What Was Your First Motorcycle?

[retired1]

My first bike was a brand new RED S90 Honda, I used to carry it on a carrier that fit on the trailer hitch of my new Red 64 Malibu SS. A lot of good memories!

[COOLMACHINE]

My first bike I bought in 1983. It was a new 1981 Suzuki GN400, 1 cylinder. put 27,XXX on it in 3 years. It was a great first bike. Cost? $1100 with the mag alloy wheels. I rode the sh out of it.

[pop49]

1965 James Cadet with a 197cc AMC engine. cost me the princely sum of 29 pounds 10 bob.

[rnet]

Not sure of the year (late sixties)I took my brothers 180 Yamaha street bike out for a spin in the hills of california. I was 12 or 13. I was a bad boy that day.

[Firefly]

First time I ever rode was on a friends Sears Minibike around 1975. I had a 'borrowed' Honda 70 Trail bike for 1 summer and then saved up enough and bought my first motorcycle - a Late 70's Honda CR-125.

I rode plenty of other dirt bikes after that - but the CR-125 always held a special place in my heart.

[3tracs]

I had purchased a 1982 Yamaha Virago XV750 in 1995, and it sat in my parents driveway until I could complete the MSF course. 7 years later, I upgraded to a 2002 Yamaha V-Star 1100 Custom which was new out of the crate. This past September of '09 I sold it and bought my Spyder.

[docdoru]

[3wheeldemon]

[Gordy]

my first bike was a 98cc james next a 250 panther followed by a 1947 knuckelhead .since then there have been very many, loved them all .

[bikeguy]

In the early 1950's I helped a cousin build several motorbikes using old bicycle frames and whatever engines we could dig up. One actually had a Maytag washing machine engine that was pretty neat because it had a kick starter. We pushed them way more miles than we ever rode them. We compared the power of each other's bikes by how far we could get up a hill called Jail Hill without having to peddle. Several here have mentioned James as their first bike. A fellow in town had a James and he could not only get all the way to the top of the hill but do it while dragging one of us behind him. Very powerful, those James's.

The first thing I actually owned was a Salsbury scooter. Unfortunately, I pushed it just about as much as the motorbikes. At 13 or 14 I didn't realize the significance of a worn out keyway in the flywheel of a magneto ignition.

The first "real" motorcycle I ever rode was a friend's military surplus 45 c.i. WLA Harley-Davidson. It had a foot clutch and a contrary hand shifter. It took me a dozen tries before I managed to get it into second gear before slowing down enough that I needed to be back in first. But it also had enough power to climb up and down the hills in a local gravel pit and hook me on dirt riding, an addiction that has never gone away.

Cotton

[SpyderByter]

Yamaha 650 Special Twin Can't remeber the year, but it still had a kickstart, as well as an electric starter. I missed that on newer bikes.

[NancysToy]

Yamaha 650 Special Twin Can't remeber the year, but it still had a kickstart, as well as an electric starter. I missed that on newer bikes.

Amen to that!

[Bersquack]

My first bike was a 2009 spyder SE5, then I got a 2010 HD Iron 883.

I love both of them.

[ARtraveler]

1964 Yamaha 80, 1 lunger. 1965 Suzuki X6-Hustler, 1965 Honda 305 Dream, 1971or so Yamaha 90, 1972 or so Honda 305 Scrambler, 1976 750 Hondamatic--wish I still had that one, 1978 Kawasaki 650/4, 1980ish Kawasaki 400, 1980 Suzuki 850, 1984 Yamaha Venture, 2001 Yamaha V-Star 650, 2003 or so Kawasaki Voyager ( whatever was the last year of that model version), 2004 Kawasaki Nomad 1500, 2007 Vulcan 2000 LT, 2008 Spyder SM, 2009 Spyder SE, 2010 Spyder RTS. Sorry, I got going and couldnt stop till I went all the way down the list. I have not owned a bike that I did not like.

[NancysToy]

1964 Yamaha 80, 1 lunger. 1965 Suzuki X6-Hustler, 1965 Honda 305 Dream, 1971or so Yamaha 90, 1972 or so Honda 305 Scrambler, 1976 750 Hondamatic--wish I still had that one, 1978 Kawasaki 650/4, 1980ish Kawasaki 400, 1980 Suzuki 850, 1984 Yamaha Venture, 2001 Yamaha V-Star 650, 2003 or so Kawasaki Voyager ( whatever was the last year of that model version), 2004 Kawasaki Nomad 1500, 2007 Vulcan 2000 LT, 2008 Spyder SM, 2009 Spyder SE, 2010 Spyder RTS. Sorry, I got going and couldnt stop till I went all the way down the list. I have not owned a bike that I did not like.

