Steven Auerbach's 1960 Go-Kart Cycle Greenhorn Enduro

RobertC

RobertC

#24
#24
Clayon said:
Really great story Gerry, and really cool bike. :thumbsup: You always seem to have good stories behind all your stuff. :thumbsup:
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Hey folks. I second that Clayon ! That's another beautiful story.

Perhaps some folks will get together someday and have a 'mini bike hall of fame' museum you know....and i put in my vote for KK to be the 'Curator'.

See - check out this wikipedia definition:

"Traditionally, a curator or keeper of a cultural heritage institution (e.g., gallery, museum, library or archive) is a content specialist responsible for an institution's collections and involved with the interpretation of heritage material. The object of a traditional curator's concern necessarily involves tangible objects of some sort, whether it be inter alia artwork, collectibles, historic items or scientific collections."


Sounds like KK to me :thumbsup: Thanks man, and keep up the good work.

Robert
 
RobertC

RobertC

#26
#26
RobertC said:
.....Perhaps some folks will get together someday and have a 'mini bike hall of fame' museum ......
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Thinking this statement through some more, and i also need to say that i think our OldMiniBikes website is our own 'virtual' mini bike hall of fame.

And for that i'd like to say thank you to Hent, for putting it all together; and to all the members; for the unbelievable content and photos and knowledge that's being shared :thumbsup: .
 
ole4

ole4

#30
#30
What a great story. Grew up in Queens and when we could drive used to go to ghost to get demonstrator rides. Remember getting taken out on a norton P11 scrambler what a thrill! Those guys gave you one hell of a ride. I bought my first BSA hornet from them. I remember Sal had a Egli vincent in the front window. They had a big german guy Jimmy as the parts guy. One day he was playing mumbly peg when we were there for parts and he threw the knife in his foot by accident. Did not see to phase him too much other than some choice four letter words.
 
KustomKartKid

KustomKartKid

Administrator
#31
#31
wow, even a thumbsup from George3!!!!...Mr. Auerbach would surely be honored.

Thanks to all for the compliments, it's great to hear from other folks who like that little bike and it's story as much as I do.

......about this "curator" job in the OldMiniBikes virtual museum.....I have a feeling it pays in "virtual" money...:glare:
 
KustomKartKid

KustomKartKid

Administrator
#32
#32
ole4 said:
What a great story. Grew up in Queens and when we could drive used to go to ghost to get demonstrator rides. Remember getting taken out on a norton P11 scrambler what a thrill! Those guys gave you one hell of a ride. I bought my first BSA hornet from them. I remember Sal had a Egli vincent in the front window. They had a big german guy Jimmy as the parts guy. One day he was playing mumbly peg when we were there for parts and he threw the knife in his foot by accident. Did not see to phase him too much other than some choice four letter words.
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I was really hoping someone would ring in with their own memories of Ghost Cycle.

Apparently these guys were real characters...... seems that anyone who ever visited that place has an entertaining story to tell !!

......found an old Ghost t-shirt on ebay a while back....I am going to display it with the bike....:thumbsup:

Thanks ole
 
ole4

ole4

#36
#36
Some more Ghost stories. My friend and I used to get our parts at ghost. He was a Nassau County policeman. We had been going to ghost for many years and were always harrassed by Jimmy the parts guy who took pleasure in making insults to customers. My friend saw him pulled over in his van one day and interceeded saving him a ticker. From then on we got the VIP treatment and great pricing. I also remember that when sonny was just starting to race their main man was Barry Higgins who used to race what we called scrambles at fishkill, modena and other upstate NY tracks. He first raced a BSA hornet then 441's and CZ's. There was a girl racer Kerri Kleid who hung out there and started dating Higgins (I think) and one day when we were there barry and her had a dragrace with a combat commando and some other bike. Over the years Sonny would blossom as their main rider and Hibbins went to Georgia where he opened his own shop.
 
KustomKartKid

KustomKartKid

Administrator
#38
#38
Great story and pics Ole!! That's an awesome picture of the "Ghost" van!!! (check it out, it says "Mini Bikes"!!!)

I understand Kerry Kleid was the first female to have an AMA pro liscence and Sal had a lot to do with it....also heard the Barry and Sonny ruled the sand dunes in and around Long Island and that Sonny eventually became the better rider after CZ training with Brad Lackey...

I've read the basement of GC was like a museum.....rare vintage bikes piled to the ceiling...Jawas, CZ's, BSA's, Nortons, old Harley police bikes.....there was a concrete ramp that led up to the street and when they would fire up a bike and ride it up the tunnel it would resonate through the whole store...

It's hard to believe they were in business all of those years yet pictures of the old building and the shop are scarce. I'm sure the DeFeo family have an awesome scrapbook somewhere.

I've also heard about the Egli Vincent in the front window and Sal's black Vincent Shadow that sat on a shelf inside the store....

I sure wish I could go back in time and see it for myself....must have been unbelievable.



.
 
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