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/cgi-bin/YaBB.pl General Category >> The Cafe >> How many here have rode, stopped, & restarted? /cgi-bin/YaBB.pl?num=1467592049 Message started by DavidOfMA on 07/03/16 at 17:27:28 |
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Title: How many here have rode, stopped, & restarted? Post by DavidOfMA on 07/03/16 at 17:27:28 In a RSD thread we started talking about those of us who used to ride, stopped for a long time, then started again. I am curious about those stories. For me the gap was 1979-2012. I wrecked my back doing construction work and couldn't drive, much less ride, for quite a while. Riding became part of my past. Then my brother offered me his 2007 S40, which he hadn't ridden in 3 years (he rides a Bonneville and two Harleys), if I picked it up. So I read a couple books on motorcycle safety, bought a helmet and a bus ticket, and in 4 days I had my first 350 miles under my belt - gave myself two days to learn to ride again and two more to ride it back from near Syracuse to Beverly, MA, near Boston. What are others' experiences? David |
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Title: Re: How many here have rode, stopped, & restar Post by jcstokes on 07/03/16 at 18:03:24 I brought a Jawa Model 634 350cc in 1976 and taught myself to ride. I commuted and never did any long trips. The Jawa was reliable by the standards of the day, but it had its eccentricities, like losing a cylinder in any heavy rain. I ended up with a can of CRC strapped to the bike. I logged 20000 plus miles. In 1979 I was thrown off it by a rotating Morris Oxford, Google Morris Oxford, if you don't know what that is. I spent a month in hospital and sustained a nasty gash in my right foot. Friends repaired the Jawa, but the bush in the steerring head had been damaged and the thing would always shudder under any sort of braking, this did nothing for my confidence. About a year later I was overtaking a car, when a dog ran in front of it. The driver braked hard and the rear of the car swung round and took me off. I gave up in disgust. A few years after my mother died, I began to notice Suzuki GN 250'S about the place. I liked the look, and they were cheap new by New Zealand standards. In late 2007 I enrolled for a two hour refresher course, and am eternally grateful that I did. I subsequently brought a GN250 and enjoyed it for a little over 11000 miles. My only issue was that it was a little under powered for long distance riding. During 2010 I noticed a weird looking bike in the Suzuki dealer ship. It was a strange purple and cream colour, but it appeared cheap by NZ standards. It had a low seat height, so every now and then I would sit on it. It had one cylinder and didn't look like a crotch rocket. I also looked at a GSF 500 or something, which looked like a crotch rocket but was a lot dearer. Then a silver and pearl white S40 turned up and I had to have it. I've had over 33000 very pleasant miles since late September 2010. Including one 3000 odd mile trip. No mechanical issue to speak of. |
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Title: Re: How many here have rode, stopped, & restarted? Post by Boofer on 07/03/16 at 18:38:37 Off 1978-2009. Rode 19,000 miles on my Savage. Off again due to health. May be done. Seeking treatment for Neuropathy. |
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Title: Re: How many here have rode, stopped, & restarted? Post by engineer on 07/03/16 at 19:02:40 I think I bought my first bike around 1960 and motorcycles became my primary transportation for several years. I rode until about 1972 when I gave it up because of the demands of work and life in general. I started riding again in 2011, when I joined this forum and I hope to ride for several more years. |
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Title: Re: How many here have rode, stopped, & restar Post by MMRanch on 07/03/16 at 19:54:57 I had one year in collage where I couldn't afford a bike and a car ... :-/ , the car was a Datsun 110 that got 40mpg ??? . My Yamaha RD250 had just died of alt. problems . :-[ so For one year I didn't have a bike --- then I came across a Honda 185 twin that fit my budget and the Worse Year of my life was over !!! :) :) :) |
