First Motorcycle

[François Pugh]

^^^
A friend of my brother had one of those that he souped up and used as a 1/4 mile drag bike. IIRC it made plenty of power, but the frame wasn't up to the power.

 

[Bill Talbot]

First moto I bought myself @16 was a 1974 Honda CB450 K7 (used). I didn't much care for it but it took care of my moto needs until I rode my friends 1973 RD350. THIS was what a motorcycle should feel like! I immediately bought it and sold the Honda ASAP. Still have that RD. But with a cross country moto trip scheduled for a week after graduation, I needed something a bit more suitable. This led to my first BMW Airhead a 1971 R60/5 @ 17. She was flawless on my first CC ride, 13,000 miles worth and not a single issue. The rest is history...

 

[Tom K.]

First moto I bought myself @16 was a 1974 Honda CB450 K7 (used).

Possibly the only motorcycle engine ever built with torsion bar valve springs?!

Still have that RD.

Jealous. By the time I decided I wanted one, they were becoming very scarce. My dad missed a cherry 400 for me by a day in northern MN -- a good place to buy used motorcycles, given the very short riding season.

 

[Bill Miles]

1st 1966 Honda 305 Scrambler! Current 2009 BMW R1200RT

View attachment 199315 View attachment 199322

I had a 305 Super Hawk. Acceleration was weak compared to more modern bikes, but decent top speed. Broke down beside I-90 near Ellensburg and by the time I hitchhiked home and got back to retrieve it, it had been stolen.

 

[JCF]

Mine was a ‘72
Still have it in my garage

too long without snow...now I'm quoting myself...

 

[RiderRay]

My first bike was a 1974 Yamaha RD 350, a sweet little two-stroke, but I did learn to carry an extra plug. View attachment 199276

This same bike, same color , was my first bike. Quick little sucker.

 

[RiderRay]

Not my first motorcycle but my last three 91 HD Springer, owned it for less than a year. I bought this from a UPS pilot with 2200 miles. Great sound but no brakes to speak of.
Bought the BMW 1100 RS used as a replacement and loved the boxer.
Last was a Ducati MultiStrada 1000 in 2003. Top speed was 130 mph on a PIR trackday with MotoCorsa in PDX Ore.

The top speed of the Duc was 130?

 

[scott43]

View attachment 199314

Still a huge fan of Hornets although perhaps not the latest versions as they made them less comfy (for me).
Sold my last one 3 years ago but more and more thinking about getting a NC750x.

I went faster around the track on my 98 F3 than I did on my 88 GSXR-750... great all rounder..

 

[scott43]

The top speed of the Duc was 130?

Maybe on that track. My R6 topped out at 164mph but I could barely break 150mph at Mosport..

PIR = Phoenix international Raceway? Portland? And did they chicane it for hacks like me?

 

[Slemers]

The top speed of the Duc was 130?

That's all I could squeeze out of it on the straightaway at Portland International that day . Great fun was had but great speed wasn't

 

[Slemers]

Maybe on that track. My R6 topped out at 164mph but I could barely break 150mph at Mosport..

PIR = Phoenix international Raceway? Portland? And did they chicane it for hacks like me?

Never really opened it up except for the one time at PIR. They did have a nice chicane setup.
Found this on the web just now. I flew mine off of a forest service road near Cougar Wa. My buddy ever the comedian said "That Duc wasn't mean to fly!" Too true, too true

 

[RiderRay]

That's all I could squeeze out of it on the straightaway at Portland International that day . Great fun was had but great speed wasn't

That's OK. Fun is the important part.

 

[scott43]

That's OK. Fun is the important part.

I was getting passed on the back straight repeatedly by someone on a litre bike. I was on a 600. And it was pissing me off because I'd have to sit behind this person through the tighter bit after the straight and he was kinda crap through there. So I resolved to late brake and pass him back at the end of the back straight. I left it late, grabbed a bunch, back wheel was coming up but by God I got by him!! A few corners later the track went red flag and I went back to my truck. A few minutes later I see litre bike on the wrecker all balled up into a steaming pile of crap. Buddy was nearly in tears. Moral of the story: fun is what it's all about. Don't be a hero..

PS: apparently he went down the road a bit and pushed his wreck into a ditch, threw some gravel on the road and called the cops. Claimed the gravel was from a dump truck and he crashed on it...

 

[Slemers]

Yeah, on my track day passing on the straight aways was allowed but not in the curves.
I did a a riders class shortly after the track day at Portland Community College. I mentioned that I couldn't crack 130 and another guy said he was there on his Kawi ZX12r. I asked what he was putting down on the long straight away. 160 plus
On my last set of laps I hit the cutoff line at about 125, made the turn on the brakes hard and just about had to change my shorts afterwards. Don't be a hero indeed!
I pulled into the pits and chatted with another Ducati rider and asked if he was doing another set of laps. He was done for the day as he was out of tokens. I had one more set of laps to go but gave them to him. I was spent...

 

[SpikeDog]

My first road bike was a 1979 Yamaha RD400 Daytona Special. Rode it all over Oahu for 3 years. I had to start it outside the parking garage of my condo because of noise complaints. Surely the source of at least some of my hearing problems now. I had it shipped to the mainland, and drove it a couple of times in the hills above Oakland, CA in October. After Hawaii, I wasn't prepared for being that cold, and sold it immediately.

 

[Jack skis]

This is not my first motorcycle, but is the first time I can recall seeing a Royal Enfield cycle. Seen in the parking lot near the entrance to the various specialties offices at the local health center.

 

[François Pugh]

Never really opened it up except for the one time at PIR. They did have a nice chicane setup.
Found this on the web just now. I flew mine off of a forest service road near Cougar Wa. My buddy ever the comedian said "That Duc wasn't mean to fly!" Too true, too true

I can attest that an '84 750 Interceptor wasn't all that bad at flying, but terrible at landing!

 

[chilehed]

1969 Kawasaki Mach III 500

And you're still alive! Damn, those things were fast.

1978 Honda CB125. Not fast, but I knew how to corner with it. Flogged the piss out of that thing.

I've been thinking of getting a Yami XS650 for a bobber project, but my wife will kill me if I do it. Why isn't there anything that rhymes with "happy husband"?

 

[Atomicman]

And you're still alive! Damn, those things were fast.

1978 Honda CB125. Not fast, but I knew how to corner with it. Flogged the piss out of that thing.

I've been thinking of getting a Yami XS650 for a bobber project, but my wife will kill me if I do it. Why isn't there anything that rhymes with "happy husband"?

Yep Mach III & still here!