Wildguzzi.com
General Category => General Discussion => Topic started by: SmithSwede on January 27, 2023, 09:30:41 PM
-
We are all hopeless addicts addicted to this motorcycle thing. So tell me, what is your *single* most memorable motorcycle related experience?
First ride? First crash? Buying your dream bike? Seeing the sun rise while riding some scenic area? Achieving some riding goal? First wheelie? What is it?
Personally, I think I got “hooked” on this motorcycle thing while riding passenger with my cousin on a late 1970s Kawasaki Z1 900cc bike. The King of its day.
But my single most memorable experience was my first attempt to ride a bike myself. Yamaha RD400 in a nearly vacant parking lot in the early evening. Put it in first gear, gave it too much throttle, accelerated more than I had ever experienced before. But did not crash. Regained control.
And felt like “yeah, this is it.”
-
Riding up Dairy Queen hill @ Chadwick on my FANTIC 300 for the 1st time with my feet on the pegs!
https://www.google.com/search?q=chadwick+motorcycle+and+atv+use+area+dairy+queen&oq=chadwick+motorcycle+and+atv+use+area+dairy+queen&aqs=chrome..69i57j33i160l2j33i299.1850
-
At 10 years old my several years older cousin who owned a Honda 90 trail bile suggested we time race around our farm yard. I learned not to apply front brake during a turn in a dirt/sand mix. Remember it like yesterday.
GliderJohn
-
I've had some epic motorcycle moments,more often than I'd like to admit,usually involving an extreme lack of judgement.
Without a doubt,way back in the day,rode 300 miles on my XS1100 to Toronto for a family Thanksgiving dinner/weekend,the ride down was a warm sunny fall ride,very enjoyable.
We had a freak snowstorm for the ride home,it was a white knuckle ride the whole way. I've never been so cold in my life. Stopped every 30-45 minutes for coffee and to thaw out. The last gas stop was in Perth,by then the snow had changed to sleet/rain/ice pellets,I was drenched and so frozen, I knew if I got off the bike for a coffee and to warm up I wouldn't be able to get back on the bike. So I sat there in the freezing rain while the attendant filled the tank.
By then hypothermia brain fog & stupor had set in so bad, I could barely control the bike and process traffic and vehicles around me. It was a miracle I didn't crash for the last 11/2 hr ride home.
I remember sitting in a hot bath tub for hours before I felt warm again.
Bought my 1st car the next week,lol :evil: :laugh:
-
There are so many memories. It's hard to pick just one.
How about my top ten? Twelve? Fifteen ?
:boozing:
:bike-037: :bike-037: :bike-037:
-
Coming home at age 14 to see this…
(https://i.ibb.co/44fv142/51-E49-A76-3966-4-DAC-A417-3-F54-B1-DF51-D9.png) (https://ibb.co/44fv142)
-
1982. I had just finished my first year of college in Charlottesville and was riding home to Cape Cod on my new Honda 750F. I was riding up the Skyline Drive early in the morning, loaded for the trip and running just fine. A bobcat jumped out of the woods onto the stone wall and ran alongside me for about 5 seconds then jumped back into the woods. My whole world was in balance. The memory still calms me.
-
Just left girrrrrl friends house…
Steady beat of an R60….
At 2am…
Full moon on an empty road..
About 90 degrees on the hottest summer night..
Bugs splat hard on the face shield…
Reaching up I turned off the headlight…
Hook set.
-
Just left girrrrrl friends house…
Steady beat of an R60….
At 2am…
Full moon on an empty road..
About 90 degrees on the hottest summer night..
Bugs splat hard on the face shield…
Reaching up I turned off the headlight…
Hook set.
Yep, that would do it. :smiley: Riding at night near Gatlinburg with my girl friend on the back running in and out of the smell of vanilla is certainly one of them.
The hook was set, though, when the old man bought my older half brother a Whizzer, and I rode home on the tank. He was over the moon, and was singing "Balling the Jack.." I was thinking this was the coolest thing ever. I was 6.
-
I've been doing this too long this is a tough question. If I have to pick one it would be the trip in 2019 after my cancer treatments and my wife finally retired. We spent five weeks on the road with no particular destination. It was October and early November so we went south from Ohio and just rode Florida and the Gulf coast. What made it memorable over the countless other adventures is that I was healthy again and she was retired as was I. A whole new phase of life which we both still enjoy.
-
Escaping from the Minnesota National Flood Rally on a washed out mud covered road with trailer attached to the back of the Stone. Actually that whole morning was surreal and one Cheryl and I will never forget.
-
So many good memories. What really 'set' me for motorcycles though, is when my grandfather give me rides on his Honda Superhawk. I couldn't have been more than 6 or 7. "Safety gear" consisted of wearing socks with my tennis shoes and and wearing a repurposed football helmet. We would scoot down the country roads in central Texas and that was like flying on a magic carpet. I am pretty fond of my grandfather, so that helped.
-
My first overnight and camping trip on my Royal Enfield 500 and going through the wilderness areas in the Catskills for the first time........exhilar ating! It was my first or end year riding road bikes, maybe 4 years ago.
