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Jeff Gootblatt's Collection

Since I have 3 H series motorcycles in various stages of restoration, I have been juggling what I do among the 3 to make sure that at least 1 is rideable at all times. Unfortunately, I don't have indoor storage and that limits what I can do for the time being. That is changing as of 12/2001 when I'll have my workshop/shed finished. The pictures that you see now are before pictures of my 3 motorcycles. The pictures show how they look today.

1971 H1 - My special machine. It is the first H series that I have owned. I am the second owner. I received this bike in pieces in 1996. I was asked by a friend to get it out of his barn if I wanted it. It was purchased new by my friend's father-in-law and had been disassembled in 1977 or 1978 and never touched again. We loaded up a frame, 7 cartons of engine, and 12 coffee cans of small parts into my truck and off I went. I stared at it for 2 years before I started work on it. Since I didn't know what was missing, if anything, I bought a replacement engine for it. The engine is a 1973 500 and I have converted the ignition system to the magneto ignition from an H2. The previous owner had put an H2 front end, cheap mag wheels, a luggage rack and saddlebags. the only thing that I have retained is the H2 front end. The bike is running real well, starts on the 1st or 2nd kick...4th if it's below 40 degrees. The rest of the restoration process is mainly going to be body work. It is in need of a repaint, which will be a stock repaint. I already have the decals purchased from Z-power in England. It needs some minor rust repair. It also has a nagging oil leak that I can't seem to isolate. It's not bad, but it does mess up my boot and pants leg. It will be getting a set of chambers to replace the rusty stock pipes.

1972 H1 - I purchased this bike in July 2001 from a fellow message board user located in NJ as it is shown in the picture. It was running poorly when I got it, but a good carb cleaning and decarbonization of the exhaust fixed that. It also has a weak clutch, but unless I really push it, it works fine. This bike is the best running and most complete bike I own. All it needs is a clutch and a repaint, which will most likely not be a stock repaint as I absolutely hate the color orange.

1972 H2 - I purchased this bike on Ebay in April 2001. I am the second owner of this one also. It was advertised as a parts bike that had been in storage for 16 years after it quit running. When I picked it up in Alabama, I realized that it was not a parts bike. It was in rough shape, but almost complete...missing the left side cover and the stator. I got it home, put on a stator, cleaned the carbs, and fed the gas from my 71 H1 gas tank (the H2's gas tank was full of sludge and rust) I had it running in less than 2 hours and it ran great. I cleaned the tank as best I could, put new filters on the fuel lines and rode it around for a few weeks. Then it started sucking oil into the motor from the transmission. I parked it, bought the seal kit and a body set. As I was buying parts I tried to decide how the restoration was going to go. I had already decided to strip the bike down to the frame and re-do everything. The whole bike is covered with some kind of overspray, and the seat has been recovered with an ugly sheet of brown vinyl complete with wrinkles around the curves. I knew that I had to strip down the motor to fix the kickstart return and then I found a top end kit on Ebay (jugs, heads, and all the misc. parts) Everything started coming together in my mind as to what I wanted. Matt "Maddog" Chalmers of Murphy, Texas is doing the machine and port work for a Stage 1 motor. Matt helped me decide on the Stage 1 setup because most of my riding is on the street, so I'll need the low end power that the more radical engines won't have. Since the bike has J&R Power Pipes, I'll retain those for the time being. The body work will be redone in the stock colors and scheme, and a luggage rack will be added so that I can use the bike to commute to work (I have to carry a laptop computer)

These 3 bikes are keeping me busy to the point that I have been ignoring my other 2 project vehicles... a 1963 Chevy Impala Station Wagon and a 1970 VW Beetle, but I have no regrets about that. They are all fun and after a day's work, it is very relaxing to twist a few wrenches, tweak something here and there, or just go for a ride. I'm not looking to restore any of the 3 to stock condition...I don't have that much money, and if a part will work, I don't care if it's not "correct" for that year model. I want them to work and look good. So far they all work, some better than others. Body work will make them look good, and some minor repairs will make them all run good. Then I can stand back and say that I have something nice. I hope to have at least the H2 and one of the H1's ready to go in Spring 2002. If I can get the time off from work, I'll be at Deal's Gap.

There is some credit due to various people for the progress of my projects:

Matt "Maddog" Chalmers -- for explaining what the various porting stages do and helping me decide what is best for my purpose.

Tom "Tomcat" Loftis -- for helping me understand some of the technical aspects of the 2-stroke, pointing me in the right direction for technical information, and for creating the Message Board and this awesome web site.

mraxl -- Sorry Dale, I don't know your last name -- great resource for information

Everyone on the message board. I may not ask too many questions on the board, but I read everyone else's and the answers. Also, seeing everyone's restored bikes and customized bikes has given me direction and goals.

Frank Miller at my local motorcycle shop -- If I need a mechanical/electrical part, Frank either has it or can get it. What I don't get on Ebay or through people here, I get from Frank.

Contact Jeff