Topic: What Was Your First Bike

[skamania19]

1972 Kawasaki F7 175. It was two years old when I bought it. Sold it for $300 in 1975 or 1976. There are still nights when I'll climb out of bed just to kick myself in the ass over that.

[bill440cars]

1st bike was a 56' Jawa "Scooterette" 50cc. Originally looked like a moped without pedals and had a 3sp trans.(my Dad modified the frame to be like a motorcycle, installed a 56' BSA Bantam and chrome 20" bicycle fenders Also, I've still got it).
 
2nd bike was a 58' Jawa 125cc street (1st street bike) that I was handed a parts book and told that it was upstairs in my Grandfathers motorcycle shop. I had been after my Dad because I was 14 and other guys had bikes but, I didn't (and my Grandfather had a shop). My Dad told me that he built his first one and so I had to also. I wasn't too happy at 1st because I thought it would take forever! My Grandfather built the crankshaft and my Dad set up the paint gun and adjusted the regulator on the generator. The wheels were already laced up and a friend of the family recovered the seat. I had to go through used parts and find everything I needed right down to the screws. I painted it gloss black to go with the chrome and aluminum on the bike. Some time later, I realized that he did me a favor by making me build it. That's where it started. Later on, Bill

[Glenn Stauffer]

1977 CB550K.  Bought from a friend in or around 1994 for $250.  A weeping head gasket led me to rec.motorcycles around the time that John Soliday was posting there from a hotel room in Japan talking about forming a club of Honda SOHC/4 owners.  He had the idea; I worked in IT at a college and had access to mailing list software and web resources and it all went from there.  I still have that CB550K even though I sold it back to the original owner - he moved several months after I sold it to him, left no forwarding address, and never took title to the bike.  I guess it is destined to always be mine.

[Bob Wessner]

My first was a CB350 twin. It was physically way under-sized for me even then, we won't even discuss what I would look like on it now many years and 20 lbs further along.

[BobbyR]

Glenn, this is an omen. It was meant to be. Keep the bike, do not tempt fate!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[number13]

Though I have owned many bikes in my life, my first was
a Honda "monkey bike".

[img width= height=]http://www.soundexchangehouston.com/z50.jpg[/img]

Man, I thrashed that thing. There was literally nothing left of it
when I moved on to bigger bikes.
Who knew they would be so "collectible"??

[techy5025]

My first bike was a Honda 305 dream....black.  I dont remember the year
but it had to have been late 60's.   I sold it when I bought the K0 in 1970.

Jim

[mrbreeze]

Yeah,the good ole 305.They took a lickin' & kept on tickin'!

[Zane]

My 400F.  It's perfect.

I kinda feel the same way. 

This is the first motorcycle I've owned, and it's worked out to be an excellent choice for me (if I do say so myself).  The first real motorcycle I rode was last summer, when I took a 2 and a half day "learn to ride" course.  We had little dirt bikes (125's) in a parking lot.

The only other time I was on a motorized two wheeler was when I was 11 or 12, up in northern Saskatchewan - the early '60's.  My family was in the fishing and hunting, outfitting business, and most of our customers were from the US mid-west.  There was a fellow from Omaha, an inventor, who brought up a two wheeler he'd designed for dragging moose out of the bush.  It had sort of ATV type tires on it (way before ATV's) with about fifty, pinky-sized metal studs in each tire.  For some crazy reason, he let me take off and "ride" this little ankle breaker around the Pre-Cambrian sheild.  It was made to go about two miles an hour, so that part wasn't very exciting.  But the "bike" would actually climb up a really steep rock grade, mow over and crush little trees (like up to an inch or so across) and go through, over and up all sorts of wierd terrain like muskeg and boulders.  It was really fun climbing steep rock hills - it would remove chuncks of rock and toss them out behind itself, and it had no trouble throwing out all sorts of sparks when you were chunking over big sheets of rock (which is pretty much all there is up there besides water and trees). 

I wish I had some pictures of that machine.  Dead slow it was, but exciting none the less - definitely off-road extreme.

[vedgar]

We all started riding some thing and maybe it was not special to anyone but us. There must have been something about it that hooked us on bikes. My first bike was a 1967 Ducati 250CC Street Scrambler. I paid $120.00 for it from a fellow entering the Service. He had always wanted a Harley XLCH so he put some Ape Hanger bars on it, Sawed off the muffler, put some aftermarket headlight on it. It had no speedometer, no horn, and just a kill switch. When I parked it I had a big chain that went through the back wheel and over the seat. To pass inspection I would put a kids bike horn on it. The charging system would only handle the ignition after a while, so I squeezed a big battery in it and I would charge it every night. Through it all I rode it proudly. I have had other bigger, faster and prettier bikes, but I never forgot that ugly little Ducati.

[Stevearino]

Suzuki GS 450.  Then a buddy of mine offered up his 73 cb750 and I got some sense.  Should have hung onto it, but I am back in the fold with my 77 cb 550F.  Its nearly ready to roll.  Also currently own a GL1100 Standard, which can wrinkle pavement.  Next project is a BMW R75\6, but I've had so much fun with the 550 I might rethink that.  See you on the street.