Scott
(https://i.ibb.co/SttJSVr/Royal-Enfield-on-55-E-in-NY-092719.jpg) (https://ibb.co/SttJSVr)
-
Rode the Peak to Peak Scenic Byway in Colorado with a friend in the summer of 2017, it was great fun and a beautiful ride. Probably my most memorable because it wasn't so long ago.
-
Impossible to say which is most memorable over the last 38 years. Too many road trips with friends, and two up with the wife to choose from. Fond memories of riding and camping on the COBDR with pals multiple times. An experience outside of normal riding does come to mind. I started road racing
a Triumph Thruxton in AHRMA about 15 years ago. Never raced motorcycles before but had done a few track days on bikes. My first race was at a track in Michigan. First session was just trying to learn the track and get my bearings, oh, and process that two of my fellow racers in my class were Jay
Springsteen and Gary Nixon. By the third practice session I was feeling more comfortable, getting braking points down, touching a knee in corners, feeling like a real road racing rider, a little cocky if you will. Then, going into a corner I felt like I was starting to really have nailed, Springer went down inside of me and around that corner and gone in a heartbeat. It was a startling, breathtaking, humbling and mesmerizing moment. I remember talking to myself in my helmet questioning how is it possible to be THAT much faster. It was truly a spectacular moment to have a front row seat to watch a member of the "1% Club" show a mere mortal how it is really done. Later in the weekend when I lined up on the grid for the race, Springer was on pole and I was behind Gary Nixon on the second row. Gary turned around before the start and gave me a thumbs up. So, yeah quite a moment.
-
I guess riding a Guzzi and it hits you. You are in the zone. Perfect peace and joy. The sound of the engine, the smell of the wildflowers, or the dank fall aromas. The wind in your face, the little nip of cold at the nap of your neck in winter. Riding home on a summer night after an evening of music, cold brew and illegal smiles. Your lady's fresh washed hair whipping around as she grips you tighter. I dunno. Pick one.
-
Good stuff. The bobcat story is quite cool.
-
I guess riding a Guzzi and it hits you. You are in the zone. Perfect peace and joy. The sound of the engine, the smell of the wildflowers, or the dank fall aromas. The wind in your face, the little nip of cold at the nap of your neck in winter. Riding home on a summer night after an evening of music, cold brew and illegal smiles. Your lady's fresh washed hair whipping around as she grips you tighter. I dunno. Pick one.
Damn…!
THAT one is hard to beat….. :bow: :thumb:
-
There are so many memories. It's hard to pick just one.
How about my top ten? Twelve? Fifteen ?
:boozing:
:bike-037: :bike-037: :bike-037:
:thumb:
I guess if I had to pick one experience it would be when I checked off my 48th State toured. Started that goal in 2012 and completed in 2016.
-
Damn…!
THAT one is hard to beat….. :bow: :thumb:
:boozing:
-
:boozing:
Jeez that last phrase was well written, wish I’d have penned it…. :bow:
-
Jeez that last phrase was well written, wish I’d have penned it…. :bow:
Dude, you the man. I write about things, but you DO them... :thumb:
-
Going to sleep on my old Matchy. Flipped in the gravel at the edge of the tar seal, I stopped on the edge of the drop and the bike sailing down,down down, landing perfectly on it's rear wheel and hitting a pine tree at the 6 foot line and landing in a heap at the foot of it.
Yup, with the aid of a family that saw it all we got it running, scrambled it up a fire break and I continued with my journey.
-
Dude, you the man. I write about things, but you DO them... :thumb:
Some stuff yes..
But that bit about where your girls freshly washed hair flying around on the bike, exemplifies carefree abandon with bike and girl. A wondrous union if ever there was.
Reminds of a time when the air was a bit cooler, cleaner and we were all a little less jaded.
-
1st motorcycle trip 1st time being on the BRP and resulted in my 1st big game kill.
-
1st motorcycle trip 1st time being on the BRP and resulted in my 1st big game kill.
Good submission for 'one sentence horror stories'.
-
My most memorable experience is a gross story, so might move on.
It was about 25 years ago, my neighbor and coworker with Beemer Kbike invited me and my Bandit to the Beemer rally at Talimina St Park. I got some of my first bit of sportriding in the Ozarks, running the drive, SE Ark and Hot Springs. Anyway, it was unseasonably warm, even hot. We got back to camp on Saturday, the guys had a BBQ truck, most of the food was gone but I had what was left. Anyway, over the night I got a bad case of food poisoning. It was hot. I was so sick that slept in the bathroom.
The next morning, I was feeling bad, put my gear to make the 200 mile trip home, got immediately overheated and threw up. About the time I got on the bike to leave, the weather changed. A frigid cold front came in, dropping temps in the 40's with 30+ mph headwind. That was a temporary blessing for me as I was able to unbutton my jacket and get cool air which really made me feel better.
For the 200 miles home, we stopped once for gas. So I was sitting frozen on the bike, trying to not the throw up. We were about an hour from home, going down I-40 when my prescription glasses broke and I lost the left lens. Luckily my right eye was far sighted, didnt stop, just kept going.
Finally getting home, I must've gotten too cold. I was shaking uncontrollably. Still sick. So rather than going to bed right away, I went into the tub to warm up and then, threw up into the bath water. After cleaning up I finally went to bed, woke up midday Monday. I felt OK.
