What was your first bike?

[Texas Turnip]

First bike when I was 16 in 1959 was a 1951 74 Harley. Paid cash for it. The long hours on the farm payed off. How i survived (I don't know)

Back then when you went lots of places when you came back someone was sitting on your bike. I'm glad you don't see that anymore.

What a journey it has been. All 254 counties in Texas and the 49 Continental US states.

Tex

[twowheeladdict]

I am truly amazed at the guys on this forum who still have motorcycles they bought many years ago. 

I average 3 years and 30,000 miles on my bikes before I am looking for a new experience.  I've had some for as little as 3 months and 200 miles, and the longest was 6 years and 60,000 miles.  I have always had at least 3 bikes at one time and as many as 8 in the garage which was overwhelming.  I just can't pass up a deal when I see one. 

[TRw1]

1972 Kawasaki H1B.....16 years old, wasn't allowed to have a motorcycle and never rode one until I bought it and rode it home.  Still remember the first left hand turn across traffic from a stop like it was yesterday!  Still remember the power on a cool Fall night under full throttle.  Still remember the sound and smell.  Always wanted more power in those days so always upgraded to bigger and faster Japanese bikes.  I always liked the European bikes but they were too slow and too expensive.  Now that is all I want....an older classic European bike.  Too expensive still true today!

[blackcat]

68 Rupp mini-bike. My older brother bought a 69 Honda Scrambler the following year, dropped the bike and never rode it again so I inherited that bike and sold the Rupp.
 

[Texas Turnip]

I can still smell the amount of Gunk I used on that Harley. Put the bike in my name. Can't do that when you are 16 now. When I was 18 I bought a 56 harley. I think it was a Duo Glide.

Switched to Moto Guzzi in '71. Still have the 71 with 200K plus on it. Other farm boys were riding Triumps, BSA, Indian and some harleys. No safety courses and little for safety gear .Drum brakes and the front seldom worked. Still am amazed I survived.

So when I was 16 I thought I'd quit riding when I got "old", say 25 haha  Maybe 35 or 45. No sense to quit now. i sometimes think about quiting and then I find a new ghost town or a dirt road.

What a trip,
Tex

[gerryp]

Honda CB250 Nighthawk.

[steven c]

1975 Suzuki GT380 bought as a left over in 76 for I think $1100, I wanted a CB400 or an RD350 but they cost more. I put 9 thousand miles on it in one year, never really went anywhere, you just couldn't keep me off it. It was very smooth, almost no vibration, got only 35mpg, ground lots of things in the corners,sold it a year later and bought a 77 XS650D. Not so smooth!

[nyITguy]

It wasn't my bike but I learned to ride on a friend's mid-sixties vintage Honda something-or-another like this:



This was the mid-seventies and I was about 12 or 13. I remember 3 distinct thoughts I had at the time: 1) it wasn't cool because it was a four-stroke (I was into motocross), 2) it wasn't cool because it was "old," and 3) I was simultaneously thrilled and scared to sit on something with two wheels that had so much more power than my Schwinn.



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[wittangamo]

My uncle restored a rusty old Allstate 50cc moped for my 14th birthday, and I ran it full-throttle at 30mph until it fell apart. The first bike I ever bought, at 16, was a Yamaha Twin Jet 100. Top
End was 60, it sounded like an angry mosquito and left a trail of blue smoke, but man I loved that candy red and chrome!

[stonelover]

First bike was a '46 Harley model EL purchased used in 1955 for the grand sum of $350.00.
I went with the Harley for two reasons:

1.  The dealer offered a pay as you ride option for $10.00 a week and a sixteen year old could
     swing that.

2. The Ariel single that I was interested in wouldn't start for a test ride.

I had been accustomed to borrowing a friend's Indian Chief, so getting the "reversed" Harley home was a challenge and learning experience!  I made it and am now happily mounted on a Guzzi Stone II.

[Peter949]

My Sears Allstate for $14.oo

[jcctx]

1956 ALLSTATE (NE-CUSHMAN)~ bought with the money I got from selling my little mare, Trixie (we were moving of the farm to the big city of Powell). Sure missed her; but, thought the scooter was tooooo coool for school!!!!!!

[BAT 11]

Hi all, my first bike, a Honda SL125,that got me hooked on two wheel travel.Then three Yamaha TY 175s for comp use. On followed a Yamaha Sr500, BSA 1946 350 single,trials gas gas 250, Yamaha TTR250, Honda 90 Postie,Suzuki DR 650, have gone full circle and now have a1968 Honda S90 and the Norge to keep me happy. Hope I still have many riding years ahead yet.

