What was your first bike?

"57 (?) Triumph Cub in 1968. After I got back from SE Asia. It was a real basket case. Motor was in a waste basket with a bad rod. Wow, 50 years ago.

My first was a Cushman Model 721 Highlander. Thought i was a bad ass.

One of these little fuckers, 35 downhill flat out, would regularly blow headlight bulbs, 9000 mpg

I started out on a well worn version of one of these. We bought it at a garage sale for $35 on the last day of school in the 4th grade. I got to mow lawns for the whole summer to pay it off but it was well worth it, my only regret is that I don't still have it.

59 Cushman super eagle in junior high. It would do 60ish, and sounded pretty bad shifting from first to second; could usually make it backfire. Bought it for $60, sold it for $100 after painting it. Thought I'd learned a trade, so bought a newer one for $160. Was lucky to sell it for $125 after painting it. That was the start of my long term history of selling bikes for a loss. Still at it, only now for more negative money. roy

1975 CB360T
Bought used for $250.00, kept for about 10 years, sold for $1200.00



Followed by a 1984 GPZ 550 - almost new with less than 1000kms.
It scared the guy that bought it new, I think he traded on a 440LTD. His loss for sure.


yes, I had hair then.




Followed a couple of years later by a 1985 GPZ750
( I was working at a local Kawasaki dealer, and bought it new as a non-current model - around 1987 I think???)

One of the bikes I wish I still had.



.........after that, many years, many dealerships and countless bikes.

1968/9 I went halfs with a mate on a Honda SS125, I was 13/14yrs old, 4yrs later I bought my first road bike to legally ride on the road, a 1970 Triumph 650 Trophy X-Police bike, never been without a bike since.

EDIT; Sorry got the bike wrong

My parents tried to keep me away from anything motorcycle related. This only added fuel to the fire. In 1967 my uncle offered to sell me a 1962 Vespa 90. To my disbelief, my mom told me that if I could somehow get up the $40.00 to buy it, I could. I worked all Summer mowing lawns, babysitting and selling flower seed packets that got from an Ad in a comic book and I finally had enough to buy the beast.
My uncle delivered as promised and within .5 seconds I crashed it. I was hooked from that point. The only problem I had was a baby blue Vespa could never stack up to the Hodakas my friends were riding and I had to endure much ridicule. I decided something had to change. I sold my bicycle and bought two cans of metal flake red spray paint. That took care of the baby blue Vespa but I had to immediately sell it. After all, who wants to be seen on a metal flake PURPLE scooter?

71 Ossa Stiletto TT, it was a wild thing for sure, I still want it back.

What a beauty.

http://www.ossaplanet.com/images/71ttstilettobrochuretrim1.jpg

Havn't got any pictures of it, but it was a battered Suzuki TS250 1974-ish model bought in 76...a great summer

It depends on what you are talking about. When I was a pre-schooler my father the Matchless dealer/racer was building a special 650cs scrambler which he said was mine, he would give it to me someday, but when he got rid of his dealership he sold it with the lot and I was pissed, he had forgotten what he said maybe but I didn't. Later on I used to ride a little Gilera single through the woods which my father had laying around. My first motorcycle I purchased myself was a 1971 Bultaco Alpina for $175 which I rode through the woods like a maniac for a few years. My first road-bike I purchased was a 56' BSA Road-Rocket 650cc for $75 which I never got finished because I was able to buy a 73' Commando that was ready for the road for $500 out the door from it's original owner.

In '67 I bought a Triumph TR6 for $635. He wanted $650 but he had crashed into a fire plug and broke the clutch cable. I went to see him in the hospital and made the deal. The hex shaped bruise on his chest didn't scare me off. I rode that bike for many miles and lived to tell about it. I still get excited when a see an old Triumph but don't want to pay 10 times more for it than I did in '67.

I totally forgot the 1955 T-20 Tiger Cub that I went in partners with my Dad and older brother. We bought it for $150 in Atlanta when I was in the 9th grade. I was surprised when they let me take off on it by myself. No drivers license, no helmet, but totally exciting.
Tony in Tn

I picked up a beaten Honda 1978 XL 175.
I had a blast on that thing riding around the sand and through the city
I think I paid$100. In retrospect thinking back it was too cheap.

66 Honda S90 $150 Bought in 1969 at ripe old age of 14. Put a knobby on so I could ride it in the woods. If I remember correctly kept burning out the xener diode.

First ride. Yamaha JT1. Bikes and rider got bigger over the years!

1974 +/- CZ 250 enduro, from a guy in rhode island that was importing them. you could buy one in a crate for $900 or assembled for $1100 iirc. bullet-proof engine, trans, frame, bars and controls. crap electrics for lighting, etc. way down on hp compared to the 250 mx. sold it, moved to sf and bought an 850 commando.

pic from 1974, age 22

1st Bike at 25 years old, 1985 Honda CB700SC ( Nighthawk S), black and red...couldn't find a black and blue one close. Riding had been very limited to brief in town rides, road bike on the interstate 140 miles home. The Nighthawk was a shaft drive...seeds for BMW's were planted!!! 2nd Bike was 1 993 K1100RS....

Beautiful. First bike I ever rode. Belonged to my uncle. Hooked!

1970 Honda CL 100