All in all it was still a good weekend. I had great time riding. I did think I might die getting home.
-
I'm still thinking on this one, there were quite a few. This last one reminded me of a Saturday night in Sturgis, actually Deadwood. Got a snoot full at the Old Style. Got stopped by a cop, wanted to know where I was going since it was only a short distance he let me go. Got sick during the night. Died a thousand deaths on the way home with a pounding headache and feeling terrible. When I come up with a more pleasant experience that rates near the top I will post it, I have several. :thumb:
kk
-
I'm still thinking on this one, there were quite a few. This last one reminded me of a Saturday night in Sturgis, actually Deadwood. Got a snoot full at the Old Style. Got stopped by a cop, wanted to know where I was going since it was only a short distance he let me go. Got sick during the night. Died a thousand deaths on the way home with a pounding headache and feeling terrible. When I come up with a more pleasant experience that rates near the top I will post it, I have several. :thumb:
kk
Funny, we got a new pizza joint, I'm guessing a chain. They serve "Detroit pizza". Sorta think like Chicago style but more puffy bread. It's pretty good hot but can't recommend the leftovers. Anyway, the have "Old Style" on tap. Can't get it here, can't remember having it before. Really good beer IMO.
I'm guess it's from the same company that took over PBR, Pearl, Lone Star, etc. Anyway, I recommend it.
-
An 8-day, late September 1975 ride with my girlfriend on my clapped-out Triumph 650, from upstate New York to southeast Idaho. A hurricane (Eloise) unexpectedly moved inland over Florida and up to the Ohio valley, causing continuous rain for the first four days. No rain gear but a couple of thin, fraying, orange rain suits from a K-Mart. Many breakdowns and road side repairs. Crossing the Colorado Rockies in the snow through the half-completed Eisenhower Tunnel to find a brilliant blue sky, gold aspen and fresh snowfields on the other side. Sleeping in a fairground stable at the invitation of the Medina OH police, and in a Uhaul trailer in Utah by courtesy of the gas station attendant. Also in a tube tent in pouring rain on the first night, on a picnic table, not recommended. After arriving in Idaho, a trip to the Rocky Mountain foothills, only to get lost at night off-road in the sage brush, fording creeks, have the alternator fail, having to turn off the headlight to keep the motor running, having my girlfriend hold a flashlight beside my head to see the way, and finally navigating overland North by the stars to discover a tiny bunkhouse in which we slept together in the single sleeping bad I had thrown on the bike just in case. Wet boots frozen in the morning. This is my most memorable adventure. Interesting thread.
-
^^^^ Oh, yeah, Moto.. that's a memorable trip.. :bow: :smiley:
-
I rode a couple of laps as Jason Pridmore's passenger on a K100RS at one of his father's CLASS track classes. I think it was at Laguna Seca. I had never experienced speed in that way: the seamless transition from the really hard deceleration on the way into the corner to really hard acceleration out of the corner and down the straight, the cornering angle (I was scraping the edge of my boot on the PASSENGER peg). I was unprepared for and frightened by how fast we went - even if there was no hint of lack of control. I soaked my undershirt in those two laps. At that point I'd been riding for maybe 35 years and had done all kinds of riding on and off-road. I realized sitting there behind young Pridmore that I had no idea how fast even a sport-touring style motorcycle could be ridden.
-
I rode a couple of laps as Jason Pridmore's passenger on a K100RS at one of his father's CLASS track classes. I think it was at Laguna Seca. I had never experienced speed in that way: the seamless transition from the really hard deceleration on the way into the corner to really hard acceleration out of the corner and down the straight, the cornering angle (I was scraping the edge of my boot on the PASSENGER peg). I was unprepared for and frightened by how fast we went - even if there was no hint of lack of control. I soaked my undershirt in those two laps. At that point I'd been riding for maybe 35 years and had done all kinds of riding on and off-road. I realized sitting there behind young Pridmore that I had no idea how fast even a sport-touring style motorcycle could be ridden.
nothing scarier than riding on the back of a motorcycle IMO.
-
Bucket list ride in 2008. 2007 Norge and 12,000 miles from Oregon to Vermont and down to the BRP and back through Texas, New Mexico and Colorado. Many memorable things along the way but the thing that lingers is the pace of the ride and getting out there nearly every day. Also visited with some wonderful old friends and some very hospitable new ones.
-
There are so many good ones, but this one is legal and pc enough to post although it’s about community vs an actual ride.
In Paint Rock TN, my good friend &neighbor named Reed had a few annual bike events at his isolated property that he specifically built as a venue for bike events. The biggest one was his annual Laurel Bluff Bash. My then-girlfriend-now-wife Beth went to the last two I attended before I moved to VT to cut stone in 2000. Reed & I were close and he really liked Beth so we were trusted me/us to work the bar. It was a closed gate event & we sold red cups, not beer because you can’t do that without a permit…. So she got to meet everyone, including this giant Cherokee biker/elder called Injun Joe. He was one of us, except he was a full blooded Cherokee who deliberately looked the part- long grey braids, headband, beads, some buckskin, etc. Typical good biker times out in the middle of nowhere, even if I was always the only Guzzi in sight. Lots of great friends that you could always count on.
