How long have you been riding....

[MR_NST]

Well after reading some of these, I think some of you will like this pic.

WHOA... drum front brakes eh? i bet there were some entertaining stops on that bike. i couldnt imagine riding these bikes... i know they arent ment for speed and cornering but i can sure appreciate them for what they are.

Kewl pic dude,
peace,
evan...

 

[Fire-medic]

Well after reading some of these, I think some of you will like this pic.

An A-65?

If I ever get rich, I'll buy a 441 Victor, yes, I know all the jokes, but they are beautiful to look-at. Cheney did OK w/them. I also like the '73 Triumph 500 trail bike also w/an alloy tank, just a pretty design. Never mind any good 250 two-stroke would eat it for lunch. The late '60's/early '70's Bultaco Pursangs were also pretty, and the Montesa 250 VR too.

 

[cgswss]

I had a 441 BSA my "enduro" bike. Then I picked up a 500 Victor and put a 570 kit in it and mega cycle cam and springs. (I also had a 500 Matchless). The one I held on to the longest (and whisk I kept) was my Matchless Metisse. I had that up about 3 years ago.

I just sold a Montesa earlier this year.

Craig

 

[TK3333]

Got started about 40 years ago sitting on the tank of my pops CB450. I couldn't reach the pegs but he let me steer, work the throttle and clutch while he worked the shifter and brake. About that same time Grandpop bought me a Honda MR50. Been riding something ever since.

 

[Fire-medic]

I had a 441 BSA my "enduro" bike. Then I picked up a 500 Victor and put a 570 kit in it and mega cycle cam and springs. (I also had a 500 Matchless). The one I held on to the longest (and whisk I kept) was my Matchless Metisse. I had that up about 3 years ago.

I just sold a Montesa earlier this year.

Craig

One of my friends in MI around Battle Creek had a 250 OSSA Pioneer. That had just a plush suspension and was at-least as-good at hillclimbing as my 360 Yamaha Enduro I bought to replace my 305 Scrambler, so I could be more-competitive w/my dirtbike-riding friends. One had a Pursang, one a CL350 (before the SL's were out) another had two 360 MX RT1's, a 'yellow-band' & a 'red-band' tank. he also went-out & bought a Rickman-Zundapp 125, which was faster than my 360 Yamaha in the trails we regularly rode, which were mostly tight & technical. I prayed for the straights, because then I had him, but as-soon as we hit the winding trails, he would catch & pass me. Plus, if we were going to spend most of the day riding RR rights-of-way to get to the sand pits to do hillclimbing, he would just take his RT1, one or the other. They were really pipey, and he could walk-away from my 360 Enduro on the road, making an ungodly cacophony of piston slap/two-stroke screeching out his expansion chamber, which did little to muffle anything. If I lay on my tank, I could get to 89 mph and he would just ease-on-by w/a few mph to spare. Since we were both running rear knobbys, it was an exciting ride. I used to get about a month & 1/2 out of a 4:00 x 18 Metzler during the summer before the worn knobs just let the rear tire spin uselessly in the sand pits. A new tire, and that bike would walk right up the sides of the sand & gravel pits we used to ride, right to the top, & over the lip.

Later, after I moved to FL in '73, I bought an OSSA Stiletto, because I remembered the Pioneer my friend had. A powerful bike. Then came the long-travel revolution, and I saw the future, the YZ Yamahas. The first ones had twin shocks, but longer travel, and Pierre Karsmakers and Tim Hart ran-away from their competition in the Winter AMA 'Silver Cup,' A FL race series, and the next year, the first monoshock Yamahas allowed them to do the same thing, it probably didn't hurt that the frames were titanium and the bikes allegedly were <200 lbs!

 

[cgswss]

I remember the "factory" bikes well. Never taking the easy way- I had a Maico 501. Super bike, nothing could keep up with me on the fire roads, and If I had been a bit better rider it would have top on the track as well. Of course the down side was once you used up the spare parts that came along with the bike, It was all but impossible to find spares.

God I wish I had some of the old bikes I had back in the day!

 

[jester 42]

Had ridden other guys bikes prior to buying my own.
My first new bike; a 1972 Honda 450.
So that's about 40 years of riding; less 3 years I was overseas.:eusa_dance:

Jester 42

P.S. The little girl sitting on the bike is my daughter; she was 3 when the photo was taken. Used to take her for short rides around the block, with her belted to me. She used to scream,
"Go faster, go faster"! She is now a 43 year old; works in banking.

