Your First One

[spyderider1]

Since many of us have made the transition from two wheels to three it may be interesting to know your first motorcycle. Year, make and model would be great, a picture would be even better. I googled the year and make and found this one;


1967 Bridgestone 90
180871

My first cycle around 1970. Actually, two years before I had a drivers license. You guessed it, I got caught, Dad paid the fine, and I was grounded.:gaah:

[Deanna777]

My first 2 wheeled motorcycle was a : 2012 HD Switchback red.
Here is a Picture:

https://images.app.goo.gl/yokdULzrKY3WPHUH8.

Deanna

[Arion]

I've included two "first motorcycle" photos. My first semi-real motorcycle was a 1957 H-D 750 Sportster I bought in college. It wasn't very reliable and eventually tossed me off one day when it seized without provocation and broke my left arm in five places just before it caught fire.

My first non-suicidal "real" motorcycle was a 1972 Suzuki T500J Titan two stroke twin a bought while living in England. I rode it in England for about half a year and then air-freighted it back to the U.S. and rode it from San Antonio, Texas, to Grand Forks, North Dakota, among other places and it never once failed me. Cycle World called it the "blue denim motorcycle" - like a pair of Levi's, it never wore out. I wish I still had it.

180872

180873

[Tango]

For me it was a Yamaha XS400 Twin. Great running bike that got 62 mpg.. :thumbup: Tom :spyder:

[ARtraveler]

1964 Yamaha 80cc one lunger/two stroke.

Picture will not transfer. :gaah:

[bigbadbrucie]

My first was in 1959....it was a 1949, 500cc, one lung, Royal Enfield thumper. I was 16 years old. Sorry, I don’t have a photo.

[h0gr1der]

180874

Not my picture. Anybody remember Hodaka's? My first. Don't know how many times I almost killed myself on that thing.

[Mazo EMS2]

Honda Nighthawk 750. I actually had two of the red ones...totaled the first one when I opted for the ditch instead of the grill of a truck. If I remember they were both '92's



https://www.google.com/search?q=Honda+Nighthawk+750&rlz=1C1CHBF_enUS824US824&oq=Honda+Nighthawk+750&aqs=chrome..69i57.6666j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

[cruisinTX]

1964 Honda 90 Street. owned from 1968 to 1970. logged about 10K miles driving to school every day the weather allowed. During summers drove to and from work on local farms.

no mine but a pretty close match.

[Gwolf]

Used 1964 Honda Super 90. This is not the picture of it, but it looked just like this.
Only pictures I have of it are faded B+W pictures in an old photo album.

https://wesellclassicbikes.co.uk/img/bikes/large/452188.jpg

Only had the S-90 for about a year. Sold it and bought a 305 Superhawk Honda. This is a real picture of it.

http://www.tanwater.com/pics/305superhawk-02.jpg

[canamjhb]

I bought a used Yamaha 250 Enduro in 1970. I rode it to and from various dirt and gravel pits for fun and sport. The nastier the weather, the better. I don't have a picture but if I did, it would just show a big lump of mud and dirt with parts of a motorcycle sticking out here and there. Back then I had way more guts than skill. Lucky to have survived..... Jim

[Peacekeeper6]

Since many of us have made the transition from two wheels to three it may be interesting to know your first motorcycle. Year, make and model would be great, a picture would be even better. I googled the year and make and found this one;


1967 Bridgestone 90
180871

My first cycle around 1970. Actually, two years before I had a drivers license. You guessed it, I got caught, Dad paid the fine, and I was grounded.:gaah:

Got it from my C.O. who was a major during my stint in Ft. Campbell, KY.

My army buddies convinced me to buy it, because we did A LOT of riding in the Land Between The Lakes Recreational Area between KY and TN.

Man, there were some good times....

[CopperSpyder]

180878

[MONK]

My 1st "motorcycle" was a Puch moped. My 1st real-ish motorcycle was a 1972 Yamaha 125cc Enduro. 1st real motorcycle was a mid '70s Honda CB550/4 (in metallic orange, of course).

