Photo of your first motorcycle

[Graydog]

I wonder how many of us have pictures of our first motorcycle? My son called me the other night and mentioned that his mom (my first ex) had brought over a scrapbook with a picture of the bike we used to run around on. It got me to wondering if I remembered the old girl correctly (the bike not the bitch) :roll: so I Googled and there she was in all her glory! Of course it wasn't my exact bike but the same model and year. There were so many things I had forgotten about that bike.

Wonder what the chances are of finding that exact bike if it still exists?

On Speed channel last night I saw a discussion about old farts who have made a quest of finding a car they owned as a teenager (the exact one...not one like it). Some of those cars were still around and the old guys bought them back.

Well I guess this is sort of a silly thread on a board that is full of new bikers who still own their first bike....but it was a thought. I must be bored?? :yawn:

[alanmcorcoran]

My first three cars were two pieces of shit and a moped. One of them is rotting in a junkyard in Cincinnatus NY where it was towed after I plowed it head on into a Ford Station wagon at about 50 mph each. The other is quietly resting (rusting) in Poughkeepsie, where it is slumbering about three miles down an unpaved road where it gave up the ghost back in like '82. The moped was ripped off. That's the only one I might be interested in seeing again, if only to give the current owner a good swift kick in the balls.

Now, if you wanna talk old girlfriends...

PS. If you want to see a picture of my first motorcycle, take a look at my avatar.

[Sarris]

This is a photo of a Hodaka Ace 100B that looks like my second bike. It's one that I should have kept. I don't have any pictures of any of my first few bikes, but I found this Hodaka photo a few years ago and saved it because the photo is the exact model and color of the one I owned.

http://www.postimage.org/Pq1fy5cA.jpg (http://www.postimage.org/image.php?v=Pq1fy5cA)

[Graydog]

Sarris, I remember seeing those bikes around for a while in the early 70s if I remember right. What happened to them?

[music man]

Here was my first HOG. This is not the actual one but it is the same year, size, and color, it is a 1983 Suzuki FA50. Now I know all of you are very impressed, especially when I tell you I got it when I was ten, I rode that thing to hell and back.


Later



[attachment=1:1q6gzpok]1983 suzuki fa50.jpg[/attachment:1q6gzpok][attachment=1]

[caroledee1]

I saved up my money from detasseling corn and bean-walking to buy my 1st motorcycle in 1976. A Yamaha 125 Enduro just like this one.
http://www.postimage.org/Pq1gNQqJ.jpg (http://www.postimage.org/image.php?v=Pq1gNQqJ)

[Sarris]

Grey;

Those babies are long gone. The parent company Pabatco (Pacific Bay Trading Company) couldn't make the emission standards with their 2 stroke motor. It was a fast and well built little bike. Not many survive today.

[Graydog]

I saved up my money from detasseling corn and bean-walking to buy my 1st motorcycle in 1976. A Yamaha 125 Enduro just like this one.
http://www.postimage.org/Pq1gNQqJ.jpg (http://www.postimage.org/image.php?v=Pq1gNQqJ)

Bean walking???

[Easy Rider]

Bean walking???

Another city boy, I see !!

You walk through the soy bean fields and chop out the weeds.
Not done so much anymore 'casue of improved herbicides.

[Graydog]

Bean walking???

Another city boy, I see !!

You walk through the soy bean fields and chop out the weeds.
Not done so much anymore 'casue of improved herbicides.

Well I've shucked corn, picked and shelled peas, picked cotton, defuzzed peaches, etc. but I have never "bean walked". :??:

[caroledee1]

Well I've shucked corn, picked and shelled peas, picked cotton, defuzzed peaches, etc. but I have never "bean walked". :??:


It sounds like you've had plenty of character building jobs. My son bailed hay this summer. You haven't missed much as far as bean-walking goes. I used to get 50 cents an hour back then! :lol:

[Graydog]

Hey Music Man...did you wind it up with a key :lol:

Actually I worked for AMF back when they owned Harley. At the plant in Little Rock
they dabbled with making some Mo-Peds just like that. They needed testers and I had
two young sons. We tried everything to kill those things (they wanted us to trash them
as much as possible). I had my kids ride them into water then sand, dropped them,
wrecked them, they just wouldn't die! They were like that damned battery rabbit...they
just kept on going. I have no idea if they ever went into production.

[Graydog]

Hell I started the topic and forgot to add my picture :retard:

Now isn't this beautiful! Dig that headlight.

http://i349.photobucket.com/albums/q398/graydogs/Jawa1958.jpg

[Sarris]

Hey Grey;

I'm guessing its a Jawa, but you didn't say.

