My grandfather, George Ellis

KTMShane699
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9/15/2016 9:25am
In another thread, we got to discussing my grandfather and my family history in the sport a little bit. Those parts of the thread got buried among many other directions it was going, but hearing some stories about my grandfather was pretty awesome, so I wanted to start a thread so others who may have missed it might chime in.

My grandfather passed away last year while I was having one of the reconstructive surgeries on my broken leg. It wasn't a surprise. My family has always had a rich history in the sport, and it always amazes me how many people interacted with him and gave them a memorable experience.

My grandfather is George Ellis. My uncle is Jimmy Ellis. And yes, that is the Jimmy Ellis former SX champion. My uncle lives in Australia these days and has gone on to race cars among other things. But my grandfather continued in the sport long after Jimmy's career was over.

In 1991, Kawasaki was the first team to use an 18-wheeler as their transporter. My grandfather was the first one to drive for them and drove for the Factory Kawasaki race team until the early 2000's (2002 or 2003 I believe was his last year). While driving, my grandmother worked for the AMA as one of the officials behind the scenes. My grandparents had experiences on the road that most of us could only dream of. Along the way, they made countless friends. We had their 50th anniversary party close to home one year. The people who came to attend was like a who's who of our sport. Racers, managers, people from the past in the sport. It goes on and on. Along the way, my grandparents were also both awarded the AMA Lifetime Achievement Award in the same year. Before my grandfather passed, he handed the watch he got with the award down to me. It remains one of my favorite things from him, although I don't wear it daily.

Some of my memories with my grandfather were late nights building motors so that I could race. Or trying new things with my bike. The knowledge he had of bikes was amazing. He forgot more than I'll ever know. The times we spent in his shop turning wrenches are memories to cherish.

In the other thread, it seems like there were a number of people who had a little (or a lot) or interaction with my grandfather. I don't think anyone ever had a bad word to say about him. Hearing some of those little stories gave me some time to reflect on just who he was and how much I miss having him around. I figured there has to be other good stories around that I hadn't heard or got missed...and if anyone was willing to share.

I miss you Granddad.



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Ramrod
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9/15/2016 9:29am
Very good post, thanks for sharing that!

Imagine the stories your grandfather must have had with such a history in the sport. Driving the Kawasaki transporter must have been like a fly on the wall with the big team they used to have.

wildbill
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9/15/2016 9:31am
This is awesome Shane. May stories flow wfo. Smile
9/15/2016 9:48am Edited Date/Time 9/15/2016 9:48am
Great post ,Shane.
I met your grandfather at Southwick several years ago (around 2000 maybe). We just spoke briefly but he seemed like a great man who worked hard and loved what he did.
captmoto
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9/15/2016 10:30am
Shane, I met your grandfather at the L.A. Coliseum SX in 1992. One of my kids wanted to be a truck driver and was fascinated seeing the big rig in the pits. It was kind of quiet in the pits since practice was going on.He sees us looking and asked if the boys wanted to a tour of the rig. They really enjoyed that little tour and I think they remember that more than the race.
This is a picture of a picture with your grandfather and my kids.

The Shop

KTMShane699
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9/15/2016 10:43am
That's an awesome photo. He always took a lot of pride in that truck. The time he took making it "his." He was always willing to show it off. I saw him give more people tours of it. He enjoyed the people a lot and was willing to give back.

It's funny, whenever they replaced his truck he'd complain non stop for a year what a "piece of shit" the new truck was. It lasted just long enough to fix what he deemed needed fixing and then it became a "great truck."
S.Loyer
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9/15/2016 11:06am
Cool read, love stuff like this.
KTMShane699
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9/15/2016 11:29am
I do. I'll have to go through them once I'm back to being more mobile again. They took bone spurs out of my ankle on Tuesday so I'm limited to the couch for now.

