[capttwb]

Reading Dutch's post about his new vintage helmet brought back memories of lusting over the motorcycles that were in the Sears and Roebucks and Montgomery Ward catalogs. They were usually made by European manufacturers. Benelli comes to mind for Monkey Wards. Sears sold bikes made by Puch, and a couple Italian makers. They were only a couple hundred bucks. However that was a small fortune for a 15 year old boy back in the late 50's and early 60's. Anyone remember dreaming about owning one of them? Of course when we got a job and could afford a bike, Triumph, BSA, and Norton were the bikes we really wanted. Yamaha came out with a 80cc two stroke in the early/mid sixties. It sold for 450.00. When the Japanese bikes came over that was the beginning of the so called stealerships. Not all were, but quite a few were just interested in the quick buck and were not really motorcyclists. Before then motorcycle dealers were owned by motorcyclists that usually rode their bikes to work.

 

[parkinglot]

My dad had an "allstate" which he said was bought at sears..

 

[Churchkey]

Bought a Puch in S FL @ a yard sale for a C note about 10 years ago. Looked like crap but it ran. Used it to run the dogs. Gave it to a 10 year old nephew, he loved it, rode the crap out of it until it died a month later.

 

[twicechosen]

You know you are getting old when you remember things that you see on American Pickers and think, Man where did I put that thing? Sears 'bikes' sometimes were 'mini-bikes' that is a Briggs and Stratton engine on a small frame. Made lots of noise and had some speed, not much. They were really big before the Honda corporation invaded with the QA-50 and the like. "Those were the days my friend,..."

 

[active1951]

.

 

[BiggG]

All I remember are the mini bikes that were sold at Sears and Wards.

 

[1256day]

Yea!!!!! My Buddies had one, bought it a yard sale for 5 bucks when we were kids. AND That was alot of money for us back then.

My Dad would always kid us about riding the "Pooch" thru the orange groves.

G

 

[run]

i think monkey wards were called riverside if not mistaken

 

[Centerline]

My first bike. A 1967 or 68 Wards Riverside 250 made by Benelli.....

 

[LeaderDuece]

You guys are all OLD.

 

[active1951]

 

[capttwb]

You guys are all OLD.

Yeah, maybe so, but it was great time back then. You'll think your teen years were a great time back then, sooner than you think.

 

[run]

hey do you guys remember western auto they used to sell mini bikes no sure about motorcylces and no we are not old

 

[btk572]

first question should be , who remembers sears and roebuck and montgomery wards books or stores? ,lol to funny, btk572

 

[Steeda]

I used to love when that big SEARS catalog would show up.... i'd head right to the go carts, mini bikes, and toys!

 

[dutch rc]

I used to love when that big SEARS catalog would show up.... i'd head right to the go carts, mini bikes, and toys!

i remember that so well, did the same thing

 

[Cooper66]

You know you are getting old when you remember things that you see on American Pickers and think, Man where did I put that thing? Sears 'bikes' sometimes were 'mini-bikes' that is a Briggs and Stratton engine on a small frame. Made lots of noise and had some speed, not much. They were really big before the Honda corporation invaded with the QA-50 and the like. "Those were the days my friend,..."

My first bike was a Harley Davidson 250 Spriint, HD first version of a 1 lunger combination off road & street bike. I sold it for a couple hundred bucks to buy a 175 Bridgestone, there were actually Bridgestone dealers in 69 & 70. Of course now i find out that HD only made about 350 sprints & most of those have wound up in a single collection & are worth a small fortune. Im pretty sure it was Monkey Wards that sold Nortons through thier catalog it was either them or Western Auto & they were all yellow which must have been the color for catalog sales by that company. I spent a great deal of time in 68 & 69 ogleing at those things in the catalog & dreaming about buying one. By the time i could the catalog purchase was not as attractive as sitting on the bike you were thinking of buying and I bought the Bridgestone which turned out to be a great bike. I had a buddy with a Yahmaha Big Bear 350, i beat em in every 1/4 mile race we ran, drove him nuts

 

[Churchkey]

Harley made a number of small bikes after WW11 one was the Hummer a 125cc 2 stroke,

Got a Whizzer @ 13, it would run 42 mph flat out laying on the tank.

Best Bud got a black Cushman Eagle (like the one in post 5), black leather jacket, engineer boots, white scarf, Snoopy flap hat & goggles he was & still is the "Fonz" before there was a Fonz.