:oops:

[Graydog]

Hey Grey;

I'm guessing its a Jawa, but you didn't say.

:oops:


Double :retard: :retard:

Yep. 1958 Jawa. Mine never looked this good except maybe the first day I brought it home.
It was all downhill from there. 5 years later I had cut and slashed it so much I was using it as a hill climber and for rocket runs.

[Sarris]

I'd damn sure like to have that one today. How 'bout you?? :cry:

[music man]

Hey Graydog, did those AMF's have the whole bicycle pedal to start backup on them by any chance? And no actually it was electric start with a kick start backup I think, too long ago to remember if it actually had an electric start.


Later

[Graydog]

I'd damn sure like to have that one today. How 'bout you?? :cry:


Oh yes. I was surprised to find on the net a Jawa collectors group. I know there were quite a few of us back then so I shouldn't have been surprised. Before the Asian bike invasion everyone rode Trumpets, BSAs, (If I remember right you could buy a BSA through Sears then). O_o
Jawas, Harleys, and Indians. The Jawa was the bottom feeder of the group but for an "Iron Curtain" bike it was pretty good.

Actually I never got rid of that bike. I was going overseas so I disassembled what was left of it it and put all the parts in the shed. I guess my folks figured I would never survive my tour as it and everything else I owned was gone when I returned. :cuss: They CNKed (claimed no knowledge) on the matter and I let it drop. Fooled them though...still here! :crackup

[mrlmd1]

Here's my first bike, a Honda Superhawk 305, picture taken in Iowa City, Ia. in 1974. My son is sitting on the tank holding on to a crossbar connecting the handlebars.
Haven't been on a bike since ?Nov-Dec.'07 when I got my used '99 GZ 250. Don't know why I waited so long.

It's amazing - back then you got on a bike 10 min after someone showed you the controls and you were off, figuring out everything by yourself, not having a clue what you were doing or what could go wrong, but you managed to get the hang of it, ride, have fun and stay safe and alive.
Now, you have to take a 10 hour course with written and road tests, and your mind is so filled with things to think about every second, and the dire consequences about what can happen if you don't pay attention for a fraction of a second, it's amazing any of us survive.
http://www.postimage.org/aV1kD9A0.jpg (http://www.postimage.org/image.php?v=aV1kD9A0)

[NoMates]

Heres a pic of my first bike. An 05 YZF 250. I tell ya it taught me to stay upright pretty quickly.. Blasting through the forests here in NZ taught me some valuable bike control lessons. And hurt me some too. :cry:
http://www.postimage.org/aV1yYsKi.jpg (http://www.postimage.org/image.php?v=aV1yYsKi)

[mld85]

My first bike a 1980 Honda CX500 Custom, I still have it and am in the process of changing a few things here and there on her.
[attachment=0:10gxxwb5]hondacx500.JPG[/attachment:10gxxwb5]

[patrick_777]

I really like that bike, mld. Very classy.

[mr. softie]

I rode one like this through Europe summer of 1971. 1966(?) BSA Lightning 650. Bought in London, Rode through England, France, Switzerland, Italy, Germany back to London. A summer I will never forget.
http://www.postimage.org/aV1Eglr0.jpg (http://www.postimage.org/image.php?v=aV1Eglr0)

[mld85]

The CX bikes are good for the cold days with that transverse twin you just let your knees slide forward and they are warm.

[Dupo]

My FIRST bike was a 80-something Yamaha 750. Traded a 55 gallon fish tank to get it lol. Had it running once, took it for a ride and hit 90 mph on my first ride. Almost popped the front wheel 2x while up shifting (no clue what i was doing other than going FAST). After that it had an electrical problem that i couldnt figure out. Gave it to my dad and he traded it in on a used bike for himself.

My first REAL bike that actually was road worthy was my red GZ.

http://www.dupo24.com/gallery/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=379&g2_serialNumber=1

[trykemike]

here is a link to the bike that I rode when I was a kid

http://www.livablelandscape.org/CYCLES/ ... ochure.htm (http://www.livablelandscape.org/CYCLES/CL350K0brochure.htm)

[Water Warrior 2]

here is a link to the bike that I rode when I was a kid

http://www.livablelandscape.org/CYCLES/ ... ochure.htm (http://www.livablelandscape.org/CYCLES/CL350K0brochure.htm)

Pretty good bike for their time. They were also one of the only bikes of that era and style that was a 4 stroke. Most if not all other Japanese bikes were 2 strokes of that era and style. The Honda was cleaner, quieter and more acceptable to the neighbors on Sunday morning.