[Gwolf]

350 Honda that I built when I was living in Taiwan in the early 1970s.

http://www.tanwater.com/pics/350honda-taiwan1250px.JPG

[Woodaddict]

1973 Suzuki TC125. first street legal bike. had high / low range, knobby tires, turn signals, headlight / taillight. Rode that bike a bunch, it was the first "big" bike to keep up with those with 125cc or more after riding 60cc mini bikes first

[VitoNam]

1961 NSU Quickly.180880

[RICZ]

Take a peek at my avatar and signature - they say it all.

[safecracker]

My first was a 1975 Honda, XL 250. Sill have the bike. My nephew rebuilt it. It has approximately 80,000 miles on it. My thumbnail is a picture of it.

[retread]

My first was a 1948 Cushman Pacemaker scooter, bought it in 1954, about a year later, a Whizzer Sportsman. Wouldn't mind having either one of them again.

john

[BajaRon]

My 1st Motorcycle. 350 Kawasaki Avenger A7 SS. 40hp. Nobody could touch it in those days.

180883
180882

[PGDoug]

Rupp 5 horse minibike , I was 10 .

[pegasus1300]

Since many of us have made the transition from two wheels to three it may be interesting to know your first motorcycle. Year, make and model would be great, a picture would be even better. I googled the year and make and found this one;


1967 Bridgestone 90
180871

My first cycle around 1970. Actually, two years before I had a drivers license. You guessed it, I got caught, Dad paid the fine, and I was grounded.:gaah:

I love Bridgestones. I had a 1967 350 GTR. However my first bike was a 1956 AJS180886

[pegasus1300]

My first was in 1959....it was a 1949, 500cc, one lung, Royal Enfield thumper. I was 16 years old. Sorry, I don’t have a photo.

Did it look anything like this?180887

[65cabriolet]

Mine was a '75 Elsinore
180889

[Revalden]

Holy Crap Batman, You are a bunch of older than dirt geezers. My first bike was a 1973 Yamaha 250 Enduro 2 stroke. No matter how long I let it sit it would always start on the third kick.

[Eredding]

Mine was a Yamaha 1977 DT100. I still a have it original condition.

[bigbadbrucie]

Did it look anything like this?180887

Yeah, kind of....no shark fin on front fender, bike was all black. Even though it was a single cylinder it had pipes on both sides with megaphone ends. Of course it was kick start, had spark advance lever, and had a mind of its own. I was the original 98 lb. weakling, and the jocks at school always wanted to show me how to start the bike. I’d inadvertently flip the spark advance, and they would always walk away limping. I’d then adjust the spark, kick it over and happily ride away. Ahh, all the fond memories.

[bigbadbrucie]

Holy Crap Batman, You are a bunch of older than dirt geezers. My first bike was a 1973 Yamaha 250 Enduro 2 stroke. No matter how long I let it sit it would always start on the third kick.


Damn straight. Dirt was still healthy back then!

[ozarkryder]

First 2 wheel motorized vehicle was a Sears and Roebuck Allstate mini bike, followed by an Allstate moped - heavy, stamped frame and slower than the mini bike if not pedaled but town street legal for a kid not quite old enough for a driver licence, and my first real motorcycle, as Grandpa worked for Sears and Roebuck, a 1969 Sears SR250 Twingle.
180890

[johnsimion]

I learned to ride a "real motorcycle" on my friend's Puch 50, that's right, a 50 cc real motorcycle with a five-speed manual. If you can start that bike moving uphill from a traffic light, you can ride any manual. Many years later I got a Ninja 500, but my wife enjoyed riding too much but wasn't comfortable (what a surprise) so I went to a Suzuki Boulevard C50 cruiser. After she got scared of motorcycles, she made me sell it and I went several years with no motorcycle at all. Finally I decided I wanted a BMW F700 to ride around town. Guess what, same thing, the wife insisted on going along but wasn't comfortable and always in fear that we'd tip over. "Why don't you try a Spyder?" she said. So we did and now we have a "motorcycle" that she's comfortable on and doesn't scare her so much.

