Back to the Future.

[ChipBeck_imp]

Gentlemen,

I love motorcycles. I always have. There are 8 in my garage presently and last week I dug my 1998 Fuel Injected Harley Davidson Road King out to have the clutch and throttle cables replaced at Buddy Stubbs Arizona Harley Davidson. After checking my bike into the shop I went up front to see if Buddy (a good friend since 1978) was in. He wasn't but his son Frank was and we had a nice chat. We talked about the first bike I bought from his dad in 1979, a 1980 Sportster with a black 2.1 gallon tank. I rode that bike all over the western U.S. and had a "Then Came Bronson" great time. In the photos below I'm in the green jacket and my Sportster has a black tank. My friend Rusty Madison is in the white jacket and his Sportster has a red tank. While riding up I-10 in California Rusty was listening to the radio with a headset and he motioned for me to pull over. He told me that President Reagan had just been shot. Fortunately he survived but at that moment we didn't know what would happen.

[url=http://s288.photobucket.com/user/chipbeck/media/Sport%201.jpg.html]

[url=http://s288.photobucket.com/user/chipbeck/media/Sport%203.jpg.html]

[url=http://s288.photobucket.com/user/chipbeck/media/Sport%204.jpg.html]

[url=http://s288.photobucket.com/user/chipbeck/media/Sport%202.jpg.html]

After my visit with Frank I spent some time looking at all the new bikes and I came across a leftover 2015 Sportster Forty Eight with the exact same black tank my first Sportster had. All the other Sportster models had bigger tanks but the 48 still has that 2.1 gallon peanut tank. I summoned all of my will power and left the dealership. I held out for 48 hours but then I cracked and called Frank up. I'll take it!! So now I have 9 motorcycles in the garage and soon the Chip Beck Spec mods will start on the little H-D. The photos below are out of the catalog of a 2015 Forty Eight with a red tank. I can't get back there till Monday to pick my black "48" up.

I'll keep you posted.

Chip

[url=http://s288.photobucket.com/user/chipbeck/media/Sport%206_1.jpg.html]

[url=http://s288.photobucket.com/user/chipbeck/media/Sport%205.jpg.html]

[Blockhead_imp]

Great story and photos Chip...enjoy the new Sportster, good-looking bike!

[emptysea]

Having a relatively short persnal motorcycling history from which to refer, I am perhaps more appreciative than most of glimpses like this into the two-wheeled scrapbooks of others. Thank you for sharing and enjoy the new bike. I gave a fair amount of consideration to the Forty-eight prior to reading about this new retro bike that Honda was bringing to the U.S.

[Motogeezer1949_imp]

Hmmm, Bronson didn't carry anywhere near the amount of packs and baggage you guys have and yet he had a frying pan, coffee pot, hatchet and all kinds of other stuff. Wonder what was his secret? LOL
Enjoy the new 48

[Nemo_imp]

Who's Bronson?

[Lord Popgun]

Then Came Bronson, tv show '69-'70

Google it and you can see the pics of him on his bike.

[Pterodactyl_imp]

Congratulations. Good yarn.

Cheers

[Nemo_imp]

Then Came Bronson, tv show '69-'70

Google it and you can see the pics of him on his bike.

I completely missed that show. I guess my mom wouldn't let me stay up to watch it. In 1970 I entered kindergarten.

Very badass new acquisition Señor Beck!

When I grow up I wanna be a Chip Beck!!

[Lord Popgun]

I watched it. I was in the 10th or 11th grade.

[redbirds_imp]

Cool bike and love the pics from "back in the day" Chip. Keep us posted on any farkles made to this new bike.