Thanks for the stories.
9/15/2016 11:50am
Definitely a cool thread Shane, I remember seeing the Kawasaki hauler and your Grandpa and Grandma several times when I worked at Midtown Kawasaki in the 90's. I don't know your name but you must have been in there a bunch too. Jim Ellis was one of my first MX heroes as a kid, he was the FIRST guy from New England to make it big.
Beast666
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9/15/2016 12:04pm
I got to meet George several times at various supercross races and at Kawasaki headquarters while on business. Great guy he hven gave a former girlfriend of mine a tour of the transporter at Phoenix one year while the team was busy prepping for a practice session it was the highlight of the race for her.

Sorry for your loss. RIP George.
9/15/2016 12:51pm
I know you already read this in the other post but figure I would post it here for others to read. I met george one year at RedBud when I was 6. I was late in getting to the Kawasaki hauler for autographs as my dad got hung up talking to Guy cooper for what seemed like forever but when I got over there all the Kawi guys were done signing autographs. Well George must have seen the disappointment on my face because I really wanted to get a Keidrowski autograph. George came walking over and my dad asked if Mike was around and he said well they were "officially" done signing autographs but if I wanted to take a tour of the truck mike and the rest might still be inside and might sign a poster for me. I was geeked cause as soon as we walk inside there Mike Keidrowski and Mike Larocco standing right there! I got a tour of the rig and both of them signed my poster it was awesome and something we still talk about to this day!
Steve125
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9/15/2016 1:12pm
Shane, there may be a few familiar faces in this pic.. Got it from Central Cycle Club's "History" section.. I was lucky enough to meet your Uncle Jim at Central a couple months ago. Unfortunately I couldn't ride with him because of a recent back injury.
Your Grandfather and Uncle are Moto legends.


newmann
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9/15/2016 3:45pm
The Can Am Spell




Captain Cobalt!




When Team meant Team dammit. Not the rag tag band of discombobulated shit we have today.




All good stuff, all good people. Jimmy was supposed to ride the YROC at Glen Helen back in 2002 but had other things come up. Jerseys were already printed so they found another Jimmy to fill in, Jimmy Holley. He autographed one of them and gave to my son.



racinstation
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9/15/2016 3:59pm
Great post! Legendary guy right there........

KTMShane699
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9/15/2016 4:09pm Edited Date/Time 9/15/2016 4:09pm
Steve125 wrote:
Shane, there may be a few familiar faces in this pic.. Got it from Central Cycle Club's "History" section.. I was lucky enough to meet your...
Shane, there may be a few familiar faces in this pic.. Got it from Central Cycle Club's "History" section.. I was lucky enough to meet your Uncle Jim at Central a couple months ago. Unfortunately I couldn't ride with him because of a recent back injury.
Your Grandfather and Uncle are Moto legends.


I actually know everyone in that photo. From left to right...

My mom, Sandy; Jimmy's ex-wife Darlene; Jimmy; my grandmother, Irene; my grandfather, George. The two kids in front are my Aunt Randi and my late Uncle Cory (passed away in a street bike accident ten days after my grandfather).

Newman, I'm sure you know probably more about that era than most given the vintage ties. You're absolutely correct that teams were different and meant something more back then. The way information flowed and was shared was different. The sport was vastly different. In some ways better, in others worse.

This has been a great trip down memory lane.
KTMShane699
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9/15/2016 4:11pm
Oh, and Newman that Can Am flies Jimmy Ellis to victory photo hung for years in my grandfather's shop along with a number of Jimmy's old stick on number plate backgrounds and numbers.
Motoxdoc
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9/15/2016 5:35pm
Thanks for sharing....you have one hellava family to be proud of!
Motoman35
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9/15/2016 7:44pm
Shane did not know your bloodline.......good stuff.



KTMShane699
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9/15/2016 8:02pm Edited Date/Time 9/15/2016 8:03pm
Thanks guys. And keep them coming. I'm still in awe of just how many people didn't just know who he was, but interacted with him.

