While I am on the subject of Ralphs, were these personalized plates a common thing in the 80s?


My involvement with BMX in the 80s was hit and miss. I came back and raced for Ralph every now and then just to have some fun.
This is from the USBA So Cal National 10-28-84 at Azusa. My first race on a cruiser. It is a Brackens 24". Notice the plate...

Oh, now there's a rare one I don't think anyones mentioned yet, a Brackens cruiser (or any Brackens???)
Got any good pics of it?

I took these pics earlier this year. It is a complete rider now. But this is what I have available.



Any idea what the bars are on this Brackens?

What about a first run GHP cruiser?

Nice!!! GHP bars on the Brackens! Lou has the only other set I've ever seen.

Holly cow those bars might qualify as the rarest cruiser bars. You never see those. Your PM box is filling as we speak

I don't know how many ones J2 did, they weren't around long, Andy Jenkins left to work for Freestylin. But most of the second string(not Haro or Z9) did custom runs for brands or bigger shops. I(Prime) remember doing them for Elf, Free Agent, ABA, Coastal, possibly Ralph and a few others. If someone was going to pay to order a few hundred plates and then have their team run them I was all over it.

who made the old rebel wedge plates bitd? was it rebel or another company?

GHP's are some that are on top of the food chain for sure. I have ony seen three sets and owned one in my life. I think Larrys GHP crusier had a set on it as well at the Rockford 2004.
Here are a couple of rare ones as well... Patterson cruiser bars, real SE cruiser bars

Dang, Patterson cruiser bars are nice

Larrys GHP cruiser had GT bars on it, at least the photos I have of it show GT cruiser bars. GHP cruiser bars? As rare as Patty cruiser bars

As for rare framesets, well, in the October 82 BMXA Buyers Guide, it lists the GT 24 frameset, and states "Younger heroes can pick the Junior 24".

I've yet to see one of those, and if I could find one, I would be on it like stink on dirty sox (tm Oz ). Cos' y'all know I like the GT cruisers

My vote goes for the GHP pit bike. I am biased tho

jesse D

how about one of these it does need a good cleaning sorry.

im pretty sure the company brackens was NOT around in 84..

I would agree - I thought Brackens was around 88 and lasted for... not long.

Dennis - those GHP cruiser bars need to go on your GHP 24"!!!!!!

Yes indeed, they are RARE.

I'm not sure if those bars were made by VDC or not but they sure look like a VDC product.

I always wondered why Star products never made cruiser bars.


As for the Patty cruiser bars - were they only made for team members?
Ads always had them listed as standard/cruiser bars.

The J2 plates were cool.

Did Uni copy them with the Crossfire?

Andy Jenkins was indeed another Bob Haro.

Anybody know what happened to him?






Dennis - one thing I nothed about that frame set is that the fork dropouts appear to be Star Products, not GHP.
So that really is a prototype.

Ok, let me see if I can make sense of all this, and maybe clarify a few things.

I worked with Greg and the Hill family when he/they started GHP back in the early 80s, when all the stuff was made locally. Simple stuff, cleaning up the frames after they came back from the chromers, putting on stickers and boxing stuff up.

The GHP cruiser is from the first run of frames. It rode great but I think it was redesigned soon after with a higher bottom bracket. So this leads into my confusion about which frame I was riding in that picture taken in 84. Funny thing is I had this same discussion with Greg and Tommy, we shared a room in Arizona in March at the Legends BBQ.
I thought the frame in the picture was a Brackens, but as stated above, Tommy did not build his till the late 80s. Greg said he remembered sitting at a dining room table with Tommy as they both designed it.

I only had the 2 cruisers so the one I am racing is the GHP.

If I remember correctly the bars were made by VDC. I think VDC did all the building on the early GHPs.

One other thing to add. I remember we had a batch of GHP 20" frames done in black chrome. They looked SOOO cool. But I also remember something about alot of those same frames breaking (something about the black chrome making the frames brittle). Has anyone ever seen a black chrome GHP?

Here ya go:
http://www.bendpress.com/

I've still got some race flyers he drew back in 1980 when he was living in Cheyenne, Wyoming I should post up.

that frame looks like a cross between a bunch of things - MCS/Hutch, Tange (Kuwahara).
It may well be a Brackens but not from 84?




yeah they did.
That cruiser has a flat blake bridge which was on the early (VDC-made) GHP 20"s in mid-late 1983.
Pretty sure production 24"s did hit til later in 84.



I think I have seen a black GHP in a magazine but not sure if it was black chrome.
I don't think that process made frames weaker but black chrome did scratch easily.

cool Evan - Andy's doing good!

Thanks Andy.

Are you a GHP fan?

whhhhhaaaaaaat?
No way - GHP SUCKS.
Hill is a chump!

well nobody has said a pedalpower privater or white bear tbone yet

I only remember 1 style of Pedalpower, the one I have. What is the "privateer". Mine was made in the early/mid 70s.

