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Your first real road bike?


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Even though I’d been riding a hand full of years previous, my first that I owned myself was a 1990 Ducati 906 PASO I’d bought in 1995. It was a clean example with not a lot of miles on it that I’d picked up from Ghost Motorcycles on Long Island. A learning experience it was that’s for sure. I ended up stuffing it into the front of an on coming old Ford Zypher..... That ended the riding for a while and earned my first helicopter flight. Since then I’ve had four more Ducatis, two Gen 2 Hayabusas, a 13’ MV Agusta 1090 Brutale, a 15’ BMW GSA 1200, 17’ Indian Chieftain Limited (totaled after an altercation with a deer) and now the old 98’ VFR.

 

Each bike has had something to teach me and to learn from. 

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My VFR is actually just my second road bike.  My first was a Kawasaki ZR-7S, I think a 2000, which I bought used from a local shop for my first adult bike in March 2006.  I'd had a little enduro when I was a kid, I think an 80cc Suzuki, which I rode around our huge backyard where we lived in a rural area.  After that I had a Puch moped as a teen, which I rode all over the place before I got my first driver license.  But I had no motorized two-wheelers between then and when I bought that Kawasaki, about 20 years I think.

 

It wasn't a great bike to start on, but since I had much experience on two wheels as a cyclist and some motorized experience from my youth, it wasn't terrible either.  I got comfortable riding it more easily than I'd thought I would, but if I had to do it all over, I'd have bought a 500.  Anyway, within a few months of buying that bike, I knew I wanted something a little newer, sportier, and more modern.  I looked at several bikes seriously, and it came down to the 6th gen. VFR and the 2nd gen. Yamaha FZ1.  In the end, I decided on the VFR, and never regretted it for a moment.  I'm sure I would have loved the FZ1, too, but the VFR is special.

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18 minutes ago, trmoyer said:

my first that I owned myself was a 1990 Ducati 907 PASO

I bet you meant to say a 906 Paso. The graphics and 16" from wheel give it away. I lusted after a 907 IE for ages, but ended up buying a 2 year old '91 VFR750 instead. A couple of friends had 907s but somehow I never got a chance to ride either.

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Honda Hawk, NT650GT, loved that bike.

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16 minutes ago, Lorne said:

I bet you meant to say a 906 Paso. The graphics and 16" from wheel give it away. I lusted after a 907 IE for ages, but ended up buying a 2 year old '91 VFR750 instead. A couple of friends had 907s but somehow I never got a chance to ride either.

Lol omg yes! Damn typos.... Fixing it now. 😊I also lusted over the 907 offering, I’d still have one if one came along at the right price. The first time I’d seen one was 1992 when living in Spokane WA and it really had my attention but being a young Airman with a family it really wasn’t an option. 

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1972 Honda CL350.

"Borrowed" from a friend's fathers shed. Didn't run.. cleaned out the carbs and put in a battery. Kicked her over Forever and she ran!

Learned to clutch and steer in a sheep pasture before taking her around the neighborhood

First actual registered street bike was a Ninja 250. Nice little bike

Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk

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17 years old, living at home with my parents and just heading off to University. Told my Dad that I was going to buy a motorcycle and had one of those "not over my dead body conversations". He relented when he realised I had enough money to do it anyway, and (wisely) offered to help me buy new, and he'd pay half, but it had to be no more than 125cc. Here's the result, 1982 CB125T, two tiny pistons going nowhere fast! The T was not for torque, that's for sure. I clocked up 20000km in six months, then sneakily upgraded to a CB250RS single while my parents were overseas...

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Had a  DT175 while at Auburn. I skipped a few years before my first real street bike. In 1985 I picked up an 82 CB750F with 1k miles for the sum of $1k. It was a great bike for over ten years.

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Not to sidetrack my own thread but. I’m not sure how the license process works down under and other countries but I do know when living in the UK, you members that live there have a great way to bring “kids” up on bikes. Starting small restrictions and making steps with time & experience. 
 

Anyway, carry on! 

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I think it is quite permissable to hijack your own thread! Back when I was a lad, we were limited to 250cc until you had 2 years' experience or passed a training course, then the sky was the limit. Crazy two strokes were widely available, things like RD250LCs and on up to the serious weapons like RGVs, TZRs, NSRs and KR1s.

 

Nowadays we have LAMS, learner approved motorcycle scheme, which limits power/weight, but still allows any 250cc bike (but not the ones listed above!). You can ride up to a 660cc bike if the power is limited, think Street Triples, MT07 etc. There is a three tiered system, Learners, restricted and then full; you have to hold learners for 6months before you can sit the restrcited, and hold restricted for 18 months before you can sit the full licence. You can shortcut those by taking approved training courses. Learners in addition face curfew times and can't take a passenger.

 

I followed a pretty tidy cc progression, CB125T, CB250RS, CB400N, CBX400F, VF500F, CBX750F...then oscillated, VF400F, VF750F, VF400F, VFR700F, VFR700F, VFR400F, VFR750F, RF900R, VFR800Fi, VTR1000F, ST1100, ST1300. Guess I have a been a pretty good customer for Mr Honda!

 

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First road bike was a new 1973 Honda CL350 that I bought with change that I saved up. LOL . Started riding when I was 7 yrs old, 64 now. It helps when your brother is 11 yrs older. He's still riding at the age of 75. Over the years, I had about 23 bikes. 2 HD's that I hated, a Duc 851 SP that I bought as a basket case from a dentist who was trying to restore it and was over his head. Throw in a few Honda's, 2 Yammies, one I wish I would have kept. A TZ 350. A Kaw Z1R.  Had a 1975 CB400, and a 1990 CB1 400. Matched set. LOL Wish I would have kept my '03 RC51. 

 

Dirt bikes. 125cc Puch, 250 Bultaco Pursang, '74 400 CR Husky. 250 Elsinore. KTM 200. and a few others. 

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My first mc was a 1968 CL350 also. A few thousand miles on it for $750. What a blast! But it was not much of a srcambler. Too heavy. Don't ask how I know. I sold it after a year and a half (financial reasons) and found other adrenaline producing diversions.

 

Then, also in August, 2006 I bought my first VFR800Fi. 4,000 miles, $6,000.

 

I'd test ridden a Honda 740 Shadow and did not experience the necessary rush. Then I saw an article online describing a weekend ride, two up, on a VFR Interceptor. Just what the doctor ordered. 

 

That mc was KIA'd by a goll darn fricken' hooved forest rat at 105,000 mi. (sigh!) It fulfilled a mid-life desire to tour the country on a long-distance mc. And made me a VFR addict. But, around 95,000 miles, I asked my self what I was going to do when this one wore out. That's when MBD set in.    

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  • 3 weeks later...
On 8/26/2020 at 12:04 AM, MaxSwell said:

Then, also in August, 2006 I bought my first VFR800Fi. 4,000 miles, $6,000. 

Very similar to my own experience.  Bought my '04 that month from its first owner, 4,225 miles on the clock, and I think we agreed on $6,800.  Bone stock and in like-new condition.  I'd wanted an ABS-equipped bike but settled for the perfect bike without it.  It was even the fast color!  😉 

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