The bike that hooked me! What bike hooked you?

riverroad wrote: I never even rode the bike that hooked me. And I never did eventually buy one either.
It was just one I saw.
About 1965-66, me, my mom and my brother were driving the Vista Cruiser out to San Francisco from St Louis to pick up my dad from his first tour in Viet Nam.
We were on this really long stretch of highway out in some desert and I was in the back looking out the window at all the sand. I was really hot. I remember the hot wind blowing through the windows, the sun beating down through the top window, and axiously waiting for our next stop so we could get a cold soda. We were following behind a motorcycle for a while and my mom decided to go ahead and pass him. As we slowly rode past him I got a good look at the dude and his bike. Your quintesential Hells Angel type. Long scraggley beard and hair,tattoos on his arms, chain on his wallet, big black boots, noisy bike etc.
Well this dude looked right at me and gave me the old one finger salute. At the time, at my tender age and innocence, I'd never seen that sign before. For all I knew, it was just like my Cub Scout salute. SOOooo...I returned the sign right back to him.
My mom saw me send him that bird and she about shit her pants while she screamed at me, "STOP THAT!!! ARE YOU TRYING TO GET US KILLED"??!???! I remember seeing her horrified eyes through the rear view mirror.
It was at that exact moment that I knew, hit me square in the face, someday I will ride a motorcycle. It scared my mom, and I thought, "Oh yeah...".
My last glimpse of that dude as we rapidly accelerated away was him laughing his ass off. :laugh:

:woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo:

And you know that biker was thinking "that little kid is going to be alright when he grows up." :laugh:

mine was one of three that for the most part looked like this we too had a black one...no lesters...

..we all had spokes and various drilled this and that...but this was what some folks had

Beautiful 650, really like the set up on the rear sets and fairing.

It was several that hooked me a couple kz900's a couple kz1000's a gs1100e and a guy on a triple. They all rode together in the early 80's in my hometown "Ottumwa Iowa" as I was entering high school. That led me to my 84 700interceptor just like the in the previous pic. After my son was born and many many times of saying "whew that was close" 2 within a couple of miles I said if I want to see my son graduate the bikes got to go and I sold it. My problem was speed I drove like a idiot and am truly lucky to have survived a 90mph hand stand after throwing a possum under the back wheel via the front brake disk but I always remembered the kz's and the pack of guys. They are still around "on harleys" and one of the guys I have recently met named terry dunkin He had a animal of a kz1000 "old blue" he said that speed is an addiction and that he may buy another kz someday I told him I think I might have enough brains to ride one now. Which leads to my first one 78 kz650 my second one 76 kz900 which leads to my third one 77 kz1000. so Im working up the courage to ask terry to help me on a build for the 1000 I was told by another guy that they had a drag race every year in the dakotas for street bikes and he won it 3 years in a row in the 80's maybe someone will know what event I speak of and post, and I have gotten past the need for 100 mile an hour rides but the smokin the tire into second I think will always stay with me.

Some amazing bikes and stories guys... Its great to read some grass roots beginnings.. My first ever bike I "owned" as an early 70's Yamaha dog dirt bike that me and my dad saw a a flower shop of all places, while there buying some flowers for my mother I think. I think we paid $100 bucks for it, didn't run, dirty fuel, broken fender, the works... Had that sucker running in a week and rode the crap out of it.. I will have to see if I can find a pic of that thing..

The first was a 1971 Rupp Roadster II, not this one, but it looked liked this when I got it. I spent hours riding that thing and loved every minute of it. I have often wondered whatever happened to that little bike after I outgrew it and left home.

Sorry i don't have a pic. 1980 Yamaha XS 850 Triple. I put lower shocks on it...from a dead suzuki 250gt. It wasn't pretty, but it was my favorite ride. I always felt as though no matter where I went I could trust that bike ot get me home.

One night I was coming home from college, about 40 miles away from home. the throttle cable broke right at the end where it fits into the twist. i had nothing to repair it, I had no phone, or any other way to get home. So I did what I could do, I put on some gloves, wrapped the throttle cable around my index finger and pulled the throttle with my whole arm adn rode one hadded for about forty miles. When I got home I thougth my finger was a gonner, but eventually the feeling came back. (it was purple for about half an hour, and had marks form the cable for like four days.)

In eight years I put on about 80,000 miles. Through snow, mud, wind, and rain, that bike was fun to ride!

In 1976 I was worked all summer at a garage and saved up for a 1972 Honda SL125. I rode the living snot out of that bike. Sure wish I had some pics. What a blast, good times indeed. I am now looking for another one to re-live my youth.

My first bike was a Can-AM 550 "Enduro"- but the bike that actually "hooked" me I have had since 1982- that would be my Z1 900 B. I didn't even know it was special until I came to this site - when it was still the "old" site.

I grew up riding on the back of my Dads various Harleys ... I had several mini-bikes, dirt bikes and even one of the first Honda 90 ATC's. Along the way I had a few Honda street bikes including 2 65 305 Honda Dreams .... Soon after I got married I bought a Yamaha RD350 and that was an awesome little bike but it wasn't until 1982 that I bought a 1977 Yamaha XS650 .... and it was all over. I rode that bike for 12 years .... I loved it ... The XS was the bike that really hooked me for life!

This photo is just a internet pic. I might have some snapshots of my old Yamaha but who knows where they are .... lol

My first bike was an xs400. It was all uphill from there