I have owned a few that I wasn't thrilled with. 1976 Honda CB550 was the worst of the lot. I hated my BSA 441 Victor, too. No compression release and a b***h to kick start. My BSA Goldstar was easier, but I was not in love with the old thumper then...wish I had it now. On the take-it-or-leave-it list was my 1963 Harley Sportster. No fun starting and hard on the backside. The Whizzer didn't thrill me either. The list of what I did love is much longer, of course. That is why I still have the 1961 Honda CB92R (one of 148 made) that I raced at 18. I loved that old girl from the first moment I saw her.

[rnet]

Scotty, my son just bought a 87 honda super magna for $350. Has a few things missing but in fairly good shape. The previous owner was going to fix it up, but I don't think he had a clue. It appeared to have a new battery in it, but it wouldn't turn over. (no acid in the battery) Battery on the charger, hopefully ok. This is all just happened today. Started with a jump, missing battery cover, got one coming from ebay. Missing drive shaft, ordered one from honda. So in all, about $500 Think we got a good deal and do you have any experience with this model.

[NancysToy]

Scotty, my son just bought a 87 honda super magna for $350. Has a few things missing but in fairly good shape. The previous owner was going to fix it up, but I don't think he had a clue. It appeared to have a new battery in it, but it wouldn't turn over. (no acid in the battery) Battery on the charger, hopefully ok. This is all just happened today. Started with a jump, missing battery cover, got one coming from ebay. Missing drive shaft, ordered one from honda. So in all, about $500 Think we got a good deal and do you have any experience with this model.

Too new for me to understand. I am a fossil, you know.

[rnet]

Ya my buddies say I'm as old as dirt.

[Tom in NM]

Honda Sportster 90cc



Tom

[scudrunner]

1968 Honda 175



Bought it used, fought with it every day I owned it. There was a broken wire somewhere which wouldn't let the stator charge the battery or run the electrics. So I had to charge the battery every night when I got home by hooking it up to the wife's car. I finally found the wire in the bundle behind the headlight a week before I sold it.

[igor]

my first : MOTO GUZZI CALIFORNIA TOURING 2004

[jake72000]

was a gs1100es suzuki

[Monique]

got a late start riding a motorycle: first bike 1989 Honda Pacific Coast in White Pearl. What can I say, I always liked a bike with storage and lots of "Tupperware"

[Becky Ann]

1979 Honda CM400A. I had always wanted a motorcycle, so without telling my parents or boyfriend, I purchased this motorcycle from the nearest Honda dealership. I did not even have a motorcycle endorsement on my license. After my parents found out I had purchased a motorcycle, they banned my boyfriend and motorcycle from coming near their house. After many months, they finally warmed up to my motorcycle and boyfriend. We were married and have happily been riding many different motorcycles ever since.

[VaughnCat]

1968 Kawasaki 350 Avenger scrambler 2 Stroke. Blew the doors off all the Honda 350's which is what everyone thought was the cat's meow. I could have had a Honda but I'd have gotten something else even if it wasn't as good just to be different.

Then I bumped up to a 1970 Kawasaki Tripple 500 2 Stroke when all my buddies went to the Honda 750. I was back on top of the speed situation. But neither of them handled as well or rode as smooth as the Honda's.

Oh well, you can't have it all!

Now that is some major flash back material for me . . . I went to work as a 'gunk' at the local Honda/Triumph/Kawasaki dealer just after I got my drivers license. There was no better job on earth for me. . . cleaning toilets, washing bikes and doing pre-sale services on the bikes. The measure of the Avenger was the ability to light up the rear tire by nailing the throttle once you were rolling. The H-1 was the ability to loft the front wheel with just the throttle in 3rd gear . . . and the famous head shake at 100+mph that required sliding back on the seat and giving it more throttle! Then came the H-2 . . . and in a puff of 2 stoke smoke, they were gone, and here we are on techno tripods with 4 stroke V's putting out more horse power. My first two bikes were CL-77 Honda Scramblers. Ride on!