When did it start?

[Saddle tramp]

When did you get your first bike?What bikes inspired you?I remember when a Yamaha twin 100 was the bike to want,anyone else remember the late 60's of bikes?I miss the wonder of that era.

[ragtop69gs]

My first bike was a Suzuki RM400 I bought it when i was 14 . Rode the Sh*t outa that bike for 6 years until I sold it and bought a Maico 400 NOW THAT BIKE HAD POWER !

 

First street bike was a Kaw 750 triple.

[cowpuc]

Oh yea,, remember those AWESOME days of the mid 60's and thru the 70's really really well.. Started on a 59 Sears Moped, grabbed a 5hp Bonanza when the Mini craze started (C Pics). MXed/Harescrambled back in the day (C Pics). Then I got interested in motorcycles and went nuts,, (C Pics)..

[slowrollwv]

I started on my brothers JAWA 50 when he wasn't looking. First street legal bike was a Suzuki 90, then 350 Bridgestone, 350 Yamaha, 650 Yamaha, GS 1000 Suzuki. Then gave up riding for 18 years. Now 2003 RSV.

[Freebird]

My first bike was a Honda Sport 90 when I was 14. My dad had a little 3 HP Mercury boat motor that he never used. A friend Granddad had the Honda and wanted the boat motor so my Dad let my little brother and I trade it for the Honda. It was a great little bike but sharing one bike with your little brother just doesn't cut it so soon thereafter, I bought my own bike, a Harley 250 Sprint. Neither of these are pictures of the actual bikes but identical to what we had.

[Brake Pad]

1979 XL 185 Honda

250 Harley Sprint

Kawasaki 400H 1976

1982 Yamaha 250 ( tricked out for snow riding )

1979 CB Honda 750K ( Vetter Packs)

1982 Honda CBX ( Lost License for two years but it does 147 MPH )

1984 Honda Goldwing Aspencade ( 237,891.8 miles ) ( I lost Deer won )

2004 Yamaha 1800 Roadstar

2007 Yamaha Venture

2012 Honda Goldwing ( Second Generation )

[Yammer Dan]

My Uncle gave me a OLD OLD Indian. Never had a motor. I would push it up the hill next to our house and ride it back down. Finally adapted a Lawn Mower engine to it and rode up that hill!!! My start at wrenching. Moved up to a Honda 50 that had had dirty gas put in it. Got to learn a little there. Made it purr and it was on. Got 50+ years in riding and tinkering!!

[Flyinfool]

I started out with a Harley Sport 50 when I was in my early 20s.

Once I figured out that it would only pull my big but at 35 to 40 mph, I got a Honda 250. That 250 could at least get me up to 55 MPH but with the wife on back it was back down to about 40 tops. So I traded both of those bikes in on a Yamaha XS650, put on a bat wing faring that I got from a bike salvage yard along with some hard side bags from same salvage trip. For a trunk I had a milk crate attached to the luggage rack.

 

That bike was totaled back around 1980 when I took on an Olds 98 head on, and won.

 

I replaced it with a Kaw 750 with full Windjammer with lowers, and matching luggage. Wife and I loved to ride that thing, never took an overnight trip but did a lot of day rides. Kids were old enough to leave alone for a few hours but not overnight.

Then the wife became an exwife and I sold the bike shortly thereafter.

It took 20 years to get the bug back and I bought the 88 Standard that I have now.

 

Oh yea,, remember those AWESOME days of the mid 60's and thru the 70's really really well.. Started on a 59 Sears Moped, grabbed a 5hp Bonanza when the Mini craze started (C Pics). MXed/Harescrambled back in the day (C Pics). Then I got interested in motorcycles and went nuts,, (C Pics)..[ATTACH=CONFIG]101433[/ATTACH]

 

And just who is that Fiendish impostor WASHING a bike in @cowpucs driveway. Poor Tweeks must have really been cowering in a corner somewhere. Poor things, both Tweeks and that poor bike getting blasted.

[yamagrl]

1969 Yamaha YL-1 Twin Jet 100 (1971)

[theportunionkid]

friend of my older sister rode a 50cc harley to our place late in fall, weather turned bad he left it there till spring, I was sixth grade or so he said I could ride it. Shifter was on handle bar, clutch side. The bug had bit me! 1st 350 Kaw twin 2 stroke, 1970- 650 triumph,1976- 900 Kaw, 83 Venture stnd.

[etcswjoe]

Got a mini-bike from sears for Christmas when I was four, dad took me out to the road (gravel) still in my pajamas but I had my cowboy boots on. Dad fired it up I got on and down I went, dids not want to get back on it but Dad said "If you don't get back on it now you never will", I think he regretted saying those words till the day he died.

[Yama Mama]

When Ron and I were first married. I worked for a doctor. A patient told me about the 350 Honda CB he had that he had wrecked the from end. We went to see it and bought it for I think $200. We fixed it and repainted the tank. We used to ride it all over, never knew how little it was until we bought our Honda 500. We still have the 350. It was a 68.

