When did you start riding and on what?

[Len_Anderson]

I started riding in 1967 on a Taco 44 mini bike. It had a 5HP Briggs & Stratton motor, rigid rear frame, about 1 inch of useless travel in the front and only a rear paddle brake. I rode it for about a year untill I broke the front end off jumping some graded housing lots down the street. My first real motorcycle was a 68 Bultaco 100AK Scrambler, very fast for it's time. It would outrun built Hodakas, Mota Betas, Yamaha MXs and Honda 90s. Wish I still had it!!

[vroom]

1st ride, 68 Suzuki 50, it was 6 months old when I got it for Xmas. It never made it to be a year old! drowned it trying to jump a small stream, bent the forks and frame jumping off banks and seized it numerous times, I think I've still got pieces of it laying around. Parents didn't like "dirt" bikes so got a Bantam to start going to work on. The begining of my BSA fetish ? which lead me to my "Thumper" (B441) Many years of riding road bikes followed until I finally got a real "dirt" bike in 98 and have never had so much fun

[CharlieT]

'65 Honda S-65, brand new was the first one, in fact, still have it! Folowed shortly by an S-90, my first "race bike"...98cc, cam, valves/springs, high pipe, alloy rims, it's the one in the avatar..teh purple people eater...would smoke them 2-strokes....Bultacos included! Next year went to a 160 Honda with a 198 kit, etc., then to a 441VS, then a Kaw Greenstreak and a Penton Six-Day 125. Have had around 30-40 bikes over the years, road and dirt. Still got a bunch of them. Raced all kinds of things, didn't try to concentrate on any one type. Rough Scrambles (pre- "motocross" days!), TT scrambles, short track, Enduro, Cross Country, whatever we happened to feel like on any given weekend.

[John_Lorenz]

I first rode a friend z-50 and then I bought a ste through honda 50

Put some knobs on it, and man I was king of the hill

[Chris_from_Oz]

My first mini was a Bombardier 50 Bantam when I was 12yo. First full size bike was a '75 RM125S which was stolen, I was devastated. Lost count how many i've had since, but I have a soft spot for early-mid' '70's stuff. ?

[cyclenut51]

1972 CT70. Lost my front teeth on it. They aren't known for their jumping prowess.

Come to think of it neither am I. ?

[jtc89]

Started riding in '66 on a BSA C15s. The 250 scrambler with "Energy Transfer" ignition! All the BSA owners remember that. In '69 bought a '67 BSA 441 Victor Special and learned how to ride. Added Ceriani forks etc.. Learned how to wrench on bikes from that too.

I wanted to ride not wrench, so bought a Yamaha 360 MX to race MX. Then a Husqvarna 400 and then a Husky 125 CR. Had both of them for several years and raced around the southeast. Needed a road bike so sold both Huskys, had a sponsored Husky, and got a Kawa 900 Z1. Wish I still had that one. Foreward to a Maico 450 for a couple of years then a Suzuki RM370. Now time to "settle down" so sold the Suzuki and got a Yamaha XT500. Made a Cafe Racer out of that one. Traded it for a genuine Laverda 750 SFC. Ok it was in a box. If was fun to build, all parts there, and ride around for a while. Sold that and got the Suzuki 1000E that I still have. Unfortunately that was it for 20+ years. Kids in school type stuff. They are grown, out of college and Dad gets to play again. A 2001 XR650R motared thats it, so far.

Oh, forgot, my wife had a Hodaka Ace 100 for a couple of years. Great fun.

Next.

TC

[Fryboy]

I first started riding at the age of 4 in 1972. The bike I rode was a 1972 Indian 50cc Papoose Automatic.

My parents gave me one for Christmas of 73 just after turning 5. Recently found out it was somewhere in the neighborhood of 200 some odd dollars.

Man I loved that bike. When we first moved to the housing development there were few houses, plenty of empty lots and wide open fields. I used to ride that baby on the sidewalks all over the neighborhood. Man I miss them days ?

Fryboy

[Burnrider]

18 in 1971 with a new Bultaco Pursang. Up until that time, it was anything I could put together with 2 wheels and a motor.

[Wayward Son]

christmas 1980,jr 50.i was 5!

im a avid vintage motocrosser so i watch this forum.

im currently building a xs650 motocrosser for open twins! ?

xs 1 frame,later xs motor.tm400 forks,trees front wheel.tm400 swingarm and rear wheel.

[BC3]

Christmas 1958 on a Go-Kart Mgf. mini-

bike powered by a Westbend 580 kart motor.....crashed alot at first....

HEY 45 years later and I still crash alot....

BC ?

[ob1quixote]

My first was a'70? Honda XL125, in 1976. Came in as a rolling frame and milk crate full of engine!. Rode it to death, still have the seized motor, and the home-made exhaust {stock pipe cut off at the muffler, VW tailpipe welded on!} Second was a '72? XL250, ended up with Goldwing shocks on the rear!! Seems Dad would rather put parts on I couldnt bend {Yup, bent the rear shocks twice} than put me on a machine that would take the punishment. Boy, you hadnt ridden until you can take a hardtail through the woods at high rates of speed!! LOL braking bumps become rear tire ramps!!

Robert

[John_Lorenz]

Ya know I envy some of you guys Seriously

My parents never bought me a bike. I bought every single one of them starting with that step through honda 50.

