| Author | Message | ||
     Oldog |
A Tv program, the wide world of sports, MX racing - Next Then Came Bronson. A friend had honda 70, I got my first bike an XL100 as transport and fun, I messed with it ( full yoshimura kit ) till I killed it, a 250 CZ mx bike, Buell "issues" HA! Try getting a crank rebuilt on a CZ "A CZ whats that?" Whats a "Falta Replica?" My first big road bike 79suzuki liter bike, I had 2 of them,( bent the first one on the back of a car ) at about 10K mi, Lessons about cold tires, and cold weather My suzuki paid for itself vs the car. 52k miles on the second sold it to a guy after a near miss made me quit riding for several years. I saw that one on the side of the road 6 months ago destroyed the running gear, still ran! Nearly 30 years old! I also had a Gixxer '86 750 broke that one in 2 I got the Buell in '02 good times 40K on that beast - I will keep it, but I'm wanting a road mule, and totaly customize the X1 into a "Pretty Brawler" Its been a long ride so far, the best part has been folks along the way and this place and the folks here. from the pourch, 'oldog | ||
| Hr_puffinstuff |
funny, i just told this story last night at the racetrack. here's the short version: June 1970. Dad rolls up on a new CB750K0. Mom instantly pitched a fit. "It's not for me, it's for the boy" he told her. Dad rode "my" bike to work for years. Mom's baby book reads that my first two words were "Dada" and "Honda" - and not in that order. During the divorce, Mom wanted the bike sold off. Dad told the judge the bike had been sold for parts. as soon as the divorce was over, the bike was re-assembled, and after doing his 1001 in 24 for the Blue Knights, he bought a Gold Wing, and gave me the 750. Mom was SOOOOO pissed!!. i put almost 10,000 on it that first summer, and another 30,000 the second. i still have that bike in the garage, bent, burnt, and broke. i have gone hungry, and slept in the bushes, rather than sell it. Dad passed away last winter, and much to the chagrin of my step-mother, (some guys never learn, lol) he left me a little cash. after two months of fighting with my wife about it, i conceded defeat, and bought my 12Ss. i can't throw a leg over without thinking of my Dad, and the impact he had on my life by throwing motorcycles into the mix. but that's another story... thanks Dad. | ||
| Cityxslicker |
My Grandfather got me a Cub 50 for my 5the birthday. so he started me in it. When I was 15 the Parentals said I could not have a street bike while I was under their roof; so I bought the bike and left. So Grandpa for encouraging me, parents for forbidding it. | ||
| P_squared |
Grandpa's Shriner mini-bike and watching the IOM TT are not a good combination for a young man of 9 years. After rebuilding said mini-bike with the help of my father, just in time for the next parade, I was forbidden to touch it again. Something about using brown paper grocery bags to make the gaskets causing an increase to the compression, thereby greatly increasing the acceleration of the vehicle when Grandpa went WOT.  So having access to bikes (Dad & my friends) while growing up, and watching IOM TT, where the riders were as close to a GOD as a mere mortal could be in my eyes, I was BITTEN, and still am to this day. | ||
| Preybird1 |
I grew up very poor and had 6 other brothers and all we had was bicycles and if we wanted anything we had to work for it. I started a newspaper delivery route to get money at 8yrs old. My older brother found a lawnmower tube frame mini bike at the salvation army 2nd hand store.....We didn't go to normal stores we had no money! Man that thing was fun, We figured out how to reach under the seat and pull the governor back more and you would really fly!! lol 15 mph was fast at that age. I would credit my dad for getting us started but he never liked to ride motorcycles-But he did allow us to have them. So i must credit myself and my older brother for getting us riding! It took me a couple of years to save up money and this guy was passing through the state and lucky for me he had a little honda 50cc trail bike for $125.00 with a 3 speed auto clutch and it would go 35 mph and we, me and most of my brothers drove the crap outta that bike after that i was hooked! SORRY TO HERE THAT SAD STORY ABOUT YOUR FRIENDS DAD, BUT THANKS FOR SHARING!! (Message edited by preybird1 on December 19, 2008) | ||
| Jumpinjewels |
