Experience poll

[Crazcnuk]

How many years, and bikes have you owned/rode in your motorcycling 'carreer'?

Although some of us are new to XS11's, we may still have a pile of experience in the field.

I'll start:

1958 Honda CT-90. First bike, bought with my own cash at 14.
1978 Suzuki A-100 Gopher. Parents bought it for my 16th birthday
1976 Honda CB360T. Beater, ran till it dropped a valve traded it for TS250 below
1975 Suzuki TS250. street/trail put 18,000 + miles on this one
1976 Honda CB360T. Same one as above, got it back after the new owner fixed the valve and decided he didn't like street riding.
1977 Honda 750-4K. Decked Rode for 2-3 yrs
1982 Yamaha 650 Midnight Maxim. (brother law was killed on this bike) I fixed it up and traded it for the Virago below.
1982 Yamaha 750 Virago. Rode for 4-5yrs. Traded it for a 1978 Chevrolet Bel Air and the next bike.
1982 Yamaha 750 SECA fixed up and sold same summer.
1985 VT1100 Shadow. Drove this for 14 years. 90K Kilometers. Pulled a trailer all over with it. Traded this for a mobile home, and the next Virago.
1973 Suzuki GT750. 2 stroke, 3 cyl, water cooled museum piece
1982 Yamaha 750 Virago. (current daily driver) Yes, my 2nd one.
1980 XS1100G. Picked up last summer, promptly bent some valves, redoing top end for spring.

[DiverRay]

There is a thread that is two years old, has my list of bikes on it. Started on my first MOTORCYLE at 12 years, but had ridden minibikes before that.

[Pat Kelly]

Also see this thread on a similar subject.
Good to update these things after being buried a year or two.

[xswilly]

rupp roadster mini bike
73 honda 125 on off road
74 suzuki ts 185
75 yamaha dt 400 on/off road
78 xs1100E

the last 2 bought new and still have them
been riding since 14 years old
now 47

[Crazcnuk]

I wasn't counting bikes (mini or otherwise) that belonged to other people, ie my parents. I only included the ones that I have bought and paid for myself.

As I mentioned I bought the CT90 honda, w/ automatic 4spd, at 14. I had to split the cases on that one several times to replace the kick-start return spring. Then the rear hub self destructed on the inside, so my parents bought me the A100 Suzuki (100cc, 2 stroke 4sp street bike) for my 16th birthday because my dad thought it looked the most like a 'real' motorcycle, out of all the <250cc ones he could find to look at.

[webbcraft2150]

Geez, I can't remember what I had for breakfast and I gotta think back hard for this one.

Taco 44 minibike, 5hp Briggs "Yellow Jacket"
Bonanza minibike, Hodaka powered. (deathtrap)
70's something Suzuki 100, pressed steel frame.
70s something Suzuki 200 "Scrambler"
Hodaka Super Rat
RD200 Electric start
RD400
CB450 Honda (first ride clearing a "c" note on the speedo)
72-73 Norton Combat Commando (quick, wheres my spare Zenner diode, dam, I know I have a spare Amal float somewhere)
76 Laverda SF750 (real slug)
78 Laverda 1000 (2 weeks old, killed by a VW bus)
78 Laverda 1000 Jota (Bus drivers insurance bought that one)
78 DT250
74 AT1? 125 enduro w/real electric start
75 DT400b (favorite dirt bike)
81 KZ1100 Spectre
And the winner, the one still in my garage, my soulmate on two wheels...(drum roll, fireworks, people flicking there Bics)
"80 XS1100g hardbagger.

This list does include bikes bought, fixed and sold back to the unsuspecting public with a couple weeks of ownership.
Dirt rigs were usually owned at the same time as the street bikes. I can remember 5-6 bikes in the garage at one time, ahhhh, those were the great days!!!

[TopCatGr58]

Not very many,

I rode a friends MOPED 1st, then Honda 90 minibike.