Fast forward a few weeks. I’m 1000 miles away in VT, carving granite. She’s guiding a whitewater rafting trip at/from the Natahalia Outdoor Center over in NC. She parked her van & trailer full of rafting gear legal on the edge of the parking lot, next to a steep grade, and went to work out the details to enter the water. When she came out, someone had parked their spiffy SUV illegal and jammed her in. She was pissed, couldn’t get out, couldn’t find the owner, was going to miss her put-in schedule with a van full of paid people waiting, etc…. What to do?
While she’s cussing and stomping around her rig, this voice behind her says “Beth?” She turns around and it’s Injun Joe, with two even bigger younger Cherokees behind him coming up the hill out of the woods. So she explains the situation. He very seriously says, “You want us to move the SUV?” and motions that they’ll push it over the edge & down the hill…. She told him that would help but probably wouldn’t be the best thing for the them to do. Injun Joe grinned and said “what are they going to do to us? We’re Cherokees…..”. as the two young guys started to size up the SUV. About then, the SUV owner showed up. Then Injun Joe and his two braves gave the SUV owner the total death stare treatment until she timidly & promptly moved her rig and was out of sight. Then they all had a good laugh and moved on. She said Injun Joe and his guys just walked off and disappeared into the woods like they had never been there.
We talk about the adventures and people from our motorcycle stuff a lot, but Injun Joe holds a special place in our world. He was ready to rescue her for me when I couldn’t. This is easily her most memorable motorcycle-related experience and is very high on my list. “You want us to move the SUV?” has been a regular catch phrase ever since for us, for over 20 yrs. Sometimes bikes are about more than just two wheels and being in the wind.
-
My most memorable experience happened on my way back from Vermont to Cali on my HD. I had just pulled into a campground in Erie, PA, after a bruising ride across NY, and was setting up my tent when a man walked up to me, handed me a beer, and invited to join his family for dinner.
-
Wow Kent ,
That story brought me the biggest smile yet , the "You want us to move the SUV" is really good too ! I feel the same way about a lot of the biker fellers I've meet over the years . It's great to have friends all over the country ... I wish I had more ! :smiley:
................... ........
This one is totally true and surprised me as it unfolded so much so that I'll never forget it.
After an all night rain here in the middle TN rolling hills , me and my girl got up to a sunny Saturday morning and decided to run to town for breakfast. I was living about 10 miles north of Manchester right off hwy 53 at the time , the weather was up to 75f by 8:30am so off we went on my Yamaha SX650 Twin. to Cracker Barrel.
Well less than 2 miles later we came up on a line of traffic stopped in the road with no traffic in the on-coming lane.
So
Into the left lane we went to see what the hold-up was ? There must have been at least 30 cars lined up there.
Come to find out ... there was a very very slow flow of water crossing the road with just as many cars on the other side 100 yards away.
Well , I had been living at the same place for over two years and driving that same road to town - four time a day for two years and knew about how deep the water was.
So
I just rolled on into the water like it wasn't nothing to it ... thinking its about a foot deep :thumb:
As it turned out the water kept getting deeper and deeper ... and ...
About time the water was getting 2/3 up the front wheel I got to thinking "Wet-Spark-Plugs" O-No , What to do ...
So I was no stranger to doing wheelies on that bike , So in came the clutch , bark went the motor , and up came the front end.
After getting the front wheel above the water something Magical happened , the water hitting the bottom of the crank-case was holding the bike up !
I couldn't hardly believe it ... I wasn't going to stall in the middle with 50 yards of water on either side ! !!! :smiley: :smiley: :smiley:
It wasn't long after getting that " Magical Lift " that the water started getting shallower again and the front wheel kind of eased down as the water quit holding it up ... and we were on the other side going about our marry way to get breakfast ! :thumb: :thumb:
After breakfast I took a different way home , but a couple of days later ... It occurred to me ... "Why didn't I go back to see if those cars were still lined up waiting for the water to go down ?"
After all these years I still wonder ? I guess I'll never know ... but I still wish I could do it all over again ! :smiley:
-
Cool…! :bow: :thumb:
-
Well back when I first started riding, I got together with a friend, and another friend of his, and decided to head up into the hills, It was one of those nice late fall days. In the 50's and sunny. Well as we head up it gets dark, and the temps start falling like rocks. I remember every time we stopped, id put my hands on the engine so I could feel them again. So we get to the restraunt that we were planning to stop at, and we all look at each other and say that we were waiting for the others to stop and turn around. We all wanted to turn back... but didnt want to be the one to do it. It was a great time, and one that always came up when we saw each other. Sadly we lost my buddy a few years ago to a heart attack. Gone WAY too young at 54. Not a long ride, but one that has stuck to me to this day.
-
So many contenders for 'most memorable'.
The one that comes to mind at the moment is 1982, left Detroit for Daytona on February 27th on a '72 Norton Commando (see where this is going?) South on I-75, about 35 degrees. By Toledo it started to rain, and I was wearing an ancient snowmobile suit, not waterproof. It soaked through immediately and when I took it off that night I'd been Smurfed from collar to ankle by the blue dye in the suit. The moment from that trip that I remember the most clearly, was sliding into Cincinnati in the rain, still raining and 45 degrees, hammering about 70mph drifting both tires and not giving a rat's patootie if I crashed because a hospital was preferable to continuing the misery. The Norton made it to Macon, GA before tossing a piece of Reynold's best out the back of the engine case. I finished the trip down and back on the back of my buddie's '75 BMW R75.