 

[kingman]

44 yrs started out on 650 trump.now i have 85 and 2010 vmaxs

 

[kingman]

.44years started out on a 650trump now i ride a 85 and 2010 vmaxs.where have the years gone?

 

[Fire-medic]

.44years started out on a 650trump now i ride a 85 and 2010 vmaxs.where have the years gone?

And sometimes I have feelings of "deja-vu...":biglaugh:

Seems like a lot of people in their 60's got the bug from Trumpets & Hondas
(Triumphs if you could afford one, a Honda if not!):rofl_200:

 

[Blackcountry Mick]

Started riding in 1988

My first bike was a Honda CB125.

Followed by:-

Honda VT250
Yamaha RD350 ypvs
Honda 250 Superdream
Yamaha RD350 ypvs
Suzuki RG500 Gama
Suzuki GSXR750L
Suzuki GSXR1100M
Yamaha V-Max - current bike with no plans to change.

 

[Sonoran6]

is that the only bike you own as of now?

 

[RaWarrior]

Street bikes, 7 years

Counting dirt bikes/minibikes and snowmobiles, 11 years.

First bike I bought a couple days after I turned 16, a ratty 1982 Suzuki GS450"A", meaning it was the two-speed semi auto version. Learned to ride on that. Great for a road test since you couldn't stall it...just like a scooter, twist the gas and go. It ran well enough, and would hold 70-75 on the highway without too much issue....grades required WOT to keep speed but on a downhill I could get 90 out of it. Not too shabby. Problem was the guy I bought it from had apparently had a stroke or something while riding, and put it in a ditch at like 30 mph (and that's why he was selling it). The oil pan was smooshed in the front and it would randomly hemorrhage a few ounces of oil out now and then. Still I rode it to school and discovered "joyriding"....going for a ride with no particular destination in mind. Had so much fun on it. Could go blow an entire evening cruising around, and since it was only a 450, only burn like a gallon or two of gas. It returned high 40's....which considering it was only 22hp, isn't all that great I guess in comparison.

Note the duct taped seat and mismatched wheels, and the oil speckling in the dirt underneath it.

Sold that about 3 months later, for what I paid, and bought a 1985 Honda Magna V30. Really nice shape. 500cc V4....rated at 65hp, so for a 500 it was pretty fast. Felt like a rocket compared to the Zook. Ran like a swiss watch for the 2 years I owned it, only thing I ever had to do was replace the (original) plug wires as one started shorting out. Highways were effortless and even had some passing power. It would run to about 110 given enough room, and if you took it easy would give mid-50's back for economy.

But eventually the itch to upgrade came again, wanted another V4, and really the only choices were a V65, that bike's big brother, or a Vmax. I'd heard the V65's were much more problematic than the V30s, cam issues, overheating seemed to be a near universal problem in hot weather, and 2nd gear blowing out.

Ended up with my '97 Max.

Kept this the longest to date, 3 full seasons and about 22k miles. However I made the mistake of taking some demo rides at Americade, namely on a brand new Z1000, and that was the beginning of the end for my Max. I couldn't afford a new bike but the upgrade itch had returned once again. Not that the vmax wasn't fast enough....it wasn't stable enough. And it had a few other annoying traits that I'd been unable to resolve. A deal on an 03 Z1000 came along so I sprang on it.

The Max was hard to see go, but I got over it pretty quickly when I no longer had to fear for my life if I encounter a frost heave mid-corner or a tar strip at 120mph.

 

[Blackcountry Mick]

is that the only bike you own as of now?

Yes Sonoran6, That's the only bike I own now.

I don't ride the miles I used to. It's just finding the time.

 

[dannymax]

A long, long time! unk:

 

[Diablotin]

Got my first bike a sv650S 5 years ago. I did swap for my current vmax when I got that opportunity. Not sure it was the best deal but man that sound!
Respect for you guys with more than 30y of riding.

Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk 2

 

[jvmax85]

Bought my first bike in 1958. Been riding 54 years. Presently own 85 max, 05 max, and 2012 FJR1300. I know for sure there is someone out there who has been around for more than 70 years. Keep in between the ditches! John

 

[Rollie]

Bought my first bike in 1958. Been riding 54 years. Presently own 85 max, 05 max, and 2012 FJR1300. I know for sure there is someone out there who has been around for more than 70 years. Keep in between the ditches! John

Great to hear from you on the site !

 

[kingman]

started riding in 69 on a 650 trump. had many bikes since now i have 85 and 2010 VMaxs i bought both new.