What or who got you into riding?

[roggie]

when I was in my early 20s I had always thought about picking up a bike at some point, but had been discouraged by my parents for the longest time.  Then a few years ago I was finally pushed over the edge by one of my neighbors. Bob, from down the street, at the time he was 91, used to stop by and bs with me. one day i was out mowing the lawn and he was driving by and stopped to talk. half way thru our conversation a guy zipped by us on a bike. this prompted a long pause and look from Bob. He slowly turned back around to me. I was expecting a comment (he was very opinionated) like "those damn kids". but to my surprise he said "that is the one thing I have always regretted not getting into."

that was it for me. the next day I signed up for the MSF class that would take place a few months later and a week or two after that I picked up my monster.

Sadly he died before I even took my class so I never got to tell him how he'd impacted my decision...

[MendoDave]

Finally when I turned 40 I was sick of them going away and having all the fun, so I got myself a Yamaha TTR 125 (really a play bike, but not a toy to ME!)  I was instantly insanely HOOKED on riding!!!  Wanted to learn EVERYTHING!  I just loved the challenges of woods riding - having to make split-second decisions, and riding up, down, and over stuff I just couldn't believe I could!!  I hit trees, flew off into mud puddles, you name it, and never had so much fun in my life!   We all rode the woods including the Hatfield McCoy trails in VW,  and local moto tracks.  
STILL no interest in a road bike yet.  
We quit going to the moto races, because everyone was getting way too hurt - friends included. Didn't have much $ to drive the big trailer to places to ride in the woods,

Your story of woods riding is near and dear to my heart. Once I graduated from riding in a field on Trail 50's and trail 70's its the way i learned to ride. first on a DT 100 then we My friends and I just rode our Motocross bikes through the woods and raced on weekends when we could afford it.

I sold my Last Motocross Bike A CR 250R  before Going into the NAVY and was without a bike for many years. One day as I was sitting in stop & go traffic on my commute to the Oakland airport I really started taking note of all the sport bikes just cutting down the center lane like a knife through Hot butter. i knew about an old 750 interceptor that a friend had and decided that i had to get with that because the traffic was sucking. That was the start of my street bike experience. My neighbor had a 600 Monster that was kind of interesting to me but for some reason I went and bought a Super Hawk. The V twin in that thing got me addicted and I started wanting a Ducati.

[fastwin]

twistdchick,

That's got to be your S2R on page 15 of the October issue of Cycle World! I read about it before here on the board (I think?) but to have it in the World's Coolest Bikes issue of Cycle World is freaking awesome!! Great write up and pics!! Congrats girl! LOVE your bike!!!

rc51

[akmnstr]

I think there were a couple of people responsible.  A few friends had bikes when I was a kid and they would let me ride pregnant dog.  A memorable moment came when one of the coolest guys in high school gave me a ride on his 250 Yamaha smoker.  I was blown away by the acceleration (I had no idea of what was to come).  I got a job and saved money for college and to buy a bike.  Dad was all for the college but said no to the bike.  But strangely he was also the one that got me on my first bike.  When I turned 21 he loaned me the money to buy a bike.  Thanks dad for keeping me safe as a teen and realizing when I had become a man.  

[twistdchick]

twistdchick,

That's got to be your S2R on page 15 of the October issue of Cycle World! I read about it before here on the board (I think?) but to have it in the World's Coolest Bikes issue of Cycle World is freaking awesome!! Great write up and pics!! Congrats girl! LOVE your bike!!!

rc51

thanks! I'm so honored and psyched to be in Cycle World mag!  Who would have figured... a woman's bike done by a woman... I bet THAT's a first!

[BReam31]

My parents by making us stop. We always went riding motorcycles and three wheelers growing up although I rarely got to ride the motorcycles. But when my older brother was pulled off the seat of his XR75 by a strand of barbed wire someone strung across the road, my parents sold everything. After three years of growing desire on my brothers 18Th birthday he came home with an ATC 110 and we were back in. We had to buy our own bikes but we were riding again. I never really had the desire to ride before we couldn't, it was just what we did on weekends. But the desire was sure there after 3 years without it.

From dirt eventually came street.