-
Two of my most memorable motorcycle experiences are:
- In late October 2003, I hopped on the Wing and left Tampa, Fla at 6am, proceeded to head north on !-77 towards home in Cleveland, Ohio, nineteen hours later I was home....crazy, what was I thinking.
- 2007 Minnesota Rally, Money Creek Campground had a once in a hunerd year flood...what an adventure, hope I never get caught in a situation like that again. It was very memorable, mankind has not lost its humanity.
The rest of my mc experiences were fun/pleasant/enjoyabble/great and not to memorable even the wreck I had was not that memorable.
Art
-
It was fall 2008, I was visiting my good friend in France. I was deciding to get back into riding having taken a break for 24 years. My friend had (still has) a Ducati 900 and he also had a BMW K 75. I rode the K 75 and we went along the French countryside into Germany and along some nice backroads. I felt comfortable on the K 75 with the riding position and the power band.
so.... 2011 I went back to France and we did another ride. The Ducati was down so he rented a Honda Hornet 600. I rode the K 75 again and we went for a longer ride. France and Germany. I remember being cautious going around a corner and getting passed by a German BMW riding 2 up. Wow. We also took the Neighbors Porsche and drove it on the autobahn.
-
Interesting thread, other than crashing on the freeway mine would be..
Riding from Vancouver to Panama in 1970, 19 years old with my first love. The Pan-American Highway still wasn't paved in places & very few fences, riding was dangerous. Most folks were very friendly but we were harassed a few times by locals & the police. This was before the cartels but insurrections were starting. The mountain villages in Guatemala & Costa Rica were magical. Unfortunately you can't go back in time.
-
So many after nearly 50 years of riding. And so many involve weather. One of my favorites was a ride with my son in 98(?) to the Slimey Crud Run in Wisconsin sponsored by Peter Egan and about a thousand of his friends. This was in October and we left home when it was 42 degrees hoping for warmer temperatures as the day wore on. Me on my 1100 Sport and he on his Honda Super Hawk. As luck would have it the temperatures dropped all day and we had to ride 150 miles home at 32 degrees and snowing hard. Wet and cold and 2" of snow on the ground. Miserable conditions but that experience with father and son will be passed down for generations.
-
So many after nearly 50 years of riding. And so many involve weather. One of my favorites was a ride with my son in 98(?) to the Slimey Crud Run in Wisconsin sponsored by Peter Egan and about a thousand of his friends. This was in October and we left home when it was 42 degrees hoping for warmer temperatures as the day wore on. Me on my 1100 Sport and he on his Honda Super Hawk. As luck would have it the temperatures dropped all day and we had to ride 150 miles home at 32 degrees and snowing hard. Wet and cold and 2" of snow on the ground. Miserable conditions but that experience with father and son will be passed down for generations.
Its always the nasty days you remember. You never remember the nice, sunny, peaceful days where everything is good..
-
Back in 1978 I was working at Lasalle county Nuclear,a twin reactor just outside of Streator,Illinois as a boilermaker,crazy huge construction! We were working on the reactor shielding,3ft thick and V cut to about 5 ft,all welded with 1/8in lo-hi rod,an almost endless job…I heard they were going to start loading fuel rods in September,a no go for me so I quit that job,sold my truck and October 17th headed for Tahoe to visit a friend who moved there after college! I rode 500 miles east to say goodby to an old girlfriend in Lexington, Kentucky then pointed my 850 Norton west! I ran into a cold front at the Arkansas border and only had a cheap poncho to turn the rain…I met a guy on a 750 Triumph coming from New Jersey and we rode together clear to California,splitting room costs and struggling to get thru the storms! We finally hit warmth after getting thru the White Mountains headed for Tucson,Arizona where an old college friend lived.We warmed up, partied down and after a week my friend at Tahoe called and said thy had a foot of snow and the passes would be closing soon so we rode to California,I took 395 north and my riding partner headed fo LA! There was a good foot of snow on Monitor Pass,only a couple of hundred yards but a spectacular view down the spine of the Sierra’s!!! I got to my friend’s house and the next day in a snow storm we rode the Nortons to his dad’s house to put them in storage till Spring! I stayed for 5 years…changed my life forever!!!
-
Riding up Dairy Queen hill @ Chadwick on my FANTIC 300 for the 1st time with my feet on the pegs!
https://www.google.com/search?q=chadwick+motorcycle+and+atv+use+area+dairy+queen&oq=chadwick+motorcycle+and+atv+use+area+dairy+queen&aqs=chrome..69i57j33i160l2j33i299.1850
If I could get my all my Chadwick tag dollars back, perhaps I could retire !, but I probably would have just spent it on more Hillbilly Grand Prix entry fees... First time up Dairy Queen hill was on a Yamaha DT-250...
