| Author | Message | ||
     Biknut |
i was at the top of a hill. it looked kinda scary. i made up my mind and said go. i started down the hill but after a few feet my motor got tired and quit. i coasted the rest of the way and promptly crashed at the bottom. i was sooo mad at my Mommy for just letting go of me like that. i was 5 years old. i soon got the hang of it though and almost right away started customizing my bike. first i got soup can lids and poked holes in the middle of the lid and tied them to my handle bars. these were my gauges. i didn't know what they were for, but i had about five of them. then i started experimenting with exhaust sound, cards in my spokes, but quickly found that i preferred the sound of open exhaust so i switched to balloons. the only difference now is my bike is a lot nicer and faster, and i don't fall down as much. | ||
| Bomber |
I participated in an unplanned 4 year old-rose bush interface -- gramps, who loved his roses, was, ehem, exorsized | ||
| Cowboy |
My first ride with a engine. In 1948 my dad and I (12 yrs. old) mounted a 3 hp. Brigs to a western flyer bicycle. had it not been for a farm black smith shop, and a farm I may have never known the pleasure I have had after that. I thank God every day for that old farm shop. | ||
| Simond |
Yep. 17 years old - I jumped on my brother's brand new DT50 Yamaha; didn't notice that the kick-start had gone up my trouser leg then leant it to the right when I came to a halt.......! It was a long time before my brother trusted me on his bikes again. | ||
| Daves |
Honda Trail 50 for me. Was my cousins, they had 2 of them. I think I was about 6 Looped it doing a "power" shift from 1st to 2nd the first day I rode it. Dave | ||
| Dino |
First motorized ride - Honda 305 Super Hawk...for about three feet into the rear bumper of a parked car. | ||
| Ingemar |
First time I remember two wheels was on a go-ped. We had a nice slope down and I looked at it and thought it was cool. I didn't look what was at the end of the slope though. I met mr. Tree at a top speed I had never seen before, slammed my face into mr. Tree and lost a nail on my toe because my foot slipped forward. I can't remember the first time on a 2-wheeld motorised apparatus, but I remember this. My dad tought me how to port intakes and tune carbs and how to modify air filters. I had this 50cc Zundapp from 1963. I had it all apart, split the cases and rebuilt it all. I was almost done putting it back together and got so excited about it I wanted to give it a try. So I run a few steps, jump on and it immediately starts. I go around the corner and another and turn around, using the engine to slow down. I hadn't used the brakes yet. I then open it up and right before the corner I came to the horrifying discovery I hadn't completed the brakes yet. I went straight into the bushes, creating a cave of several yards deep and I came to a stop when my head hit this huge branch. I was on my back. The Zundapp half yard further in the bushes. Blood was pooring down my face and all I could do was laugh because the bike was still running!! | ||
| Dsergison |
my first two wheeled recolection: having all my skin ripped off my foot when I somehow got my foot between the spokes and kiddy seat of the family bike. all christmass I was picking scabs and rubbing them into the red living room carpet. second: training wheels off, pointed downhill behind the school on a blacktop path along the wall of the building. --- brick buildings make a good cheese grater  1989- I had ridden a honda trail or something, once or twice in jr high. 1990 or so- I rode a Bultaco Matador mostly, It was the first dirt bike my brother owned. Then the first bike I actually owned was a Jack Pine Penton. It was stolen the day I got it running. I think I was 16? then my brother got a PE250. my future wife learned to ride on it after my brother broke his leg and had to switch and ride the 4wheeler and she the pe250 to get out of the woods. then in 97 I got a yamaha xt350 and Christine got a dr125. Then in 99 I got a honda xr400, then in 2001 a Buell x1 and in 2003 she got a xb9 and then 2004 a gas gas pampera. SLIPPERY SLOPE eh! | ||
| Road_thing |
First ride on two wheels? I don't remember the first un-motorized one, but I'm pretty sure the wheels had spokes and tires, rather than those old solid wooden things that Bomber learned on... First motorized two-wheeler was a Trail 50 my aunt owned (pretty cool aunt) and she turned me loose on it outside Port Angeles, WA. I was, maybe, 11 years old. I still have the scars. rt | ||
| Biknut |
my first motorized bike was a kind of cushman thing i got for $25. i was 13. it weighed a ton and only had a rear brake. all the body work was gone. after that, one bike led to another and the next thing i know, all my friends got old but i didn't. | ||
| Spinzealot |
Sears 106 was my first motorcycle. single jug 4 stroke! | ||
| Budo |
I was about 4 years old, a friend of my Mom's took me for a ride on what I think was a Honda 305 Dream. So I am 49 now and I still remember it vividly, I really never got over it. Got my first bike when I was 14 and paid for it washing dishes at a catfish resturant. Suzuki 50cc lime green something. | ||
| Bomber |
