The very moment you knew that you had to ride motorcycles

[Bonaventure]

About 1986 or so right after finishing college my older brother let me try out his Yamaha 650 Maxim even though I'd never thrown a leg over a motorcycle before.  Both of us were stupid for that decision, but I did it and it just felt perfectly intuitive on a brief ride around the neighborhood.  Not until more than ten yrs later would I actually take the step to begin riding for real, and take the MSF course and get my first bike an HD 1200XL. 

[Triple Jim]

My cousin let me ride his Honda 500 four a few times and I knew motorcycling was fun.  When a guy he worked with did an informal exhibition run up the road next to the Sears parking lot on his '73 H2, I knew I was buying one.  To me, it looked like a truck hit it from behind when he took off.  I still have my '72 H2, and still love riding it.

[TwoEds]

It first hit me as a Junior in HS. The next door neighbor had a HD Pan Head that was rough. One evening I heard it start up in his garage and went over take a look. He offered to take me for a ride. The noise, smells, vibes, and the wind in my face sealed my fate that night. My Dad was less than enthusiastic about my desire to get a bike needless to say.

My first bike was a used BSA 650 Thunderbolt. Wow! That was in 1968, 3 years later....been riding ever since then. Fortunately, I found a wife who has accepted my passion all these years!

[normzone]

18, working the night shift, co-worker gave me a ride home on his Harley 45 - we took the long way around town, and I knew I had to have one.

[drburt]

Married a Harley rider in 2012.
I had no wish to ride at that point (I was 51).
I was goofing around on the internet one day (probably sometime around 2014) and suddenly a picture of a California 1400 showed up.
I thought, "I need to ride that"!
I had never had a thought like that regarding motorcycles in my adult life.
I now ride a 2001EV, still lust after the Cali1400s and lust after most other Guzzis.
Just being held back from having the coveted Guzzi collection because of lack funding (see line one above).
Brent

[oldbike54]

When an older cousin got the below and allowed me to ride it when I was 10. Took me to age 22 to actually own one. The pictured Honda sits in my garage at this time.



GliderJohn

 I'll bet we can make that one run also John .

 Dusty

[poorBob]

Truthfully, I do not remember ever not wanting to ride. My motorcycle hating mother was appalled when her still in diapers son stared and pointed at the first motorcycle he ever saw. I'm told I was transfixed at the earliest age by any powered two wheeler. As soon as I could pronounce the word, any time I was asked what I wanted for Christmas, birthday or dinner for that matter, the answer was "motorcycle."

My mother was adamant about me never riding. One day when I was about 9, the neighbor had a visitor with a brand new Suzuki 305 that he had just bought after returning from duty in Viet Nam. My dad, a Marine with 3 tours of 'Nam under his belt, went over and struck up a conversation with the guy, jumped on the bike and took it for a spin around the block. He then motioned for me to get on the back. Done. Hooked. I knew I had to have a bike of my own but knew I would have to wait until I moved out of the same house as my mother. She really was militant about it.

My dad was not big on emotion so I was quite surprised when at age... 13 - I think, he said "Happy birthday son. I give you permission to buy your own motorcycle!" He knew better than to ask me what I wanted. My reply was "Really? What about mom?"
"Don't worry about your mother."
"Can I borrow the lawnmower?"
"Have at it!"
3 months later, the lawnmower was worn out and I had to buy a new one. Mowing up to 7 lawns a day will do that. I would buy wrecks that were in 10 different boxes and put 'em together with the help of my dad's best friend who was a pro flat track racer. He taught my brother and me how to ride.  I would push that mower halfway across Jacksonville, NC to do a $4 lawn. Pretty soon I had 7 bikes, all runners. Bought a step thru frame Honda just for my sister. Raced motocross and hare scrambles with my brother. Broke lots of bones but learned not to crash so much. Had a blast.

A few years later, my wife announced that if I bought the Triumph currently residing in my garage, she would divorce me. "OK, sounds good!" She's gone but I still have that bike and it has almost 74k on the clock. I have about 225k miles on various streetbikes and will never be without a motorcycle for the rest of my life. I cannot imagine not wanting to ride. I have to.
 