-
Deb and I married in January 78 and rode to Alaska on a Kaw900 and r60 bmw,on the road 2 months spent around $2000 for everything,including ferries.Bought a t3 and we rode to WV ,she on the bmw.Rained all the way from Chicago and all weekend,saw Tom T Hall play in Weirton.Beautiful weather all the way home.I would rate all of the Guzzi Rally trips as memorable in a good way.took a couple with my sons before they got settled into modern life.
-
Memorable, well ,... Winter of 84 ,-18 C riding the old Kreidler 50 cc to College. Soooo stupid !
Summer of 86, a friend of min on his XT 500 and Me on a Kawa Z550 going up to the East Coast , Red Porsche 911 showed ,.... and the Race was on . :rolleyes:
Spring of 87, ... late for College, passed an old Daimler and caught my right Foot on one of the Poles next to the pavement and broke my foot . All this was back in Germany
As of recent ,Our Trip in 2020 [ two up ] on our 1400 Touring from here in western MB to the Eastcoast ,.. Cabot Trail and back .
-
So many great ones; going over St Gothard Pass, the dodgy bratwurst on the Stelvio, Bulls hill quarry in the 70s / Jillaby and Hungry Creek...The TT riding off the ferry in Douglas and thinking "Man this is THE place!", but I would have to say riding to Omeo from Moruya on my first ever solo tour in 1996. The ride was pretty decent, the traffic was light, and when I got to the pub and found they had a room a massive feeling of both contentment and achievement hit me. Went up to my room and had a hot shower, got into my non riding duds and went back downstairs for a pub meal. Then just chatted to locals and the barmaid until closing time (quiet night). It was the serenity man. The serenity. :grin: More serenity than ya get at Bonnie Doon!
-
Oh my, with over 55 years of riding there are hundreds!
So I guess my first ride would be the best one for this thread.
It was a cold winter night and I was spending the night with a neighbor Pal. I was 13 and he was 15 and had just gotten his first motorcycle.
It was an ALLSTATE 250, probably an early 60s model.
It was right before Christmas and his early gift.
It was very cold that night and there was a full moon.
There was a 2 mile long dirt road beside the family owned and ran Shell Station and he was about to get off as it was close to 9:00 PM when I Mom dropped me off.
We crawled on that YELLOW Allstate and took off down that dirt road.
It was my first time on a motorcycle and I’ll never forget the feeling like I was actually flying through the air.
I about froze to death but what a wonderful experience that laid the foundation for the next 55 years of riding.
-
The most intense was the summer spent racing a TA125 at Loudon and Bridgehampton. It was a couple of years after the reed valves came in and I was able to buy the Yamaha cheap. I couldn't pass the reed valves but I could corner with them and beat all the non-reed valves. Ran just four races and finished fourth or fifth in all of them and learned a ton.
-
Hello,
the first one is:
When I was a kid (1970/71), a guy who used to hang around one of my sisters had a Honda CB 750. When I wanted to climb on it, I burned the inside of my thigh on the exhaust.
Otherwise:
My solo trip on my first bike (BMW R65) from France to Finland and return.
Regards,
-
At age 16 I worked at the local supermarket. The produce guy gave me a ride home one day on the back of his Honda 305 Scrambler. I was hooked! Had a minibike before but it was my first ride on a real motorcycle.
Larry
-
this is a much better memory of a "most memorable"
(https://g3.img-dpreview.com/B16D44B43B994E2B98AA28023CB4357D.jpg)
-
Every time I come over the crest on the descent into Dover and see the English Channel.
The feeling just never gets old.
Riding onto ferries.
The biggest one was probably Creswick/Australia to Nordkapp and all that went with it.
(https://i.ibb.co/JvT3xRn/6182-CA04-BDE4-444-B-BA7-E-FBB714-C92-CD8.jpg) (https://ibb.co/JvT3xRn) (https://i.ibb.co/KxRRMbb/017-DB68-D-7-C79-4445-BCE6-0-EF6163990-A2.jpg) (https://ibb.co/KxRRMbb) (https://i.ibb.co/BZrmSsh/A1-D75-FF3-EFE0-41-B8-ACD9-330-CA9-B48-F50.jpg) (https://ibb.co/BZrmSsh) (https://i.ibb.co/pLKY9BZ/81269605-1733-47-A4-86-D5-F8-F44425-EDCA.jpg) (https://ibb.co/pLKY9BZ) (https://i.ibb.co/6vX3yrT/F38-E0-BF7-DAF8-4941-BDD4-72-DF56-E88151.jpg) (https://ibb.co/6vX3yrT)
(https://i.ibb.co/jJFybfm/23250087-15-E6-4-B04-90-A0-67830-EAC9366.jpg) (https://ibb.co/jJFybfm) (https://i.ibb.co/C7KJzyX/372-B2014-5107-46-F2-8165-C02-E376-F9-DF1.jpg) (https://ibb.co/C7KJzyX)
But the Honda CT 110 Australia lap was equally as “different”.
