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my best buddy needed money for school, so i bought his honda cr 125 dirt bike for weelend motocross action. i was hooked and knew i needed a street bike.a few years down the road my friend wanted to buy a street bike but had nobody to ride with so he talked me into a 1994 suzuki katana.
well the rest is history and we bothrideharleys now.
I started when I was 14, with like most on a off road dirt bike. Always wanted a Harley but it seemedlike that would never happen. Then I met my wife at 18, and guess what --- she loved bikes and Harleys. My first real bike was a 1973 Sportster with a 8 inch extension,I was 23 in 1975. After a few years of riding, the kids came along and a number of buddies were clipped by cars so I decided to sell in 1980. I always wanted another Harley but other things seemedto always get in the way. Now the kids are out of the house it seemed like a good idea again. Oneday last year my wife asked me out of the blue--- was I ever going to ride again? I just looked at her andthought why not. So the past sept-nov I spent looking at all the new models of Harleys again ( man there are so many to choose from since the 70's ). I finally put the down payment on a 2006 Softail Standard , which I will pick up in April / 07. After selling my Sporster, 27 years later I'm ready to ride again. ( yes I'm old, 55this Sept. ) As a couple ofearly postsI sawstated --------- "Life is to enjoy, it doesn't matter how old you are " and in the end its not the years in your life that count, its the life in your years.
Great little stories..........and to you Weasel, I'm 51 and never rode a bike until last year..............now 6100 miles later, I'm hooked and it's never too late to start or renter the world of riding. As long as you appreciate the bike and the open road, it's a great time tospend with spouses, friends and way to make new ones! I myself was too busy with my 49 Plymouth restoration, looking from afar while my buddies would scoot by and ask me "when are you going ot join us?" Enjoy and ride safe!!
My father has been riding motorcycles for many years, and I always liked riding on the back of his Harleys when I was younger. Through out middle & high school, I was always buying and selling ATV's and snowmobiles, but realized that they were just a money pit, and I was just throwing away all of my money. So shortly after I got my driver's license, I decided I wanted a motorcycle license too, but due to my heavy right foot, and accumulation of speeding tickets, the idea of getting a motorcycle license was pushed back a few years. Once I got my act together and kept my nose clean for a couple of years, I finally got my motorcycle license when I was 19. My uncle has two Harleys, so he let me use his Low Rider for the summer since he never rides it anymore after buying his Ultra. I rode the bike almost every day if the weather was nice, and loved every minute of it. I was enjoyed riding snowmobiles and four wheelers growing up, but riding the bike was 10X better. I now have an 07 Night Train of my own, which I have only been able to put 15 miles on due to the Maine winter, but I very excited for spring to get here so I can start racking up the miles on the Train too. I'm hooked on Harleys now, and I'm sure that is all that it will be from here on out.
Growing up with bikes (dad, uncle, grandad, cousin) I just had to have one of my own, so I saved & saved. In 1966 I bought a black Itom Astor (sadly pic is a yellowone), in pretty bad condition as it had been raced & crashed. My dad helped me get it going again and though it wasn't reliable or street legal it was almost as much fun as sex - as I discovered later that year
What fond memories, first motorbike & sex - I make do with motorbikes nowadays.
I didn't start riding until I was 28, always looked enjoyable and appeared to bea great way to sneak out of the house and have some quality alone time. Has worked out great so far.
Although I rode friends' bikes a very small amount as a kid/teen, I didn't really start riding until 3 years ago, at 42. I took the MSF course, bought a $400 Yam, and after a month or so, bought a new Triumph Thruxton 900 (the cafe racer). That lasted about a year, then I rode a Triumph Speed Triple, and had to have it. Another year on that one, and I was starting to go stupid fast in the twisties. A couple friends had HDs, and after riding one (Dyna Sport), decided this suited me better. Sold the Triple and my '56 F100, and bought the Night Train. It's been almost a year now (two more weeks), and I love this thing! I've put about 7000 miles on it, and have been mildly modifying it since I got it.
First motorcycle I sat on was an old HD from the early 50's withthe old spring seat. Got to crannkit up and was in love with the sound and feeling. About 14 and got my first motorized bike, a moped from Sears, which to me was great. Then a git my Honda 65, 750, Magna, 1800vtx and then my sofetail deluxe last month. Still have my VtX 1800 C with custom paint. Great bike and plan to keep it for my bagger. Lets see, that is 41 years of riding bikes...my how time slips away...l
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