 

[twowings]

1961 eight years old - typical whitebread suburban neighborhood except for 1 20-ish bad boy who got out of the service and quickly became the one your mother warned you about with the leather and the knucklehead...when he arrived or left the block all kids stopped playing and stared open-mouthed as our own private Marlon Brando roared into a legend in our minds...if memory serves, he was even named "Johnny" but I may be fuzzy on that...that don't-give-a-damn look and mystique made a HUGE impression but by the time I dared to dream big Mr. Honda had begun to build his "nice-people" army and a step-through 90 appeared much more obtainable and somewhere during the filling-a-milk-can with spare change and birthday money my Dad suprised me with a Gilera (Sears Allstate) 106 and my Italian love affair began...fini

[Chuck in Indiana]

I've told this story before, but.. I was riding my black BMW with black helmet and black leather, and thought I looked bad..  Going down a country road, a little tow headed kid..about 3 or 4.. came running out in the road waving his arms frantically. I scanned and saw (probably) his mom laying in the yard, and thought, "Uh oh, maybe she has a medical issue, or something. He's certainly excited. Slid to a stop, and he looked up and said, "Take me for a ride!" He was just making a break for it.
  Heros are born, not made..

[twodogs]

In 62 we had a neighbor that was showing his boys how to ride a mini bike and drive a go cart both built by him, as I was hanging around with them he ask if I wanted to try, HECK YEA, then in 63 my dad bought a sears allstate scooter to ride back and forth to work and slowly started letting me ride it. I was hooked! But I wanted a motorcycle not a scooter, so 1 day he got mad at me and said if I wanted one I would have to pay for it myself, so after 3 years of paper routes and mowing and racking leaves and other odd jobs I bought my first bike a 69 Honda SL100 brand new $480 dollars out the door and they threw in a helmet. Started when I was 4 I'm 59 now and hope I never lose the thrill!
Bruce

[oldbike54]

 Years ago in my black leather jacket , hair down to here , aviator goggle days , I was in the process of starting a Triumph in a restaurant parking lot . There was a family exiting a pick up nearby , and they were all dressed in cowboy garb , the real kind , this was Western OK where jeans , boots , and Western shirts were normal and appropriate . Anyway , their 5 year old son was very intent on the old Triumph , and his parents seemed a bit uncomfortable with his fascination re the motorbike and the scruffy guy riding it . Mom says to the boy " you're gonna be a cowboy when you grow up , aren't you" , kid gets a serious look on his face and says "no , I wanna be a motorcycle rider like that guy" 

 Have wondered for years what happened to that kid .

 Dusty

[AJ Huff]

When I was 30 and my wife left me.

-AJ

[Bonaventure]

I wanted to be Pinky Tuscadero. 

LoL, I read somewhere that Henry Winker (Fonz) could not even ride, never learned and never tried.  Think he admitted it on some talk show.

[oldbike54]

LoL, I read somewhere that Henry Winker (Fonz) could not even ride, never learned and never tried.  Think he admitted it on some talk show.

 Yep . Another piece of trivia , what was his first motorcycle on the show ?

 Dusty

[Triple Jim]

I read that they started him on a Harley but it was too big and heavy for him, so they got the Triumph.

[oldbike54]

I read that they started him on a Harley but it was too big and heavy for him, so they got the Triumph.

 I've heard another version , the knucklehead he started on was a bit too "outlaw" , the Triumph seemed to be more acceptable for Fonzie's image . Interesting how legends grow and change , considering he never actually rode the bike under power .

 Dusty

[Testarossa]

My mother hated motorcycles -- When she was about 10, one of her uncles had a sidecar rig, took her for a ride and scared the bejeezus out of her.  Motos were not part of the suburban culture where I grew up.

Then, in 1960, when I was 11, Dad took the family for a three-month tour of Europe, driving a brand new VW 1300 picked up at the Southampton dock. Fifteen years after the war, the Western European economies were still not fully recovered. You could still see bomb damage in the big cities and millions of families still used motorcycles, with and without sidecars, for daily transportation. Everywhere we went -- city streets, country roads, villages, autobahns, ferries -- I saw scooters and motorcycles. That, I thought, looked like the fun way to travel, not cooped up in the back seat of a Bug with my kid brother.

A year or two later, a kid up the block acquired a Honda Cub and let me ride it up and down the street. That was that. When I went to Europe on my own in '68 I rented Vespa scoots wherever I could, and as soon as I was out of college and away from parental supervision I bought the 350 Sprint.

