First Bike?

Mine was a 72 Honda 500 4 in 77, first street bike.

Seller just painted it in two tone Emron.

Swing arm was shot, Air Force machinist rebuilt it.

Put on a 4-in-1 Kerker pipe, individual filters, jet kit, and electronic ignition.

Rode all over Florida while stationed in Homestead Fl.

Traded it for a stereo when I had three bad near misses in a week.

Mid 60's Honda 305 Dream. It was a about a year old. A long time, and many, many street and dirt bikes ago

Honda 90s, bought new in March 1968 for $225. Didn't put very many miles on it but learned a lot and had a lot of fun riding it. I would be scared today to ride something that small and underpowered on public roads.

Honda Super 90,1964 (first year in US). Bought used for $125 very early in 1967.

Do not wish I had it back.

If money had been no object, I would have sprung for either a Harley Rapido (Italian two stroke 125 rebadged as HD), or the Honda SS125 twin. These latter two were around $400 and there was no way my budget would have supported either.

1973 Honda CL 175 that I got in 79 or so and kept for a few years. Fun little bike but at 6' 2" got a little cramped.

El Toro said:

If money had been no object, I would have sprung for either a Harley Rapido (Italian two stroke 125 rebadged as HD), or the Honda SS125 twin. These latter two were around $400 and there was no way my budget would have supported either.

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I hear you....I lusted for a used CL160 but was still in college and couldn't afford it.

Don't know. It was small and red, with chrome handle bars, red pedals, 3 wheels and white spoked hubs. Can't remember that far back. You guys are amazing...And we've done this like 4 times.

Jesus, it hasn't been winter that long. If the only thing you guys have going on in your lives is a motorcycle, so you sit around and mope every time it's icy outside, you need to get out.

Hahaha...nobody freak out. I'm only partially serious. Lol!!

Sure a bunch of old farts here. Mine was a used trail 90 in about 65. Rode the crap out of it and traded it for a Triumph Tiger Cub that shit crankshafts faster than you could buy them. Offed it for a TR6 Triumph desert bike.

A 60 something Yamaha 100 scrambler. Bright yellow with chrome accents on the tank. Dad would take me to the end of the pavement and I'd ride until something would break. Then I'd coast back down to the pavement ant wait for him to come back.

This looks about like it. I think that's the color, too. I learned a lot about roadside maintenance with that thing.

(I love the line "15.1 hp at an easy 8500 rpm." )

A well used 125cc Sach Herecles J-BE in 1960 or 1961 that I bought from my brother for $50.00. And yes he screwed my on the deal.

First dirt oriented bike at 14 years old was a Kawasaki KM100 (trail bike actually). Road that thing through farmers' fields, tight bush (banging handlebars on trees) and even across a couple frozen lakes (no studs!).

First real street bike was a used Yamaha RD400 (1977), classic bright red, factory exhausts, but I eventually had the carbs rejetted and K&N air filters added on. Great wheelie machine in 1st and 2nd gear without clutch, though she was hard on sprockets.

Niehart said:

A well used 125cc Sach Herecles J-BE in 1960 or 1961 that I bought from my brother for $50.00. And yes he screwed my on the deal.

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Had a 1977 Herculese ISDT 125cc 7 speed. It had a narrow power band and you were wide open or bogging out fouling plugs. Was like having an on off switch for throttle. With 7 gears you were always shifting. Put a Lectron flat slide carb on it a d the bike was 100% better! Don't miss it one bit. My first bike was a 1972 Honda SL100 6 hp I think!

Tiger Cub, a hand-me-down from my brother. Started riding it at 16 (1958). Like FJRay, found it somewhat unreliable. Seemed to spend more time with it in pieces than riding it. Cork clutch friction inserts, big end bearings - seemed to change them as often as the 1500 mile oil change interval. Luckily, its Instruction Manual showed complete disassembly and reassembly pages (still got it - the manual that is, not the Cub).

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Learnt about stripping threads in aluminium crankcases. What's a torque wrench? No torque figures given anyway.

I changed the engine when the cylinder broke away from the crankcase ("new" engine from a Cub that had caught fire), later changed the frame (a bit like your gandpop's 50-year-old yard broom) to another frame (from a Cub that had had its engine stolen), the "new" frame had swinging arm suspension! Absolute luxury!

My first brush with the law - I arrived home one day, stopped, just taking my helmet off, a police car rolls up behind. Conversation went something like:

• Policeman: "Do you know how fast you were going?"
  
• mcatrophy: "Well, no, not really." (mcatrophy doesn't lie. I'd not looked down at the speedometer once. In any case, too busy looking where I was going.)
  
• Policeman: "We couldn't keep up with you."
  
• mcatrophy: "I'm sorry, I didn't know you were trying to catch me." (mcatrophy doesn't lie. No mirrors on the Cub, and in all honesty no car could have kept up with me through the suburban warren where I lived, so I never bothered looking behind. In any case, too busy looking where I was going.)
  
• Policeman: "Is your exhaust standard, your bike sounded very loud."
  
• mcatrophy: "Yes, it's as supplied with the bike and unmodified." (mcatrophy doesn't lie. The exhaust was standard. What I didn't tell him was that I'd replaced the engine cams with high-lift competition cams, which did noticeably increase the exhaust sound. Probably would have invalidated my insurance. Oh, well ...)

A look at my paperwork, all in order, then his parting shot:

• Policeman: "Just watch it."
  

He couldn't "do" me for speeding (which I clearly was) because at that time the law required him to follow the alleged offender for quarter of a mile at an illegal speed, but I was slowing for junctions and corners then accelerating away.
Finally got rid of it when I couldn't get a rebored cylinder to accept the oversized piston without seizing after a few miles, and I got job that enabled me to afford a car. Thus started my 36 years in the wilderness..

'74 Kaw 750 H2 I bought in '79. Being that it was my first foray into motorcycling, I didn't really appreciate what I had. None the less though I enjoyed a few good trips on her. But starting it in the rain sure made me lust after those bikes with electric starters. My right shin would hurt for days sometimes.

73 or 74 can't remember Yamaha 500 twin....blue, had to have my 16 yo neighbor kid ride it home from the dealer, I didn't have MC endorsement.

Late 1960's early 70's Ducati Scrambler - Wide Case. Bike was very difficult to start when cold... so we would push it down the street, coast down the hill to bump start it, and then never let it cool down before trying to start the bike again. Dad rebuilt the engine and with some new paint the bike looked very nice. Early rides included a dark face shield, to look older - just in case!

The first bike I "had" was my Dad's Sears 106.

My first bike was a 1976 Yamaha RD 350 2-stroke. It was hard to keep the front wheel on the ground, on this little speedster.