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I am curious what people like. I grew up on 1000 cc Kawasaki's. I love horsepower. Always will. My daughter moved in with me. Her "boyfriend " has a 919 Honda. I went and cruised it for a minute. Damn that bike is strong. I was a Kawasaki boy from day one. I hung out with all the Harley fools. The Suzuki fools. My Daughter's boyfriend said try this. I shouldn't have. I am two wheels deep. I am about to buy this from him. I am a Kawasaki man deep. First bike I ever rode was a KZ750. Then I ride the first Z-1r in existence. I couldn't touch the rear brake or shift. My oldest brother was behind me. Clutch and throttle I was good.
I had Honda Super Sports -- '79 CB750F, '81 CB900F and '83 CB1100F. My friends had: '77 Yamaha RD400, '79 Suzuki GS750, '83 Suzuki GS 750E, '75 Honda 400-4 Super Sport, and one guy had an absolutely sinister Kawasaki KH750 H2 -- 2-stroke triple. That thing was treacherous.
I never could get into street bikes. A little off topic but I was into off road 3 and 4 wheelers from 3 years old to 38 years old. Motocross, extreme freeride, and freestyle jumps mostly. Hard core Honda guy. Ride the Red! My last 4 wheeler race bike and my last 3 wheeler race bike. Retired from off road in 2011 but was talked into bringing my boots out of retirement for a flat track race a couple weeks ago. Finished 2nd out of 3 riders in Pro Am class. I was happy with that for not riding in over a decade.
98% of all Harleys ever sold are still on the road!!!
The other 2% made it home!!!!
Last one was 1983 Honda Goldwing Interstate. With all the whistles and bells. AM, FM Cassette and CB. CB would come over the radio, if you adjusted it just right. For anyone nearby. Air compressor for rear shocks. Trailer hitch. A lever that used the starter for the bike to backup. All the saddlebags with built in bags to take into motel. Laid it down twice, took every bit of strength to get back up. Had to be close to 700 pounds. Fast, but a gas hog if you did.
Learn to ride at the Brown's Hotel Loch Sheldrake, NY. 16 -19. We used them to get around the very large hotel complex. To do maintenance repairs. In winter when it was closed. I sometimes ran the Honda 125 down the hallway of the hotel. Even used the elevators to go to different floors. It was wild to fly down the hallway.
Old 125 suzuki 2 stroke, you had to add the 2 stroke oil into it own tank. 250 Yamaha SX new. Fast Honda 700 shadow new
I never could get into street bikes. A little off topic but I was into off road 3 and 4 wheelers from 3 years old to 38 years old. Motocross, extreme freeride, and freestyle jumps mostly. Hard core Honda guy. Ride the Red! My last 4 wheeler race bike and my last 3 wheeler race bike. Retired from off road in 2011 but was talked into bringing my boots out of retirement for a flat track race a couple weeks ago. Finished 2nd out of 3 riders in Pro Am class. I was happy with that for not riding in over a decade.
My fav from many was my 72 Kawasaki H2 750 Triple 2 stroke (nicknamed the widow maker)
I still have the 2009 HD & 2015 Yamaha
side note - I shipped my Venture to London by boat in 1992 and drove around Europe for a month ...
BIKES
69 Honda Mini Trail 70
73 Suzuki TM 125
71 Kawasaki 500 H1
72 Kawasaki 750 H2
77 Suzuki PE 175
78 Suzuki 1000
80 Suzuki 1100 E
87 Yamaha Venture 1300
02 Suzuki DRZ 400
93 Kawasaki ZX1100 D
06 Husqvarna TE 510
08 Kawasaki Concours 1400
09 Harley Road Glide SE CVO FLTRSE3
15 Yamaha WR250R
I have owned so many bikes. This was one of my favorites. Was so much fun back in the day. 84 GPZ 750 turbo.
And all the KZ's
The late 70's 900Kz was just frick'n kick ***.
Traded my 750LTD for a ZL900 Eliminator built like a hill climber, Ninga Motor with a mid range "get it" valve train, and a big ole fat rear tire for hook'n up. Had a super hard time making that front wheel leave more that 4" of the grade, hook up and boogie.
My fav from many was my 72 Kawasaki H2 750 Triple 2 stroke (nicknamed the widow maker)
That was the first bike I rode. It was blue. Blue decals. I owned a couple KH 500's too. I got cought in a sudden blizzard on one. Ha ha. Only time I ever rode in the snow.
