Motorcycles?

Motorcycles?

  • Yes, have them, love them

    Votes: 103 57.2%

  • Yes, used to have them

    Votes: 61 33.9%

  • No, won't touch them with a stick

    Votes: 16 8.9%
  • Total voters
    180
Love the pic of the 305 dream. started riding a dream when I was about 12 on the ranch herding cows, put knobby tires on it and rode it like a dirt bike. Couldn't kill it. HD 15 LTD now.
 
I had a 2007 Suzuki Boulevard C90 up until a year ago. Crap road work out and end to the, along with a fractured ankle, collapsed lung and road rash. I don't want to know what a more serious accident feels like.
 
Hello all,

Retired Motor Sgt, have owned over 30 motorcycles. Currently have Zuma scooter, 70 Triumph, 80 Z1R Turbo, 00 BMW RTP 1100, 02 BMW K1200RS, 04 Hayabusa Turbo (330 HP), 06 1800 Goldwing that I ride mostly everyday and use it like a car. Still ride them all, with most of them having a different mission.

Ride safe,
Mike in NJ
 
Well, this is embarrassing. I have a valid "M" endorsement, but have never ridden a motorcycle outside of the safety class. The wife tolerates the flying, but absolutely is against a bike. If I had my druthers I would just want a simple little Honda Rebel. I take it as a compliment in a way. She trusts my flying skills, but doesn't trust the cagers to not kill me.
 
Rode a lot when I was a kid, stopped riding for a while, then picked up a 2012 FXS Harley Blackline.

-Brian
 

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I started flying because my neorealist felt I needed to find a new hobby after crashing my Harley Davidson Sportster at Bonneville around 300 miles per hour and getting a traumatic brain injury.
I also rode a modified Sportster on the street and road raced a Harley Davidson Sportster.
We still have an FXD, a modified Buell and a Suzuki Hayabusa.
Our open tandem gyroplane is our motorcycle in the sky.
I still love motorcycles.
 

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Option 1.5 for me. Have one, but down for MX for a year due to a fuel line break and no garage.

Riding motorcycles is awesome, wrenching them is pure hell.
 
I've owned 5 or 6 Harley's over the years, sold my last one about 6 years ago. I was just a casual rider, a couple of us would meet on Saturday morning and ride to work together or occasionally ride for a couple hours on a Sunday afternoon. I enjoyed riding, but honestly the other drivers kept me a little on edge, so it got where it wasn't fun any more. :dunno:
 
I have 3, all Suzukis.
1993 VS1400 Intruder
2003 DL1000 VStrom
2003 SV650S

I average 15,000 miles a year on the bikes.

Usually, I have 4 bikes, but I just sold the 'busa, and I'm looking for another "go to hell" machine.
 
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FastEddieB said:
Bill's post prompted me...

I live near some of the best motorcycling roads in the East - Deal's Gap, Blue Ridge Parkway, Cherohala Skyway and many, many more.

In fact, I live where I do because of the roads.

Always looking for riding buddies. Just give me a head's up if you're in the area and we can go play. Also have a HandyLift, tools and a trailer if you ever get stuck nearby.
Click to expand...

Yes you do. I've made a pilgrimage a few times.
 
woodchucker said:
Well, this is embarrassing. I have a valid "M" endorsement, but have never ridden a motorcycle outside of the safety class. The wife tolerates the flying, but absolutely is against a bike. If I had my druthers I would just want a simple little Honda Rebel. I take it as a compliment in a way. She trusts my flying skills, but doesn't trust the cagers to not kill me.
Click to expand...

Mine is almost the opposite. Loves riding, not a big fan of flying(though she does tolerate it)
 
Yep.. All my adult life..
Have owned just about every make..
Currently..
2000 Ducati 750SS
 
I got my first motorcyle when I was 12 in the early 70's, a Honda 70cc dirt bike, when I got a bit older I bought a Yamaha XT250 which a street/off road hybrid, and eventually graduated to larger street bikes, having a bit of a thing for British bikes Nortons, and Triumphs. I like the new Triumphs, and I may get one someday.
 
Anthony said:
..when I got a bit older I bought a Yamaha XT250...
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Was probably easier to wrestle out of the mud than my XT500!

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I think this was in Amelia Earhart park, just south of Opa Locka airport.
 