I've never really talked about my family history in the sport here. It was something that came up in a thread with a comment about a transport driver and I decided now was the time to put it out there. I always simply wanted to be credible on my own. Even when I was racing, only those closest to me knew my family history. I wanted to write my own course. Unfortunately, I never had Jimmy's speed. What I did have though was the opportunity to share some great moments wit my grandfather along the way. Many hours talking shop while spinning wrenches. And along the way I learned more about the inner workings of the sport.

I am beyond fortunate to have the rich racing history in my family. And even more fortunate to have people here that I've never met sharing stories about my family. Lucky is an understatement for me.
newmann
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9/15/2016 8:07pm
But do you have any works Canned Ham engines under the work bench?
9/15/2016 9:54pm
Such an interesting family. thanks for sharing
9/15/2016 10:01pm Edited Date/Time 9/15/2016 10:04pm
And for what it's worth, Boston Cycles sponsored many of motorcycle racings fastest riders, with some great mechanics / tuners also coming out of that shop.
motomike137
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9/16/2016 4:23am
In another thread, we got to discussing my grandfather and my family history in the sport a little bit. Those parts of the thread got buried...
In another thread, we got to discussing my grandfather and my family history in the sport a little bit. Those parts of the thread got buried among many other directions it was going, but hearing some stories about my grandfather was pretty awesome, so I wanted to start a thread so others who may have missed it might chime in.

My grandfather passed away last year while I was having one of the reconstructive surgeries on my broken leg. It wasn't a surprise. My family has always had a rich history in the sport, and it always amazes me how many people interacted with him and gave them a memorable experience.

My grandfather is George Ellis. My uncle is Jimmy Ellis. And yes, that is the Jimmy Ellis former SX champion. My uncle lives in Australia these days and has gone on to race cars among other things. But my grandfather continued in the sport long after Jimmy's career was over.

In 1991, Kawasaki was the first team to use an 18-wheeler as their transporter. My grandfather was the first one to drive for them and drove for the Factory Kawasaki race team until the early 2000's (2002 or 2003 I believe was his last year). While driving, my grandmother worked for the AMA as one of the officials behind the scenes. My grandparents had experiences on the road that most of us could only dream of. Along the way, they made countless friends. We had their 50th anniversary party close to home one year. The people who came to attend was like a who's who of our sport. Racers, managers, people from the past in the sport. It goes on and on. Along the way, my grandparents were also both awarded the AMA Lifetime Achievement Award in the same year. Before my grandfather passed, he handed the watch he got with the award down to me. It remains one of my favorite things from him, although I don't wear it daily.

Some of my memories with my grandfather were late nights building motors so that I could race. Or trying new things with my bike. The knowledge he had of bikes was amazing. He forgot more than I'll ever know. The times we spent in his shop turning wrenches are memories to cherish.

In the other thread, it seems like there were a number of people who had a little (or a lot) or interaction with my grandfather. I don't think anyone ever had a bad word to say about him. Hearing some of those little stories gave me some time to reflect on just who he was and how much I miss having him around. I figured there has to be other good stories around that I hadn't heard or got missed...and if anyone was willing to share.

I miss you Granddad.