I don't think I could even name all my bikes.
Originally Posted by otto72
And all the KZ's
The late 70's 900Kz was just frick'n kick ***.
.
Should have seen when my brother brought home that Z1-r. It was something you had never seen in 1977.
That 750 turbo was wicked fast. We had three in our family at the same time.
Currently, I ride an Indian...I've had motorcycles the majority of my life since 14 y.o.
Norm I remember reading one of your previous threads on a reply. You took a trip when you retired out to the north west with the Indian and a toyhauler. Cool stuff, things like that will never be a regret or forgotten.
Grew up with dirt bikes, Kawasaki for the most part, a 175. Traded it for a 400 triple. I was motorcycle poor for several
years after marriage. Picked up a 81 750 LTD, rode it for a while and traded it for a 73 MG. Picked up a 1100 Yamaha shaft drive
for a bit till the clutch started slipping. Off again for another 10 years or so. This is my new to me old project now. It's a '73 H-1 triple.
Norm I remember reading one of your previous threads on a reply. You took a trip when you retired out to the north west with the Indian and a toyhauler. Cool stuff, things like that will never be a regret or forgotten.
Keith - That was an awesome tour.
My first motorcycle was a Honda 105 or 125 (can’t recall). I began riding Enduro class trails with it - what a joke, I was 14 y.o. Buried it in mud 2-3 times - I mean buried as in covered the engine, bike weighed a ton for that style riding, it was what I could afford. After a couple engines, modifying the frame, etc. I sold it and moved on to Ducatis, Yamahas, Bultacos, & CZs. Did the H-D thing growing older with several models.
I do not recall the 750 Turbo, Thanks for sharing that info.
The first one I rode was my oldest brother's bike. He told me you better hold on. I said I have ridden plenty big bore bikes.... He wasn't kidding. Ran fast as a 750. Once that turbo came on holy crap. It was the fastest street bike you could buy at the time.
Rode dirt bikes from age 10 to 55. Mostly Yamaha and Suzuki. Learned to ride in the California deserts. Raced a lot of desert races, taught both my boys how to ride as well as my wife. At 55 I started to feel like I couldn’t ride at the level I normally did. My reactions weren't as sharp as they used to be and started having more “close calls”. I decided to sell it all and get more into classic cars and going wine tasting with my wife. I still miss it but not enough to get back out there and have a negative life changing event. I guess it is just a part of mid life growing up.
At extreme risk of total ridicule, here is the one that started it all.
Circa 1966, Keystone 2-cycle 50cc mini-bike, I was 7
I did alot of trail and local motocross riding through the 70's until going to college in 1977. I even had a sponsorship from the local Suzuki dealer from '74 - '77. Here's the other bikes of my youth:
- Keystone 50cc mini-bike
- Speedway Shrike Tecumseh 5hp mini-bike
- Honda SL100
- Honda 125 Elsinore
- Suzuki TM 250
- Suzuki TM 400 (appropriately named the widow maker)
- Suzuki GS 750, my 1st road bike that I kept through Grad School in '83.
After getting out of college and getting a real job in '83, I was out of riding until 2008 when I bought a 2006 Kawasaki Vulcan Classic 1600cc.
2006 Kawaski Vulcan Classic 1600cc
Then my wife decided she liked riding with me and wanted something more plush so I sold the 1600 and bought a 2014 Kawaski Vulcan Vaquero 1700cc with all the amenities..
2014 Kawasaki Vulcan Vaquero 1700cc. Kawasaki's knock-off of the HD Roadglide, with the frame mounted fairing. I will say this was the smoothest and most stable bike I ever had for high speed highway riding.
The Kawasaki 1700cc was a great bike for cruising with Momma, but I wanted a Street Beast. So, I kept the Kawasaki 1700cc, and found a 2010 Yamaha Stratoliner Deluxe 1900cc. The Yamaha was customized and tuned by a famous Metric street bike tuner in Congers, NY by the name of Ivan Rovinsky. The ECU was flashed to remove all factory limiters, had a custom airbox, Vance & Hines 2 into 1 Pro-pipe, and a PC5 fuel controller for custom tuning. Dyno'ed max speed 140 mph! I now have it set-up for solo.