I dated a guy in my early 20's that rode. I got my first bike, a Honda 350 that I rode for one summer. Loved it. But, as an "on the move" 20 something, I sold the bike after one summer. When I met my "future" hubby about 11 yrs ago, I found out he rode a bike and anytime I saw him out I'd ask for a ride. Bought my 2nd bike just before we got married and have had one ever since. I sold my Maurader, got an SV650, then my Buell. Now all I can think of is riding. Spring will be here soon!!! | ||
| Coolice |
It all started in 1964, Dad bought a used Honda 50 to ride to work on....and I would ride with him in the evening for fun. -Dec. 1968- My dad, he worked a second job to buy a brand new 1969 Honda Z-50, candy apple red. He hid it in his closet among my parents clothes. Guess what! My best friend and I were playing hide'n seek the week before Christmas....and I hid in their closet...... So I "acted" VERY surprised Christmas morning. I've had 2 wheels ever since. Thanks Mom& Dad. Merry Christmas!  | ||
| Danny_h__jesternut |
Back when I was jest a wee(6yr) little jester, a co-worker of dads had a bike. Don't know what kind/brand the bike was, don't know who the dude is/was. He jest left the bike at the house an drove in the cage with dad. I begged for a ride and thats all it took.I was hooked. Thats the same summer the cute little girl next door let me discover the differance between a boy and a girl. Thats all it took, I was hooked. Life has never been the same since. My two all time fav things. Bikes and cute Girls. | ||
| Pkforbes87 |
This is a very personal story, and requires some background to understand. A lot of the details may not mean much to many people but this story is the only thing that fuels my passion for riding motorcycles. My dad, Rodney Forbes, was a Navy Electronics Technician assigned to WHCA when I was born. He originally wanted to be a fighter pilot but didn't have the vision for it. After getting out of the Navy he eventually pursued his dream of flying by going through pilot training and purchasing his own aircraft - a 1975 Cessna 150. It was ugly as sin but it's all he could afford and he was VERY proud of it. He used to take long lunch breaks to fly from Mexico, MO to Quincy, IL for what he called a "$100 hamburger". (The price of his meal plus fuel for the trip was around $100) He aspired to continue his flight training and obtain his IFR certification, and eventually his commercial license. My dad and I never got along when I was a teenager, but I enlisted in the Navy in February of 2005 which gave us something in common. The Navy is the only thing we could ever talk about without arguing, screaming, etc. I enlisted as an Avionics Technician which oddly enough is a combination of two of my dad's biggest interests - telecommunications and aircraft. My dad died on 20 April 2005 in a plane crash near Festus, MO. He was attending an electronics course for his job, and after class that day his instructor began asking questions about flying and asked if they could go for a quick scenic flight. Dad checked the FAA weather report, logged a thorough preflight check in his aircraft log, and they took off. Some weather was moving in that day that he noticed after taking off, so he decided to turn back after only about a 10 minute flight. The details are unclear but the investigation of the crash scene estimated 50 mph crosswinds at the time of the crash. Dad got the plane safely down to 50 feet from the end of the runway and was hit by a gust from the right side of the plane which caused the left wing to dip. The left wing touched the ground, and the plane went into a cartwheel. The electronics instructor was thrown from the plane and suffered from two broken legs, a broken arm, a number of broken ribs, and a concussion. Dad was thrust into the plane's yoke which stopped his torso, but caused a spinal/brain stem injury which killed him instantly. I've never been interested in flying the same way my dad was, but every time I ride a motorcycle I feel a little bit of connection with him that I regret not being there while he was alive. When I'm riding I can reflect on all of the little things that nobody notices until it's too late. Flying is a hobby with a lot of serious risks involved. It requires a lot of mental and physical skill to be done safely. Obviously, riding a motorcycle is similar in those aspects. My dad died early at 39 years old but he died doing what he loved more than anything in the world, and he accomplished more living than a lot of people twice his age. I don't know how long I'll live, and the last thing I want is for riding motorcycles to cut my life short, but this is my passion now. Just like flying was for dad, it's the only time I'm really alive. I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help. My help cometh from the LORD, which made heaven and earth. | ||