(https://i.ibb.co/BLzWgnk/3153-D379-6-C44-4-F0-B-9566-8-F3-C183-A52-AB.jpg) (https://ibb.co/BLzWgnk) (https://i.ibb.co/MgSwHft/3-D086-EC7-045-F-4742-AA44-B5-A551-C90711.jpg) (https://ibb.co/MgSwHft) (https://i.ibb.co/ydDp1vr/7-AC67939-7-FF8-4-CDB-AE7-A-EBECD31734-DF.jpg) (https://ibb.co/ydDp1vr) (https://i.ibb.co/pZczqT2/3-CD23-D15-7914-4-F95-B83-E-B3-AAC8-FC6-E39.jpg) (https://ibb.co/pZczqT2) (https://i.ibb.co/xCxsGkp/7281-DFD9-5-A24-4-D2-B-87-E2-33965-F4-A3047.jpg) (https://ibb.co/xCxsGkp) (https://i.ibb.co/Z6vGtkY/C82-DB18-C-BC4-D-4-FFA-9-F15-F3-EF7-A28-F14-D.jpg) (https://ibb.co/Z6vGtkY) (https://i.ibb.co/bRZJd0k/6-B32-B57-A-D035-465-F-9-A75-CEB11-DB153-F1.png) (https://ibb.co/bRZJd0k) (https://i.ibb.co/kDL9xYW/CBDEF5-C4-69-F9-44-B8-9443-A1-AE89363-DAD.jpg) (https://ibb.co/kDL9xYW) (https://i.ibb.co/DQ3V3rr/022-DB5-F9-CDDF-46-F5-B33-A-10-CF3-AD4-A9-DB.jpg) (https://ibb.co/DQ3V3rr) (https://i.ibb.co/z6VHSF0/F3-BDB046-458-F-435-A-8-F32-238-E39-F6-AEC8.jpg) (https://ibb.co/z6VHSF0) (https://i.ibb.co/TgSm16T/E93-BCF25-73-C7-4-A52-A238-A967200-B503-C.jpg) (https://ibb.co/TgSm16T) (https://i.ibb.co/GHPDFPR/E775-C3-B6-5108-46-E3-9591-E085-ED0-E2-DB2.jpg) (https://ibb.co/GHPDFPR)
-
When I met Gail ten years ago I asked if she skied. She said "Not any more." I asked, "Do you like motorcycles?" She said "I love motorcycles!"
I took her over Trail Ridge Road on the 850T. She helped reassemble the headstock bearings on the Triumph. We got engaged at the Cripple Creek NAR.
(https://i.ibb.co/jLq8Wvd/2upcropped.jpg) (https://ibb.co/jLq8Wvd)
-
Like all of the posts so far, so many memories, I have been riding for 45 years but a fairly recent experience I think has been the best; 2019 two up riding from Amsterdam to Istanbul with my wife two up. No real plan or reservations other than to get to Istanbul, it was two months of a fantastic experience.
You have not seen traffic and crazy fast drivers until you have ridden through Istanbul and I have ridden in a lot of big cities like L.A., Houston, Phoenix, Paris, Berlin to name a few.
-
Flying into Munich and missing my connecting flight (gate 5 km away and low staff at customs), sleeping for 4 hours on the floor and jumping onto the next flight into Geneva. Missing the rental shop by about 45 mins. Staying the night in a crappy truckers motel waking up as early as possible and waiting at the gate to Moto-Plasir. Finally get the paperwork signed and jumped on an V85TT. Once I got orientated with the GPS and traffic signs headed East following Lake Geneva on the South Shore. Taking in some some of the French/Swiss Architecture, stones houses that look 100 years old or more. Once I get past all this and into the country side the sun really opened up well into the mountains. I took the long way to my destination stopping along the way admiring the back yard ski lifts and slopes wondering how I could ever afford to keep a place here and back in NH.
Finally get to my destination at a 17th century house AirBnB right at the base of Niesen, the pyramid of Switzerland. Unpack the bike and lock her up good and tight like the rental place told me too, although being parked right next a cow patch and a big fan of Gary Larson, most definitely a smart idea. I meet the old inn keeper and shown my room. I proceed to collapse from the Jet lag, early morning and over stimulation my ADHD brain quickly fell asleep to the sound of the cow bells.
I wander down to the larger town of Spiez walking down some incredible hills knowing full well I either have to figure out the bus situation or walk back up the terrain. I am here to do some hiking so figured might a well loosen up for the next week and start to blister my feet now. Had dinner and a couple glasses of wine while a concert was going on in the background. Wishing my kid and wife were here but not all that upset by it, this was my vacation at this point (they had bailed out cause of the co-vid).
I eventually make my way back up the hills and a short burst of rain came through and put up a decent sized rainbow over the lake. This was going to be an awesome trip as long as I kept the wheels on the ground. Eventually made it down to Mandello later that week.
-
I rode a couple of laps as Jason Pridmore's passenger on a K100RS at one of his father's CLASS track classes. I think it was at Laguna Seca. I had never experienced speed in that way:
Imagine doing that on a Suzuki GSXR 1000! Which he used in his own STAR schools. I rode two laps on the back with Jason at Barber Motorsports Park, and believe me, a GSXR ain't got much of a back seat! When he'd brake, I'd worry about pushing him forward, when he'd accelerate, I worried about falling off the back! I remember mouth breathing (gasping) the whole time, saying to myself, "Close your mouth! Close your mouth!" Don't think I did until we stopped.