2010 Yamaha Stratoliner Deluxe 1900cc configured for 2-up touring when I bought it. I still have this bike.
2010 Yamaha Stratoliner Deluxe 1900cc configured for solo riding now.
In 2017 I saw a great deal on a super low mileage 2016 Indian Chieftain 1811cc. Maybe a 1-of-1, I've never seen another black one with the custom full color Indian Headress on the tank. Lots of custom blacked out parts like the air cleaner, horn cover, fairing headlight bezel area, and the lighted Indian on the front fender. I traded in the 2014 Kawasaki for this bike. It is now my cruising bike with Momma. Pretty much a bucket list bike for me.
2016 Indian Chieftain 1811cc
2016 Indian Chieftain 1811cc
I still currently own the 2010 Yamaha and the 2016 Indian.
Last edited by Dream67Olds442; July 26th, 2023 at 08:04 AM.
Motorcycles are a Big contribution to why my cars are not finished !
Bought my first sport bike in 1988 and have always had at least one ever since. I’ve been riding dirt bikes since ‘82. Love the two strokes !
Did a track day a couple weeks ago at UMC on my 16 year old SV1000. It was quite an experience doing full throttle redline shifts to 142mph.....and grabbing another gear !
Family photo’s 1986 ninja 600 and 1000 2006 KX250,1993 KDX 200 2005 R6 track bike Taken in 2016 2007 SV1000 2005 VFR 800 2006,1994,KX250 1993 KDX 200
Last edited by 1of1442; July 25th, 2023 at 09:09 PM.
Some nice bikes in this thread. I have never really spent much time on a dresser. I am sure I would get used to it. Dream Olds you have good taste. Lordy.
It felt so good to get back on a bike. It has been years really. Felt so comfortable immediately.
Last edited by no1oldsfan; July 25th, 2023 at 10:30 PM.
Some nice bikes in this thread. I have never really spent much time on a dresser. I am sure I would get used to it. Dream Olds you have good taste. Lordy.
It felt so good to get back on a bike. It has been years really. Felt so comfortable immediately.
no1oldsfan - Thanks for the compliment on my bikes and thank you for starting this thread! This thread brings back such great memories. I love reading about everyone else's riding experiences and bikes.
Cosmic Charlie - Wow, just wow, what an impressive list of classic bikes you've owned, I'm very impressed!
1of1442 - I can certainly see why your car projects are lagging with that impressive stable of bikes, very cool!
Norm - I may have said this before, but your Indian Vintage Chief may be the classiest bike I've ever seen. I've also always been impressed with all the places you've ridden it to!
bought this new in 1980 still riding today with over 100k trouble free miles,looks a little different due to being broadsided by a 74 cutlass in '82 and rebuilt.owned 4 other new harleys.all the naysayers without first hand knowledge,harley does build a good machine,probably why other manufacturers copy them
My old 1983 Honda Goldwing Interstate I bought second hand. Before I change the fairing windshield and added better cup holder. The rare windshield was not made for driving at night.
Bike Buoy a must. Would keep your drink upright almost no matter what. Could ride it in the cold, as long it did not go below 50 degrees on the highway.
My old 1983 Honda Goldwing Interstate I bought second hand. Before I change the fairing windshield and added better cup holder. The rare windshield was not made for driving at night.
Bike Buoy a must. Would keep your drink upright almost no matter what. Could ride it in the cold, as long it did not go below 50 degrees on the highway.
Sweet bike, the Cadillac of highway cruisers! I've headed out for a long ride many a morning on my Indian with the temp in the mid to high 30's. I will only do that when I'm fairly certain the temp is going to climb into the mid-50's. It's sure nice having a heated seat and grips, they make a helluva difference.
Sweet bike, the Cadillac of highway cruisers! I've headed out for a long ride many a morning on my Indian with the temp in the mid to high 30's. I will only do that when I'm fairly certain the temp is going to climb into the mid-50's. It's sure nice having a heated seat and grips, they make a helluva difference.
It did ride like a Cadillac. No heated seat or grips back in the day. How do you keep your face from freezing?
It did ride like a Cadillac. No heated seat or grips back in the day. How do you keep your face from freezing?
The windshield on the fairing of the Indian Chieftains is motorized so you can adjust the height from a switch on the handle bars. If it's really cold I adjust the windshield to just below eye level, and with the recurve on the upper portion of the windshield it directs 99% of the windflow above my helmet keeping me very comfortable.