[gg194]

1969 Yamaha AT-1 in '69.

[imfleck]

1973 Honda 250XL

180891

[AVBIZ]

180920
My 1st Motorcycle. 350 Kawasaki Avenger A7 SS. 40hp. Nobody could touch it in those days.

180883
180882

Liking the scrambler look- hope to add a Ryker or F3 stablemate for the 73’ CL350 this fall......


180916

[ARtraveler]

Some very nice bikes being shown. They all bring back memories of those good ol days. :yes:

By the late 60's/early 70's I was into Honda 305 Dream. My first new Honda was a 350 Scrambler. (72). And...then the fun started.

[BikerBeast]

It is said that we revert to our childhood as we get old. I did not own this but it was my first ride on a motorcycle. My Uncle would take me with him to pickup 50 lb ice block for the icebox at the family cycle shop. After that were several different motorcycles and now the Spyder.
Photo from a web search:

[CrashDavis]

My first bike that wasn't a "mini-bike" was a 1970ish Honda 350. My dad brought it home direct from Japan when he was out traveling with the GA Air National Guard. You could do things like that back then as long as there was space available and you weren't displacing official cargo.

I got my first road rash on it. I was on the exit ramp getting off the expressway when I must have hit an oil slick because the wheels cam out from under me faster than I could think. I had visions of an 18-wheeler following me so I've never moved any faster since then getting off the road. Luckily, nothing was there. No real damage to the bike other than a bent brake pedal that kept me form riding but not from pushing. My damage was a scraped arm under the elbow. My dad came and got me. The worse part of the whole incident was my dad cleaning all the grit out of my arm.

180896

[troop]

Honda CT70H .. 50 years and 24 motorcycles later, I have my first (and only) 3 wheeler :)

[Myron Ah]

We had a Honda 360 for a very short time. Bad buy really. Our first real ride was a 1981 Honda CB900. Great ride with HI/LOW range so it was a 10 speed. we had fun. Sadly, no pictures. Just fond memories.

[safecracker]

I went looking for a pic. Here it is.

[Motorcycledave]

Mine was a used 1950 WIZZER motor bike, next was a SEARS branded (Cushman)

[missouriboy]

It is said that we revert to our childhood as we get old. I did not own this but it was my first ride on a motorcycle. My Uncle would take me with him to pickup 50 lb ice block for the icebox at the family cycle shop. After that were several different motorcycles and now the Spyder.
Photo from a web search:HEY! Friend-o-mine had one of those, but it had a steering wheel instead of a handlebar. I drove it a number of times (AND rode in the box while he drove)... the steering wheel had a steering knob on it, because it was bought new in 1950 for a 12-yo boy who lost one arm to cancer. When he died at age 13, the Cushman stayed around town with various owners, one of them being my friend.

[missouriboy]

My first was a 1948 Cushman Pacemaker scooter, bought it in 1954, about a year later, a Whizzer Sportsman. Wouldn't mind having either one of them again.

johnYour story is close to mine!

I had a 1947 James (English) with a Villiers (French) 5hp 2-cycle engine, that I also got around 1954 (or '55, I can't remember). My friend with the 3-wheel Cushman (above) also got one very similar, and we rode together a lot. I was around 14 or 15, no license!

