"At the same location at the same speed, he went down," Moraga says. "I went to see him in the hospital and said, 'I see you found the speed wobble on my bike.' He just grumbled."

The bike disappeared, but Moraga stayed with the CHP through 15 years and somewhere around 1 million miles, riding Harleys and Kawasakis. He never had another wreck, but he never complained about the Eldorado, either.

"I loved those machines," he says, "except for the one I had." MC 

Press Reports

"The machine eats miles like no other motorcycle. Side winds and pressure front blasts from passing trucks don't faze it. ... Ripply pavement and chuck holes go almost unnoticed. ... And there's incredible cruising power." — Cycle, July 1972

"It's a bike for crossing continents, not states. It's a bike that can carry 200lb of gear for camping and a passenger at the same time. And, it's a bike that can eat up 300-mile sections of expressway and leave the rider free from fatigue." — Cycle World, August 1973

"A couple of quick definite shifts and it's topped the speed limit. It reaches 60 in one-tenth that many seconds without straining ... zzippPP! ... shot from guns (make that cannons' - it's a pretty big bike)." — Road Rider, January 1973

"Mountain roads didn't shake our confidence in teh handling, but they did draw attention to the brakes. The rear unit is overly sensitive. ... Contrasting this is the front twin-shoe drum which fades after a couple of panic stops. ..." — Cycle World, August 1973

"In summary, it would appear that the Eldorado basically has everything that it takes to be a very reliable, dependable machine." — Road Rider, October 1974