Wow, lots of y'all into bikes. I've been riding since I was 7 in 1972, since my father was really into bikes. I remember when he got his '72 Kaw H-1 500 2-stroke. That thing was ridiculous. Can't believe he never killed us on it. I started on a 1960s Yamaha 60cc 4 stroke dirtbike when I was 7. This graduated to a Yamaha 175 Enduro when I was 12. I kept that and eventually put it on the street when I got my license when I was 16. I then bought a 1982 Yamaha 550 Seca when I was 19. 4 cylinder cafe style bike. Rode that for many years.
Fast forward to now. My current one is a 2014 Yamaha FZ-09 I got in 2015. I was gonna ride it to work today, but it was supposed to rain all morning, so it will have to be tomorrow. Great thread!
Fast forward to now. My current one is a 2014 Yamaha FZ-09 I got in 2015. I was gonna ride it to work today, but it was supposed to rain all morning, so it will have to be tomorrow. Great thread!
Another Yamaha man, sweet bike! Best thing about Yamaha's, the engines are known for being bullet proof!
The windshield on the fairing of the Indian Chieftains is motorized so you can adjust the height from a switch on the handle bars. If it's really cold I adjust the windshield to just below eye level, and with the recurve on the upper portion of the windshield it directs 99% of the windflow above my helmet keeping me very comfortable.
You are a tougher man than me. I even grew a big hillbilly beard in winter. Trying to stay warm. When I would go back in NYC. Everyone called me a mountain man.
I like your Indian! I miss riding. I still have my motorcycle license. But too many close calls with car drivers.
My NYS trooper friend give me his old gray shirts, no patches. And with white half helmet with black visor, dark sunglass in summer. Would pull up behind cars in the Goldwing. They would think I was a Trooper and get out of my way. Stills puts a smile on my face.
I like your Indian! I miss riding. I still have my motorcycle license. But too many close calls with car drivers.
My NYS trooper friend give me his old gray shirts, no patches. And with white half helmet with black visor, dark sunglass in summer. Would pull up behind cars in the Goldwing. They would think I was a Trooper and get out of my way. Stills puts a smile on my face.
LoL 🤣 That is hilarious about drivers thinking you were a Trooper.
Thanks for the compliment on my Indian, much appreciated. I am fortunate in two respects where I live about 35-miles south of St. Louis. First, our comfortable riding season is pretty long. I have my bikes prepped and ready to ride at the beginning of April and can ride comfortably thru mid-November. Second, being a fair distance from the city, we have almost unlimited beautiful, winding, and hilly secondary roads to the west, southwest, and south of me where I can stay away from heavy traffic and these roads are primarily where I ride. In these areas wildlife is much more of a danger than other drivers. I hear what you're saying about other drivers though, I swear they get more stupid with each passing year!
My first bike was a Dark grey w/ black graphics 1970 H1 Kawasaki 500 triple. At lot of pull for such a light frame. I do not have a photo of it but it was a neat bike.
I also owned a 1960's BONANZA Mini Cross in the 1970's. It had a 100 cc Hodaka Ace 100 motor with a 13:1 piston and a Webco head. It weight 110 lbs., would do 58 mile per hour and had a hard time keeping the front wheel down on full throttle in all 5 gears. At one point I painter it white pearl with gold leaf flames but it ended up being traded to a couple cousins in the mid 70's. I bought it from one cousin in the 1990's and restored it. Sold it off a decade ago.
Next bike was a Silver 1972 H2 Kawasaki 750 triple. I dropped the front end down a couple inches and put Denco clubman bars on it for the look and to try to keep the front end on the ground. It would still stand un unexpectedly in the gears. Usually late in a gear right before you wanted to shift. It was a Grabber type blue when I bought it with really extended front fork. Not smart on a bike like this....LOL!
No bikes anymore but I have offered to buy my brothers early 1980's Kawasaki 900 Ninja (second year made) if he ever goes to sell it. It has been sitting since maybe the early 1990's. It only has 4000 miles on it and he bought it new. That could get my attention to work on!
Last edited by OLE442; July 27th, 2023 at 10:41 AM.
Another Yamaha man, sweet bike! Best thing about Yamaha's, the engines are known for being bullet proof!
I've only ever had Yamahas! I really wanted a V-Max when they originally came out, but I was young and no money. That was probably a good thing. I probably wouldn't be around today if had! When they put EFI on it in 2009, I wanted to get one then, but by then, I had my father's original 1972 H-1 since he willed it to me. I eventually sold the H-1 and still have yet to get a VMAX. They stopped production in 2020. I may never get one...
July 25th, 2023, 11:04 AM