Was surprised to find out with current driver's license renewal that I had to go in and renew in person from now on, now that I'll be 70. This involves an eye test and re-taking the written. I passed both without any problem but then was confronted with a separate written test for the motorcycle. Common sense and logic didn't work in passing this one so failed it. You get three chances so I went home and took two on-line tests and another one in the morning and went back to DMV. Flunked again! So I did what I should have done to start with, read the DMV Motorcycle Handbook. It isn't lengthy or complicated but it's the only way you get the terminology asked for on the test. Also the only way to find out what answers they want. I've been riding all my life - it's my daily mode of transportation - and haven't given any conscious thought to why I do what I do on a bike. The test wants to know specific procedures. Even after having carefully read the handbook I almost flunked the third time. It's very tricky and even contradictory - what's stated in the handbook and the questions on the test.

For instance:

When stopped at an intersection which part of your lane should you be stopped in. Center, right (curb side) or left. The handbook advises that the left side of the lane is the safest since it gives you a better angle at seeing what's coming down the cross road and also puts you in a more conspicuous position for other drivers to see you.

Question on the test: You're stopped at an intersection on a three-lane road. Which lane is the safest lane to be stopped in: (A) Left lane, (b) center lane, or (C) curb lane. I answered A, left lane. Wrong. Answer is "Either B or C".

That's the kind of thing you run into with this test.

Others are: When making a U-turn, do you lean left or right or not lean at all? Answer is not lean at all.

Only on the test do you learn that the distance at which you follow another vehicle is called a "two second distance". That changes to a "three second distance" at night.

So, bike riders with CA licenses, if you haven't hit 70 yet you're in for a surprise when you do. The motorcycle written is a challenge. Reading the handbook they put out is the only chance you have of passing it and even then better take it slow and have some luck.
 
FastEddieB said:
Was probably easier to wrestle out of the mud than my XT500!

8754931358_ccc5a35fe4.jpg


I think this was in Amelia Earhart park, just south of Opa Locka airport.
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Now that's a thumper! I'll bet that was a hoot to ride. I ended up selling my bikes when I started flying 21 years ago. I have to be honest, I am a bit wary of getting another motorcycle, as I think the roads are a lot more dangerous today than they were before cell phones, texting, and all the other modern distractions.
 
Yea I have always had something with two wheels. Dirt bikes, street bikes..

I have a 2006 Harley Nightrain now.. We go everywhere together :)
 

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Started as a teenager, stopped then started again in 2008. Started with a 2000 Kawasaki Ninja 250r. Upgraded to a 636 in 2013. I sold my 636 last year.

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I started off with a in 1968 with a 1965 Ducati 250 (it seemed like a big bike at the time). Ride 10 miles, fix, ride 10 miles, fix, repeat,
But it was fast.

I had a 1978 (I think) Yamaha RD 400, one of the last 2 stroke street bikes. What a pocket rocket that thing was.

My wife had a Kawasaki KZ650 when we met so I bought a Kawasaki KZ1000 to I could keep up with her. But after a few years of Atlanta Traffic, we decided that if we wanted to live to pursue our dreams, the bikes had to go.

When we moved to Daytona Beach we considered getting a pair of Harleys, but by then a pair of Harleys cost about what our house did, and since we just opened a business we never had time to ride.

Maybe when we retire next month we will get a couple of bikes, but more likely (and more practical) we will probably get a couple of folding bicycles to take with us in the Bo.
 
Rode for a little while, then stopped when I had a family. But just bought a CSC RX-3 Cyclone (250cc) Adventure Bike. I guess since I'm going the Light Sport route, I might as well get a light bike too!
 
There was a period when I was in college and too young to rent a car, but could rent a motorcycle. I did a bit of riding then. Otherwise, no interest.
 
MikeS said:
Was surprised to find out with current driver's license renewal that I had to go in and renew in person from now on, now that I'll be 70. This involves an eye test and re-taking the written. I passed both without any problem but then was confronted with a separate written test for the motorcycle. Common sense and logic didn't work in passing this one so failed it. You get three chances so I went home and took two on-line tests and another one in the morning and went back to DMV. Flunked again! So I did what I should have done to start with, read the DMV Motorcycle Handbook. It isn't lengthy or complicated but it's the only way you get the terminology asked for on the test. Also the only way to find out what answers they want. I've been riding all my life - it's my daily mode of transportation - and haven't given any conscious thought to why I do what I do on a bike. The test wants to know specific procedures. Even after having carefully read the handbook I almost flunked the third time. It's very tricky and even contradictory - what's stated in the handbook and the questions on the test.