at least the wooden wheels could be easily abraded back to round ;-} first motorized two wheel experience was on a cherry red BSA 250 single -- belongs to my buddy's brother .. we took it out of the garage, and I managed to get about 15 feet down the driveway before falling over like the tricycle guy in Laugh In . . . .. setting the stage for future getoffs, however, I managed to damage myself, without scratching the bike -- of course, at 14, I healed more quickly than did Brithish chrome | ||
| Buelluk |
On the back of my dad's Honda Cub, about 1969/1970, can't remember much about it now | ||
| Buells Rule! (Dyna in disguise) |
First motorized 2 wheeled contraption was a 50cc Arctic Cat when I was 6. Purple with the leopard print seat. Fast forward 36 years & I once again have a purple bike, just need that damn leopard print seat now to prove it all comes full circle eventually. | ||
| Fatpony |
On Uncle RB's HD 125 Pacer when I was 8yo. Never got over it, had to have my own. Got a new Honda Supercub in 1969 when I turned 12(I remember it cost $319 out the door!!). Rode it to Jr High until I got a lic, the Honda was the given to a cousin. | ||
| Tripp |
my first two wheeler was a brand new bike for christmas when i was 6, i lived on a navy base in pensacola florida so it was nice enough weather for a spin, i rode it maybe two blocks away or so, hopped a curb and the damb bike broke in half! (this was the beginning of a long trend of beating on bikes) i carried it home one piece in each hand cryin to beat the band(my brand new bike!  ). my first experience with a motored two wheeler was when i was 14 living on bolling AFB in D.C., my buddy had a puch moped with the gas tank where a motorcycles is(besides an xb of course)it was so cool cause it looked like a motorcycle and you did'nt have to switch gears or use a clutch! which was my weakness when i was a young lad! approx. 1 year later i convinced another friend of mine who lived near dupont circle(lots of traffic) that i could ride a motorcycle so he let me borrow his 550 dual purpose bike (which was way too tall for me)to go get us jamaican beef patties and passion fruit juice from the montego bay restaurant. i proceeded to pop wheelies and stall it from his place all the way to the restaurant, i almost hit a car head on in a sick wheelie and decided to walk the bike back, when asked why it took so long i cooly said "it's such a nice day i decided to take the scenic route" meanwhile my heart was still pounding | ||
| Tank_bueller |
Before I could pedal my own 2 wheels, I remember very real, like yesterday. Up on a mountain, somewhere in West Virginia(yes, I know, but there's still family there) I remember some guy had to roll start(and I mean a good rollin' start) the bike. He tried four or five times and finally got the beast goin'. He gave several rides, and My mom finally let me go for a ride on somebody elses goldwing, or something like one. I rode basically on the gas tank, no windshield, and very slow from what I have been told, holding on for dear life, the wind in my face, the scenery passing by at a rate too fast for a kid of 4 or 5? to comprehend. I have been hooked since. my first "motorbike" was somebody's bad dream of a minibike/chopper that my dad picked up from a guy he worked with, for free. My dad re-built the motor, bored .030 over, and it was a 3hp briggs, with only a kick-start. YES, a 3hp briggs and stratton, with only a kick-start!!! I was maybe 6, and that thing was a bear to start for my pops, but I could get my little leg kikkin' so fast that I didn't have any problem gettin'her fired and rollin' with the little friction clutch mounted on the crank. I HAD APE HANGERS AT 6. My parents thought I was responsible enough to buy me a NEW 3-wheeler at age 9. A 1984 honda 200s atc, and yes I still have it. That beast taught me a whole lotta lessons about not pushing my limits and not going too fast. I didn' wreck it until I was 25, and that was stupid, playin' round on the frozen road, and I didn't get hurt, only a broken brake lever. and the rest is history, for me at least. tank p.s. I will try to find a pic of the minibike (Message edited by tank_bueller on October 26, 2004) | ||
| Thegovernor |
My first ride on motorized two wheels was on a Honda Reflex street and trail. It was in the front yard with my dad and uncle. I got on let out the clutch while at the same time grabbed a handful of throttle and by mistake attempted my first wheelie. The bike then landed exhaust first onto my leg and I never wanted to ride again. But I did and then started riding Observed Trials rode nationals for awhile and now own an XB12s. I am glad I didnt give up that first time because I would never have had the thrill of riding a BUELL. | ||
| Dasbuell |
For me it would be about 1969. A guy up the street had a Sears Allstate 125 cc. He had the bike, I had $85.00 from mowing lawns. Soon he had $85.00 and I had a Sears Allstate 125 complete with tags but without any title. Oh... I also had one very upset mother. I was told to take it back and get my money back... I told her he had already spent the money. A few months later I got a ticket for operating a MV without a drivers license, nothing about the illegal tags. The following year my mom & dad cosigned a loan so I could get a used 350cc Bridgestone which I rode (rain, shine, or snow) until I enlisted in the army in 1972. I did not own a car until I was 21 years old (1975). The sickness continues!!! One car... five motorcycles. | ||
| Rex |