What about a 1980 Team Diamond Back frame with non loop tail drop outs and triangular area behind the seat post. I have seen one other so far on line and it was frame only no decals like mine.
Its on bmx museum .com under Diamond back 1980

Brett,
Oddly enough there were two Pro-Lightning's on eBay last Spring. I passed on both. I think they both went for about $70-$80 complete. They would be pretty cool to have. My buddy rode one when we were kids.

I have two to add to the list. Probably not rare in their own right, but you just don't see them today--

1. Early 80's (I want to say around 81 or 82) Hutch Expert Racer in Smoked Chrome finish. My friend's older brother had one. "Hutch is the best you can buy" he used to say. It was the first "real" BMX I had ever laid eyes on as a 7 or 8 year-old. I have never seen another since.

2. 84 General Hustler - This was pre-factory sponsorship of RL and Blood. The frame itself closely resembled the later twin top-tube models, but didn't have any standing platforms or screw-in pegs or the like. It was the first bike I ever bought with my own money. It's long gone, but I will find another some day.

Lee

Oops...

lets see if i can remember what the privateer looked like it has been a long time since i have seen one. it had a pierced top tube like a gt looptail rear and hutch like dropouts. hope that discription helps. another frame was the hps [hesperia bike supply or possibly hesperia bike shop]

Privateer..

http://members.aol.com/mendrchuck/privateer.jpg

Jag 24 (post BMX Products era). I have all 3 of the 20's (+1 Team Jag) but have not been able to locate the 24 to complete the collection. Not as desirable but rare none the less.

wow. great pic of the privateer. glad to see my old brain still remembers something.

What about a Shimano 5000? These frame don't pop up all that often...
Click to view attachment

I sent you a message regarding the Pro Lightning. my email address is ctoscarson@yahoo.com. please contact me when you are ready to part with that bike.

chris

What about a Centurion (predates Diamond Backs I think?) or Xcaliber?

I forgot to add the Shimano 4000 - not as cool as the 5000 but probably just a rare.

Hey FactoryHuffy - I sent you a email to a huffy Pro Thunder on Oz eBay. I hope this helps you.

Mick - Volcano

I think my 84 Kuwi Laser Lite frame is a pretty rare find.

There were more than 3 or 4 TW Racing frames made.

For the record, TW Racing frames were made by DG/ Green Duck in Ramona California.


The riders on the TW Racing factory team that I know of were (there may be more)......

Denny Davidow
Andy Patterson
Pete Loncarevich
Korry Neal
Tosh Muraviov
and the son of the owner (I forgot his name. Not talking about Mr. Loncarevich. The OTHER owner)

Bubba Hayes used to own a Delta Racing Products DRP frame
before he was sponsored by DG and later SE Racing.



Jason Jensen was a Jag factory team rider the last few months of 1983.
Definately at the 83' ABA Grand Nationals and the 83' Jag World Championships.

Jensen and Gosserau.

According to Grubbs who later raced for Jag, Gosserau was toinking Renny Roker's missus.

Oh yeah.....

There was also a girl racer for TW. Not sure what her name was.

So............ There could be as many as seven TW frames

Andy Patterson also rode on a TW.

I was thinking the other day: Not sure if these would just be frames or complete bikes:\The Balack Chrome line-up

Diamond back Heary Leary Trubo (black Chrome)

The Mongoose Pro Class in Black Chrome

A complete bike but you NEVER see the frames:

A DG California Pro

i know for sure that Jason was with Jag in EARLY 82.

What do you think about the Slingshot? Does anyone know history of that frame?

DT Racing products Squareback frame. I have the only one I have heard of that exists. Anyone else ever seen or heard of one?

GHP??? Sit back and enjoy the show

That GHP looks great! I will have to put mine back together.

The G Boy posted by TeamRob is a cool, rare bike.
You don't see too many of those aluminum frames, or especially the G Boy forks.
TeamRob's G Boy even has the rare Webco mags on it.
...And it's got a set of the extremely rare Addick's cranks!

That's a sweet project there!

GT had done a black/chrome NORA cup bike '82-'83 I think, I had one back then, got rid of it for a 531 quadangle and now I wish I had the black/chrome GT back they were sweet, Greg Hill rode one for a bit. I guess GT's are not rare but it seems that color is. How about Stroker frames with square/rectangular tubing??

not manny of these around white bear mini

This is my first post, hello everyone. This is my 1984 Redline 102b. 102b's are somewhat rare but that's obviously not what makes this particular frame so special. I've owned it since it was new so I know the color is factory. My parents owned a bmx shop at the time and the frame and forks came from SBS (Seattle Bike Supply). I raced it during the 1985 season then it was rarely ridden after that.

That's a great bike! Aren't you glad you kept it?