Shane I was a huge fan of your Uncle Jimmy and spoke with your granddad a couple of times at Red Bud when he was driving the Kawi rig. I had a couple Can-Ams back in the day and that is how I first got on board as a fan of Jimmy. As for talking to George it happened because I had a really clean 74 125 Can Am that I rode around as a pit bike and would take it to Red Bud with me when they let you ride pit bikes around and we camped all around the track unlike the way they now herd all the campers into other areas. We were camped a couple of years in a row at the base of Laroccos leap and the rigs would come in the old main entrance off Red Bud trail. Your grandfather was pulling in with the Kawasaki 18 wheeler and spotted my Can Am sitting there so he stopped, got out and came over to talk to me about it which led to a nice 15 minute conversation about the good old days of moto. A year or two later I happened to be riding the bike down the same entrance road and George stopped again to talk to me about it and he really wanted to buy it off of me. I asked him to make me an offer but he never did for some reason (I think he thought I felt it was worth a fortune or something...lol). Anyways we had another cool conversation and he eventually drove off and parked the rig in the pits. To this day I wish I had thrown out a number and made a deal with him because I always thought it would have been cool to know he ended up with my bike.
ns503
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9/16/2016 8:30am
Really digging the Can-Am talk & pics.
KTMShane699
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9/16/2016 11:56am
Shane I was a huge fan of your Uncle Jimmy and spoke with your granddad a couple of times at Red Bud when he was driving...
Shane I was a huge fan of your Uncle Jimmy and spoke with your granddad a couple of times at Red Bud when he was driving the Kawi rig. I had a couple Can-Ams back in the day and that is how I first got on board as a fan of Jimmy. As for talking to George it happened because I had a really clean 74 125 Can Am that I rode around as a pit bike and would take it to Red Bud with me when they let you ride pit bikes around and we camped all around the track unlike the way they now herd all the campers into other areas. We were camped a couple of years in a row at the base of Laroccos leap and the rigs would come in the old main entrance off Red Bud trail. Your grandfather was pulling in with the Kawasaki 18 wheeler and spotted my Can Am sitting there so he stopped, got out and came over to talk to me about it which led to a nice 15 minute conversation about the good old days of moto. A year or two later I happened to be riding the bike down the same entrance road and George stopped again to talk to me about it and he really wanted to buy it off of me. I asked him to make me an offer but he never did for some reason (I think he thought I felt it was worth a fortune or something...lol). Anyways we had another cool conversation and he eventually drove off and parked the rig in the pits. To this day I wish I had thrown out a number and made a deal with him because I always thought it would have been cool to know he ended up with my bike.
My grandfather and I actually had conversations about your bike. I don't know why he never made you an offer on it. He probably wanted to offer you a "fair price" and never decided what that was. If you made him an offer, he just might have taken it. He would occasionally bring stuff for can-am's home from the road that he'd come across. I believe your bike is one of the ones he wanted to make the replica of Jimmy's from. He had a few bikes, but none great and in good enough condition to make complete.

He always had a way of remembering people he came across. He knew everyone. It really is a small world.
Brosho
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9/16/2016 9:56pm
Shane I spent many weekends chatting with your Grand Dad in the pits at the races. He told me lots of great stories and racing history. I just learned of his passing in this thread. Sorry to hear.
11/4/2016 8:52pm
I raced a few times with Jimmy Ellis.. the first time was an ice race actually which was held at a local Hockey Town ice arena in Melrose, Massachusetts, the town next to me. I was about 16 years old at the time which would have been about 1975 and Jimmy was on Can Ams at the time. The event was in the evening and it was snowing hard and my father never came home that evening to take me to the race, so I jumped on my 1975 CR125 and drove through the streets to get to the ice race so I could race with Jimmy Ellis

I also ended up with what I believe was one of his factory Can Ams under unusual circumstances. It was given to me by a guy that knew I raced as part payment for a job I did. This guy had a very shady background and I though it strange that he would have such a nice Can Am race bike that was fairly new as he didn't ride. He said it was given to him. The bike was 125 or 175cc, the piston was seized, and it had some very unusual high quality parts and brackets on it that were not on a stock Can Am and the frame was a little different. I compared it to a picture of Jimmy on one of his factory Can Ams and the parts were identical. Perhaps you can ask your uncle Jimmy if one of their race bikes were ever stolen in Massachusetts around 1975 to 1977 time frame. I always wondered about that bike and I never rode it or did anything with it. I hate thieves, too, by the way!!
bushman
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11/6/2016 6:58pm
Straight up guy George Ellis, didn't know me from a back of nickel's but always was ready to engage in a conversation, we had many. Remember his smile and the eternal toothpick! Also his kid could ride a dirt bike!
cable
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11/6/2016 7:25pm
I just realized the can am coat. I have or had that same coat until the last year or two. (haven't seen it recently)

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