[74cb750]

I just picked up a 198X Suzuki GS450 yesterday. Might need your help, as there are a few parts missing and of coarse,
"It used to run LAST year." was heard when I loaded it on my truck.

My first bike was a Honda SL175, the cb750 was out of my price range at the time.
peace,
michel

[rpyles]

I bought a 1967 BSA 441 Victor when I was first gainfully employed - about 1969. That thing was a pain to start  - really made me appreciate the 750 when I got it in '71.
Richard

[Bob Wessner]

Rich,

I bet you wish you still had it.. er, maybe not.

[rpyles]

It was fun - and loud.  No ignition key, horn or turn signals, but it did have Whitworth nuts and bolts - gads!
Actually, I'd rather have that '65 Cyclone back. 
Richard

[my78k]

Had a Rupp 50...zero suspension unless you count the 3 inches of foam on the seat!!!! Then graduated to a Honda Z50 from there to a Yamaha XT 100 I think it was...2 stroke with no muffler (fell off while beating the hell out of it on the trails) then to a Honda XR 250 for more trail pounding fun...the CB750 K8 is my first and only street bike although I have ridden friend's over the years...

[Ted Nomura]

During the summer of 1971, when I was still in junior high school, a friend of mine from that school came to visit riding on his new 1971 Gemini SST50 mini-bike. I wasn't interested in motorcycles then but became hooked when he insisted that I kickstart his. When I asked my Dad if I could have a mini-bike (I was thinking about a Honda Z50), he said "no", indicating that mini-bike is too dangerous. Just when I thought that my life was over, he added "but you can have a motorcycle!".
After checking out several bike shops, my first choice was the left-over but new 1970 Honda CL100, then when I checked the Kawasaki shop, it was either the G4 or F6. But when Christmas of 1971, my parents drove to LA and brought back a brand-new Yamaha 125 AT2. It was the happiest day of my life. I now own about 40 bikes, including 3 Honda Z50s.   

[Bob Wessner]

now own about 40 bikes

 

What does your garage/shop look like. 

[jsaab2748]

A red CT 70.  Had it a year, 71-72. 4300 trail miles, dust, mud, snow,frozen lakes, water. Must've broken a dozen tail light lenses. Even rode it around the basement once when mom wasn't home.
Mine was the slowest in the neighborhood group, the SL 70 and 70 H four speed my friends had could always top end me. Then I got my CL 350 .......

[nunnik6]

My dad got tired of riding it and it sat for about ten years, so I bought a '70 750 K0 off of him. Its a fun bike to take to the streets, but watch out for rocks and sand, cause the front end will come out from you and it'll skin you up:)

[Zeke]

I got my first bike when I was 11 years old.  I had exactly 300 bucks in the bank (paper route) and a friend was selling his barely used 1977 Kawi KM100 for 300.  My dad made me go partners with my brother!  That bike was in a mini format with like a 17" front wheel.  Man, it did haul ass though with that 9hp!  I broke my thumb getting tossed over the bars on my 13th birthday, and they had to pin it back together!

Spent a bunch of time in my teens riding my buddy's KDX 80, which had a whopping 16 hp!  That was fast!  His older brother never rode his KD 125 so we always rode that as well.

My second bike was a 1986 Yamaha XT 550 for $700 which I got at 19.  I had that one licensed and used to ride it to work in the summer as well as tear up the trails.  Sold it two years later after I was nearly run over by a senior citizen in a caddy made a left in front of me at 65mph!  WhooooHooo!  I hit a curb and at some point I saw my own headlight -- apparently I was almost over the bars, but somehow managed to get back on the seat to skid across someone's yard and almost hit a garage.  I figured that was enough motorcycling for the time being.

Two years ago I bought my 80 CB650 from a friend, and I've been having fun ever since.  Road bikes are scary fun, and right now I have visions of building a kind of streetfighter bike based on a honda SOHC.  Don't worry, I'd never wreck a good bike -- just resurrect a broken one.

out

[bill440cars]

I said that my 1st nonstreetable and 1st street bikes were Jawas but, I have to say the
           305 Super Hawk was what I wanted when I 1st saw them back in the Early 60's. I actually got
           a CB72 250 Hawk in 68' and wish I had it now. I did finally get a 305 a little while back but, it's
           got a CA305 engine in it and gonna need alot of work. I can't decide whether to try to find a
           CB77 engine or convert the one I've got. But anyway that's another story. Later on , Bill



                         "The bikes from Japan were still in Japan when I got my 1st and 2nd bike"

[hondav4]

my first bike was 76 cb550 my father in law gave it to me. then i got a 71 cb750.
and this winter i bought a v65 sabre.

[JonnyHonda]

I started on a perfume burner, then had a cb250 superdream. Had a few super sports in my twenties. an rd350lc, got married had a rest. Caught the SOHC bug about 6 years ago. Bought my second last month.

[KCs76Cafe]

I did some digging and finally found the pic of me on my first bike........a 1975 Honda XR75. How ya like them "highwaters"?  At least I didnt have to worry about getting them caught in the chain.  lol