Riding Milestone

[Fuzzy]

Like Beemerphile my parents wouldn't allow me to ride. I got over it 8 years ago at the young age of 56. Averaged over 15,000 miles a year since.

 

[MichaelJohn]

Well, I have to add my name to the Beemerphile and Fuzzy list. I begged for a mini-bike when I was a kid but my dad was adamant that two wheels were just too dangerous. He had fallen off a motorbike once and was dead-set against them. Many of my friends had mini-bikes and there was a big empty lot near where we lived and we would all meet there to ride. I borrowed many a bike and had a great time unbeknownst to my parents. One day an older guy showed up with a motorcycle and he offered to give us kids rides. Even as a passenger I found the experience so exhilirating that I spontaneously broke into a song. I was 9 or 10 but that memory, 50+ years later, is still clear. The song that just poured out of me was "Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah" from an old Disney movie for those of you old enough to remember. The guy must have thought I was nuts but I didn't care. I had never felt anything like that before and the feeling stuck with me. I had to wait until I was out of the house (and out of the country!) in college to get my first two-wheeler because of the family ban on motorbikes. To my Dad's great credit he did get me two very nice go-carts that left me wonderful memories.

I went to college in the South of France and almost immediately I bought myself a Peugeot moped. It was only 49cc but that was all I needed travel throughout Provence on it. I had a French girlfriend and we used to ride two-up all over the place on that tiny bike. It was normal, everyone there did it. That little two-stroke would push the bike to over 40 (70kph) and I rode it like a wild man. I used to pull off the muffler to get a little extra power and ride it in the dirt - jumps and all. I think I had more fun (and falls) on that moped than on any other two-wheeler that I have owned since. When I got back from France I traded my 10 speed bike to a friend for his 125cc Honda which was my first motorcycle and it wasn't much faster than my moped. That was 1978. I have owned a few other bikes and one scooter since then interspersed with a 30 year hiatus from riding (family, raising kids, career) that ended two years ago. One of the reasons that I stopped riding was that I was worried that my son might take up riding and I was afraid of that - just like my dad was. I get it now dad. It turns out, for better or for worse, that my son couldn't care less about motorcycles.

I am about 10,000 miles in on my second life of motorcycling. I'm 64 now, but I still get that child-like joy on almost every ride.

 

[casualmatt]

My father was an oral surgeon whose specialty was reconstructive surgery on motorcycle accident patients, so i was not allowed a motorbike as a youngster. On July 16, 1989(the day after my 18th birthday), I purchased a 1976 Honda GL1000 and spent the next 7 years traveling around the U.S. and central america on it. The trip ended in Atlanta, Georgia in October of 1996 when a connecting rod snapped and punctured the engine case. That ended my traveling days, but have owned 6 different bikes since. My two current ones are the NC and a 1980 Ducati 900SD.

 

[bvogel7475]

This is a great thread. So, I'll add my two cents.

I started riding at age 15 on my friends 1978 CB125. I soon after purchased a 1982 Honda MB5. These were only sold in the US for one year, but were successful in Europe of course. I rode that two stroke everywhere and the fact that it didn't go over 55 mph was a good thing during those years. I took a break from riding to get married, have a kid, work, etc. In 1994 I bought a 1982 Kawasaki 440LTD that was belt driven. I did all my own work on that bike and it gave me the confidence to work on future bikes. Took another break from riding until 2003 when I bought a 1996 Honda Nighthawk 750 while I was working on a consulting project in Washington D.C. 9 months later I bought a brand new 2003 BMW K1200 GT. That was a very fast bike at the time with 130 HP. I totalled it in a crash on the way home from the dealership on the day I purchased it at 9:00 pm on the DC beltway. After 6 months of recuperating, I bought a slightly used version of the exact same bike and loved it for years. Took another break from riding until I rented a BMW R1200 GS last November and did a 1,500 mile trip up the California coast over to Nevada and Arizona and back to Southern California. On the trip my clutch hand was a mess. It hurt like a ***** and at night it would go numb for hours. At that point, I realized that I would need something without a clutch if I wanted to keep on riding. I was pretty set on the Aprilia Mana until I read bad reviews about it's reliability and maintenance. I came across the NC and was intrigued by the DCT version. I read a lot about it and watched a ton of youtube videos and purchased a new 2015 version in December of last year without taking a test drive. I immediately liked the DCT version. Not having to shift was pure heaven. I want more power though and would like to move up to the Crosstourer DCT, but my current budget won't allow it. I really like the NC and will keep it until I can upgrade to another DCT adventure style road biased bike with at least 1,000cc's. I'm 51 now and am thankful I can still ride. The best part about riding for me is putting on some 80's new wave music and taking the bike out on some twisty roads. I literally feel like I'm 18 again and have flashbacks to when I didn't have any bills/debt and my biggest worry was finding a girlfriend.

