First bike ever ridden

[waltroman]

V Bought this bike in 1976 from a trucker that had to sell because he had Phlebitis.  I called it the Paint Shaker.

[Skywagon]

3 hours ago, Stiggy said:

Puch Moped (sold by Sears

Oh man… I had one of those. Loved it. We use to put it on the kickstand, rev it up, then rock back on the rear wheel to do a wheelie. I would love to have it back. It got ran over by a truck in a parking lot. 

[Redfoxx]

From my 1st bike to my 4th. I think I was maybe 12 years old when I got the first one and had the XR75 until I was about 19. 

[Chris K]

 

Honda Trail 90 for me. Sometime in the late 60's

[lather]

Outgrew this CL100 in about 9 months  bought an XL250

[TEDZ]

First bike ridden was my sister's mid 70's Sportster.  First bike owned was a Honda Magna.

[roadscholar]

3 hours ago, Chris K said:

 

Honda Trail 90 for me. Sometime in the late 60's

 

One of our guys rode one of those on the Trans-Fla a couple years ago, I think he gave up about the 2/3 mark on day one : ) 

[TEWKS]

4 minutes ago, roadscholar said:

I think he gave up about the 2/3 mark on day one : ) 

I know a Triumph rider that made it about the same distance!  

Edit

I don’t remember if I ever told you about the sketchy dude the kept walking up on Jim while he was waiting for your buddy and his trailer.

 

Jim said he almost had to crack him! 

 

[roadscholar]

6 hours ago, TEWKS said:

I don’t remember if I ever told you about the sketchy dude the kept walking up on Jim while he was waiting for your buddy and his trailer.

 

Jim said he almost had to crack him! 

 

It was kind of a sketchy area, probably Florida Man in training : )

[Norm 88]

IN 1951 I was 16 yrs. old saved paper rout money  and bought a  old used up AJS  that set the hook still riding at 88 yrs. old lucky me 

[Paul De]

This thread has me jonesing for so many of the vintage bikes mentioned.  If I had Jay Leno’s garage…and his checkbook, I’d be on a buying spree right now!

[old_farmer]

1965 Honda S90, red, bought in 1970 and ridden gently on our farm. That bike is still on the farm, gradually returning to the elements. One just like it (but nicer) recently sold at the Mecum auction in Las Vegas for $3300.

[lawnchairboy]

XR 80

[beemerboy]

The first "bike" I rode was a neighbor's Briggs & Stratton powered mini bike. I made it about 10' before my father came flying out of the house yelling at me to stop. A few years later he acquiesced and this used '67 Kawasaki 120 became my first love, er, bike ride.

[Lowndes]

In the spring of '62 I was 15.5 years old and lusting for a motorcycle more than anything in the whole world.  Well, anything mechanical.  I was saving money from any little job I could find but not making much headway.  Dad heard me talking about it and told me that if I would buy a bike of 100cc or less, he would pay for half of it.  Wow.  I had right at $200 and found an almost new Honda S90 in the Sunday newspaper "want ads" not far from me for $400, called and went to look at it.  It was pristine.  The guy that owned it was about a year older and I asked him why he was selling it.  He pulled a heavily bandaged left hand out of his jacket pocket.  I rode it home.  

 

Monday evening Dad told me he overheard a coworker telling another guy (he was an electrical engineer and worked in a huge room with 20-30 other engineers and drafting tables) that his kid had "...finally SOLD that G&*dammed MOTORCYCLE."       Yep.

 

Turned out he had only had it a few weeks, but was washing it with the engine running and in gear on the centerstand when his middle (bird) finger was snatched between the chain and sprocket, mashed, squoze and twisted almost OFF.

 

I couldn't get a license until I turned 16 so the bike sat in the basement for several days with me sitting on it, beside it, in front of it, and behind it until I just couldn't stand it any more and started taking it apart.  I couldn't figure out how to remove the cam chain or I'd have removed the head and cyl.  Got 'em loose.  The birthday finally rolled around and I was OFF.

 

I distinctly remember one of my very first "legal" rides was on the new Interstate (I-85) thru Atlanta one Sunday afternoon.  It would run 61 or 62 with me laying on the tank and that's what I was doing in traffic trying to keep up in the rightmost lane.  I had been holding it wide open for some time when the engine suddenly seized.  I pulled over, put it on the centerstand and watched traffic go by and contemplated the situation for 20-30 minutes.  Not knowing any better I gave the kick starter a poke and it started and ran like nothing had happened.  I got on and drove it home, but slower.  It never showed any ill effects.

 

Eventually I converted it to a dirt bike with knobby tires and a high and wide cross braced handlebar from a three wheeler someone gave me.  It handled really well.  Then one day it was gone.  Stolen.