[Bfromla]

180878
:clap::clap::ohyea: I can relate to this :ohyea: sorry no pics of my first powered set of two wheels. My dad was in to RC planes at the time bout ‘86 or so & rigged one of his plane motors to mine & lil sister's scooter (yes with prop) & he had to start it, but we could zoom up & down the block :doorag: her being quite faster as she was younger/smaller & was always at FULL throttle :popcorn: thankfully the block was a levee access street with not much traffic. It did always seem run out of gas on me :p. Fond memories :clap::clap: after that the first street legal was a used Honda twin star 200 got from a coworker that couldn’t deal with its small oil leak. It wasn’t much ,still good first bike riding experience & 2nd degree burn on calf from tail pipes:gaah:

[Elwood58]

My first was a 1968 Honda Z50
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My 2nd was a 1976 Honda CB360
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[DoubleA]

2002 HD Sportster 883

[grumpyoldretiredcop]

My first "real" motorcycle was a 1964 Yamaha 125, probably a YA-5 as it didn't have oil injection. It came in a box, I dragged it home and listened to my Dad tell me I'd never get it put together... then he handed me a copy of "Zen and the Art of Motorcycling" and made helpful suggestions when I got bogged down. I got it put together, rode it in the dirt and later on the street, learned about improper oil mixture and spark plug heat range when I burned a hole through the top of the piston as I was going down the road. My Dad (an aerospace machinist) helped me make a new piston as by then, parts were hard to come by.

I searched long and hard for a photo of the correct model - this one is a 1961 but they hadn't changed much by 1964.

180952

[davev1pa]

1965 Honda 150 Dream . Got the entire bike in 2 boxes and a frame with engine attached. I was 15. Rolled it downstairs in my bedroom in the fall. Pushed it upstairs in the spring complete and road worthy. Had the engine rebuilt that winter for $116 at local shop. Painted it purple /glitter.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QipPMOVg2nw

[Gwolf]

Keep them coming. Nice to look back at the old bikes we had 50 or 60 years ago.

[carbonation]

First MC, 16 in high school, Honda CB125.
That opened the door to a lot of bikes.
Yamaha DT175, Suzuki 550L, Yamaha 750 Seca, Suzuki Katana 600, Katana 1100, BMW R1100RT, Suzuki SV650, Honda ST1300, 2012 Spyder RT-L,
2019 Spyder RT-L.
There was a KX125 full on MX bike in there somewhere around 1997.
Aprilia Scarabeo 100 and Yamaha Yamahopper for the campground duties currently.
Reaching back into when troglodytes roamed, there was a 2.5HP Briggs and Stratton rigid frame mini bike, then a 3HP Tecumseh powered, then a QA50, then a H-D X90 before the Honda 125.
I've got an almost complete Honda ST90 I'm going to start playing with soon. It will probably turn into a full on resto and windup doing campground grunt work.
Some folks want to be buried in their cars. I'm going to be cremated, and have the ashes put in a box.
Cut a corner open, strap me on the luggage rack and let me ride one more time.

[iridenow]

I honestly don't remember. I think it was a 1989 Suzuki Katana that I paid $1500 for. I remember the make and model. The year is what is giving me trouble.

I got into an accident a month after I got it while sitting at a red light. This old lady in a ford mustang ran into me from behind. It totaled the bike.

[WDAVEY]

First for me was a 1972 Harley Sportster (kick start when it wanted to run). Bought when I was in the Navy in Newport News VA. Dealer charged me $100 to be number 8 in line waiting for one! Later I learned the union contract with HD expired every even numbered year and production slowdowns were the negotiating tactic used. Waited 4 months and 1 week to get my beautiful blue Sportster now that I was #1 in line. But the only Sportster on the truck that week was the ugliest @#!$!@##$# green you ever saw. I took it anyway. Kept that hard starting sob for 4 years and then worked through 4 more Harleys before getting my 2019 RTL last summer.

[Jaxfann]

First bike in UK was 1959 BSA 175cc Bantam - great little bike that took me many thousands of safe miles before I sold it to my brother.

Had a hiatus for 35 years and then saw a truck carrying 20 or so new Indian Chiefs to a dealer in Clearwater Fl. - made a u turn and followed the truck to the dealer and made the mistake of sitting on one - $25k later I had one delivered and had a blast for about 5 years and my son still owns it.

Another hiatus for 15 years and now I have the best time poodling around on my Ryker - can't beat the air in your face and the freedom of ryding - which I will do until I drop!181040181041181041
Pictures below which will probably be upside-down!