 

[bvogel7475]

Hey Old Can Ride, thanks for your service in Vietnam. I have great admiration for your generation that suffered over there, especially the helicopter pilots who couldn't really take cover when they would fly in to either drop or pickup troops. I'm glad you have a had a long productive life, because the Vietnam war killed and maimed many men both in Vietnam and the US (PTSD, suicide). I've studied the war extensively and feel the worst part of it all was the way you and your fellow soldiers were treated when you returned to the states.

 

[DCTFAN]

In May of 2014 my son landed his first job. With his first paycheck, he told me his intention of buying a motorcycle.
Like most parents who don't ride motorcycles and never contemplated riding one, I was in a dilemma.
What to do? Did not want to say 'NO' to something I don't even begin to understand.
Conclusion: If you can't stop him, join him.

That month, we took the MSF licensing course together and he bought his DRZ400SM.
After looking at several motorcycles and thinking my wife would join our new family venture, I bought the CTX700ND.
I would practice my riding and hand it off to her when she is ready. Rode small distances every day and quickly learned what riding is
all about. The DCT helped me concentrate on relevant riding skills bypassing all shifting skills. My wife still
did not get her license and after 12 months of riding the CTX, I got myself the NC700XD (last September).
The transition was as easy as eating pie. What the CTX lacked the NCX provided.
My two years on the motorcycle consisted of learning various different types of riding supported by several
additional courses I took with the MSF including a couple of dirt bike courses. I was able to venture off-road
on the plentiful Forest Service roads in and around the North GA mountains and Tennesee near Telico Plains.
Attended three rally's and met different riders, made an effort to ride in groups to meet more fellow riders.

They say newer riders with 0-5 years of experience are statistically most prone to have a major accident.
I understand my day will come, but until then, I will make sure I continue to learn (this forum and all the good members
are some of my best inspiration and guide) on a daily basis what
will help me beat that ugly statistic.
I plan to keep riding on until I can post my 50th riding anniversary like
some have already done here.

My respects to all of you who beat the statistics and kept riding to this day.
May the years of riding never stop until the final call from above.

Cheers!

 

[bvogel7475]

View attachment 30032

Brand new 1984 Kawasaki GPz 550, three weeks in and I locked up the rear wheel and slid under the front bumper of a car that turned left in front of me. The guy never got out of his car and told the police I must have been going awfully fast. An older man, I'll never forget his name Louis Zuckerman. It's okay Louis, RIP, where ever you are.

Sumo, you must have been one of the coolest kids in town with that 84 GPZ 550. I'm still jealous 32 years later. Great picture. Thanks for posting it.

 

[sumo]

Sumo, you must have been one of the coolest kids in town with that 84 GPZ 550. I'm still jealous 32 years later. Great picture. Thanks for posting it.

Thanks! The GPz 550 was my second bike.

One spring day in 1976 my sister came home and gave me a brand new moped. I was 13 she was 16, the local radio station randomly approached her at the mall and gave the thing to her. It cost 50 cents to fill, but I soon learned how to siphon out of my dads Buick. I went everywhere on it, freedom.

I found this picture on the web, reminiscing, I often had a 'serious' burn on my left leg from the exhaust pipe where it came out of the motor.

I never knew for at least a year that it was a two stroke and needed 50:1 oil mix, no matter, it ran perfect for 5 years before someone finally stole it.

 

[bvogel7475]

This was my first bike. I got a few chicks from it, but I'm sure the girls were melting when they saw you on the GPZ.

 

[nerrrd]

Not my first bike, that was a Suzuki GP125 followed by a GN250, but this one was my first 'real' bike. Sadly I had taught myself how to ride without seeking advice from anyone who knew what they were doing, so I scared myself into selling this beautiful 550f Integra shortly after this photo was taken by unintentionally crossing the centreline on a highway corner, and went back to a 250 for the next 10 years or so (That's me on the left, a friend of my late brother who was visiting us on the right - in fact his bike was totalled by someone doing a u-turn in front of him later this same day, he was uninjured thank goodness).



When I came back to riding after an 8 year break the first thing I made sure to do was get some training! If I'd done so back in the eighties I might still own the 550, I loved everything about it except for the fact I couldn't ride it properly.