 

Honda S90

Honda CB160

Honda CB450 (bought new)

Honda CB750 F2 Super Sport (still have)

25 years of no riding

BMW R1100S

BMW R1100RT

BMW K1200RS

Honda ST1300

Suzuki SV650S

BMW K1300S

 

 

 

[Hosstage]

A friend let me ride his '77 Triumph Bonneville, semi chopped, 4 speed kick start for quite a few days. I rode the wheels off that thing. Another friend let me ride his Kawi 550 LTD for a few days, rode the wheels off that thing too. Most other bikes borrowed and ridden were just short rides around the block and returned. Finally, I bought my first bike, an 1100 Honda Shadow, brand new right off the showroom floor. Used that bike to finally go get my license after years of illegal riding. Went from the Shadow to a Harley Heritage Softail, to a RoadKing, and added an Ultra Classic Limited.

Never spent a lot of time on smaller bikes. 

[BABABeemer]

My first ride was a Tote Gote. A friend owned it and it caught on fire and burned up the entire back end section. I bought it for $5 and restored it with my dad’s help. I rode it for about 3 years exploring all the logging roads behind Lake Tahoe. I ended up trading it back to my friend for a 10 speed bike, $50, and an air rifle.

[bayoubengal]

Two kids in my parent’s friend circle got new Z50A mini-trails in 1969.  First bike I ever rode.  Don’t think I ever wanted anything that badly - well not until about 6-8 years later😉.  By the time ownership became a possibility, dad correctly thought we’d outgrow it too quickly, and bought my brother and I a 1970 CT-70, also known as a Trail 70.  I was grateful because this was only a couple years after my mother had declared we could have a Honda when we were 55, and 5 years before my father opened Hutch’s Honda of Covington, La.!

[profbodryak]

Clone of a Honda Reflex 250>Suzuki Burgman 650>all BMW RT's ever since (2012).

[Paul De]

19 hours ago, bayoubengal said:

Two kids in my parent’s friend circle got new Z50A mini-trails in 1969.  First bike I ever rode.  Don’t think I ever wanted anything that badly - well not until about 6-8 years later😉.  By the time ownership became a possibility, dad correctly thought we’d outgrow it too quickly, and bought my brother and I a 1970 CT-70, also known as a Trail 70.  I was grateful because this was only a couple years after my mother had declared we could have a Honda when we were 55, and 5 years before my father opened Hutch’s Honda of Covington, La.!

The CT-70 was my cousins first ride and we swapped rides often.  Fun little bike to learn on.  
 

Have you seen the prices on the CT-70 recently.  Might qualify as an investment if you bought one way back when for a decent price.  I think the CT-70 became sort of a cult machine for campers to slap on the back of their RV.   I guess if you are willing to lay out several hundred $K for a “camper”, what is another 3-6 $K for a vintage mini motorcycle. Keeps your pee mark higher on the toy post 😎

[MikeB60]

I remember riding a CT 70 back in the day. Seems like it had 3 speeds and didn't require a manual clutch??

[Dave P]

Got hooked in 1978 with a yellow Motobecane moped like this, but in 1985 moved way up to a 1982 Kawasaki 440LTD. I thought that bike was really fast! D

[Paul De]

 

 

14 hours ago, Dave P said:

but in 1985 moved way up to a 1982 Kawasaki 440LTD. I thought that bike was really fast! D

Yes, our performance expectations change over time and the Kawi 440 LTD was more of a commuter model, but the belt drive was a nice low maintenance feature.  Did yours suffer from a porous head casting?  Often mistaken for a gasket leak, but the oil was actually seeping right through the casting making for an unsightly mess.  Kawasaki warranted them if the dealer's mechanics was on to ball enough to call the weeping heads out.  By '82 Kawasaki had introduced their J motor design all the way up into the 1000 cc engine which replaced the roller bearing crank with a plain bearings, put bigger valves in the head, and had a slightly shorter stroke among other changes. That motor design change opened up a lot of performance potential.  Even today their motors are an evolution of the J engine.

 

There was a guy that bought one of the first J model KZ1000 LTDs in the area.  He wanted more go and for his budget we did the "HD" performance upgrade by making it breath to its potential.  Fitted a Kerker header, opened up the airbox, and carefully re-jetted the carbs. I don't think we degree'd the cams, but even without that last tweak that metric liter cruiser bike was really fast for the day. I rode it a few times when he brought it in for maintenance and I was not only impressed with the motor performance, but it actually handled pretty well too.  I think the owner lightened up a few wallets street racing the unsuspecting on his LTD wannabe cruiser...but, I digress.

