Late 60's I spent my summers at my cousins on their farm and my youngest cousin taught me how to ride his Honda CB90. I was pretty jazzed, but as parents would have it, they would rather disown a 12 year old kid with any notion of riding a motorcycle. So that feeling quickly waned.

Fast forward about 40 years later, I got that itch again after seeing a club of about 25 riders all on Harleys riding down the road on my vacation trip. I've always loved the sound of a Harley. Well, in 2011 I decided to take the Riders Edge (now called the Riding Academy) class. Got my motorcycle endorsement and a month later bought a new Sporty 1200 Custom.

I didn't stop there, a couple months after the 13's came out I picked up a new Road King to go with the Sporty.

To my parents, God rest their souls, who may be watching right now....do you still want to disown me?

 

started riding dirt bikes and bmx freestyle as a kid then got into racing motocross in my 20's. I have always blinged out my stuff. way to much invested in my Haro bmx's in the 80's . Bought a 99 Kawasaki KX125 to start races with a big bore kit. Then in 2006 bought a new Kawasaki KX250F and put a pro race motor in it. After a bad crash in 2008 I retired from racing motocross. 2010 walked into a Harley shop to look around and buy a t-shirt. Next thing I know I am signing papers on a brand new Forty Eight! Then the mods began and haven't stopped yet!

 

My brother who was 19 years older than me bought a 1950 Panhead to match years with his chopped and slammed 1950 Merc, It was 1959 and I was 14 at the time, he had a seat custom made for the bike and a Pad for the fender, he used to take me rides on it, but Mom made sure I had a helmet on before I went on the rides, one day he said "you know how this works" and let me ride it, I had a Sears Moped for my paper route so once I was moving it was a peace of cake and I was hooked on Harleys, took a few years on other bikes to get to a Harley because they were always just out of reach for me financially. But around 1981 I was on a 1980 FXEF, haven't looked back once.

 

I have always loved motorcycles, my dad rode them since he was young so since I was little I had wanted one, about 4 years ago I got my first bike, a Kawasaki Ninja 650R because It was a great deal and I could afford it. Since 09 when I first saw the Iron, I knew I wanted that bike. Went once to try but was too young and not enough credit. I got married and had a baby, since I didn't have a car and the bike was my only way of transport, it had to go to make room for a car. It sucked!! One year and a half later after seeing how much I missed a bike, and how much I wanted an Iron my wife agrees on getting an Iron, march came right after my birthday and I got one.

About to finally convince her to trade it for a Dyna DD

 

I was a little kid and fell in love with riding BMX. My parents were getting by and really splurged on buying me a nice bike for my 10th birthday. Rode it constantly. It got stolen when I was 16 and by then I couldn't imagine why anybody would take the thing. Totally beat. Got my license and forgot about two wheels for a while, until the urge swept over me to check out a new BMX when I turned 18. Had gotten way too big for a 20 inch bike and got a mountain cruiser instead. Rode it everywhere. Hooked on the two wheel experience and the mountain bike cured the cravings.


Fast forward a few years and a buddy of mine was getting married in Greece. Hell yeah! All in! Get there and find out there isn't any kind of car to rent so I get a scooter to get around. The happiest month of my life, and it was because of some half destroyed 150cc piece of crap. Vowed when I got home to take the class and get an American made two wheeler. Took the class and never settled on a bike. This was all in '09. Figured I'd do it in the spring for my birthday. Wife told me a couple days before I planned on going that she was pregnant. So I waited...


Last year just pulled the trigger. I'm glad I waited, inadvertently, for the 48. Been a great year so far. Hope to stack many more on top of it!

 

Bought one...

 

1969, My pop said if I wanted to ride a motorcycle, I had to build it from the ground up.
I bought a basket case '48 panhead from a guy that lived near us and went to work on it.
Got it running and rode it constantly for the next few years.


1976, bought a new FXE and my wife said I needed to grow up and get rid of the bikes.
I got rid of the wife and rode the '76 constantly for the next few years.


Lots'a bikes and lots'a years later....I still haven't grown up, and that's a good thing.

 

Wife made me do it....

 

Motorcycles were always the dream machines for me, riding a race profile bicycle with thin tyres and racing and beating cars on the road when I was in school; motorcycles seemed like the proper progression for a person like me but my parents won’t have any of it, they seen me ride like crazy on my bicycle which didn’t have any brakes and leaning full into turns, my dad said “buying you a motorcycle would give me sleepless nights and huge medical bills.. you’re not getting it mister..”
But the dream sulked within me, I never forgot about the bikes it rather became a secret obsession, I read about the latest ones be it first-ride impressions or reviews or updates or anything.. My desktop wallpaper was always about bikes or my favorite rider “Valentino Rossi”; I was always connected to something or the other related to bikes.
I fulfilled my dream after becoming a CA (equivalent to CPA in USA), I had to really revolt, but I steered clear of Supersports cause I know about my tendency to abuse the throttle cause it would've drastically shortened my life expectancy, so I fixated on the cruisers and Harley caught my imagination.. Now I'm waiting for the delivery of my Iron 883 and waiting to get my hands on it is an absolute torture..

 

It was June 1964. I was turning 16. My Mom and Dad said I could buy a motorcycle if I paid for it. I worked hard all Summer and managed to save $500. My Mom worked for an insurance company that had just paid the owner of a new '64 Sportster that been stolen. Unfortunately for my parents, it was recovered undamaged a week later and was put up for auction at a salvage yard only a few miles from my home. I walked to the auction, and not knowing anything about bidding, bid the full $500 immediately. Fortunately for me, no one else bid on the bike. I won the auction, and my Dad kept his word and signed for the bike and registered it for me.

My parents made me promise to wear a helmet anytime I was on the bike. So, they took me to the Harley dealer and bought me a new Bell full-face helmet. It cost them $60 as I recall. Big bucks in those days. I think it was the Star model, but I could be wrong. I have worn a full-face helmet ever since regardless of the type bike I am on. Since then I have owned numerous Touring and Standard bikes, both American and metric, but I always kept at least one Sporty. I have sold all my other bikes along the way, but as I near retirement, I've kept my 2006 Sporty.

All my riding life, I've always had a Harley of some type.