Topic: how did you get into riding motorcycles?

[CycleRanger]

I blame my Grandfather and my Uncle. They had dirt bikes back in the late 60's early 70's.  A Moto-Beta and a Motoguzzi.
I remember them taking me for rides when I was 6 or 7.

The first time I ever drove a bike was Fourth of July weekend 1976. (the Bicentennial!)
I was about 12 years old.
I was visiting my Grandparents in Washington state for the summer.
We went to camp at the coast with my Great Uncle and his kids, my cousins, who were about my age.
My cousins had a pair a new Yamaha 100's and my Uncle brought an old Bridgestone 90 for me to ride.
My uncle asked me if I knew how to ride a bike and of course I lied and said yes...

I got on the old Bridgestone, kicked it over, pulled in the clutch, dropped it in first, gave it some gas and eased out the clutch, and took off down the road! (Thank goodness I didn't make a fool out of myself!)
I rode the crap out of the bike the whole weekend. Even when it started raining I wouldn't park it.
Laid it down slowly once and broke the clutch lever in half but kept riding.

When we got back to my Grandparents house my Grandfather pulled out his 1967 Suzuki 80 that had been sitting his garage for years and after cleaning the rust out of the tank got it running for me. I rode that bike every day in the empty field next to their house until something broke in the engine case.

Anyway, it was about the most awesome summer ever.
The next year my Dad had a buddy who had a little Yamaha RD he sold me for $100.
I rode that for a couple of years until I wrecked it and broke my leg. (Mom was right!!)
I didn't ride much again until the late 80's when I got a dirt bike.

[tortelvis]

My dad. He always rode and I always went with him as a pillion. He started me on his Cushman Eagle which I threw down the road at age eight. I never rode his old Yamaha 250 two stroke but he turned me loose with the Black Bomber when I was 15. Traded it up in 1970 for another CB450 and that was it. 58 and still riding! Thanks Dad.

[shark]

Long story short: got a bike for free.

Taught myself how to ride. 

Found out I really enjoyed riding.

[OldSchool_IsCool]

+1 what Shark said!

[tom8Toe]

I started out on a little 80cc Gemini. My grandfather owned 80 acres in a little town called Ashford just outside the Mount Rainier park entrance. We used to bring this bike as well as my dads BSA B50 up with us when we would get together as a family. My brother, sisters and cousins would all take turns riding this little bike while the parents, aunts and uncles would take turns riding the B50. Being the youngest, I just remember a lot of standing around waiting.

This is me about age 5, before I could start riding. It wouldn't be for another 5 years before I would be given "The Test" by my father and be allowed to ride solo. I'll be 42 next month and my sister still has that Gemini sitting in her garage.

That would be my older brother sitting on my dad's BSA B50.

[stevecb1000]

None of my family were into bikes so not sure where i got it from but from about 13 all i wanted was a bike, at 17 got a CB125S and i was off, over the years i have had many bikes and now own a 1996 CB1000FT i have had from new, a CB250G5 i did a nut and bolt rebuild on, a K2 a K6 and a BMW R1200GS, i love biking as much now as i did that first year i got my 125..... Hope it goes on for many years to come.....

[Smoke Detector]

Love this thread.
I was 7 in 1977. We had some property out the country. My dad comes home one night and pulls a Z50 out of the trunk of his car. The rule was if you wanted to ride it you had to help look after it. That's all it took. That Z50 is still there and running today.

[736cc]

My older brother Donald had a CB450 and that started it for me. When I graduated from Bayside High School in 1975, my Mother let me buy a motorcycle and gave me the money for it, a 1973 Kawasaki F7 175cc enduro. Thanks, Mom!

[sixthwisconsin]

First bike build was 1967...
Here it is.



Cobbled together several bikes to make this one.
Went on to ride trail in the hills of western Pennsylvania. That was truly amazing for a 13 yr old.
My friend and I rode a Hodaka 90 to death...

Didn't ride again until early this year when I built my cb550k0.
No looking back now. This winters project is a cb750F1.