[the_Journeyman]

11 years old.  Dad had a Suzuki TS185 which is a 2-stroke dual-sport from the 70's.  I had been riding the wheels off a Honda TRX-125 4-wheeler.  Dad rarely every rode the TS, but one day he had it out and I wanted to ride it.  Well, he explained the starting method (choke, kick start, warm up etc).  It was barely tall enough to ride it, in fact, we put a block by the shed for me to use to balance to start and get on/off.  I had to learn the clutch, and brakes, since the TRX didn't have a clutch, it was centrifugal.  I killed the motor a couple times, then dad said just rev it and let the clutch out.  Well, I did, and folks, I did the best wheelie I've done on any motorcycle since.  Held on like a champ, managed to get it set down and rode the tank dry.  I've been hooked since. 

I had my first crash on it too.  Lowsided, slid, didn't let go, rear wheel grabbed, turned into a high-side, still didn't let go and was slammed hard into the ground.  Nothing broken, a bit of a burn on my leg and that was it.  Rode it until the motor seized, put it in the shed.

Fast forward to 2001.  Graduated from college, got a real full-time job, and bought a 1981 GS650 to learn street riding.  Since then, it's been a totaled GSXR, a trip to jail, then I found Molly, my M750 back in '03.  All has been well since finding the quirky Italian mistress.  I've even added a 900SS to the stable and my wife has a Honda Hawk 650.  Seems V-twins are in my garage to stay ~

JM

[nicrosato]

And those hard to start BSA singles! Most folks today wouldn't know what an Amal carb tickler was, or a choke lever, or a fuel tank reserve or right hand shift... what the hell is a kickstarter?Huh? laughingdp laughingdp Great stuff!!! applause

My brother had that bike a few weeks before someone told him about the compression release. He had a very sore foot for a while from trying to kick it over against the compression of that big piston.

[ducatiz]

I have no idea what film it was, but some TV movie was on and they were riding.  I think I was 4 years old, and I said something like COOOOOLLL.  MY parents, in unison, both said YOU SHOULD NEVER DO THAT, MOTORCYCLES ARE DANGEROUS.

Of course, I obsessed about it after that and ended up buying my first bike on the sly when I was 16 with my lawn mowing money saved.  I found a guy selling a Ducati Bronco for $80 (!!!) and hid it behind the shed.  I rode that bike unlicensed and unregistered for about 2 years and my parents never knew.

It's also how I became a motorcycle mechanic... LOL

[slyfox]

Hmmmm .... maybe because I was too afraid to try sky-diving...

[datdude]

I've been fond of motorcycles all my life.  But if I have to pick one thing that really got the ball rolling, it was a show on HD Theater called Twist the Throttle.  I remember after watching the Ducati episode, I decided to start the process.  Starting with getting my permit, taking the MSF courses, forums lurking, and finally getting my 696.  Now, I only wished I did it sooner.

[ab]

I remember seeing a mysterious biker pass me and my friends walk home from school.  It was rare to see bikers wearing full gear where i grew up.  But this biker had all his gear and the whole thing was just mysterious.  It was almost like a super hero passing by to me (In hindsight, it was just a dual sport tall bike)  Anyhow, I promised myself that I would be like that dude one day.  Fast forward to college, well I was too poor to even afford my rent so bike was out of question.  After five years in the work world, I remembered that dream and the rest is history......

[Drunken Monkey]

Actually and earlier memory just came to me:

As a kid I lived in France for a year, and as part of the planning on where we were going next (Africa) my folks had to jump through a ton of visa hoops. Long story short, they had to get some documents delivered to them pronto.

The door-bell rang and there was this motorcycle courier outside with our paperwork. Guy was on some custom (for the time, this was the 70s) cafe bike, wearing full leathers.

I thought he was the coolest grown-up (with the coolest job) I'd ever seen.

[greenohawk69]

Grew up in Milwaukee...always hear the Harleys in summer.  Dad gave me a ride on his Harley when I was 7.  The rest is history, even if it took me a few years before I purchased my first one. 

[Bill in OKC]

In grade school, my best friend's dad owned Southwest Cycle sales in Shawnee Mission, Kansas.  He sold BSA, Triumph, Royal Enfield (the English made ones) and that new Japanese brand Suzuki.  He taught me to ride on a TC120 in back of the shop.