Bike Nicknames

[fredintoon]

The Flying Pumpkin

Like the signature says, my XS11SG is a sidecar hauler. When it came time for a paint job I was thinking yellow but the year before I'd painted both my sons' bikes yellow and then the dealers were all of a sudden full of yellow bikes. Yellow had become passé. Then I saw an Astro tow truck and I knew! Astro Towtruck Orange! The colourman says it's a stock GM truck colour. So tank, sidecovers and the sidecar body got painted orange. My wife said, "It looks like a pumpkin." Hence the name.

[planedick]

The Pathfinder

Was restored by Dave Delzell after which he had a heart attack and passed away. His screen name was Pathfinder because he was always the one who had the route planned for the trip. His wife got tired of looking at it in the garage because it brought back too many memories so she decided to sell it and posted a notice with pictures here on the site. Here's the funny part, I showed the pic to SWMBO and she said "Why don't you offer her ****** and see what she says"? Having her suggest I buy a motorcycle was more than just a little out of charactor, especially since I already owned a good running '79, more along the lines of a miracle or at least divine intervention. While picking up the bike and riding with the local group of Dave's friends to the cemetary to visit Dave, I said he could ride with me in spirit anytime and decided to name the bike Pathfinder. I'm sure he's my guardian angel and has saved my dumb ass more than once. I guess he doesn't want anything to happen to his bike......

[Wildkat]

Something Special

Originally bought from another member here... we affectionately named her Foster Child as she was to be put up for adoption as soon as she was road worthy...
Much time... blood... sweat... tears... and she's part of the family now...
Renamed Something Special... because she is...

[CarolynS]

Witch

Her name is Witch because she vexed me something awful at first.
Now...I can't help but think of my favorite Sinatra song 'Witchcraft' and the lines:

'That slight 'come hither' stare, that strips my conscience bare'.
'What good would common sense for it do?'
'Cause there's no nicer Witch than you.'

every time I see that silly motorcycle.

There are alot of other reasons besides that one, but mostly that name sticks because it fits her.

Even HWMBO calls her that! LOL!!

[madmax-im]

When I first got the Maxim I called it Max for short...later it morphed to MadMax when i saw the first movie with Mel Gibson...and he has been a bad boy all these years.
I've told this story before so my apologies to those of you who already know...but back in '83 I was in the market for a new bike...I went to Mt Holly Yamaha in NJ and was looking thru the new bikes on the floor.I spy a '82 XJ1100 Maxim and the sticker says leftover from '82.As soon as I saw it...I knew this was the one...but it was not....because while I was standing there a salesguy walks by and put a SOLD sign on the handlebars. As he is walking back to his desk I say something along the lines that I was $h!+out of luck...and he says..."Not so"..."we've got one more"...I look around and dont see it and ask "where is it?"Long story short is that MadMax was still in the crate in the backroom.I saw it being uncrated and the rest is history.
My other bike is a '81 XS1100SH...I've only had since this past Jan.Bought on ebay.I went to Mich.(near Toledo OH)to pick it up from the original owner...he had changed the special gas tank to the standard one and blacked out as much of the bike as possible.He wanted the old school streetfighter look and he succeeded.....hence the name "Streetfighter" end of story.....
One final note cant have 3 boys in the stable...have to have a Queen hence her Royal Highness...my ST1100 has become the Red Queen

[BobE]

I started naming my bikes when my wife and I bought our first bike together (I had many bikes before that). Part of my reason for naming bikes was to get her comfortable around motorcycles by putting a kind of friendly personality to them, and I think it worked to some extent. I sealed her love for riding when I actually took her on her first ride! Sadly, she can no longer ride because of her advanced arthritis.

1983 Gold Wing standard - "Rootie" for its Root Beer color

1983 Yamaha Venture - "Yamaroo" - registration actually had "Yam" for make and "Maroo" for color (Maroun)

1993 Yamaha Venture Royale - "Rushin' Blue" - Blue in color and russian blue cats are my wife's favorite breed - changed the spelling a little bit to reflect speed and we're good to go!

2005 Yamaha Royal Star Venture - "Silver Rain" - Bike is silver, rain follows us wherever we go, silver rain is a certain smooth, sheeting quality of rainfall

1980 Yamaha XS1100G - "The Old Coot" - It's just me and the bike now, Annette no longer rides, The Old Coot looks as rough as I feel

[webbcraft2150]

Make and model of my other passion (along with a wallet drainer).
21.5 ft bowrider, 300 hp Mercruiser. Fully loaded rig, Captians Choice exhaust, Bennett tabs, Emco Manifolds, Lovorsi guages.

Webbcraft is no longer making boats. They were a small company that made 'em one at a time. Inovators is balsa/kevlar construction. Fast hull, smooth ride, sucks gas . Runs well against Baja/Fountians of similar HP. Floats, goes 60+ and is paid for.

[JRocket]

I collect old things like motorcycles and vans, thinking that "I got it for free, so how bad can it be?"

One 1983 Midnight Virago 920 wasted my time and money, with no title, until I finally gave it away to a Marine who wanted something to work on.

My 1984 Ford Econoline van was free; it looked brown and white with all the rust on a cream-white background. About $4,000 later, with new paint, bumper, welding everywhere, stereo, seat covers, etc., etc., it's still worth about $100. Why?

At least my 1979 XS11 is still in good shape, over the years. The maintenance has been kept up, and the part and repair money only trickled in. I was going to sell it ten years ago, but I'm glad I didn't, now.

I am still sorry that I sold my 1958 Harley FLH full dresser for $500 when I went off to Viet Nam.

Who knows why we do what we do? We're men. Mechanical beings. Gotta fix things.

[egsols]

"Persephone"

She's beautiful, seductive and goes away for 4 months every year.

(I used to watch Beachcombers)

[DJinNH]

When my bike starts coming to me when I call it, like my dog does, then I'll give it a name.

Don

[JRocket]

My bike likes me to turn her on. Then, she purrs like a kitten, and likes to run like a bandit. Then, if I touch her in the wrong spot, she growls like a tiger. She takes a bite out of me once in a while, when I'm working on her tender areas, or when she's hot, and my leg gets too close. I still have the scars to show for that. She likes to get between my legs, and make me feel warm. When I push her, she pushes me back. At night, she lights up with excitement.

It's a love/love relationship. If I treat her right, she treats me accordingly.

I still don't have a name for her, though.

[BobE]

JRocket, sounds like "Lover's Obsession" would be a good name for your ride....some folks might get an interesting impression of you, though....

[randy]

I still don't have a name for her, though.

Yeah, I knew her once, could have nicknamed her "Hope-Smasher" or "Dream Killer"

Dumped her, kept the bike.

Oh, I'm sorry, was this only about bikes?

[egleaves]

I've finally realized her name.

I had never owned or operated a motorcycle (scooters and mopeds don't count) prior to the XS. Seeing as how lady XS was the one to steal my motorcycle virginity and I always love a good play on words, I shall dub her the "Perry Chopper".

[scappod]

Bike nick name

My machine has a nick name many of you use in passing or even as a descriptor... she got her name from her stubborn ness and refusal to be ridden regular on a routine basis... PITA and it has always stuck. If you search for PITA using our search engine you should be able to find the reason behind her name