[heffay]

Nice bike Sixth... my dad and I built one with a very similar frame when I was young too.  He painted it for me and it faded from white in front to yellow in back.  Even had the banana seat like that too!  It was awesome, but before long BMX bikes came out and I wanted one of those!

[bender01]

Short version is I wanted a dirt bike awful. Rode a friends xr 80. In fall 83 Dad bought me a New leftover 82 KD 80, blue. On the condition I BEHAVED in School. I drooled over that thing all winter and spring. And Dad True to his word.... Sold it .
  Well bmx and freestyle took over and I surely didnt need to replicate any of those tricks with an engine.
 Fast forward 22 years, Dad bought an 84 Aspencade and had to take a 78 Honda Hawk with it. He mentioned bringing it too me and I was doubtful I would see it but fall 2006 he showed up with it! 
  It took along time for his advice to get through my thick skull. But eventually it did. I am very grateful for the lesson I learned.
  I still look on e-bay for an 82 kawasaki kd-80 but I never see them.
 The Hawk pics and all bikes since are in my bike pics sig.
  Ben

[78whiteorbs]

Great thread topic! I started  in a shed on my grandpa's property  were there were two non running (prolly sears )minibikes. Me and my little bro were like 6 and 8 and we would go out there and pretend to ride motorcycles and pick hitch hiking chicks and drink beer   While these bikes never actually ran that is were it started for me - Years later a boss had a little cm250 custom that was like brand new and I knew it was history -

[tango911]

rode a couple friends 80 2-strokes growing up.  Parents never let me have one.  3 years ago i bought some dirt bikes for my son and myself ,  rest is history.   
I have 5 street and 2 dirt bikes.

[Grnrngr]

 I started riding bicycles, and went for my first ride on a motorcycle, when I was about 8 or 9. My dad was in the Army and we were living on Okinawa ('61-63), he came home with a Dream 305 one day and I was fascinated, but I don't think he ever rode again after we came back to the states. Seems I've been around motorcycles ever since. He was transferred to the Nike site, at what is now the Golden Gate National Recreational area on the north side of SF bay, we lived on base there '64-'66. Saw a bunch of patch holders come thru one day, the sound of 20-30 early Harleys definitely got a hold of me. Choppers were  everywhere in SF and Marin back then. We moved to Sacramento in 67, bought my first bike (Yamaha 80) with my paper route money when I was 15. Summer of '71, after a long discussion about why I couldn't get a used Harley from the CHP auction down the street (I don't care WHO got one for $500, YOU're not getting an Electra-Glide for a first bike), folks got me a brand new 72 Suz GT380 for my Sr yr of high school. Been on (and off  ) streetbikes since 70, been riding bicycles in the dirt since like '65 and dirtbikes since '69ish? Did my first 1k+ road trip on that 380 after graduation, from Sac to Sausalito, up the coast, across the bottom of Oregon, then back down the east side of N. CA to Sac, rode 4 days, camped 3 nights. Then I found out... school's NOT out fo evah...     

[lone*X]

At 14, Dad said, son it's time you got a part time job.  Local news paper distributor was looking for carriers but you had to have  transportation.  Routes where I grew up were too long for a bicycle.  Told my dad I was going to miss out on a job and he said "How about we get you a scooter to run that route, and you can pay me back some every week".  Thats all it took.  Used 57 Cushman Eagle (the big 9 hp model) a few days later and I have been hooked for life.  Paid it off in about 6 months.  50 Years and never more than a few months without something to ride.  I would love to have the Eagle back.

[cb650]

Its all Dads fault.   The drag racing is all my uncles fault.  Combining the two was my fault.  Been riding most all mt life.  Even did have to break down and get a car after 5 years of having only the bike on the road.

