Your first motorcycle

[AndyMX47]

I'll go.....

A 1980 Yamaha DT100. A pretty crappy 2-stroke dual purpose trail bike with oil injection, virtually no suspension, no horsepower. I was 13 years old and bought it used for $430 that I earned delivering the Sunday paper, 3 years old, and in pristine condition. Rode it around behind my house, in the the large vacant fields and trails around my neighborhood in upstate NY. We used to ride on the side of railroad track right of ways, or take trails (and roads) all over the place. Those were the days!

Not a picture of the one I owned (that I am aware of) but here is one I found on the interwebs.



My second motorcycle was a 1984 KX125 that I bought one year old used for $900. What a rocketship compared to the DT100, especially with my skinny 120lb buttox on board! More about that to follow...

 

[JustAnotherSquid]

I also bought a Yamaha when I was 13! It was a 1972 Yamaha DT-2 I bought for maybe $250? I don't remember. I rode it up and down the trail that ran along the canal behind our house in Miami for about two weeks before it blew up. Our family was falling apart at the time and shortly after it blew up I entered a long period of intermittent homelessness so I have no idea what ever happened to the bike.



When I was 16-ish Tom Shea and I went halvesies on a KE250 with no brakes. I again don't remember what we paid but it was probably something like $50 each, lol. And again, no idea what happened to the bike. Last I saw it was sitting in my father's garage when I cashed out my savings account (from being a bagboy at the local grocery store) and hopped a plane back to Miami to be homeless again (lol). This isn't a picture of our bike but it looked like this.



The first real bike I owned was one of God's great gifts to mankind. Bought it when I was 17 and it was my only transportation for two years. Grocery shopping meant I could only buy what would fit in my backpack. I crashed it five times and the last crash finished it off. I was wearing dress shoes, cotton dress pants, and a cotton button-down shirt when I went down. Walked three miles to a friend's house covered in blood and he took me to the hospital, where I got to stay for a while. Another friend ended up buying the RZ from the towing service for something like $200, and last I saw he was wobbling around town on it with two severely bent rims and tweaked forks. This is a picture I took in 1986 in Palm Bay, FL.



True story: I still have what is left of the clothes from that crash in a plastic bag in my closet. It's there as a reminder to not do that again.

 

[bmart]

(Preparing myself for the impending onslaught of Suzuki and FJ jokes...)

Just when the GSXRs were coming out, and folks were talking about how they would be impossible to ride, I was going between a GS550ES, GS700ES (tariff, yay!) and VF500F. My brother had a GS1150E and my buddy was pretty sure about getting the Honda. Another friend bought a Yamaha Fazer. So, I was down to Suzukis (obviously before I knew any better). I ended up with the 700, which was gorgeous.





Second bike was an FJ1200. My brother's friend had one and let me ride it. It didn't feel heavy, because I didn't know any better...nor did the manufacturers. And, I was young and stronger. It was a similar styling to the GS...ES, so I loved that. Even the FZ750 and VTR250 were similar styling. Apparently, I have a thing.

 

[JustAnotherSquid]

View attachment 1261

Right-click, save as. Crop to select only picture in upper right. Save edited image in C:\My Documents\Documents\Motorcycles\PicturesToBeUsedAgainstBradAtALaterDate

Yes, the Fazer! The "Mini-Max"! Always had a sweet spot for the Fazer and also the Radian (and the Nighthawk S). When I was 18 and dreaming of having more than one motorcycle I used to think the ideal pair of bikes was something like the (then new) GSX-R750 for the twisties (there were lots of those in FL!) and a Fazer/Radian/Nighthawk for commuting.

 

[bmart]

I never liked the Nighthawks much (no good reason why), but my girlfriend bought a Radian. I loved that bike, but most people who know anything about bikes...hated them. I thought that it was visually lovely. The Fazer looked bad ass. Total Mini-Terminator!

 

[AndyMX47]

Motorcycle by Fisher Price, with marshmallow stuffed seat.

 

[AndyMX47]

I never liked the Nighthawks much (no good reason why), but my girlfriend bought a Radian. I loved that bike, but most people who know anything about bikes...hated them. I thought that it was visually lovely. The Fazer looked bad ass. Total Mini-Terminator!

Loved the Radian - but it was kind of small for me. Surprised I didn't notice it had rear drum brakes, but I guess that was the era. Loved the look of the Fazer but don't think I ever saw one in the wild.

Rode a Nighthawk 750 once in high school and remember thinking it was slow and heavy. Always wanted a Nighthawk 700S, because cool paint would have definitely made the slow and heavy Nighthawk 750 fast. Or at least look fast.

 

[bmart]

View attachment 1268

Motorcycle by Fisher Price, with marshmallow stuffed seat.

View attachment 1269

"Mock me once; never again!"

Your legs would have appreciated it as mine did.

 

[AndyMX47]

"Mock me once; never again!"

Your legs would have appreciated it as mine did.

Not easy being as tall as a giraffe.....

 

[boike333]

My first was a 85 Honda Interceptor 500. All black. Can load a picture of one for some reason……….it was a v4 too!

 

[JustAnotherSquid]

View attachment 1268

Motorcycle by Fisher Price, with marshmallow stuffed seat.

View attachment 1269

Haha, I didn't notice the seat! Good God that is ghastly.

 

[JustAnotherSquid]

Rode a Nighthawk 750 once in high school and remember thinking it was slow and heavy. Always wanted a Nighthawk 700S, because cool paint would have definitely made the slow and heavy Nighthawk 750 fast. Or at least look fast.

The specs would indicate that your memory is correct! It was slow and heavy but it had shaft drive, and hydraulic valve adjusters, and a bikini fairing ... it was a sport-tourer before there was such a thing as sport-tourers!

 

[bmart]

ghastly

Comfy...fixed it for ya! Had the same on the FJ. Long legs...not much else I can do to remedy that.

 

[AndyMX47]

The R6's need these seats. You'd be the envy of the paddock.

 

[bmart]

I'd certainly be riding high on my decision.

 

[JustAnotherSquid]

Comfy...fixed it for ya! Had the same on the FJ. Long legs...not much else I can do to remedy that.

View attachment 1272

Ooof. That is pretty hideous.

Both of these are ~3" taller than stock.

 

[AndyMX47]

Ooof. That is pretty hideous.

Both of these are ~3" taller than stock.

Yet somehow not hideous. Perhaps "Joe's hideous seat company" went out of business?

Perhaps bought out by the king of conspiracy theory, the "My Pillow" guy? Sued by a hippopotamus for impersonation? Inquiring minds want to know.

 

[bmart]

And I thought CMR was the one place where I wouldn't be critiqued on everything I've done. lol

 

[JustAnotherSquid]

I'm kind of a sheet snob. Life is too short to sleep on crappy sheets.

I have a set of those MyPillow giza cotton sheets and they're pretty good! Maybe my second-favorite set of sheets.

Aaaaaaaaaand from "First Bike" to "Bed Sheets" in 19 posts. Not a new record but still not bad!

 

[boike333]

And I thought CMR was the one place where I wouldn't be critiqued on everything I've done. lol

Brad from my short time on this forum you are the only one critiqued on everything you’ve done. I believe it’s just brotherly love. And you share a lot of old pictures. Really gotta dig mine out one day!