Sunday, June 28, 2009

Hodaka Days

On Friday I went to the annual Hodaka Days motorcycle reunion.
These motorcycles, assembled in Athena in the 1960s and '70s, still have life and character to spare, and so do a few of the riders. Everyone there clearly loved the sport and the machines. They gleamed in the morning sun, growled like angry old men and spewed smoke like revved-up dragons.
Tough the Hodaka's home is in Athena, Friday everyone rallied to Weston. Sixty or so riders clogged the streets to take off on the Bad Rock reunion ride -- a smaller version of the qualifying trials for the Internation Six Day trials. In the early '70s, purveyors of the sport came to the rough and tumble Blue Mountians to test their skills. While Friday's ride was quite a bit tamer, it was still great to see these tiny titans scramble up the mountainsides to a beautiful visa atop Ryan's Grade.

1 comment:

  1. Do you have more phots? This is really cool, because My son and brother rode in this. In your first photo they are the ones in the bright orange shirts. My brother is riding a hodaka that my husband bought when it was brand new, (I think. He has that bike anyway. His helmet use to belong to my hubby too!) That was many years ago! Looks like you went on the ride too.

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