Motorcycling

[Johnnycomelately]

Starting small, with something (bike) I’ve never seen before. Here’s Michigan lawyer-YouTuber Steve Lehto, getting enthusiastic about a long ago hobby.


LehtoRama! Meet the Minibike!

Steve Lehto
630K subscribers

Jul 9, 2026

Steve Lehto explores the nostalgic appeal of a 1969 Rutman minibike. Through a detailed walk-around and test ride, Steve shares personal memories associated with these simple, iconic motor vehicles from youth while highlighting their mechanical basics.

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=72SutpsG0QU

[Rawhide68]

Why are you on this forum?

[Casey Claar]

Posted by Rawhide68 (here)
Why are you on this forum?

I have always enjoyed Johnny's presence.

[petra]

Posted by Rawhide68 (here)
Why are you on this forum?

Innuendo?

[Sue (Ayt)]

When I was a child, my dad, a tinkerer extraordinaire who could fix or make anything, made 2 "Tote Gotes", as they were called back then. He made them in our basement, and we would take them to the beach, as he let us kids ride them there. (there were still unrestricted, mostly vacant beaches to be found back then). He got the plans from "Popular Mechanics", one of his magazine subscriptions that I really enjoyed looking at too - that and "Popular Science". Magazine subscriptions were a big part of our entertainment back then, and it was always exciting to see them arrive each month. (And of course, we always had a fight over who got to read "Reader's Digest" and "Mad Magazine" first.)

It was interesting to see that these are being brought back, under a new guise - Minibikes. But they look just like Tote Gotes to me. haha

Thanks for the memories, Johnnycomelately!

[Johnnycomelately]

Posted by Rawhide68 (here)
Why are you on this forum?

Hi Rawhide68. Would you please explain why this thread bothers you? Or why my other presence/posts here bother you?

Motorcycling, for me, was (haven’t for ~20 years) occasionally strongly indicative of the presence of a guardian angel, a big handful of times. Even back then, I talked to God on the reg.

Please feel at ease, respond as freely and as deeply as you wish. And if you’ve ridden bikes, please add those stories! Cheers from Canada.

[petra]

I went on the Ride For Sight once when I was about 18. I had to beg my parents to let me go.

I had a blast. It rained though and I got soaked to the skin. We had radios in our helmets so we could talk to each other.

It was so cool cruising down the highway with a bunch of other bikers!

Edit: I was a passenger

[Denise/Dizi]

Those little mini's are a kick in the pants, and a doorway to larger bikes. I started out on a Honda 50, rode an RZ350, got a 200, and now own a Ducati hypermotard 796.... There is nothing like the thrill of riding a bike in the open air... As kids we loved riding in the back of trucks, having the windows down, and running our hands through the air, but there is just something freeing about being on a motorcycle, and riding the roads... Love the thread!

[Ernie Nemeth]

I also got hooked on a Honda 50. My friend let me borrow his for one weekend while he was away. I got hooked.

I have only owned one bike, a Yamaha 500, counter-weight cruising bike. But I've ridden many types of bikes back in the day.

I've ridden:
Yamaha 400 two-stroke - very fast and light
BSA 500 Rocket - a rumbling single cylinder, spine shaker
Triumph 500 - British bike, controls on wrong side
Norton Commander 750 and 850 - monster bikes
Norton Atlas 750 - center-articulated for leaning into turns
Kawasaki 700 and 900 - crotch rockets
Honda 1100 - decked out, only thing missing were two more wheels
Honda 250 dirt bike - stands tall, lot of low end torque

Funny, though, never rode a Harley.

Love bikes but they are so very dangerous in big cities.
We have a resident mortor cycle maniac in the neighbourhood who loves to terrorize us late at night tearing down our streets at 100 miles an hour! It's the only time bikes can be rode somewhat safely - unless you're a speed demon, of course.

I was taught to ride by my buddy's father. He taught us the right way. He taught us to respect the bike, to dress properly even for short rides. He taught us to be aware at all times and to drive defensively. That defensively part entailed never driving alongside a vehicle, or tailgating, or speeding, and to use the proper signals at all times. Even with the excellent training, I still had many close calls during my bike riding years.

It was fun but those days are over.

[JackMcThorn]

I started on a honda xr2oo in my youth around 199o. In 1999 I got my first harley, a dyna wide glide. In 2oo1, I completed building [with some help] a 74 cubic inch shovelhead chopper, hard tail, suicide hand shifter. Some years later I changed the 74 cubic in shovelhead engine to a 96 cubic in. I enjoyed that scoot until 2o18. I have many stories of good people, rides, parties, broken parts, near misses, etc.

I could tell you about the time my battery bracket broke on the highway cruising a steady 9o mph. It was mounted behind my transmission and after it broke left the bike through the drive chain side. My friend riding next to me said, 'I dunno what it was - all I saw was sparks!' We could stay up all night telling stories like this one. Anyway, this issue wasn't fixed on the side of the road. He went and collected a truck to pick me up on the side of the road later on.

I have an old friend who constantly tells me about his rides and that I should get back on 2 wheels. He is literally bent out of shape that I left the scene.

I don't think I will. We got away with a lot over those years and frankly, I may have worn out my welcome at my current age. The thrill of sitting on so much power and danger is lost on my older self. I barely drive my car unless its absolutely neccessary.

Skill was a thing. But it wasn't everything. Good guys hurt bad or even no longer with us. You'll run into that over the years and it generally is in your thoughts from time to time.

Sue reminded me of a memory from my youth regarding Reader's Digest. I used to read them all at my grandfather's house. I ordered a sub this year and it takes like 6-8 weeks to start which is like old skool 198o's ordering with shipping and handling and a fulfillment leadtime of 6-8 weeks. Anyway, I think the quality has diminished since years ago. I just didn't find it the same after all these years.