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Title: Re: How many here have rode, stopped, & restarted? Post by Steve H on 07/03/16 at 20:56:47 I started riding when I was 8 or 9. Got my first street bike when I was 16, an old beat up Honda 350 that had to be push started due to both starters being messed up. I put about 20,000 on that bike and never did fix either starter. In the early 80's I got a '76 Goldwing. Got married in 87 and the wife, who knew I rode and had ridden with me, pitched a fit every time I rode. I also have a hiatal hernia that was really being bothered by riding. Eventually, it was just easier to not bother than to fuss about it. I stopped riding somewhere around 89 or 90. I still have the old Goldwing...don't have the wife. :) I 2012 I ran across an 87 Savage for a price I could afford and got back into riding. I sure am glad I did. I miss my old Goldwing. Hope one day I can restore it and ride it again before I kick the bucket. I still have the hiatal hernia but it doesn't bother me much or too often. But, I now also have emphysema, carpal tunnel and lower back pain. I was off bikes for about 14 or 15 years. Never again until I can't physically ride anymore. |
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Title: Re: How many here have rode, stopped, & restarted? Post by sjaskow - FSO on 07/05/16 at 10:45:30 I rode as a kid from the mid 70s until mid 1989 without a motorcycle endorsement on my license. I had a really good friend get killed on a bike and the desire kind of left for a year or two. By the time I was interested again, life had intervened and I was married with a small child. So I didn't ride again until 2007. I bought a left over '06 S40 and took the Ohio BRC (that's their equivalent of an MSF course) and have been riding since. I had put almost 25,000 miles on the S40 by May of '14 when I traded it in on the Vision. I've put almost 13K miles on the Vision since then. I appear to be making up for lost time. :) |
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Title: Re: How many here have rode, stopped, & restarted? Post by Dave on 07/05/16 at 12:21:24 I lived for motorcycles from junior high until I graduated from high school. I spent all my spare time riding.....weekends i was racing. I sold my 1974 TM125 racing motorcycle when the RM125 came out in 1975. I sold my Suzuki RE5 when I went to college. I had about a 28 year gap without any motorcycle while I went to college and started my profession........in hindsight it was a big mistake, and I should have made an effort to own and ride a motorcycle during those years. I am going my best to make up for the time lost. |
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Title: Re: How many here have rode, stopped, & restarted? Post by DavidOfMA on 07/05/16 at 12:33:31 Making up for lost time seems to be a common theme for us "restarters." Dave, when you got back on after 28 years, was there a learning curve, or did riding just come right back? |
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Title: Re: How many here have rode, stopped, & restarted? Post by Oldfeller on 07/05/16 at 12:35:04 Dave has the cleanest lines I have ever seen, ever since he first got his first white Savage. He raced earlier and it stuck with him. |
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Title: Re: How many here have rode, stopped, & restar Post by Dave on 07/05/16 at 15:02:58 Thanks Oldfeller....but I think I still have a lot to learn about riding on the road. My early career was in the dirt, and bumps/ruts often dictated the best line. I am thankful that I learned in the dirt.....I think it really taught me how to use the front brake well. I started back on a trials bike....which is mostly balance and coordination, and I got a few years of practice before I ever put a wheel on pavement. I do believe that the basics stayed with me over the 28 year gap - but I most certainly had to relearn some skills. Following you guys around on the Dragon run helped a lot. |
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Title: Re: How many here have rode, stopped, & restar Post by LANCER on 07/05/16 at 22:51:56 Let's see, started in ''65 with the Suzuki 150; sold it and bought the Goldstar in '69; added the SR500 in '78 and sold it in '84; sold the Goldstar in '91 due to "Poor Folks Time"; without a bike until '99-'00 sometime when I was GIFTED with a brandy spanking new '96 Savage...it was taking a very long nap in the crate since it had been put together at the factory. It was a Fathers Day Gift from my Very Good Son ! |