-
Mike, as you well know, it was so different from how you or I had ever ridden a motorcycle - it was just a shock. We sometimes think we ride our bikes hard but we only use a little of their capacities, don't we? That ride with Jason was SUCH an eye-opener! I'm glad you commented, Mike. I felt like no one understood. Thanks!
-
Hard to narrow it down to one!! The one that came to mind was renting Ducati Multistrada's in Milan, riding around Lake Como and visiting Moto Guzzi, truly once in a life time opportunity and trip for me!!
Video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WrB5aXOgy5M&t=584s (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WrB5aXOgy5M&t=584s)
-
In a personal experience it is the trip home from the 95 years aniversary of the company. Flew down, bought a Norge in Mandello and rode it home to Norway. Biggest of all is the day my oldest son said he would ride a bike. This has led to my youngest son also wanting to ride. Starting on a 125 now and getting them off to a good start.
-
Mike, as you well know, it was so different from how you or I had ever ridden a motorcycle - it was just a shock. We sometimes think we ride our bikes hard but we only use a little of their capacities, don't we? That ride with Jason was SUCH an eye-opener! I'm glad you commented, Mike. I felt like no one understood. Thanks!
It gets worse! After the two-up rides, and everyone went back in the classroom. A few of us started pumping Jason about what his pace "two-up" was compared to racing. He kept trying to brush us off and change the subject, but we persisted. Finally, he relented and said, "Guys, I'm only running about 20-25% race pace out there with you on the back!" Ahhhhhhh! Lot's of moaning and headshaking after that.
-
Quote from MotorMike: It gets worse! After the two-up rides, and everyone went back in the classroom. A few of us started pumping Jason about what his pace "two-up" was compared to racing. He kept trying to brush us off and change the subject, but we persisted. Finally, he relented and said, "Guys, I'm only running about 20-25% race pace out there with you on the back!" Ahhhhhhh! Lot's of moaning and headshaking after that.
I can hardly believe that! I can believe 60% or some number like that... I guess I just don't want to believe that guys can ride motorcycles that much better than I can - THAT much better. And in my case he was doing it two-up on a stock-and-standard K100RS. Not a Superbike on slicks. He even had a scared-to-death passenger back there!
-
Quote from MotorMike: It gets worse! After the two-up rides, and everyone went back in the classroom. A few of us started pumping Jason about what his pace "two-up" was compared to racing. He kept trying to brush us off and change the subject, but we persisted. Finally, he relented and said, "Guys, I'm only running about 20-25% race pace out there with you on the back!" Ahhhhhhh! Lot's of moaning and headshaking after that.
I can hardly believe that! I can believe 60% or some number like that... I guess I just don't want to believe that guys can ride motorcycles that much better than I can - THAT much better. And in my case he was doing it two-up on a stock-and-standard K100RS. Not a Superbike on slicks. He even had a scared-to-death passenger back there!
This is the video that most obviously shows me my place in the world of riding ability. On my best day I may have been mid-pack in these guys, who generally are far past their best days.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=llMFtQb4lLs
-
Wow. Corser has maybe 30 horsepower, no rear suspension, almost no front suspension, effectively no brakes...and he rides around all those genuine racing bikes in just a few laps. Wow.
-
Wow. Corser has maybe 30 horsepower, no rear suspension, almost no front suspension, effectively no brakes...and he rides around all those genuine racing bikes in just a few laps. Wow.
Yes, and with all due respect to Jason Pridmore, as good as he rode, he was seldom a podium finisher in Superbike. I'll never forget watching Mat Mladin and Aaron Yates on Suzuki Superbikes at Road Atlanta's Turn 5. Both riders would pin the throttle on the exit and allow the bike to drift wide over the top of the "gator teeth" to widen the turn (there was a small access road on the other side of the curbing allowing them to stay on the pavement) Each bike would come completely off the ground a few inches, the engine instantly hitting the rev limiter. The bike would hit the pavement, squirm and shake as the tires spun for traction (long before traction control and such) and up the hill they would go, never ONCE letting off the gas for an instant. You had to see it to believe it. And they did it exactly the same way lap after lap. It was insane. These guys are so far above our riding skills, it's really incomprehensible.
-
I watched Carlos Checa win both races at Miller in Salt Lake, but from where I was on the course he never did anything spectacular. He was just ultra-smooth and faster than anyone else. It didn't LOOK that much different from what you and I do on our bikes. Certainly nothing like what you describe here. Gives me chills just reading it...
-
I took CLASS class once and while the old man was a good guy, I didn’t get a lot from the instructors or from Jason Pridmore, who seemed at that point to be a little too secure in his own capability. Maybe a little spoiled :wink:
Separately I went on street rides with David Emde (one time 250 National Champ) a few times and the idea of somebody being on a completely different level definitely resonates. He could do more on Honda VFR with his girlfriend on the back than any mortal I’ve seen and was completely fearless. On the other hand he was killed in 2003 riding on those same roads. He was regardless a good guy and an amazing rider.
-
I think you described it accurately- fearless. Yeah- those guys are all way beyond my ability, but they have surgery and scars that I don't have. You don't learn to slide both tires at full throttle over a hill sort of thing without a few consequences. They have my respect for their riding ability. Not as much for their self-preservation instincts ;)