[RogerC60]

On 1/24/2024 at 6:37 PM, wbw6cos said:

Not counting my mom's 1978 Honda CM185T Twinstar and step father's late 70's Honda CB 450, powered by my brothers pushing me around the yard, I first rode a '78 Suzuki GS 550.  I bought it used when in the Navy and traded it a few months later for a new Suzuki GR650X Tempter. 

 

My first ride was also a '78 GS550, looked a lot like that, but mine had cast wheels and a disc brake in the rear.

[JCtx]

On 2/3/2024 at 11:37 AM, BABABeemer said:

The first bike I rode was something like that... and the second one too. The first one I owned was in college: a '79 Honda CX500... that my parents made me sell, so it was short-lived. The next one I bought once on my own was an '82 CB700 Night Hawk. Those were the only 2 used bikes I ever bought. My current R1250R is my 16th new bike, and possibly the last (it's a keeper).

[BABABeemer]

6 hours ago, JCtx said:

The first bike I rode was something like that... and the second one too. The first one I owned was in college: a '79 Honda CX500... that my parents made me sell, so it was short-lived. The next one I bought once on my own was an '82 CB700 Night Hawk. Those were the only 2 used bikes I ever bought. My current R1250R is my 16th new bike, and possibly the last (it's a keeper).

That’s interesting! One of my other bikes after the Tote Gote was also a 79 CX500. Great bike!

[PT Matt]

In the summer of '86 my buddy gave me this 1974 Suzuki GT 185 Adventurer. I was the 4th owner. The previous 3 owners dogged the hell out of it before passing it along. I had been riding on the back of it for 2 years, so was very familiar with it, and I had previously learned to ride on it. Total piece of junk, and I loved it! Had a blast on it until I bought a new old stock 1982 Yamaha Seca 400. What a powerful machine compared to the GT 185! Put 20K miles on the Seca until I was ruined one day when a friend let me ride his VF750. I have a picture of the day my eyes were opened to way more horsepower. Had a GPz750 within a few months.

 

[brorke]

Honda CR60........That little sucker was fast!

 

[AviP]

Mine was the Kawasaki KB100 in a faraway land. 

 

 

[BigtowH8]

I love the smell of gas, oil and rubber, early in the morning (or anytime for that matter).

About 1974, the neighborhood gang would take turns on the Honda Trail 70.  I don't remember any adverse effects,  only falling in love with being in (un)control of my own destiny.  It was definitely mesmerizing enough to last 50 years and seven motorcycles since. (Did I just admit to 50 years of motorcycle infatuation; Holy cow! the body is getting old).  

[Dave P]

PT Matt- I went from that 440 LTD to this 750 Seca. Photo was 1990 I think. Don't have the bike but still have the girl! Dave

[Skywagon]

My second bike....Honda 350 CL  $55/per month for 12 months.  Junior in High School.  Check out the ATGATT riding.  Not sure where this was....but someplace in Fort Worth.

 

[EEK]

Of course I didn't know anything about working on a bike to keep it running...it didn't take long for it to quit. Used and it was all I could barely afford. I was in the service about a year when this happened! Shortly after it quit running, some guy in parking lot ( at the barracks) asked if he could ride it around the base one time if he could get it running. I said "yes" and watched him use the tool kit from bike to open points cover, then, finding a pop top opener laying on ground nearby, proceeded to adjust my points. It ran, kept my promise, and my mind was made up right there and then that I needed to learn .....and I did!

[mophead]

My learner bike.  Yamaha Twin Jet 100 Rocket Ship (at the time)!

[Old_Mil]

Not counting whatever 250cc beater I was on at the MSF-BRC in the dark ages, the Seca 2.  Followed by the silver 1150RT Dual Spark as bike #2.

 

I still think that era of 1150RT were some of the best looking motorcycles ever made.  I have a hard time visually adjusting to the angles on modern designs.

 

 

[RTinNC]

56 minutes ago, Old_Mil said:

Not counting whatever 250cc beater I was on at the MSF-BRC in the dark ages, the Seca 2.  Followed by the silver 1150RT Dual Spark as bike #2.

 

I still think that era of 1150RT were some of the best looking motorcycles ever made.  I have a hard time visually adjusting to the angles on modern designs.

 

 

Seca 2 was a great do most anything bike 

[Red]

On 2/7/2024 at 1:41 PM, Dave P said:

PT Matt- I went from that 440 LTD to this 750 Seca. Photo was 1990 I think. Don't have the bike but still have the girl! Dave

 

I put several miles on an 81 seca xj 750.  Great one up touring and sorta ok in the twisties.  If you weren't really smooth  and cornering aggressively, it'd sometimes go into a speed wobble.  

[DonB]

76 YZ100 and when in college got my first street bike.  A 76 RD400.  Piped, rear sets, 1/4 fairing.  It was awesome.  The latter in 83.  Those were the days.