| Glitch |
Who gave you the gift or passion of motorcycles? Whoever was first to say to me "Motorcycle are dangerous" | ||
| 86129squids |
My best friends in the neighborhood all had some kind of bike- dirt or street, they all got ridden like nats outta heyull. When I was twelve, I got a Moto Morini 2-speed moped- with FUEL IN THE FRAME- you had to pedal it to start, and it was a 2-stroke motor. Got my love for the smell of 2-cycle exhaust then. Yamaha Yamalube had a particular smell, distinctive- but I was first a Suzuki id. My best buddy had a big brudder, who taught us the fine arts of being a hooligan. They had a '78 RM250, an '81 RS250 (SUPER kewl vintage crosser), an '81 RM80. My first motorcycle was an '81 TS125, throughly mutated into a cafe racer. I used to love running my buddy's CB125 and smokin his ayss. Totalled it,then got my first car at 16. If I had to tell, I could be Beavis or Butthead on a motorbike for four or five teeveee seasons. (Message edited by 86129squids on December 19, 2008) | ||
| Davegess |
I always liked bikes and owned one of those Aermachii (sp?) singles in my early 20's but I had gotten into sports cars and let bikes slide until I bought a Datsun roadster from a fellow who had it bad for racing bikes and he sucked me into his impossible dream. I have been hooked on bikes ever since. That person was Erik Buell. | ||
| 86129squids |
Datsun roadster? Mebbe the early convertible 2000? Got a buddy who has one needing a frameup! My favorite car of all time is the '78 280Z. Had a 2 seater first, then a 2+2. I'd give the left legume for another one. | ||
| Brumbear |
Evel Kenieval no doubt. I remember saying to my dad DADDY DADDY look I want to fly like that man who is he  | ||
| 86129squids |
+1!!!!! Cracker Barrel restaurants have a $3.99 plastic toy bike with built-in launcher, now. Wish I still had my Evel Knievel toy bike. | ||
| 86129squids |
Has anyone figgered out that ergonomic: Looks like he had a different foot position than stock in the photos... Wheelies are an art form. | ||
| Fltwistygirl |
My dad. He bought me my first bike at age 8, a Honda Trail 70. Have fun but be safe is what he told me. I live by those words every time I mount a bike and passed those words to my son, age 8, as he took possession of his first bike, a Honda XR 100. My love for motorcycles is genetic but only on my dad's side of the fam. My dad was a hooligan, of that I am sure. He tooled around on an Indian when he dated my mom in 1954. Her parents, conservative as they get and living in a SMALL mining town in Northern Minnesota, thought he was a rebel. They were probably right, but he turned out to be a hard working, walleye-fishin', deer huntin' good guy who grew up on a farm and took care of his own. He was the coolest cat I've ever met. He loved motorcycles (and snowmobiles) and shared his immense knowledge of them with his 24 nieces and nephews on the 160 acre farm in the middle of the frozen tundra (Florenton, Minnesota). He's been gone 21 years this month and I miss him every day. He would have loved his grandsons and grand daughter (they all ride, one competitively) and would have appreciated my Buells. B. | ||
| Brumbear |
my 1et bike was also a honda ct 70 | ||
| Iamike |
When I was in 6th grade my best friend's almost 16yr-old brother bought a Honda. He took us for rides around their back yard, I had a ball. On his 16th birthday he went out on the road and was killed that day. After that my parents said that I would never have one, talk about a challenge. Sure enough when I hit 16 and had friends with bikes I argued with my parents about buying one, they told me "When you are 21 you can buy one", thinking that I'd forget by then. Yeah, really. Right after turning 21 I was dating a girl from Minnesota (now my wife, she should have known better), I went out and bought a Honda CB450 and have never looked back. Thanks to: On any Sunday, Here Comes Bronson, Easy Rider, The Great Escape (Message edited by Iamike on December 20, 2008) | ||
| Ratbuell |
