Me on my '83 Yamaha Maxim 750
The purpose of this page is to share information and my enthusiasm about a type of motorcycle that has been all but forgotten by the mainstream "motorcycle press" Unlike the publishing industry, which is driven by profits linked to product endorsements, this web page is a labor of love for me, and is designed to help spread the word about this fine class of motorcycles, the UJMs. (Click here for my Rant on the "motorcycle press")
Sources and Methods
This web page will include information I have gleaned from a variety of sources, most of which are my own experiences and recollections. I have read a few "history" books of motorcycling, unfortunately most of them tend to ignore or gloss over the contributions of UJMs to motorcycling, so such information is scant. Other bits and pieces of knowledge I have obtained through the internet (so appropriate cautions and disclaimers regarding accuracy and verifiability apply.) I have included in my links some of the better web sites I have found on this subject.
About Me
Since most of the information on this site comes straight from me, it is appropriate to inquire about who I am and what my "bona fides" are. To start with, I am not a professional journalist, nor do I have any journalistic experience other than a year on my high school newspaper back in the '70's and a few letters printed now and then in various newspapers and magazines.
My name is Martin Albright, and I am 45 years old. I am a lawyer, living in Englewood, CO. I served over 23 years in the Active Army, Army Reserves, and Army National Guard before retiring in 2005.
I began riding motorcycles at the age of 20 (1982) and purchased my first bike, a heavily modified Honda CL 450, in 1982. Since then I have owned 7 other motorcycles: A 1974 Honda CB 750K, an 1983 Honda 550 Nighthawk, a 1992 Yamaha Virago 1100, a 1983 Yamaha Maxim 750, a 1984 Kawasaki 700 LTD, a 2001 Triumph Thunderbird, and my current ride, a 1982 Kawasaki Spectre 750. I would conservatively estimate that I have ridden over 100,000 miles in the past 25 years, and that includes several long periods (1986-1990, 1990-1995 and 2001 to 2003) when I did not ride at all.
When I first began riding in 1982, I read everything I could on the subject of motorcycles and motorcycling, including every magazine I could get my hands on (primarily Cycle, Cycle World, Motorcyclist, and Rider.) Most of my knowledge about UJMs comes from this time period, as well as from my own experiences since then. I am a member of the AMA, and I plan on owning a motorcycle until I am too old and feeble to ride anymore (at which time I guess I'll have to get a trike.)
So that's the preliminaries. On to the good stuff!
The history of the UJM (so far)
The The Late, Great UJM Cruiser
What's so great about UJMs, anyway?
Supplementary Articles:
Those '80's bikes (My favorite Non-UJMs)
Why I hate the "Motorcycle Press"