Last Update to this page: 12/17/07
I made my first bike while in high school that had a 3 HP Clinton Engine on it and was built on a 26" bicycle frame, with wheel barrow tires and no brakes.
I didn't want to stop anyway! I have no pictures of it.
I finally found a picture of my second bike. In 1971, I bought a Red 1966 Honda Super 90 from the Honda shop in Galesburg for $50 and it was the first bike I had that was manufactured. I sold this bike the following year for $75. It was way too small to outrun the traffic. 55 if you laid on the tank, going downhill. Some kids tried to push me off the road with daddy's station wagon and I couldn't get away from them. Luckily they got bored with the game. I decided I needed a bigger motor.
My Panhead, 1974, as she was when I got her from Brad. She needed finishing, like brakes and shift mechanisms. She had a "Mousetrap Eliminator" but after I laid it down in some gravel, I found a mousetrap setup at a swapmeet and installed it. Much better. She has a Honda 18" front wheel and a 10" over tubes.
My first chopped version of Beulah, 1977. She has a Hallcraft 21" front wheel and still has the 10" over tubes. Lower legs were already turned when I got her.
My offspring, Michael and Robert.
My favorite version of Beulah, 1979, she went back to original form in 1983. She had a 12" over Fury Springer. I molded the gas tank into the frame tube, which many people were doing. That lasted almost a year before the tunnel cracked on the gas tank and I didn't mold anything that big in again.
I also have a 76 Harley SX 250 that I bought in 1979 and rode to work in the winter time at OMC. This is the only bike that I haven't named. I did blow it up once running top speed down the 8 mile Alexis blacktop with Shitbird on his 76 Sportster. Hank Reiman knew immediately why I was rebuilding it. He said they can't do top end racinng. He did get me the parts to rebuild though. The skirt came off the piston. They have a chrome plated cylinder bore and it wasn't hurt as the sudden stop came at a stop sign in Galesburg.
Me and Sky King at 2003 Chiggerfest, put on by Heart of IL ABATE, (Bloomington area) just after Labor Day. Stan has an H-D Roadglide and I am on "V-ger", a Kawasaki 1300 Voyager, 6 cylinder, fuel injected motor. We got V-ger in 1999 at an auction. We pull a pod trailer behind him when we travel for short overnight trips. We always try to make J&P's Open House in Anamosa, and camp out on Friday night.
Tokyo Rosie was reborn as the OMC factory in Galesburg closed in 84. I got Yamadog, a 72 Yamaha XS650, from Doug's Dad, I saved him from sitting out in the weather in Galesburg. He has a special place in our hearts as he showed us that you don't have to have a big engine to have fun! I got Bigdog, the 79 Yamaha xs1100, in 96, and I used him for long rides until I found the 84 Venture Royale in 98. One night, in the early 80's, as I was trying to start Beulah, she coughed and the carb mesh screen had filled with gas and caught on fire. Then the right gas cap started blue flaming. The tanks were full. I burned the inside lining out of my leather jacket trying to stop it. It burned better. Then my wife (at that time) brought a blanket out that was flame retardent. I took the linkert carb off and put it on the shelf. That's the last time that the float would stick with me. I put a Bendix on, and I like it. - Spottydog, a 1978 Yamaha XS650, became my good friend as Yamadog and Beulah both needed repair in 96. Spotty was missing the right side cover, which I found one at a salvage yard in Minnesota. It was Red. Spotty became his name as I didn't paint the red cover right away. I got this bike from Dick Stickle for getting his 72 XS650 running. For those who don't know, they detuned the motors to make them run smoother in the mid 70's. Spotty now has a 72 motor in him and I recently put a 30 tooth rear sprocket on, down from the 34 tooth that is stock. That dropped highway rpm's about 400/500. I get parts online from Mike's XS Our Jan 1, 2000 Ride on the 84 Venture. We had to quit riding "Goldie" as the plastic fairing tabs on the right side started breaking off in 2002. I guess this is a common problem with the Ventures. Yamadog and Spotty's new Sister, Babydog, also a 1978 Yamaha XS650, was reborn in Feb 2005. At the ABATE Charity Bash, in 1985, at the Knox County Fairgrounds in Knoxville. Jim Hawk, Hawk's Tattoos, Galesburg, with his bike. Swede, 1981, with his magneto 63 Sportster. He bought it from "Goose", but it didn't like to run top end (Goose had it set up for 1/8th mile) and shucked the primary chain going to Wataga from Galesburg (last one had to buy). Broke the left case It was well known that I cut peoples' heads off when taking their pictures with my Instamatic camera, as evidenced by the above two photos! Memorial Weekend, 1990, Big River State Forest near Keithsburg, IL on the Mississippi River. Tenth Anniversary Picture with original members (that were present) of