Then got my 67 Yamaha 305 twin 2stroke in '75, more time in shop than out.
Got 74Yam TX500A Twin 4stroker for HS grad in '76, rode it for about 5 years, a few in Texas, then shipped to Ca., used there while in Navy, forgot, trailered it to Fla., rode around with my best friend from Orlando to Daytona, St. Augustine and back. Then had it shipped to Japan with my transfer. Rode it there a few months to earn my International license(they drive on left side of road), but then found a XS850Special Triple in a Japanese bike shop just off base. Got it and rode it around Japan for 18months, to Mt. Fuji and around Yokosuka naval base.

Then got my 81SH from fellow sailor in '83, shipped it back to US, been riding it eversince!
T.C.

[exquized1]

my bike list

1982 Honda CX500 turbo was my first bike. Traded a free 79 ford ltd and a radar detector that somehow ended up in my car for a year.
that bike is in a pile down the road I still have the title.

1975 Honda CB750 still in the shed (wife road once and didn't like it. Needs to be lowered. paid $650.

1980 Susuki Gs550 (thats what the title says but its a 750) paid $50. clear title but not sure if it runs. Bike to monkey around with.

1979 Yamaha XS1100SF (my pride and joy) paid $400 from a young kid that was scared of it. Too much power!

not a big list but was wondering if there was a way to hook the CX turbo up to the XS?

[motoman]

40+yrs......................that's way to hard on my brain.................how bout tote-gotes at age 13, to racing motocross late-late sixties and early seventies, everything from CZ'z to 501 Maico's, and everything in between................still not having the best interest for my body, moto-cross on a YZ250, and more sensibly ride the Venturer1100 and a Honda ST1100, with an occassionally senseless right hand................Ciao, and be safe along with some craziness!........keeps you young and alert!........

[mason79]

how about sharing your first crash or fall?,

i was 20years old on my rd400, all tricked out by gary at spec II
on muholland drive and didn't even know how to take a turn, it's was at night with a friend who rode his cb750 scraping the pegs, I low sided, and didn't get the knee looked at soon enough, with the infection, i now have a bad knee, thanks to motorcyclin...

[dpotter58]

Just about broke my f'n neck on a kaw dirt bike first time out. don't like dirt; I'm too wide open. Been riding street since early 70s...

[planedick]

How many?

Let's see, 1952 it was a '45 Whizzer and a '42 HD Springer, then HD 125 Hummer, and then Triumph 250 then was a stint in the Army while in Germany it was a Horax 1400, when I got home it was Yamaha Trail something then Honda 300 dream, Honda 305 Superhawk, BSA 500 Thumper, Honda 750 and now the best of 'em all my '78 E "Pathfinder" That makes it 11 bikes in 55 yrs.

[desert1]

The Bikes

1st ride, 250cc Allstate, then 80cc Suzuki, 250 Kawi Avenger, 500 cc H1 Kawi, 1974 Honda 750k, 1958 AJS 650 oh I hated starting that b***h, 79Honda 750 DHC, 1976 Honda 750, 400 Suz., 78XS1100, 79XS1100 Special......maybe a couple I forgot.
Bruce

[Mathh]

well, almost 40 years now of riding.
Let's see:
Suzuki T500, GT550, GT750, Kawasaki 750 Mach IV, Z900 twice, Z1000, Z650 twice, Yamaha XS1100 4 times, FJ1200, Nico Bakker Z1000 Turbo, V-Max, Triumph Trophy 1200, Yamaha FJR1300, Honda CBX1000, Kawasaki Z1300 twice, Suzuki Hayabusa, Moto Morini Corsaro 1200, another XS1100, again a Mach IV H2a and a H2B and last but not least another Suzuki GT750 kettle.
Next to that I also rode on my girlfriend's bikes as Kawasaki Zephyr 750, Ducati 748, XS1100 Special and a MV Agusta Brutale 910R .
Must have forgotten some...

[Just In Case]

I started off with the farm bikes at 12, first a Yam LT100 and then later a DT125F and AG200 . Then it was a car for work and the DT in the weekends. Then a break of 3 years while out of the country, came back to farming and spent 3+ hours a day 7/52 (a step up from 24/7 ) on ATV's for 10 years. Then 6 years no riding until I got meself the XS for Xmas 2005.