This week's collection comes from Brian Manly:
"Yes, this is my collection. I built my C&J framed XR500 back in 1979 and raced it a lot, took it to Baja a bunch and trial road the wheels off it. It sat for years looking very sorry before I restored it over a three-year period. The late Ray Ryan from VMX made the trip from down under to do an article on it for one of his issues. The red 3G bike is the original frame and engine of the 75 I raced back in the good 'ol days. I restored it recently to exactly like it was when I built it in '75 (see attached picture.) Of course we all wanted our bikes to be red like Marty's. I even had a new set of Koni "poppie" shock bodies machined so I could make the bike perfect. I used Montesa fork boots back then but this time around XR100 ones worked perfectly. The picture of the 968 bike is before the Hangtown National, my first pro race where I got smoked.
The 73/74 250s and the 74/75 125s are ones I have been working on for the past few years. They are beautiful, like brand new in the showroom, some with NOS tanks, pipes, side panels, fenders and on and on. We were a Honda, Husky, Montesa, Penton and Triumph motorcycle dealer from 1959 till '89 so I raced the early CRs in '74 and '75. That was a great time of my life. My first MX bike was a 1972 CR125 Husky, so I built that one a number of years ago with the help of John from Vintage Husky. It was very cool that I was able to find one of my original number plates from my Husky 125 to put with the finished project.
The #45 red Honda is a bike that was being sold to help Billy Grossi pay medical bills after a terrible crash during a vintage race at Sears Point in Northern California. I was the lucky winner.
Interesting story about the road racer: it is the original '61 125 Honda Benly twin that my Mom raced AFM with in '61 and '62 before getting a CR93 125 DOHC from Honda. It sat for 45 years rusting in my folks' barn till I started a major restoration project on it to surprise her for Mother's Day this year. It really turned out sweet and she was blown away. The picture I have included is her in '64 on her CR93, the bike we really wish we would of never sold. The CX500 turbo is one we kept from the bike store, runs perfect with only 50 original miles."
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