Enjoying being a slug on my last day of vacation and am being able to spend some rare time just browsing the site. Started thinking about the bikes I’ve had over the years and thought that it might make for a good thread. Here’s a chronological history of my bikes: Be interested in other members’ history as well: Around 1973: 80cc Suzuki trail bike (used – early ‘70’s). Had it from about age 13-15. Don’t remember anything else about it other than I think it was green. Used to go trail riding with my dad and remember having a ball on it. From about 1976 to 1978: Honda CB50 (used) -- from age 16 to 18. Grew up in South Africa where you were limited to motorcycles with a displacement of no more than 50cc until you reached age 18. Put a 70cc conversion kit on it and thought that it was hot stuff, but it was still no match for the popular Yamaha RD50. 1976 to 1977: Honda Elsinore 125. Don't remember the year. Had some fun doing motorcross for a couple of years but was too much of a lazy teenager to put the time and effort in that it deserved. Sure learned the meaning of narrow powerband! From about 1976 to 1979: Honda XL350 (used) from about age 16-19: used it in the dirt until old enough to ride on the street. Best thing to say about it was that it was a slogger. Greatest memory was getting it to 100 mph. It took a long hill and a friend on the back to add weight to get there, but we did it. From about 1979 to 1983: 1980 Honda CX500 (new) from about age 19 to 23. First new bike. Did three 12k mile cross-country trips on it with my dad and only have good memories of it. Had my only major accident on it. Took a corner way too fast with my girlfriend on the back. Hit a bump and the suspension bottomed out. Neither my girlfriend or me were wearing helmets. We got thrown but landed in a drainage ditch that ran along the side of the road. We should have been dead or seriously injured but all my girlfriend had was a bad case of poison ivy, and I had some pulled muscles in my back. Never again ridden without a helmet. From about 1983 to 2000: 1979 BMWR100 (used) from about age 23 to 40: “Swapped” my CX500 for it with my dad. Yes, he was being nice. That bike stayed with me until 2000. This included an extended period when I walked away from motorcycling for a while. Never could quite get myself to sell it because despite the fact that at times it had sat for almost a year without being ridden I could not imagine not having a motorcycle in my life. From 2000 to present” 2000 Moto Guzzi V11 Sport (new) age 40 – present: Had rediscovered riding and especially the joy of the twisties on Ortega Highway in Southern California and the BMW and it was way out of its depth as a sport machine. My dad had tested a Le Mans back in about 1975 and I just loved the bike. Traded in the BMW on the MG and put some minor mods on it (new exhaust, crossover, raised and widened the bars, heavier bar-end weights) and it became a wonderful sounding naked bike. This bike handles incredibly well. Meant to sell it when I got my VFR, but have not quite gotten to it yet. Something great about a simple 2 valve pushrod big twin that really connects you with the machine. I can see why Harley riders love their bikes. 2008 to present: 2004 VFR (used): Bought it a few months ago. Love it. Don’t have to tell all of you about what you already know. Interestingly in over 35 years of riding this is my first 4-cylinder bike. Hoping that I can figure out how to keep both the MG and the VFR as they both excel in different areas. Over time I’ve come to remember the BMW more fondly than I did when I owned it. Maybe now that I am older and do not have to be scraping footpegs around corners to enjoy motorcycling I can appreciate what a great, well-made, basic motorcycle that was. Anyway, enough rambling.
No pics? Started on a 1972 CB350 in 1987 at the ripe old age of 14. I got it for free & gave it away for free. It was too small for me so I then moved on to my Father's 1974 CB550F. He still has it to this day. I joined the USAF in 1992 & didn't buy my own bike until 1994. I worked on other people's bikes in exchange for riding priveleges for those 2 years. I then bought a complete POS 1991 NightHawk 750. It was a complete death trap so I traded it plus some cash to a guy taking one of the "thru-the-mail" motorcycle mechanic courses for a 1992 NightHawk 750 that he had just finished cleaning up. Then bought a 1988 NT650 Hawk GT in 1996. Sold the Hawk Dec 1999 & bought the 2000 VFR in Apr 2000. Then bought another Hawk in 2003 for the Wife to learn on. Multiple pics of the VFR & 89 Hawk in my gallery. KC-10 FE out... lane: :usa2:
