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Can you remember your first bike ride?

3K views 22 replies 20 participants last post by  JPellegrino 
#1 ·

My experience wasn't too far removed from that back in 1975. I jumped on my mates Francis Barnett, opened the throttle and because it took me by surprise I held on even harder so that I didn't fall off and subsequently opened the throttle even further and went blasting across the road and straight down a six foot ditch, and I've still got the scar to prove...absolutly hilarious now looking back.
My lads love this show (The inbetweeners)and I must say it brings back fond memories for me too. Try and catch it if you can.
 
#2 ·
Oh, yeah.... It was 1986 or so. I was just a young boy then. My dad's friend stopped by on his new Yamaha V-Max. He offered to take me for a ride. I popped on a helmet and sat on the front seat tight against the tank. My dad's friend Al sat behind me and off we went. Once we got onto the open road I took over the handlebar controls. My legs were too short to reach the footpegs so I'd pull in the clutch and yell "Upshift!" when I needed another gear. It was exhilarating and natural feeling at the same time. I can't recall if I'd already started riding dirt bikes at that age or not. Must be if I was able to use the throttle, brake, etc. Even back then I'm pretty sure Child Protective Services would have whisked me away to a foster home if we got caught.
 
#3 ·
Yep, 7 years ago. Bought a slightly modded 79 GS 750 for my first ever bike. Learned myself on how to ride, scared myself a few times with no helmet (Idaho). Took the STAR course soon after, and always wear a helmet. Glad I'm still alive. I remember I could barely lift that bike up off it's side, and if I was pinned no way.
 
#4 ·
Charlie Symborski's minibike, 3.5 hp, lawn mower tires, rupp in a metal flake copper. I was about 11-12 years old riding flat out totally unfarmilier single track doing maybe 25 mph, when with zero warning the trail stopped and went down a steep gully that was a dried out stream bed. I didn't have time to go "aw...shit", the wheels left the ground, the bike's trajectory perfectly followed the contour of the drop off only I was about a foot off the ground. The bike and I flew the entire 30' drop. I landed it and never stopped. I remember thinking while flying through the air "whoa, be cool, don't mess up" and the insane rush I felt when I managed to do just that. I was hooked, it was about 40 years ago and I remember it like yesterday.
 
#7 ·
I don't. but I do remember riding dad's 1986 1000R ninja down the driveway and back when I was 13. he dared me to do it because he knew the bike intimidated me in a big bad way and he didn't think I had the stones. Nothing happened to it, we chugged and lugged 100 feet or so and executed a 15 point turn and chugged and lugged back, but he never dared me to do anything ever again.

I will tell you about this since it is the season. my first really long ride was for a toys for tots Christmas run in early december in the 1980s. I was pillion passenger and about 11 or 12 at the time but dad and I spent about 5 or 6 hours on that bike, the only jap bike in a large pack filled with harleys in an era when patchholder harley guys still burned jap bikes when they could. 30-40 degree temps the whole day. I don't think I will ever forget it.
 
#8 ·
My first ride as a passenger was in 1971 when I was 6 yrs. old. My babysitter's husband had a 1967 Electra-Glide that he took me on a few short rides, usually just a couple miles to the store and back. My father who was a motorcycle cop at the time would sometimes comment how he'd like to own that bike one day.
Fast forward almost 30 yrs. and my dad runs into the guy in a supermarket and asks if he still has the Harley. Guy says "Yep! Still wanna buy it?" The photo below was taken two days later when my dad picked it up.

When I was 12 an uncle tought me to ride on his 1961 Matchless G80 500. I rode it up and down the street with him on the back.
 
#9 ·
First ride was a 1968 CZ 175/185 dual purpose thing. Had a unusual feature that the shifter and kick start lever were all in one.
With the bike in neutral you flipped the lever over facing rearward and kicked down to start the engine. Kept that bike for two years.
 
#10 ·
Nope ;)
I have a very vague recollection of being between my mother and father when I was about 3~4 yrs old (wasn't illegal way back when)
1954 BSA-B31 around 1960~61
I actually remember where better than when, railway bridge, Pen-Y-Cae (no idea why I remember that, possibly because honking horn at blind corner?)
I had been on bike way earlier though (1957)
My mother told me I was about 8 months old and not expected to make first year (doctors really got that wrong, I'm 54 :D)
First bike I actually rode was in 1968, 1965~66 Suzuki M12 'Sportsman'
 
#11 ·
First bike I rode was a older YZ80. I was about 10, and it was my friends. He taught me how to use the clutch, but I still ended up in the bush's. Right then and there I was hooked. I remember back in '85 I had a chance to by that little bike or some drums. I took the drums. But in '96 I bought my favorite bike, a Honda Interceptor 500. It was in mint condition, and I had no experience riding a motorcycle up until then. My dad just shook his head and said I would dump it just like he did in England in the 60's when he was working for the LEGO company. Well, I never dumped it, or any bike for that matter, and have owned about a dozen bikes since then.
 
#13 ·
First bike I ever rode and rode on was my brother's 1966 CA-77, 305 Dream, in about 1969. First bike I ever owned was a 1967 Yamaha YM-1 I bought in 1974 when I was 17. Also the first bike I ever wrecked, in 1974.

Ken
 
#15 ·
First time at them helm was Christmas morning 1972 I was 5 and found Santa had dragged a Yamaha jt1 60cc down the chimney. Mom was not pleased but didn't have much choice in the matter. We'd just seen On Any Sunday at the local drive-in.
Dad bought a 250 something or other so when the little plug fowling bastard showed up she knew all was lost.
I tore up the back yard for two weeks til the old man trucked us out for the first of countless weekends spent at the Tillamook Burn (look it up) area.

Edit: autocorrect is not my friend
 
#16 ·
quote:Originally posted by Bret

My first ride as a passenger was in 1971 when I was 6 yrs. old. My babysitter's husband had a 1967 Electra-Glide that he took me on a few short rides, usually just a couple miles to the store and back. My father who was a motorcycle cop at the time would sometimes comment how he'd like to own that bike one day.
Fast forward almost 30 yrs. and my dad runs into the guy in a supermarket and asks if he still has the Harley. Guy says "Yep! Still wanna buy it?" The photo below was taken two days later when my dad picked it up.

When I was 12 an uncle taught me to ride on his 1961 Matchless G80 500. I rode it up and down the street with him on the back.

Recently deceased neighbor Jim had a '62 Electra-Glide, which he bought in the mid-seventies:


Not visible in this photo is the original dual seat, hanging on a wall in the garage. When he bought it, it was complete with bags & windshield, which he disposed of, being in his mid-twenties. He told me often that he regretted getting rid of them.

First ride (not as a passenger) was on high school best friend's 100cc enduro something or other, which his father picked up for free (it was sitting in somebody's shop... blah, blah, blah...). Took it for a quick spin up my street and was hooked. Couple days later, on the makeshift moto-x course we made in the vacant lot next door, my brother wheelied it out from under him & required a dozen stitches on his foot where it landed. My mother promptly forbid us to ever ride any motorcycle ever again, for the rest of our lives.
 
#18 ·
No dirtbikes around when I was a kid, so my first ride was on an R75/6, not sure what year. Very nice. I still have no idea what Dave was thinking when he handed me the key, but I'm forever thankful. That machine had travelled over 200,000 miles and it could have been it's last mile, but everything turned out fine.
 
#19 ·
Rode my buddy's minibike around his farm. It was slow but pretty awesome being 13 and all.

First time riding on a street bike was behind a british coworker (no ****) heading to do some repair work in my boss' condo complex. It was a naked 600 bandit on which he swapped out sprockets. 0-100mph fast enough for me to lose feeling in my face. I was 18.
 
#20 ·
It was as a passenger. I don't know, it was some hot shoe Kawasaki and dear old dad stuck me on the gas tank like some freaking monkey ass hood ornament. He pinned the throttle thru all 4 gears down Tony Capanna's Hot Rod City parking lot straight at the plate glass window - then he locked up the rear brake and side slid stopped about 6 feet before disaster. I remember screaming. Don't know why I ever thought of motorcycles ever again after that. What an asshole.
Tony was so pissed he didn't speak for a week.
 
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