[Duanob]

When I was 16 we moved into a rental house right after my mom and step dad divorced. There was a 80% complete hard tail chopper in pieces and boxes in the basement. The landlord said I could have it so I spent a year putting it together. I had it painted a nice blue, got a one-up saddle in natural leather. I think the engine was a triumph twin. I never did buy anything for the motor just put it together and got it started. I rode it around the block once and that was it. A friend of a friend wanted it to put a harley motor in so he traded me straight across for a 1974 CB360 with 5000 miles on it. Of course that was a lot of miles for a 5 year old bike. But got on that thing and never looked back. I rode it every where. I loved that bike. In fact a Seattle institution named Dewey rebuilt the carbs for me for half price cause for some reason he felt I was a charity case but he could tell I loved that bike. (He just retired a couple years ago, it was  a sad day in the vintage motorcycle world of Seattle). 3 years later I sold it to my cousin which I never saw it again. But almost 30 years later I got the bike I wanted when it was time to upgradewhen i outgrew my 360. My CB550K which I love riding too.

[sixthwisconsin]

Nice bike Sixth... my dad and I built one with a very similar frame when I was young too.  He painted it for me and it faded from white in front to yellow in back.  Even had the banana seat like that too!  It was awesome, but before long BMX bikes came out and I wanted one of those!

I think it was a Schwinn 26" frame that looked nothing Llke this originally. It was probably new in the early 60's (I had two older brothers).  I stripped it down, added the banana seat ($3 used), added the ape hangers, installed a 27" front fork (?) from a 3 speed bike and a 20" front wheel. Then it was mine...

Can a hard tail bobber be too far in my future?

[dave500]

are you the kid in this advert sixthwisconsin?

[piute]

  Hello ,1st post fer me Grew up on Harleys,
Been around bikes all my life got my 1st at age14 when my Dad died and left me a couple of ole Pan-Heads 1 was chopped(was in early 70s)and the other was a suppose to be built as stock and to be my bike but ended with both and a sportster. gave that to sister and 1 needing fixed to uncle.
   But my 1st solo ride was on a 1976 a.m.f.175 couldn't touch the ground always had to stop/go next to fence.
 believe every since I was born there was a H.D.blue-print drawing above my crib n bed,was able to do most all work by myself by the time I got out of High School in 1980,"O" road that " Pan Head "to school talk about cool.
      pic of dad (my pan)and ADDED (Adobe) me in middle on my 87 shovel

[grcamna2]

Piute,
          You started out w/ Harleys? I imagine it must be hard for you to ride anything else !

[Retro Rocket]

Piute,
          You started out w/ Harleys? I imagine it must be hard for you to ride anything else !

I thought it would make it easier......

[Grnrngr]

Never had a wheelie bar, but in 8th grade, I put a girder from a 26" paper boy bike on my stingray, an extra long neck to raise the bars a little, drilled some holes in my sissy bar and lowered the silver metal flake banana seat to just over the wheel. Looked really cool, but bein 6' tall made it sorta hard to ride..so I got into 10-speeds.

[RFogelsong]

When I was about 12 my dad bought a 1991 Honda ct70.  I rode that around the neighborhood every time he'd let me.  We had that until I was about 15 (with other bikes coming and going, but none that I rode).  When I was almost 17 my dad bought a 1989 Yamaha tw200 dual sport.  I rode that around a bit and got my temps and that was my first real "on-road" experience with a motorcycle.  I always loved riding that thing, but he hasn't had a bike since (that I've ridden like that anyway).  Fast forward a year or two and I'm in college riding a 1991 trek 720 road bike (bicycle) everywhere and doing all the maintenance on it to keep it running on a college campus.  Being on two wheels the majority of the time (100 or so miles a week on that bike), I start to want a motorcycle again.  Year two of college my roommate and I start getting into motorcycles and I introduce him to the naked/street fighter class.  He's hooked but has yet to buy one (college is expensive).  This past summer my dad had an aprillia shiver 750 and I got my first taste of true power.  I got the thing up to ludicrous speed and decided that there's no reason to go faster than a cafe racer will take me.  Here we are in year three and I'm on my first co-op job through the University of Cincinnati engineering program with some cash finally. So I just recently bought my first, a 1975 Honda cb550k1 that I'm going to turn into a cafe racer (kind of the older version of the streetfighter).  I think part of it was also that I was always into performance but a fast car is miles more expensive than a bike. 

[xsmooth69x]

i just want to look cool

get yourself cryogenically frozen.

dont worry im donating myself to science and doing a full genome of my dna and stored away for future generations when they can bring me back