Genetics, I guess. Or, should I say, "anti-genetics". Mom was a PT/ER nurse, so she was waaay against motorcycles (which, of course, made me want it even more). Dad could have cared less, but he (wisely) backed mom every time. I'd always ridden BMX or mountain bikes, but nothing motorized, and loved 2 wheels. I think my aunt/uncle played a large part, too. When I was very young, they "kidnapped" me for a couple weeks so mom could rest up. They had a very "hippie" household and were very encouraging when it came to being true to oneself, and nevermind what others said (compared to the uber-conservative mom/dad perspective on things). They also had seven adopted kids (I'm an only child), so it was like camp to me, lol. Fast forward to age 26. I'd bought my first house 2 years earlier, had a good tax refund from the deductions, had always wanted a motorcycle, and decided "what the hell". Loved the sound of a Harley - very musclecar, which was what I was into at the time - but didn't want the "geezer-glide" image and knew I was more into performance than a Harley could ever provide for me, and then I found Buell. Walked into the dealer, found a VERY helpful lady whose eyes lit up when I asked "do you have an orange one?", and left the next day on my new '99 M2. I've never looked back. Fast-forward to 36 (this year) - even after nearly losing everything in an accident 5 months ago, I still can't imagine giving it up. My wife is supportive, if not entirely enthusiastic, of it (she's coming around)...and even Mom came around a few years ago and has started telling all her friends that I ride, which results in my always having a riding buddy (or bike) if I need it when I visit FL. Turns out her tennis pro is also a Bueller - gotta love that! Of course, it never hurts that I've found probably the best family of riders on the planet. | ||
| Rick_a |
It wasn't a person, but the motorcycles I saw as a child in the late 80's that really got me excited; there was the Ninja 600, V-Max, and CB-1 were all bikes I was in awe of at the time. | ||
| Shot_gun |
I owe my passion to my Uncle Bob. He let me ride his 1978 RM80. From then on I dreamed about riding all the time. Honorable mentioned: My friend Derik for helping me get my licence. My uncle Sam for leting me ride his soft tail. My friend Jay for introducing my to Buell. Merry Christmas! | ||
| 86129squids |
Spungelon. | ||
| Skinstains |
Funny, I have been riding motorized two wheelers since I was very young but don't think I owe anyone the credit for turning me on to bikes. Mother certainly hated them (still does) and I guess Father was my enabler as he bought my bikes for me when I was young. If there is such a thing as "motorcycle predispositioned" that would have to be me. Strange how something so important to me has no known begining. | ||
| Lemonchili_x1 |
I come from a family with lots of people who rode when they were younger, but I was never *encouraged* to ride... I was 16, saving up to buy my first car (probably would've been a Charger) when my brother-in-law decided it was time I saw what a motorcycle could do... Nigel took me for a ride on his Yam FJ1100 up to the Blue Mountains and along Bells Line Of Road. After we had lunch at Mt Victoria we headed back to Bell... We came on to a straight and he nailed it, 3rd, 4th then 5th gear... and I can still remember my grip tightening on the grab rail trying to hold on... and this huge grin on my face that I couldn't stop  . Cars were out the window and I bought an RD250LC the day I was old enough to get my license. Thanks Nigel | ||
| Blake |
Riding miles and miles with Dad, first on his Yamaha 125 Enduro, then on his CB450, which he pretty much never saw again after I turned 16. | ||
| 4cammer |
Rick who used to live across my house when I was a kid in the 70's. He had long hair, a beard and a hot blonde wife who never wore underwear. Oh, he also rode a tricked out XLCH that pretty much only he could kick to life. Man that guy was cool. | ||
| Court |
Wow . . . if you Dad is anything on the order of your 6'11' frame . . . AND the two of you were on the 125 I want to go back and change my "bike of the century" vote! Neat mental picture anyway. . . . right up there with Bomber and Road Thing, in their matching "colors" riding about Wisconsin. . . . | ||
| Etennuly |
My best friend's dad bought a new '65 Honda Trail 90. When I was eight years old I weighed nearly as much as his dad, but he took me out on his luggage rack for about 10 miles and I was hooked. Then one of my Uncles began selling Chapparal sno-mobiles and mini bikes. I got to ride a few of those, and he had a Honda 305 scrambler. the first real bike I rode by myself. Must be my dad saw me ride, because I wasn't allowed to have a bike until I turned 18. On that day I got my first XL250 and been on them since. | ||
| Maximum |
My Mom and Dad (both licensed) rode with me in front of them (sandwiched between their legs and the airbox cover...I mean gas tank) when I was still too young to ride on the back. Then my Dad traded in his Honda 350 for a brand new XR75, which was my birthday present when I turned eight years old (1973). Thanks Mom and Dad! |