 

Yama Mama

[kevin-vic-b.c.]

I have told the story a few times over the years....... I met a girl at work, she was my supervisor at the time. We dated some, I was driving a VW Beetle and once told her I was thinking of selling it. She asked what I would replace it with.... I told her a motorcycle or a van I was not sure. After some time gone by she ended up in a car accident and ended up with a settlement. One day I was working a renovation job and one of the guys told me my GF was out back to see me......... she showed up on a brand new Honda 400A. She had never drive a standard so bought the Automatic. She handed me a helmet and gloves and a set of keys.... including the keys to her apartment. I married her 33 yrs ago.

[bill4you502]

....I bought a used Honda 50 in 1966 for my brother to use during his summer break and liked it! So I bought a '66 Honda 90. I found out it wasn't big enough, so, I bought a '67 Triumph 250 Tiger. Had it for 2 yrs and sold it, that was 1969.........Retired in 2008 (39 years without a bike ) and bought a 2001 Yamaha Road Star, sold that and bought a 2006 RSV, which brings you up to date! So there it 'tis!!!....:dancefool:

[bill4you502]

....I bought a used Honda 50 for my brother to use during his summer break and liked it! So I bought a Honda 90. I found out it wasn't big enough, so, I bought a Triumph 250 Tiger. Had it for 2 yrs and sold it, that was 1967.........Retired in 2008 and bought a 2001 Yamaha Road Star, sold that and bought a 2006 RSV, which brings you up to date! So there it 'tis!!!....:dancefool:

[Great White]

Started when I was 16 with a 1974 RD350.

 

Roaded it and then raced it. Was a street monster, often taking down bikes twice it's size. Temperamental little SOB as a street bike. Front tire clawed for the sky any time that little bugger came on the pipe. Fouled spark plugs on an almost weekly (usually every couple days) basis, even with the injection pump rigged up correctly. Premix made no difference either. Got absolutely horrible MPG. Absolutely FANTASTIC SPG (smiles per gallon). Wadded it later on while racing it.

 

Quick succession of RD350/400's after that. All ended up as tight metal balls in relatively short order. I was a better builder than a racer. I knew I was never going to get that big factory ride, but had fun doing it all the same.

 

Yammy, Kawi and Honda four stroke street bikes peppered in the RD deficient zones and got me from here to there. Had a preference for the Yammy XJ bikes. Mostly Maxim's and Seca's. Almost ended up buying a new off the floor 1984 XJ750RL once. Shortage of funds shot me right out of the water. Too bad, was a b!tch!n' bike that I would probably still own today.

 

Never owned a dirt bike, always rode friends dirt stuff. Never a lot of interest in dirt bikes anyways....

Edited August 30, 2015 by Great White

[10spd]

I was about 12 when my mom took us to cousins house. They had one of the sears minis. I rode 2 tanks of gas out of it (mom wasn't happy). At age 21 got a new off the showroom. Suzuki gs 750. Rode the wheels off if it. Sold it. Bought a Honda CB900 custom. Rode the wheels off of it also. Kids came along bikes went bye bye. Got my dad's CB900 custom after he passed which got me back into it. 2 years ago bought my XVZ1300

[videoarizona]

Honda 160, 1965

[Saddle tramp]

Great stories,I am so thankful to have found bike's in the 60's.kevin-vic-bc you are so lucky,enjoy life.I love the memories of the time when a Yamaha Twin 100 was the bike to have.Still the smoothest bike I ever rode.At first I called Yamaha's Yamah-has and Kawasakis were Kawaski's.The Samuri 250 I really butchered,it was Sam,your I.The best times ever.

[Pegasus1300]

Started in 1964 on a rented Yamaha 80 step thru dirt bike. Went to Argentina and one of the people I worked with had a beautiful DKW 200 two stroke. We road it everywhere.Back in the States in 1968 bought a WELL used 1956 AJS. It lasted 30 days then blew up. Spent the next 2 years trying to get it back together,stumbled on a great deal on a brand new 1969 Norton Fastback. Proceeded to put 25000 miles on it sold it( big mistake) and bought a 1972 R 750/5 with the Butler Avon fairing and Calafia bags. 30000 miles later Sold it, next Suzuki RL250, Montesa 250 King Scorpion,Yamaha SR 500,anniversary Triumph 750,BSA Rocket 3, then 1983 Venture,1986 Venture Royale,1988,Venture Royal Anniversary(still have) 1988 Venture Royal, 2008 RSTD (wrecked) 2008 RSVS (wrecked),1990 Goldwing Trike, 2012 Spyder RTS-L.Also have a 1968 BSA 500 Royal Star and a 1971 Montesa 175 Texas Scrambler.

[Evan]

These are the bikes I owned in the 60's, before I married in 68. Sold the TR6 after I got married. Bought the first one, the Honda 90, so I wouldn't have to ride my bicycle or thumb 22 miles a day to get a horse place. Not sad about my divorce, but sure wish I didn't sell the Triumph. However, I did own a Suzuki 500 and a KZ 650 in the 70's during that marriage.