? Maybe thats why I am so opinionated

Nah I just know everything, its a blessing and a curse

[BC3]

Hey Johny look Im a GOLD MEMBER

BC ?

[Burnrider]

Hey Johny look Im a GOLD MEMBER

BC ?

ITS AUSTIN POWERS. HE'S NO MINI ME!!!!

[GrahamO]

At about 9 years old (1986) on my dad's old 1966-68 Honda CA110 Sport 50. 49cc of raw power. We had like 10 of these, so I was constantly crashing and rebuilding them. At age 11 I removed and tore down an engine, replaced the rings and gaskets and threw her back together by myself, a week after my grandfather showed me how. My dad raced bigger dirt bikes a lot(and ranked high in CA before quitting) and his dad (my grandfather) was his mechanic (he set two world records racing boats... racing is in my blood... somewhere). I learned a ton from that motorcycle.

'Mine' was black, with all the extra crap pulled off, ported head, racing cam, oversized carb, and a speedometer that read 29mph once.

[weimedog]

I can honestly say my parents never spent even a penny on any motorcycle I ever owned. My oldest brother let me ride his 1971 TC125 Suzuki and that was the extent of my family's envolvement.

My first race was on my 1970 Bultaco Sherpa S 200 I think; sold to me for a low price by my first mentor who was looking for racing company.

I have had a string of Bultaco's, Ossa's, KTM's, Maico's, Honda's, Kawasaki's, Husqvarna's, Cagiva's, one CZ, one Suzuki, and now VOR's. They include the following ones that were memerable to me for a variety of non technical reasons:

1970 Bultaco Sherpa S 200 (My first top three finish and trophy)

1972 OSSA Pioneer (My favorite trail bike),

1974 1/2 Maico AW400 (First time I had a true competitive advantage in my mind),

1977 Maico 400 Enduro (First of my three mid live crisis),

1978 KTM 420 (One of the early ones over here and taught me the meaning of fast!) ,

1980 KTM MC80 420 ( My favorite all time motorcycle and turned expert after a very successful season on this one) ,

1982 Kawasaki KX250 (My least favorite bike of all time and one that hurt me badly)

1984 Honda 500 Interceptor (Looking for a more "adult" way to express my motorcycle self..it didn't work. Many brown short experiences later it was sold. Never purchased another road bike)

1986 Honda CR500 (One that got me back into the sport for real after that Kawasaki and a few false starts)

1998 Husqvarna 360 (Third re-entry into the sport and helped me deal with life altering events)

2001 VOR 503 V-Cross (The one Massimo Monti had built my way and I will forever be grateful for...best motorcycle I have ever owned and one I got my first top three placing against the kids again since the 1980's)

2002 VOR 450 Enduro (The one I was riding when a freind passed away taking VOR USA and effectively VOR Italy as well with him)

1982 Husqvarna XC420 (My current re-entry into this sport)

Others with different types of impact:

1990 YZ80 (The one I got for my youngest son for Christmas...and he looked at me and said: " Dad, why did you get me a motorcyle, I wanted a LAVA LAMP!. It still sits in the garage unridden)

1988 Honda CR125 (The one that got my middle son into the sport and engaged with life in general after some trumatic events in his life)

1992 Kawasaki KX500 (The one my stepson has used to dazzle us with hundred yard slides, many rooster tails, and many smiles. I bet he will do well with open class machines. Fits his personality)

1986 Kawasaki KX125 that my oldest son used to display unusual talent that has not yet been taken advantage of...maybe his new KX250 will start his adventure)

1991 Honda XR100 (The one my step daughter drug with the derailed chain jammed into the rear wheel, 3/4 mile out of the deep muddy woods (documented on DRN two years ago by those who where there), a year before that she rode it rode up AND down a 1 mile long truely rocky mountain KILLER rocky hill, and many other things that absolutly define the meaning of guts and tenacity!!! ? amazing person.)

Motorcycles have been apart of my life for as long as I can remember clearly..wonderful sport. Hope I can pass the sport along to my kids.

[wjc2003]

It was in 1969 on a red Honda Mini Trail.I was in the 9th grade and was fortunate to live where we could ride every day,right from the house.There was about nine or ten of us that used to ride together.Before that we used to ride our bicycles on the dirt bike trails,pedaling like mad!We were doing "BMX" way before the term was invented.

[Over40_DRZ]

A 1972 CT70 I was 13 or 14 not sure, all I remember is I rode the s$%# out of that thing.

[wjc2003]

Fordy,I'm originally from Hawaii.Went to Guam in late '68 for a few years,that's where I learned to ride (great place to ride).Went back to Hawaii and rode there too.Moved here in '79.Been out of the sport for 9 years but I'm back now!Just sold my old '83 cr480 to a friend.It was perfect and I am sick that I sold it.So I bought this new wr450.It is scary fast but the woodruff key on the crank sheared and I had to push it out of the woods. s.o.b.!

I like to ride in E.Wa.but we're going to Belfair on Sunday.(2 450s and a 480) I also have a couple of Trail 90s but they are death traps.Gonna sell one and keep the other one for hunting.

Where do you like to ride? Should we be useing somewhere else to communicate,and not this forum?I'm new here,you know.