[Groover]

Mine was a 50cc Malaguti Gabbiano. Can't find a photo online of that specific model (they probably only made 1..), but looks like the one in the photo below. The the engine was horizontal on mine with a 2-speed variator (Hi/Low like the Convert...). The one in the photo is the "Fifty" model which had 4-speed tranny and upward cylinder.

[MotoChuck250]

Honda CJ360T.  Put a lot of miles and had a lot of fun on that old bike. 

[bassa99]

In 1974 bought a 175 cc Penton Jackpiner. No pictures but lots of great memories.

[guzzisteve]

In 66 my brother got a used Honda 305 Super Hawk, I got to ride the Cushman of my Dads. In 68 a fellow Cadet had a blown up Bridgestone 90 Trail that looked interesting. Brought it home in a wood box(engine), rebuilt it & road it till Sept 70 when I got hit head on. The next one w/ins money was a 70 Sachs 125 w/Hercules frame. In 74 I wanted to go to Ozark Mtn Music Festival and needed a bit bigger bike. Suzuki GT750, rode it till it crashed & burned w/another rider. Then got a 71 Bonnie and toured a little, not wanting to do tune-ups every 1200 mi I bought a 'T' in 76. All Guzzis since w/Duc Desmo 350 for fun. The Duc went road racing to a guy from MI w/I quit farming.

[bobrebos]

1968-70 Rupp Mini Bike if I remember correctly.   Not sure on the year....

[Dukedesmo]

First bike was '69 Ducati 250 Scrambler. I was given it in 1979 by a friend of my Dad's who'd had it sitting under a plastic sheet in his garden for a few years and when we visited, he caught me looking at it and asked me if I wanted it!


Here's a pic taken back in the day;





Incidentally when it finally shat it's bigend/bearings I gave it away to the local bike mechanic that I used for repairs/spares - kind of 'freecycling' I suppose.

[pat80flh]

 I wasn't allowed a dirt bike, when I turned 16, after a lot of fast talk and promises, my parents cosigned a loan for a brand new/leftover 73 KZ400, kick only, single mirror.  $900 if I remember right.  Only new bike I've ever bought.

[oldlegs]

Me and 2 14year old school mates bought a 500cc 1950's BSA twin for £2 10shillings between us. We thrashed it up and down the local pit tip mostly 3 up for about a month until a smoking lump of metal came out the side of the engine. Nobody told us to put some oil in it. We just pushed it into the quarry, that was about 54 years ago. Steve.

[keener]

1948 James ......very similar to pic below ...two stroke  Villers, 2 speed, springer , hardtail, it was 19 years old when i got it and i paid $150.00 for it ....rode it till it was done totally , loved the thing ...set me on the path to nirvana...  still have the Smiths speedo though

[Waltr]

I bought a 1975 Honda CB500T used off of a long haul trucker that had medical problems and could not ride.  It had a Wixom fairing that I took off. It had very low miles and looked new. The Bike was quite attractive but really vibrated.
My friend and I dubbed it the rolling paint shaker.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e1loktAYm4Y

[Lannis]

Back then when you went lots of places when you came back someone was sitting on your bike. I'm glad you don't see that anymore.

Tex

That was before my day.   You mean you'd come out of a restaurant or bar, and someone was sitting on your bike fooling with it?

I think the ones who thought that was OK behavior have been taken out of the gene pool now, because I've not had that happen to me ....

Lannis

[guzzista]

My first bike, after moving to the States from Italy, was a Ducati 350 Road ( Mototrans), purchased new.  it did look like the bees knees to me after lusting for the Ducati Scrambles back in Italy. Sometimes when cold it was a  bugger to start (never did like that Motoplat ignition), but it did turn me in a died in the wool Ducati fan for a while

[nyITguy]

Hell, how could I have forgotten about the first bike I actually owned, at 17 or so! A Kawasaki KH400, two stoke. It was stolen one night from in front of my house, I was heartbroken.




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[Triple Jim]

Hell, how could I have forgotten about the first bike I actually owned, at 17 or so! A Kawasaki KH400, two stoke. It was stolen one night from in front of my house, I was heartbroken.

A friend told me he wants to sell his S3.  It's in darned nice shape.

[nyITguy]

A friend told me he wants to sell his S3.  It's in darned nice shape.

It sure was fun to ride. And look at. I think I'll stick with my more recent find, though. But thanks. [emoji846]



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[KiwiKev]

NSU Supermax 250 cc, not sure what year but a great bike for a learner.

Many trips home 3 hours each way.


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[ken farr]

Simson Super Sport 250.
Bought it from Fred's Cycle Salvage in South El Monte.

East German version of a BMW single.

kjf