For instance:

When stopped at an intersection which part of your lane should you be stopped in. Center, right (curb side) or left. The handbook advises that the left side of the lane is the safest since it gives you a better angle at seeing what's coming down the cross road and also puts you in a more conspicuous position for other drivers to see you.

Question on the test: You're stopped at an intersection on a three-lane road. Which lane is the safest lane to be stopped in: (A) Left lane, (b) center lane, or (C) curb lane. I answered A, left lane. Wrong. Answer is "Either B or C".

That's the kind of thing you run into with this test.

Others are: When making a U-turn, do you lean left or right or not lean at all? Answer is not lean at all.

Only on the test do you learn that the distance at which you follow another vehicle is called a "two second distance". That changes to a "three second distance" at night.

So, bike riders with CA licenses, if you haven't hit 70 yet you're in for a surprise when you do. The motorcycle written is a challenge. Reading the handbook they put out is the only chance you have of passing it and even then better take it slow and have some luck.
Click to expand...

Did you ever think the test was programmed to fail you? I could rightly argue that every one of those answers are both right and wrong. The correct answer is 'it depends'.
 
I have had a license for 43 years. Spent most without a bike but managed to ride a couple of times a year when my friends upgraded their rides or showed up somewhere on it. Now I have a '12 Goldwing just bought which replaces a '93 Virago 750. Past year, I have about 4,000 miles, mostly on the wing.
When possible, I'll ride the bike. Many of the rides are with a group or a few of the local charity runs. Last ride was "Cops for kids with cancer" whish was a 50+ mile ride. I stayed long enough to win 7 of the raffles. The group had over $5,000 worth of prizes (passed of at $50-100 per).
 
> "Did you ever think the test was programmed to fail you? I could rightly argue that every one of those answers are both right and wrong. The correct answer is 'it depends'."

That's what makes the test so difficult. Common sense and logic won't get you through like it does with the four-wheeler test. When you've been riding all your life our decisions and riding habits are instinctive and as you say, depend on the circumstances of the moment.

The bike test is very much a "study the handbook" test so wanted to give anyone approaching 70 a heads up on it. No more renewals by mail after 70, at least in CA. It very much caught me by surprise since the four-wheeler test was logical and easy. No handbook reading necessary. With the bike test though it's the only way to know what terminology and answers they are looking for. Even then it takes some luck to pass it. If I had read the handbook first I might have gotten through on the first attempt . . . maybe.

Next renewal I will be reading the handbook before I go in.

BTW, the on-line tests are either out-dated or irrelevant since I didn't encounter on the actual test any of the questions I'd been presented with with the practice tests.

Here's another one:

From the handbook - it says at night one should take advantage of the light from the headlights of the car you are following. On the test a situation is presented where using the light of the car in front of you is one of the possible answers. If you choose that answer, it's wrong.

My hangar neighbor just turned 84 and rides a bike and passed the test on the first try. He read the handbook but still, that's pretty annoying.
 
I started riding in college, followed shortly by my wife. She rode a Suzuki Volusia 800 and I had a Yamaha Warrior 1700. Later, I got a Yamaha Raider 1900, which was a sweet bike. My wife sold hers when we had our first kid, and I followed suit a few months later because it wasn't nearly as fun without her. We bought a boat with the bike money. I'm certain we'll ride again when the kids get older, but riding didn't make much sense at this stage in life. I miss riding, but now that we have an airplane, I don't think about motor scooters as much.
 
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My first ride was a Taco 22 (google it). I think I was a 10. My brother came home from Vietnam with three bikes. One was a Honda Trail-90. It ran ok but the step-through was rough. I beat the hell out of it until he made me stop riding it. When I was 12 or so, I found out my uncle had a Honda 160 Scrambler. He bought it brand new, and was scared of it. He told me I could ride it because he knew that at that age, I knew more about it than he did. It was so green, the clutch plates were seized to the clutch hub pack. I drained the oil, filled the crankcase with gas, and held the clutch in and rocked it until it broke free. Drained that back out and was terrorizing the hills and roads around my home for a year or so. got stopped 4 times for underage, but the cops only gave me a ticket once. They told me to stay off the roads.