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Title: Re: How many here have rode, stopped, & restar Post by Paladin. on 07/06/16 at 07:03:08 While I enjoy riding, I do not ride for fun. For me, a motorcycle is cheap transportation. '64 Honda 50 sport. Sold for a Bugeye and '65 and crashed. Moved to LaLaLand, enlisted in ''66. In '67, a Yamaha Twinjet 2-stroke 2-cylider 100, in Detroit, left with a buddy. Left the Air Farce in '70 in Georgia, a '65 Impala, swap for a Spitfire, swap for a Pinto. Uncle wanted a bike to carry his motorhome, talked him into a Suzuki RV125 instead of a Honda Cub, got a Yamaha DT175. Rode that from '74 to '86 when I went and got married (not my idea, she bewitched me!) Can't carry babies/little kids on a motorcycle. Not to mention that I can't justify the chance of killing myself while I have kids. *sigh* '04, needed wheels, wasn't able to buy my company van, but needed cheap transportation, wife saw an ad for a motorcycle, just $99 a month, new. "Have you considered a motorcycle?" :D ;D ::) Dual-sports, while are excellent in the city, have gotten too tall for me. Sport bikes are butt ugly (IMO) so I was looking at the 250 cruisers -- 330 pounds lightweight easy riding freeway capable -- until I noticed the Savage. Hmmm. Only 50 pounds heavier. Found one, sat on one, fit near perfect. Bought one. Neglected oil, killed it, looking for a replacement, didn't need the speed or the weight, and no longer liked swinging a leg over a saddle, got the Vespa. Getting slow, looking not quite good enough, dropped the scoot, road rash left ankle and knee. Two months again, less rash right ankle and knee, but buggered my shoulder and broke 4 ribs. "Third time is the charm" and I don't need more pain so I am a hamster in a cage. *sigh* Hey, it hasn't been that much fun for the last 12 years wearing a darn helmet. |
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Title: Re: How many here have rode, stopped, & restarted? Post by justin_o_guy2 on 07/06/16 at 07:51:56 Have you considered an old, ragged Miata? That's what I'm thinking about, if I get a bike and it is more than I can handle. |
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Title: Re: How many here have rode, stopped, & restarted? Post by Gus on 07/08/16 at 14:36:36 I have . . .a few times. First motorcycle 100 Kawasaki 15 yrs old. I rode it til I killed it about 3 yrs later. Started a family then took a big jump here to the next bike 1976 AMF FLH Harley Davidson; bought it when I was 23 or 24 yrs old. Kept & rode this bike until I think I was 38 or 39 - - maybe 40; not sure. Had a farm and needed equipment more than the bike. Another dry spell until age 44-45. I bought an old Honda 550/4. never been without some kind of bike since then. At some point I ended up with a 1 Cyl. scooter and I became hooked on singles. The LS650 is the first road bike (other than a scooter) that has been a single. I've had a couple dirt bikes I tried to gear for the road but never really liked them. I've been buying, fixing and selling bikes now for around 3 years now; I'm 59. I'm hooked on Singleness and I've got the Harley thing out of my system but I've ridden with a few 883's and I like them. Nice bikes. I also like the BMW airheads. I'd buy one for the right price - - -pre 96 that is. Right now I've got as bunch of bikes in various stages of repair. Mamma says no more bikes until I get rid of something. But she NEVER goes out to the barn :-? The Savage is the only one not up for sale ;) |
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Title: Re: How many here have rode, stopped, & restarted? Post by justin_o_guy2 on 07/08/16 at 15:31:14 . Had a farm and needed equipment more than the bike. Dude! Hit me right in the heart. I rode the fender of grandpas Ford for years,, Mamma says no more bikes until I get rid of something. I Rarely shy away from stating the obvious... And it's So hard... But, |
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Title: Re: How many here have rode, stopped, & restar Post by Art Webb on 07/09/16 at 07:51:55 352A2C2B3631003000382A266D5F0 wrote:
And MM wonders why I say 'no more' to marriage or even cohabitation "no more bikes for you' :( 'goodbye' ;D |