[jonathan180iq]

Here's my first bike:

2003 Kawasaki Ninja 250
I know the angles are wierd but they are all I have left of the originals. I can come up with a better shot from the home computer.


http://www.postimage.org/gxEglCS.jpg (http://www.postimage.org/image.php?v=gxEglCS)

http://www.postimage.org/Pq1qEi8A.jpg (http://www.postimage.org/image.php?v=Pq1qEi8A)

http://www.postimage.org/gxEgt6i.jpg (http://www.postimage.org/image.php?v=gxEgt6i)

[purslant]

This is the first bike I owned. I got it when I was 17 in 77.
I rode it all over Waco until about 1985, then just off road.
Last time I had it running was in 95, but the gas tank leaked so bad I had to stop riding.
I'm working on getting it going again.
http://www.postimage.org/aV1MqJQ9.jpg (http://www.postimage.org/image.php?v=aV1MqJQ9)

This is the bike I learned to ride on when I was 14. Suzuki 250 that belong to my brother in law.
Yes that is me on it, in 74.
http://www.postimage.org/aV1MrVFr.jpg (http://www.postimage.org/image.php?v=aV1MrVFr)

[alanmcorcoran]

Funny how all pictures from the seventies kind of look the same.

[Water Warrior 2]

This is the first bike I owned. I got it when I was 17 in 77.
I rode it all over Waco until about 1985, then just off road.
Last time I had it running was in 95, but the gas tank leaked so bad I had to stop riding.
I'm working on getting it going again.
http://www.postimage.org/aV1MqJQ9.jpg (http://www.postimage.org/image.php?v=aV1MqJQ9)

This is the bike I learned to ride on when I was 14. Suzuki 250 that belong to my brother in law.
Yes that is me on it, in 74.
http://www.postimage.org/aV1MrVFr.jpg (http://www.postimage.org/image.php?v=aV1MrVFr)

The TS 250 was an awsome bike in it's day. 22 Hp that would not quite. There was also a TS 400 but it was not as good in the handling dept. but could pull wheelies all day.

[5th_bike]

When I was 14 or so I found one of these at the neighborhood trash pickup, fixed a flat tire, put some gas in, and it ran:

http://www.postimage.org/Pq2QfJl0.jpg (http://www.postimage.org/image.php?v=Pq2QfJl0)

(This one isn't mine, but I had two Solexes like that)
Note the forced air cooling - from the left side of the engine, air is blown towards the cylinder by fan blades around the magneto-alternator/generator. Also, note the carburator just behind the cylinder, above the gas tank at the right side of the engine. I remember once putting 5 cents of gasoline in it, which was 2 dollarcents at that time (around 1970). Usually it took up to two dimes of gasoline (50 Dutch cents). The exhaust was just a tiny pipe leading to a cute little round drum. It was a very economical 35 cc two-stroke engine.
Its default throttle setting was "full open", to reduce throttle you had to squeeze the little lever (see pic) at the right handlebar, and when you let go of the lever, off it went, purrrrr.
To start it, you had to bicycle forward, and then lower the engine onto the front wheel. Note the handle for the engine and its hook at the steering column. It did have a centrifugal clutch that enabled you to stop with the engine running.

Then, on my 16th birthday, I got a 'real' Puch moped like this one:

http://www.postimage.org/gx1hmgXS.jpg (http://www.postimage.org/image.php?v=gx1hmgXS)

This was a 50cc two-stroke moped with forced air cooling, note the air conduit around the cylinder. It had two gears, and it ran 45-50 kmh whereas the Solexes only went around 25 kmh max.! The frame is just a few bent plates welded together.
The clutch, gear shifter, front & rear brakes, throttle - all controls were exactly in the same spot as today's motorcycles !
The Puch served me fine for about five years, until I got a cage (Citroen 2CV).

[patrick_777]

For some reason, I just got the hankering to visit the Netherlands.

[music man]

For some reason, I just got the hankering to visit the Netherlands.


I second that Emotion. :twisted:

[zoned10x]

Had to borrow this photo from suzukicycles.org, but my first 'real motorcycle' back in 1965 was a 150cc two-stroke twin Suzuki S32. In those days synthetic oil was rare, so it was common to add outboard motor oil to the gas. The result was fouled plugs every 80 miles, but the routine was accepted. The little bike was PDQ for the displacement, easily outrunning the similar Honda CA-95 150cc four-stroke.

http://www.suzukicycles.org/photos/S32/1966_S32-2_bw_760.jpg

[Water Warrior 2]

Sounds like you have a soft spot in your heart for 2 strokes. The Hustler was an awesome street bike in it's time. A friend had one and loved it but he was dismayed to find out it wouldn't float. A very funny afternoon for all of us.