silver z50 (1968) picked it up and mom put it in the trunk of our 1968 camaro convertible 327/275hp 4spd
folded the handle bars and shoved her in. Rode it till I was 17 .
Best toy for a kid
Billy

 

[XSLeo]

My first was a Rupp mini bike. About the same size as your Honda. A horizontal shaft engine with a belt drive like a snowmobile. It was purple and had all the lights to be road legal. Lots of fun.
I have thought about getting one like it. Till I found a few and saw what people were selling them for.

 

[alfredo]

This is Great!

Can't wait to see pictures and vids of this thing. Hope you guys faired well on the journey too

 

[gordonscott]

Hi Guys, Well I picked up the bike this past weekend and was in the car for 12hrs strait Had to wait to take the trip because of snow delays It's finaly home (in the livingroom ) and is in real good shape for being a 35yo kids toy. I checked the #'s and it is the 109th off the assembly line. Buying this reminded me I'm not a kid anymore in body, spirit only. I hurt my back lifting it into the hatchback (I have a realy bad back already) and have been in a lot of pain since Between lifting this and the constant snow/ice storms I'm almost non-mobile, going to doctors today to see if they can snap me back into shape Anyway enough about my old sorry self here is the bike

 

[alfredo]

This thing looks awesome!! really. . . .

Hope the doc fixes the bones so you can give it a test ride.

 

[pyroman]

I have quite a few bikes, and My 69 Z50A-K1 is My Favorite. It came to me in zip lock baggies and cigar boxes. In addition to a lot of hours of labor, I poured more money than I care to admit into it. Identical to the bike I learned to ride on. We used to play then came Bronson on a Z-50! LOL Now, it sits in the shop next to My Bronson replica bike!

 

[pyroman]

My first was a Rupp mini bike. About the same size as your Honda. A horizontal shaft engine with a belt drive like a snowmobile. It was purple and had all the lights to be road legal. Lots of fun.
I have thought about getting one like it. Till I found a few and saw what people were selling them for.

I have been trying to get a Rupp for a long time. They go for a premium. Pawn Stars has a red one on display in their shop. I tried to find out what they want for it, but they wont reply to My e-mails. Every time i bid on E-gay, it either is too high, or a rust bucket.Here are some of My minis.

 

[BigBoreSwede]

Woohoo......this is fun!!

My first bike also was a Z-50. I´m unsure about year but it did had "buffalo" handelbars and headlight with speedometer in it. I remember it red.......and expencive. At least my father said I did not care about money.....I just ride it.......anywhere and anytime.
It´s a long time since but I can still remember the special sound that came out of it

Now this was the time when the Yamaha PW 50 came along and every kid had one of these.....except me. The Z-50 was heavy and slow.....at least on the track so I told my father I was in need of something better and faster.

I ended up with a Yamaha YZ 80cc -77...79 something. It had been tuned by some "farmer" and run like hell!! It had no kickstart and clutch was broken but the 2-stroke got me flying, figuratively speaking.

15 years later I still enjoy riding Yamaha....XS of course The YZ are in bits and pieces...but complete in my fathers storage. Someday I´ll have it re-bulid!!

/BigBoreSwede

 

[littlebill31]

My first bike was a Z50 aswell. I loved that thing. I got bigger and so did the bikes. My friends and I raced 60s and 80s on the weekends with a local assoc and had a blast, but I think everyone of us still had a Z50. We would run the crap out of them. Later we put street tires on them and started a little black top oval racing. Some had the YSR50 (the little street bike) and were faster, but us Z50 guys could change the wheels back and go in the dirt. After becoming adults we bought a couple newer ones. I got '99. About a month later we had folded the forks on the new ones. They can hold an adult, but down hill doubles are a bad idea. They old ones held up though. Great little bikes. I still kick myself for getting rid of them.

 

[jbgore]

Z50 was my first, as well. It was orange and white, purchased used in 1975. It seemed like it weighed a million pounds, but boy was it fun! My brother was on a green and white SL100 that he stripped all of the lighting off to save weight (not sure how much good that did). Good times!

 

[pyroman]

Z50 was my first, as well. It was orange and white, purchased used in 1975. It seemed like it weighed a million pounds, but boy was it fun! My brother was on a green and white SL100 that he stripped all of the lighting off to save weight (not sure how much good that did). Good times!

The Z-50 cost $240 brand new, in 69. A lot of money in those days! My first real bike was a 72 SL-100, which I am about to restore.

 

[emzdogz]

I had a Z50A, too. Candy red with white, as I recall. In about oh, 72?
Then I got a CT70H, which was the trail 70 but with a real hand clutch. Nice! it was like a metallic orange.
Then a couple years later a used SL100 with aftermarket dirt stuff on it. That one was lime green and boy did I have a blast on it, as there were lots of woods nearby.
I would say my parents spoiled me!
I really wanted an SL70 or the Yam mini enduro...but the ones I had were big fun. Wish I had pics.

oh! and then years later when I lived in Germany, I had ANOTHER Z-50, called a "Monkey" over there and I rode that thing all over - on the sidewalk no less. I'm surprised I was never, err, apprehended.

 

[emzdogz]

soooooooooo cool to see you all's pics!

 

[BigBoreSwede]

I had a Z50A, too. Candy red with white, as I recall. In about oh, 72?
Then I got a CT70H, which was the trail 70 but with a real hand clutch. Nice! it was like a metallic orange.
Then a couple years later a used SL100 with aftermarket dirt stuff on it. That one was lime green and boy did I have a blast on it, as there were lots of woods nearby.
I would say my parents spoiled me!
I really wanted an SL70 or the Yam mini enduro...but the ones I had were big fun. Wish I had pics.

oh! and then years later when I lived in Germany, I had ANOTHER Z-50, called a "Monkey" over there and I rode that thing all over - on the sidewalk no less. I'm surprised I was never, err, apprehended.

Yeah...here in Sweden you would call the bike "Monkeybike" instead of Z-50. Guess monkeys are more fun! There was also this "Gorilla", a bigger version of the Z-50 but they were....and are kind of unusual here in Sweden.

/BigBoreSwede

 

[chopfather]

That is a cool little Honda. I had a red Z50 when I was about 2-1/2 and my dad would get on it and put me in front of him so I could use the throttle since I couldn't reach the pegs. That was a tough and fun bike !

 

[pyroman]

When you think about it, the Z-50 Honda is actually teaching its fourth generation of Kids to ride. Many of them have never been re-built! And still hauling kids (big and little) around just like when they were new! A tough little SOB. Mine is rather spoiled. It is usually on display in My sunroom, but then, I grab it and ride it out the front door. The local Cops just smile and shake their heads, they never bother this old hippie, on a little blue bike.....

 

[MrBillohnooo]

Well Pyro, considering the way Buffalo High town cops are known to be that's cool!....but if I saw ya riding it, I would probably chuckle too!

 

[rwingsfan]

My first was a Rupp also. It was a Rupp Roadster 5hp with a chrome gas tank and shocks front and rear. I had the best mini in the neighborhood until a guy got a Z-50, iwas jealous then. Now I would just as soon have the Roadster, man those thing are nuts on evilbay and CL.

My first was a Rupp mini bike. About the same size as your Honda. A horizontal shaft engine with a belt drive like a snowmobile. It was purple and had all the lights to be road legal. Lots of fun.
I have thought about getting one like it. Till I found a few and saw what people were selling them for.

 

[rwingsfan]

Oh yeah I forgot, my dad traded my Rupp for a ladder......