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Title: Re: How many here have rode, stopped, & restarted? Post by bobert_FSO on 07/09/16 at 08:22:52 I stopped and restarted a couple of times. I started riding in about 1966 in high school. I started with a Honda S90. I didn't have my drivers licence yet, so my buddies and I spent a lot of time in nearby woods and farm fields. About a year after moving on to the streets, I moved up to a 1967 Ducati 250 scrambler. This was the start of my love affair with big singles. I had that bike during the last two years of high school and through college. Gap #1. In 1975, I sold the bike, moved from Ohio to Kansas and got married. I didn't have the money for a motorcycle. Around 1978, I bought and repaired a wrecked Yamaha RD200 for cheap. 6 months later, I bought a BSA 440 Victor. Gap #2 started around 1985. We had a 4 year old and another on the way. Whenever I went somewhere, the 4 yr old wanted to go with me, so I couldn't take the bike. I was tired of just riding to work. I sold the BSA and life got in the way of further motorcycling. Around 2009, the kids were out of the house, and I once again started thinking about a motorcycle. That's when, based on my affinity for singles that I picked up a 2001 Savage. I retired in 2012 and about the same time sold the Savage and got a Kaw Vulcan 800 classic. Although I love the Savage/S40, I wanted something a little larger so my 6 ft 280 lb frame could stretch out a little better. Earlier this year, I also bought a weathered Honda CX500 from my son. It's fun to ride both bikes. The riding positions (cruiser vs standard) are so different. |
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Title: Re: How many here have rode, stopped, & restarted? Post by Paladin. on 07/09/16 at 20:21:28 091610170A0D3C0C3C04161A51630 wrote:
Two things. The Miata is low. The Fortwo is reasonably tall. Tall is easier to get in and out of. I have 50 feet in front of the house. Driveway takes part of it, so I only have about 38 feet of curb. Wendy has her Hot Rod Camaro in the driveway, her dad's Sportage (just under 15 feet) and her New Beetle (just under 14 feet) with only leaves me of 9 feet of curb. Hence, the Fortwo. The Miata was a hard choice, but I prefer quirky. |
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Title: Re: How many here have rode, stopped, & restarted? Post by justin_o_guy2 on 07/09/16 at 20:42:15 Look, man, you know I like you, but I have to be honest. You don't Like quirky,, quirky runs in your veins. You Are the Embodiment Of quirky. Embrace it... And avoid the internal conflict of going against your very nature. Peace be with you.. |
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Title: Re: How many here have rode, stopped, & restarted? Post by Ruttly on 07/09/16 at 21:21:07 I learned to ride about nine on minibikes,when twelve learned on a Yamaha 60 with clutch & gears. All the local police knew my name and they knew they couldn't catch me so they would park in front of my parents house and wait for me. Those were the days ! Since then I have always had no less than 2 bikes and as many as 8 currently 7. Think the only thing that has kept me off a bike was illness or surgeries. Gone thru a lot of changes over the years,got married and raised 4 daughters but I never just quit riding ! I have quit doing drugs quit drinking quit smoking at times but never quit riding. Family is the most important thing in my life and motorcycles are what keeps me sane enough to deal with everything else. When I swing a leg over the bike & go all else is forgotten until I get back home. Hopefully I won't ever have to quit riding. Its all I know or I want to know. I hope none of you ever have to quit riding. Godspeed ! |
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Title: Re: How many here have rode, stopped, & restarted? Post by gizzo on 07/10/16 at 08:46:34 I learned to ride in the bush and had a bunch of off-road bikes plus a few road ones. When I moved to the city I brought my DR and my Ducati with and used them to get meto work and for laughs. Then, got skittled by some arseclown not looking and that really put me off. Had a little one by then and the cons seemed to outweigh the pros. I kept the bikes though, just laid them up in case. IDK how long I had off but must have been 8 years or more. For some reason, the fire relit and "Must Ride". Dragged the old duke out, put some fuel and a new battery in and it started like I'd just used it yesterday. Still have that old nail and it runs great. Lucky for me, I have 2 kids now who love to ride and the wife is ok too. She finished her midwifery degree a couple years ago and treated herself to a new Monster to celebrate. So, I don't think I'll be stopping any time soon. |
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Title: Re: How many here have rode, stopped, & restarted? Post by Art Webb on 07/10/16 at 08:50:22 I've been on and off bikes too many times to post about, my attitude goes from gung ho to F it pretty frequently, then back to gung ho ahain |
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