This is Piney River Rat in 1978 in Daytona. "Piney" had it all figured out way before tv made this whole scenster scene "cool". Ya can only wonder what got him so into what he was about. Piney never never got off his bike. In this Pic he had a neck brace on from when he got hit by a car. He said fuck it and rode from Va. to Daytona with that neck brace and im sure a bellie full of whiskey. Here he is fixin a kicker on his rat pan. Check out how everyone is circling around him like he's from another planet. God bless this cat for he's the one that kept it true back then and taught us how to keep it true today. RIP Piney!!!He died on his bike while some fuck was driving a car
Thanks "Cow Shit" Paul for the pics
His name was Courtney Gordon from Piney River Va. He made many epic cross country runs on that pan. Several written about in early easyriders, including a bike feature. He is still a legend/folk hero around here.
ReplyDeleteCourtney's Rat bike is still in the family. His younger brothers are the caretakers of it until his son Joel is able to ride it. I have a video CG & I made going to the Rat's Hole show in Daytona with his daughter Destiny. The Rat still shows up at a few shows in his honor. A Long Time Friend, Johnny Hall
ReplyDeleteJohn, I just saw this e-mail about Courtney, my older brother. The "RAT" is still in the family and is well cared for. It looks the same as it did 30 plus years ago. We took the old pan to Strugis in 08 and entered it in the Rat Hole show where it took 2'nd place. Iron Horse Mag. was there and took quite a few pictures,and we wrote a story about the bike although I don't think they published anything,but it would sure make for some good reading about an old survivor. I had my 57' hand-jammer straight leg rigid there that I had built in the mid 70's which also looks exatly the same and after the show my son Daniel & I fired up the bikes and rode west.
ReplyDeletehi leigh its ben years about 35 or so how is bennie do you see scot hallman any more i am living in tennessee now i still have my shovel are you still in nothern va. if i can get in touch with you i would like to 6157200538
DeleteLeigh, I met your brother when I was 16. I still count him among my all time hero’s. My first vehicle was a 71 VW bus that I blew up in short order. He step by step told me how to rebuild it while it was sitting. in the parking lot of Shell station. I think my girlfriend even babysat for Destiny one time when she was a toddler. When I got home from the service I worked for him a little while when he opened his shop in Elon right when he got sick. I helped put floorboards in that old Limo that he loaded the River Rat into to haul it to Daytona. That was the first road bike I ever rode. Now, I drive by that building every day, I don’t think I’ve see Ann since the late 90s
DeleteI met Piney in the early eighties on the Daytona Run to the Sun.He was partying with flat track champion Jay Springsteen when they walked into our camp and Piney offered to play some "Harley Davidson Blues" on his harmonica in exchange for a cold beer.A good time was had by all. R.I.P Piney
ReplyDeleteGeno
Leigh, i just happened across this post . i thought that bike was awesome .tho i had never met Piney i had met you at the Rats Hole Show in Sturgis in 08 mine was the one that took first . hope all is well with you and yours , i hope you get to take the bike out to show the public again . take care .....Scrapey P.Hawkins
ReplyDeleteScrapey, He went by CG or Courtney. I knew him from elementary school till his passing. He was great man from a great family. Do you have any pictures from the show in Sturgis?
DeleteGlad to see that there is a site about Courtney. I never got to go with him to Daytona but partied alot with him on his farm in Piney River Va. Most memorable party was when a chapter of the outlaws showed up with Bob West. Courtney taught me alot about bikes and people he was one of a kind. Miss the hell out of him. Reddog.
ReplyDeleteCourtney was a scooter god to me when I was a kid in the 80s and I worked for him a little at his shop in Elon, just before he moved on. I drive by the old building every day now and I thought about seeing if I could find Ann to see if the Rat was still kicking. I glad to hear that she is.
ReplyDeleteIan
Ann will never get her hands on the Rat. It will stay with Courtney's family until his son Joel is able to take it.
Deletecourtney and i were friends way back in the 80s.i took care of him when he broke his neck.i lived in one of the old houses on the farm in piney with my x old man,keith.ur missed courtney
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Glad to see this site. Courtney and Ann's first child, Destiny, was born in my house on Riverside Dr. In Lynchburg. He and I drove to the Swap meet in Atlanta in my old 65 Chevy p/u so full of his junk we could hardly get into it. Must have been around '84'. Did way too much of way to may substances...had a blast. Kind of lost track of Ann and the kids after he died. The lad was a trip. If anyone knows Ann tell her to send me an email. hbs4y2001@yahoo.com Howard
ReplyDeleteTry looking up Leigh & Archie Gordon at Gordon Construction in Goochland, VA.
DeleteCourtney's family are in touch with his kid's, they are no longer in touch with Ann.
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ReplyDeleteI remember Courtney very well. I’m from Roseland which is just North of Piney River. He had an old Dodge pickup that sat in front of the shop for a while. He was trying to sell the motor out of that truck. Said it was a Hemi. I was both stupid and skeptical about things thinking that motor won’t shit. Well me and my dirt track buddy stopped by the shop one day asking about the motor. Hell the truck didn’t have a bed or even a gas tank. Well old Courtney found a jug of gas and stuck the fuel line from that truck in the jug and fired that fuckin thing up and then proceeded to do wheel stands in that old truck just to show off how bad assed that old Hemi was. I’ll never forget it.
ReplyDeleteI remember Courtney, his sister Meryl and Archie from 1966-1968 at West Springfield High. They lived in Burke on Burke Road. He had an old white Cadillac parked in the school parking lot that had been modified to accept a diesel truck engine and drive train. It had a 5/4 transmission that took two people to operate. One shifter was in the back seat because the drive train was so long. I remember the hood was spilt down the middle to get it to fit. Courtney was a legend even back then. I think he must have been a year or to older than me.
ReplyDeleteVery sorry to hear he has passed. I hope his family is doing well. Courtney Gordon lives on in our memories and the internet. He did good!
In 1978 Courtney, Vaughan Beales (Harley CEO), and me rode to Roanoke together, Courtney kept asking Beales if he could be his executive jet plane pilot, super fun!
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