Any motorcycle riders here?

[Kit Sullivan]

I've always been into musclecars since I got my first car...my Mustang...all those years ago. I have had many over the years.

I have always kind of wanted a motorcycle ever since I was a kid also, but it just never transpired that I ever got one. Didn't have any friends who rode, so there was no influence.

On my 50th birthday ( 4 years ago) my wife says to me " You've been working non-stop ever since you were a kid, always take care of me and the kids, plus helping out gour brothers snd sistets when they need help too. Now its time you just did whatever you want for yourself."

So...I said I wanted a bike, she said "why not?".

I debated on many, I thought it had to be a Harley. I tested many Harleys, didnt like any of them...too small and cramped.

Finally decided on a Star ( Yamaha) "Raider" , a chopperesque, Harley- style cruiser. 1900 cc ebgine, much bigger than any Harley...appropriate for me: 6'4", 350+ lbs.

This bike has a real "musclecar" vibe to me, one of the reasons I like it so much.

I have had this bike for almost 4 years, put about 20,000 on it so far. I love riding in all the great weather here in Florida.

Who else here rides?

 

[rottenralph]

I bought my Harley Sportster in 93 and have had it ever since. I road it all over Europe while I was there and now I tool around with it for fun. My bike has been my hotrod forever and last year it had a turbo to pep it up. I was able to get it right with a carb and that was a real triumph getting the fueling right to support the crazy fast windup of the engine. A turbo on my car would work the same so the knowledge may add value some day. Bikes have there place in the stable for sure. Learned to paint on my bike as well. Mine is a 1228 sportster with about 85HP/85 TQ an with turbo it is around 120hp. That feels like a bunch on a 400 pound bike.

 

[trainey]

I ride a Kawasaki Voyager XII, touring bike (much like a Goldwing). I have a group that I ride with, we go up into the North Ga mountains, western NC, and eastern Tn all the time. Great twistys near by. Also love trips, have ridden through and beyond Sturgis a couple of times, as far as Bannf Canada. Riding into northern Mo next week, then near KC, and StL.

 

[Jeff73Mach1]

Sportster 1200 99 model

Buell White Lightning 1203 98 model (Bad mofo)

 

[72 R Code]

Oh Yes, I love to ride! I currently have a couple of BMWs, one with a sidecar. We rode the sidecar rig to California last September and are leaving for Tennessee on it this week. I got my first motorcycle shortly after I bought my Mach 1. It was a Honda 450 Scrambler. There have been several bikes since then. We traveled extensively with our kids in a 4 passenger sidecar when they were young.

 

[sicndhed]

I love bikes and riding. I built my first bike starting with a bare frame in ’83. After ten years I became interested in sport bikes. Got into Japanese (and a couple of Italian) bikes in a big way. My first sport bike was a 1994 GSXR750. During a vacation in Wisconsin picked it up almost on a whim. Rode from Green Bay to Lincoln Nebraska. Slept for a few hours then rode home which was about 80 miles south of Sacramento California. The first leg was roughly 600 miles in 12 hours. The second leg was about 1600 miles in 30 hours. When I hear people talk about "Iron Butt" on their dressers I just smile.

It was very painful to be on a sport bike that long but I thought I should just “man up”. Later that year had to go to a doctor about the pain in my wrists. Permanent nerve damage from that one trip.

 

[rottenralph]

That four passenger sidecar is quite a unit. Like that for sure.

 

[Kit Sullivan]

This is my 2010 "Raider". I love this bike!

 

[72 R Code]

This is my 2010 "Raider". I love this bike!

Very nice! Yamaha did a great job with their pushrod V twin. I have ridden many miles on Yamahas in the 80s and 90s. That was my preferred brand for a long time.

 

[MotoArts]

I used to.

Had, oh, I think about 35 different scooters between 1975 and 1995.

Here's the first one, age 7. Ran into a large boulder-ish thing in a tall grassy field.

Things didn't improve with age. Sometimes I've been accused of being somewhat out of control. A real hack, if you will!

Got married, had kids, and a developed a need for silly things like food and shelter and stuff.

Have bought and sold onesies and twosies since then, never really riding much like I used to.

But I still wanna.

And bad.

I owned 3 of these early Ninja 900's back in the day. This one I got in Charlotte, trailered it home, nitrous'd it, then T-boned a deer at night.

 

[Luke]

I love bikes and riding. I built my first bike starting with a bare frame in ’83. After ten years I became interested in sport bikes. Got into Japanese (and a couple of Italian) bikes in a big way. My first sport bike was a 1994 GSXR750. During a vacation in Wisconsin picked it up almost on a whim. Rode from Green Bay to Lincoln Nebraska. Slept for a few hours then rode home which was about 80 miles south of Sacramento California. The first leg was roughly 600 miles in 12 hours. The second leg was about 1600 miles in 30 hours. When I hear people talk about "Iron Butt" on their dressers I just smile.

It was very painful to be on a sport bike that long but I thought I should just “man up”. Later that year had to go to a doctor about the pain in my wrists. Permanent nerve damage from that one trip.