Lets see, the uncle sold the 160, so I was working by then for the tire shop, and making a little money. Bought a Hodaka Ace 100. My middle school teacher was a trials rider, and he had a Bultaco I think. We went riding a few times, but all he liked to do was jump over rocks and picnic tables. Pfft, what fun is that? Broke the swing arm off the Hodaka so I put the engine in another Honda 90 frame. Learned to weld, but I wasn't very good, and the engine kept coming loose. Oh well. Next was an interesting choice, a buddy of mine had a Rokon(google again) with a Sachs engine in it and there was a hole in the piston from cheap gas, or no oil. I pulled the top end apart, and found a Yamaha piston was bout the same, I just cut a few transfer ports and put it together. It had an automatic transmission and driving that thing was an experience. Imagine getting it on the pipe and never having to shift. Yikes.

The Rokon was a blast to drive, but lots of gas and oil. I bought a Honda SL350. Man, I loved that bike. Comfy, low seat, pretty smooth and very fine torque. I drove that thing for years. Also had a few more Hondas, and left for the Army and sold or gave them all away. When I got out(the first time) my first purchase was a Honda CB200 with a windscreen and a storage box on back. It got great gas mileage, and I drove the heck out of it. Wore out a couple of chains. Got back into dirt riding and had a Yamaha or two, which led to the two dumbest purchases in the world.

First, a Yam RD400 with a Vesco engine kit. Jeez, that thing was dangerous. But - not dangerous enough I went upscale for a Kaw MachIII 500 triple. It was a horrible bike, I only had it for 4 months, and once I got it over 110 it was a mess. I went back to the RD400, and blew up the engine, so I put a stock top end on it, with some Kerker pipes, that was plenty fast. I asked Don what the real redline was on that bike and he said to just turn it until the tach hit the stop then shift. I think the end of the tach was 14. It would drain the float bowls in the carb in 3rd gear and go lean. Blew the engine again. Sold it, and bought a Moto-Guzzi 850. What a tuna boat.

Lets see, after that, Honda 450, 750, CX500, and then I got fed up and sold both. Now, the only thing I've got is a vintage DT175 Yam that hasn't run in a year or so.
 
Rode a home built B&S powered minibike and dirt bikes as a kid. When I started riding on the street at 18 I got all rashed up after hitting a fresh oil streak from a truck. Ouch. Cooled my enthusiasm for a bit.

Now I'm a ATGATT rider (All The Gear All The Time) but that's when I have time to spend on it. I'm on the road a lot during the day and the last thing I want to do oftentimes is get back out there, even on the bike. I'm mostly a social rider now if I can get a couple others to go.

1997 Suzuki Marauder 800 v-twin
1997 Suzuki Savage 650 Thumper- a simpler cycle doesn't exist.
Perhaps I'll find a decent Intruder to add to the stable some day....
 
Had lots of bikes over the years. All sportbikes till I got this beauty back in '07. No sportbikes left, but still on the BMW!

Just finished riding the Cabot Trail in Nova Scotia; excellent ride!
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Anthony said:
I got my first motorcyle when I was 12 in the early 70's, a Honda 70cc dirt bike, when I got a bit older I bought a Yamaha XT250 which a street/off road hybrid, and eventually graduated to larger street bikes, having a bit of a thing for British bikes Nortons, and Triumphs. I like the new Triumphs, and I may get one someday.
Click to expand...

Man's gotta know his limitations.
 
Been riding since 96'. Started on a R6. Horribly stupid purchase. Sold after 5k. Next was a 89' Heritage. Then got my 05' Deluxe..
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Thorshammer said:
Been riding since 96'. Started on a R6. Horribly stupid purchase. Sold after 5k. Next was a 89' Heritage. Then got my 05' Deluxe..
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Click to expand...
Man, put some mufflers on that thing!
LOUD PIPES SERVE LIES!

The lies being that all motorcycles gotta be LOUD, and that all motorcyclists are sociopathic asshats.
 
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