Why did you start riding?
Thread Starter
|
Banned
Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 285
Likes: 0
Why did you start riding?
I started cause I grew up in a less than desirable household and it was real easy to borough a passed out drunk crack head's bike at 14. And when I could finally afford my own at 17, it was the cheapest way to escape "Nightmare on Pitman"! I paid $300.00 for a 1977 (back in 1989) Blue Honda CB 750 K with a Vetter faring that I immediately took off.
Elite HDF Member
Joined: Aug 2009
Posts: 4,271
Likes: 6
From: madison wisconsin
When I was 5 or 6 a neighbor gave me a ride around the trailer park where my grandma lived in Platteville Wi. It probably wasn't the smartest thing giving a 5 or 6 year old a ride on a motorcycle... my ma flipped the f&(k out... but that was all it took... I've been obsessed with motorcycles ever since
Ultimate HDF Member
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 5,878
Likes: 17
From: The Desert SouthWest
When I was 5 or 6 a neighbor gave me a ride around the trailer park where my grandma lived in Platteville Wi. It probably wasn't the smartest thing giving a 5 or 6 year old a ride on a motorcycle... my ma flipped the f&(k out... but that was all it took... I've been obsessed with motorcycles ever since
Growing up in the 60's and 70's watching Evel Knievel on tv surely made some impression of course.
My cousin had a bought a brand new 72 super glide after he got out of the navy. I was 14 then, he would come and pick me up and we would go to town. He still has the bike till this day. He says he going to try restore it. I didn't get my first Harley until last spring. Had a Yamaha 750 16 years ago. I figured I've settled down enough were I don't need to drive faster than a speeding bullet, so I went out and bought an 09' Heritage, took the rider safety course.
Cruiser
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 121
Likes: 0
Theres a few reasons , mostly when i was a child when i would see a motorcycle on tv , in books , or IRL i just wanted it. The same way a kid "wants a frisbee". It looked like something fun to play with. Farther down the road my Uncle whos had bikes as far back as i can remember game me a short ride around the parking lot on his. Then fast forward to when i was 11 my dad got a honda z50, and then 27 y. old now here i am with my road king , sporty , and the horrible urge to live on them.
Elite HDF Member
Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 4,473
Likes: 15
From: River City Western Canada
When I was about 9 in the mid 60's a friend of mine had a mini bike with a 3.5 hp Briggs & Stratton 
Took that for a ride and I was hooked for life.
Took that for a ride and I was hooked for life.
Trending Topics
Tourer
Joined: Jul 2009
Posts: 361
Likes: 0
My dad was an auto mechanic, and he came home one day with a mini-bike that a customer had given him in lieu of paying his bill. It was really small and slow, so my dad gave me the OK to ride it in the back lane behind our house. I bet I put 1000 miles on that thing, one block of gravel alley at a time. Been hooked ever since...42 years worth
HD Forum Stories
The Best of Harley-Davidson for Lifelong Riders
7 Surprising Harley-Davidson Products that Are Not Motorcycles
Verdad Gallardo
8 Best Harley-Davidson Motorcycles Ever
Pouria Savadkouei
10 Worst Harley-Davidson Motorcycles Ever
Pouria Savadkouei
Killer Custom's Jail Break Is The Breakout That Refused to Blend In
Verdad Gallardo
Crazy Bunderbike Build Looks Amazing, But Is It Impossible to Ride?
Verdad Gallardo
Harley-Davidson Reveals Super Cool Cafe Racer Concept
Verdad Gallardo
Engraved Rebellion: Inside Bundnerbike's Glam Rock II
Verdad Gallardo
10 Motorcycles You Should Never Buy
Joe Kucinski
10 Things Harley-Davidson Needs to Fix in 2026
Verdad Gallardo
Ultimate HDF Member
Joined: Aug 2008
Posts: 6,235
Likes: 65
From: Joliet, Illinois
Grew up in the boonies on a bunch of land, surrounded by lots of open land. It wasn't something I remember thinking much about... just always was in to things with motors (maybe because pedaling a bicycle to your friend's house took a lot of energy). When we were all very young (5-7), we would drive an old Chevy around the fields. It had no body panels, no doors, the roof was cut off, no seats (there was a milk crate for the drivers seat). We were all too small to drive it alone, so one of us would stand on the milk crate & steer, another would work the gas.
Anyway... from the old Chevy I moved up to one of those Briggs & Stratton powered mini-bikes. After that it was a series of small dirt bikes, eventually up to a 250, but then moved back to an XR125 because I liked the 125 better in the dirt. (If I got a dirt bike now, I'd go with a 125). As a teen, I'd take off on my sister's boyfriend's street bikes. My first street bike was a Honda 450 Nighthawk.
Anyway... from the old Chevy I moved up to one of those Briggs & Stratton powered mini-bikes. After that it was a series of small dirt bikes, eventually up to a 250, but then moved back to an XR125 because I liked the 125 better in the dirt. (If I got a dirt bike now, I'd go with a 125). As a teen, I'd take off on my sister's boyfriend's street bikes. My first street bike was a Honda 450 Nighthawk.