::thumb::::thumb::::thumb::::beer:: nothing says committed biker like chronic wind burn temporary deafness and a permanent injury.

 

[sicndhed]

I love bikes and riding. I built my first bike starting with a bare frame in ’83. After ten years I became interested in sport bikes. Got into Japanese (and a couple of Italian) bikes in a big way. My first sport bike was a 1994 GSXR750. During a vacation in Wisconsin picked it up almost on a whim. Rode from Green Bay to Lincoln Nebraska. Slept for a few hours then rode home which was about 80 miles south of Sacramento California. The first leg was roughly 600 miles in 12 hours. The second leg was about 1600 miles in 30 hours. When I hear people talk about "Iron Butt" on their dressers I just smile.

It was very painful to be on a sport bike that long but I thought I should just “man up”. Later that year had to go to a doctor about the pain in my wrists. Permanent nerve damage from that one trip.

::thumb::::thumb::::thumb::::beer:: nothing says committed biker like chronic wind burn temporary deafness and a permanent injury.

It’s funny, a lot of people tell me that I’m no biker. When I built my Shovelhead even though I raked it, welded it, molded it and painted it in my garage some of the guys I rode with had heartburn because I had a friend who rode a Kawasaki and I would ride with him. To others it’s no chain wallet, no HD t shirt = no biker. Even some sport bike rides have a problem with you if you don’t want to play when there are cars in the way.

The thing that has gotten me to cut back on riding is being self-employed. If I default on a contract (being hospitalized is no excuse) I would probably not get any follow on work from that customer.

 

[Luke]

I love bikes and riding. I built my first bike starting with a bare frame in ’83. After ten years I became interested in sport bikes. Got into Japanese (and a couple of Italian) bikes in a big way. My first sport bike was a 1994 GSXR750. During a vacation in Wisconsin picked it up almost on a whim. Rode from Green Bay to Lincoln Nebraska. Slept for a few hours then rode home which was about 80 miles south of Sacramento California. The first leg was roughly 600 miles in 12 hours. The second leg was about 1600 miles in 30 hours. When I hear people talk about "Iron Butt" on their dressers I just smile.

It was very painful to be on a sport bike that long but I thought I should just “man up”. Later that year had to go to a doctor about the pain in my wrists. Permanent nerve damage from that one trip.

::thumb::::thumb::::thumb::::beer:: nothing says committed biker like chronic wind burn temporary deafness and a permanent injury.

It’s funny, a lot of people tell me that I’m no biker. When I built my Shovelhead even though I raked it, welded it, molded it and painted it in my garage some of the guys I rode with had heartburn because I had a friend who rode a Kawasaki and I would ride with him. To others it’s no chain wallet, no HD t shirt = no biker. Even some sport bike rides have a problem with you if you don’t want to play when there are cars in the way.

The thing that has gotten me to cut back on riding is being self-employed. If I default on a contract (being hospitalized is no excuse) I would probably not get any follow on work from that customer.

Yep that old you need a shirt or ya can't wear sneakers on a HD. Owned a Harley since I was 19 only had 3 Harley tee shirts in that time 2 where given to my by the dealer and 1 was a present from Mexico. It's riding that makes you a biker not all the other Shit.

Me,Few more tattoos and lots more grey in the beard now, managed to crack 96hp out of this unported 80incher

 

[mdan575]

I tend to ignore the morons why want to be selective about who is a biker and who isn't. Tend to ride more on my own for that very reason. To many judgmental fu*%@ who think they define who or what someone is. I have been riding a lil old Vulcan 500 for years. Customizations here and there over the years but it is a good little bike that rides well. Changed the sprockets for better gearing. Dumped the spoked wheels for an aluminum set I cleaned up had powder coated and life is good.

 

[sicndhed]

Good stuff in this thread. I hope to ride with you fellow 71-73ers one of these days.

 

[rottenralph]

Best rally ever went to was an all bikes rally in Germany. It was about the journey and not the brand. I ride mainly by myself because of the peace and tranquility.

 

[Kit Sullivan]

To me a nice ride on a beautiful day is great therapy. You never see a bike parked in front of a psychiatrist's office.

 

[Luke]

To me a nice ride on a beautiful day is great therapy. You never see a bike parked in front of a psychiatrist's office.

Agreed Kit. No such thing as a bad ride.

 

[Kit Sullivan]

The therapuetic part of the ride to me is the fact that you are immersed in nature with no casual interruptuons from other humans possible...for the most part.

That is why I have enjoyed scuba diving for almost 40 years: all nature, no jarring interruptuons. My friends kids have ruined that though, with waterproof cases for thier cell phones.

The sight of those two sitting on the bottom at 40-50 feet, not more than 15 feet from each other, texting to each other is frustrating to me. Surrounded by the magnificent beauty of ocean life and the enviroment around them, and all they care about is how cool it is to text underwater.

They are the same with thier bikes: always looking for the perfect bluetooth helmet to allow them to chat on the phone while riding.

It must be a generational thing: today's youth can't seem to function without having a constant connection or communication with someone.

What ever happened to enjoying some quiet solitude?