Yep...a couple. -First solo ride..Yamaha twin jet 100...Learned what a clutch was. -My Honda 90. Flooded it, and tried push starting it up and down the street for hours. -First jump. Bent my pegs up and tried to straighten them before going home. | ||
| Honu |
Early-Mid 60's. Motorized. We referred to them as mini-bikes, rigid frames with pneumatic tires and usually a 3hp engine (briggs & straton). Most of the kids in the neighbor hood had one. | ||
| Al_lighton |
First motorized ride: When I was 11 or 12, a friend had a very cool Yamaha Mini Enduro 65 CC dirt bike. He told me to be cool, just do a big circle out in the dirt, down the little hill, back up the hill. As I was coming up the hill, I mixed up which way gave it gas and pegged it. Ina bit of a panic, I hit the top of the hill where it plateaued and shot into the air, hit the ground full throttle, figured it out before I crashed into the trees. My friend never let me ride it again....but I knew a motorcycle would be mine. The day I turned 16 (1975), I got a 2 stroke 2 cylinder 69 Suzuki street bike. Dad was OK by it, mom wasn't, I'm pretty sure mom and dad had a closed door "discussion" over that. I've never not had at least one motorcycle ever since. Al | ||
| Jerseyguy |
Cowboy - You really got me thinking.... When I was 11 (before Honda) I took my english 3 speed, and parts from a washing machine, real estate sign, ash pit cover and the centrifugally clutched Briggs & Stratton off of an old reel type mower and created my first "motorbike". I cut & stretched the bike frame to fit the motor mounted on the ash pit cover. I put the washing machine pulley on the pedal axle and swapped the sprockets front to back. The real estate frame provided a footrest. A friendly neighbor brazed and welded the thing up for me. The right brake lever became the throttle. I will never ever forget that very first instant of running along side of the thing half out of control and hopping on. It was 43 years ago and I can still feel the wind on my face and that feeling of exhilaration on that summer day. Thus began my lifelong passion for motorcycles.... It leaked gas and didn't want idle low enough for the centrifugal clutch to release. I put a bent piece of sheet metal next to the spark plug to ground the plug and shut it down. I was always getting zapped. If you backed off, you could actually shift the 3 speed axle. I broke a lot of the spiders in that axle. I rode it everywhere on the streets of rural NJ. Back in the day the cops didn't care as long as you stayed out of trouble. 17 motorcycles later and I'm on an XB9S. It still feels as good as it did on that first day so long ago. | ||
| Cowboy |
ATT. Jerseyguy Mine was very simple I removed the rear fender and mounted the motor on a hinge be hind the seat.I had a leaver to raise and lower the motor raise the motor to start it, and start pedeling the bike. After you got it going just lower the motor on to the rear wheel where the starting hub would come in contact with the rear tire(on the old ones where you wrap a rope on it to start it with) and a way you go. some of us were born to engineer and ride HE HE HE | ||
| Sandblast |
Honda Trail 70, the ugly kind. It was old when I got it, I loved it so much. I was lucky after that, got an old ds100 (suzuki) when I was big enough, and eventually an RM125. My Dad had bikes, and my uncles all had them. I never had a chance!  | ||
| Billc |
Some of the above sounds very familiar. Mine was the briggs & straton mini bike with no brakes. Early 60's (12-13?). Got the thing running the first time and did not want to stop at the end of the alley. Drove right through the side street, in front of a car, I still remember the womans bug eyes and mouth wide open. After that I wore out my shoes with straight leg stops. Twelve bikes latter, twenty five years off and I'm back on a M2 and a Yamaha ttr225 dirt bike. Should have got back on sooner. | ||
| Swampy |
It was a 5 horse Brigs and Stratton mini bike. Fixed the governor, I remember riding down a cow path and hitting a rock flying over the handle bars, it was a big enough rock that I bent the front forks, I must have been 10 or 12, maybe 1968, I don't remember now, I remember fixing every mini bike, go cart and half the lawn mowers in the neighbor hood. Then it was a 1972 Honda SL 70, I put a Poweroll 80cc big bore kit in it(The Big Kid learned to ride on it). A 1972 Suzuki TS125(gave it to a buddy for siding the back of my house 6 years ago), A 1974 Honda CR125(Traded it for a Ford 427 High Port engine, for a Shelby Mustang I had), A 1974 Yamaha DT100(Bought for my little sister). Then I got married and stopped riding for 26 years. Then a 250 Beta Trials bike! Then the Buells then the Sporty and its today and I am happy again! Thanks for asking, Lord knows my kids don't care! | ||
| Rek |
After scamming rides from the neighbor kids for several years I finally saved enough money in 1976 to buy a '71 Suzy TS250...convinced my folks that I would ride it on the gravel for one year until I was old enough for my license and use it for school. He-he. One year later that bad-boy lacked fenders, blinkers, mirrors etc. It's still leaning against the barn in MO. | ||
| Bcordb3 |
First motorized ride was on the back of a mid 50's Harlely K model (precurser to the sportster) First time ride was on a 1948 Indian Chief, suicide clutch and all) I was hooked after the ride on the Harley K. |