[Triple Jim]

I've heard another version , the knucklehead he started on was a bit too "outlaw" , the Triumph seemed to be more acceptable for Fonzie's image . Interesting how legends grow and change , considering he never actually rode the bike under power .

Film evidence and even Winkler's own account are in conflict.  Clips here show that he rode both the Harley and the Triumph a little, although the night scene appears to have a stunt double doing the riding.

https://vimeo.com/50924037

[oldbike54]

Film evidence and even Winkler's own account are in conflict.  Clips here show that he rode both the Harley and the Triumph a little, although the night scene appears to have a stunt double doing the riding.

https://vimeo.com/50924037

 My understanding is that for the opening scene he was pushed up to a sufficient speed to continue his trajectory up the driveway . Once again , this is all simply folk lore , does anyone know for certain? Kind of like the electric start Sportster that Bronson kick started as he pushed the button. Can't have any sissy button starter for a rough tough biker 

 Dusty

[Idontwantapickle]

I was about 12, my older brother was working on his friend’s Bonnie. The guy offered to take me on a ride and handed me his helmet. It was a hoot needless to say! He rode it like I wasn’t even on there. By the time we got back home I was hooked. Bicycle wasn’t gonna cut it anymore! I bought a Yamaha 60 off a neighbor kid not long after and rode that thing every day! All those hours in the dirt and trees were invaluable when I got a street bike. Those skills have saved me more than once.
I have only had that feeling like that first ride on the Bonnie one other time. My BMW died and I rode back home on the back of my room mates 1000 LeMans. I had Guzzi shortly thereafter. Still have it!!
Hunter

[Triple Jim]

Bicycle wasn�t gonna cut it anymore!

Interesting that you felt that way.  I never had any conflict between motorcycles and bicycles, and continue to ride both regularly today.

[Kiwi_Roy]

I must have been about 10, older Sisters boyfriend had an old Matchless twin, he left it in our garage one night while they went out so my older Brother and I wheeled it down the road and took it for a spin.
Later my Brother started work and bought a BSA Bantam, he taught me to ride on that, I can still smell the exhaust on a cold frosty morning.

[Archangel]

Started out as a Mini-bike hooligan which hooked me on my two wheel motorized career.  Riding illegally on public roads and evading police pursuit by escaping on hiking paths cemented my love for the adventure to be had on a motorcycle. First real bike was a Yamaha DT 400 that still had the ability to escape down a hiking trail if need be. 

[John A]

My first solo trip out west on a used 71 Ambassadore, somewhere during an 800 mile day, it hooked me. Nothing like being out on your own with freedom like that. My first bike was a 1957 TR6 but it didn't hook me like that first Ambo!

[Aaron D.]

I wonder about the story the scooter rider I saw this morning might have-16F, open face helmet with goggles.

[Chuck in Indiana]

I wonder about the story the scooter rider I saw this morning might have-16F, open face helmet with goggles.

Ahem. Alcohol can do that to you.. <shrug>

[Huzo]

When I graduated from a rigid lawn mower engined contraption to an SL 70 Honda.
Used to get up in the morning at dawn, make some sandwiches, tie them to the seat in a lunch box and fill the tank from Mum's lawn mower fuel, and be gone all day.
On a big day, I had to go to the servo for 40 cents worth of Standard.
The old fella used to fill the tank 'cos he said "if I don't you'll only be back in an hour".
That was 1973, he only just passed away, I still get fuel for the work ute at the same bowser position, (probably a new pump though)...
Priceless memories....
Nothing much has changed I guess.

[guzzisteve]

We had a thread about this some years ago , but apparently it is lost in cyberspace . So.. tell us when you knew that this isn't a choice but a compulsion .

 Dusty

Yes, I remember Dusty.  For me, I was young. My Dad's flying buddy and his Norton. My 1st ride I knew!


I'm the one in front and my brother in back. Hey, who gives a crap about the camera, I was riding.

Now add 23yrs or so and look at the hat & jacket

[Chuck in Indiana]

Your beard's a little short there,Steve. 

[guzzisteve]

Your beard's a little short there,Steve. 

I've always had a full beard till around 02. I had the only red hair in the kids and it was on my chin. My mother's mother's, trait so she liked it, so I grew it. Most of the time long.