I grew up on motorcycles. I was riding my friends' Chapparal 80, Honda 50, and CT70 until I finally convinced my mom to let me get my own minibike probably around 1974:
From there my brother and I grew into a variety of whatever we could find and afford. He had a Harley Davidson 125 Rapido, Kawasaki ? dirt bike, Honda XL 175, and a Suzuki GS 400. All of his bikes became mine at one point except the Harley which he sold. He quit riding in the 1980s after witnessing a fatal deer vs motorcycle accident up close.
My first real motorcycle was a late '60s Moto Guzzi 125. I bought it with a seized engine and freed it up with Marvel Mystery oil. It was a street bike and I wanted the 'Scrambler' version so I hacked up the fenders and stripped it as much as possible. I made a small dirt oval in the field behind our house and learned to slide like the Flat Track guys I saw on 'Wide World of Sports'. At 16 I got my license with my brother's XL 175, as he had moved on to the GS 400. I lived on that bike into my first year of college, then needed a bike that could handle the highway to get back and forth to home on weekends. There was a Yamaha XS 400, then a Norton 850. I put a quarter faring on both of them and would tuck down low behind it. On the highway, I drafted behind trucks, then shot past them when I had a clear view of no cops ahead. I lived for corners - knee, elbow, feel the tires start to shimmy and push on through. I had no fear or restraint.
Spring of 1982 I was moving from New Hampshire to Michigan. There was a week of weather in the 70s and I felt confident driving cross country on the Norton with my worldly goods divided between a tank bag and a duffel bag strapped behind me on the seat. The weather changed. Half way across Ohio, I was in blizzard conditions. I remember knowing that I had to get off the interstate and seeing a sign, "Next Exit 26 Miles". I think it was near Sandusky, riding down the exit ramp in six inches of unplowed snow, I lost all traction and dumped it - my first 'accident' riding on the street. As I was gathering my senses and pulling the bike up, a snowplow almost hit me and buried the bike as I jumped out of the way. The bike and I limped to a motel near the exit. Aside from some minor dents, scrapes, and bruises the only damage to the bike was a hole in the chain case. I patched it with tape and epoxy and when the weather cleared a day and a half later, we finished the trip.
I kept the Norton and gathered a few 2-stroke 360cc dirt bikes until disaster struck; I married my first wife. Slaloming traffic on main street at 85 mph was suddenly 'dangerous'. Money had been free and easy until then, now there was never enough. We needed 'transportation'. I sold the Norton ...I sold them all. I drove a rusty Chevy Luv for a while, then a 4 cylinder Mustang. Life was good for a while, but there were no bikes in it.
In the early 90s my brother wanted to just get rid of the GS 400 and I took it - an economical daily driver. I was in the Army at the time. The Army started getting serious about motorcycle safety then. To drive on post, I had to wear full protective gear, including a reflective vest, and complete a DOD motorcycle safety course. If I was involved in an accident off post/off duty, while not dressed like an astronaut doing a space walk, it would be considered "not line-of-duty" and have serious consequences. I kept at it until, in the course of one week, I was hit from behind by a car at a traffic light and sandwiched into the car ahead of me; minor damage and bruises. Next I was caught in a pop-up thunderstorm and had a dog jump out in the road just ahead of me. Could not avoid it. Quit riding and sold the bike, but have kept my license endorsement ever since.
About five years ago, I took a Kawasaki Vulcan 800 as part of a trade for a car. It was set up as a cruiser. I gave it a try, but quickly learned that it was not my style. Riding it felt all wrong. I had it almost two years and only put a few hundred miles on it. I had no regrets in selling it, but realized that I'd like a light dual sport style bike. I've taken in a few project bikes since then, but they didn't get very far. I have too many project cars... I realized that I want an actual 'buy it and ride it' bike.
Last weekend I bought a Yamaha XT225. Today I got it registered and took it for a first ride. This thread is going to be about that bike.