the first ABATE of Illinois, District 3, which later became Central Illinois A.B.A.T.E., Inc. on July 29, 1985. Monmouth Sesiquentennial Bike Show, 1981, on the Square, with Bruce's 1951 Panhead Chopper, Swede's 1977 Superglide Custom, and Pure Pork's 1956 Panhead Chopper. It rained a lot that day. We all got certificates for being "Brothers of the Brush", for having facial hair (they had a contest). Galesburg, Swing's Trailer Court, at Swede's place before our trip to Tovey, IL in 1981 for an overnight party put on by ABATE of IL. We were to camp at Sanchris Lake below Springfield. East of Jacksonville, IL, 1981, on the Tovey Run, Bruce's Panhead motor seized up and Newt's back tire on his Sporty went flat. The guys from ABATE of IL came with a Datsun pickup to take them to Tovey. They had to ride in the back to keep the bikes in. West of Lake Storey, at the "Ponderosa", where we held the first Member Appreciation Party, October 17, 1981, ABATE of IL Dist 3. Ed Derry and Tommy Cecil lived there and hosted this party. Ed on Left and Tommy on the Right. West of Lake Storey, at the "Ponderosa", Member Appreciation Party, waiting for people to show up. At Tommy's Trailer on Emery St in Galesburg, late 1970's? We tried to go to a Swap Meet in the Quad Cities earlier in the day, but Max's VW bus had seized the motor when the oilfill cap came off and the oil pumped out the back. Terry Pendry came and got us. We finished the day at Tommy's. At R and K's Annual Columbus Day Party, Kirkwood, IL. This picture made it into a national magazine, but it's been so long ago, don't remember which one. Ron Tinkham (R and K) is getting to set them off on the slow ride. At the 15th Campout, at Big River State Forest South of Keithsburg, IL. Left to right: Pure Pork, unkown, Bird, Swede. Hawk moves Ed's Shovel into the shop and got their picture in the Register-Mail during November 2007. Copyright by Register-Mail 2007. After the 28th Campout,Memorial Weekend 2008, at Big River State Forest South of Keithsburg, IL. Hawk on his panhead on Sunday. After the 28th Campout, at Big River State Forest South of Keithsburg, IL. Mike on his panhead on Sunday. After the 28th Campout, at Big River State Forest South of Keithsburg, IL. Hawk, Swede, Pure Pork on Sunday. After the 28th Campout, at Big River State Forest South of Keithsburg, IL. Hawk, Mike,Pure Pork,Swede on Sunday. I scanned this picture before it completely crumbles into little pieces on 12/3/07. It is from the April 1977 issue of Choppers magazine and is copyrighted by them. A freelance photographer stopped at the gas station across the street and took this picture of "Gunnies" in the winter of 76-77. This is next to the Burlington RR Tracks on East Main in Galesburg. We spent a lot of time there in the late seventies. It still exists, but is now called "The Office". The scan is not a quality, but where stuff looks white on the tires and seats, it's snow! 03/29/08- These are the fire damage pictires below. Cry!!! ................................................... We also have this site: Copyright © 2002-2006 
Beulah needed overhauled in 84, but no job, no money for that. I had to find something else to feed my need to build a bike to ride. For $50, I got Rosie in boxes and rebuilt the engine as the previous owner blew it up going wide open on I-55 on his way to St.Louis, trying to keep up with some girls in a Firebird. It had a stock frame then. It now has a rear frame section from an original rigid Harley that was wrecked in the front section.
(I didn't hurt a good frame!)
I did find a job at Wilson Foods in Monmouth in Feb 1985 and did finally get enough money to get Beulah overhauled. I rode Rosie back and forth to Monmouth in the summers. Wilson's closed in May 1986. After that, I opened Dean's RV Sales & Service in 1987 and am still doing camper repairs.
As you can see, I was still running the 21" Hallcraft at this time. I finally broke down and bought a repop front brake setup so I could put the original style wheel on the front. 
Babydog has a rear aftermarket Duo-Glide style frame section welded on. (Again, I didn't hurt Genuine Parts!) We have a set of fiberglass saddlebags so we can haul stuff when we ride. We took Babydog to Sturgis in 2005 in the back of the dually. We stayed at Glencoe for 14 days, so we took the 17ft Holiday trailer that you can see above in the Chiggerfest picture. We got this bike, not looking for another one, but our very good friend, Hawk, got it in trade for a tattoo. He is a long time friend and likes Triumphs and Harleys, and has Hawk's Tattoos in Galesburg. His picture is below.
Left to Right: Pure Pork, Hawk, Newt, Pam, Bernie, Swede, Stormer
Left to Right: Swede, Newt, Bruce, Bernie, Newt's wife Anna.
Left to Right: Swede, Bernie, Tommy, Bruce
Left to Right: Swede, Tommy, Max, Pure Pork.
The xs1100 yamaha backfired and then caught fire with leaking carbs.
jdean56hd
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