My first bike....Honda 350SL

[RR Fan Dan]

My first bike was a Yamaha YG1 little 100 2 stroke with chrome tank what a beaty. I was at the Yamaha dealer getting a new fender for it and the owner wanted my bike to hang in the window for display, he gave me a really good deal on a Kenny Roberts Special RZ350. Scary fast it was and chicks dig it.

Bet you wish you still had that RZ

 

[junior340]

Bet you wish you still had that RZ

Yes it really didn't last long though, not the bikes fault but I had a different shop put these custom over size brakes on it for me and they didn't torque the calipers banjo bolt and I lost everything and totalled it and me into the back of a car.. Dark days for a long time for me.
I'm here and I still ride so all good.
What beautiful bike they are.
We have a vintage bike show in town this weekend so I always look for one.

 

[RR Fan Dan]

Yes it really didn't last long though, not the bikes fault but I had a different shop put these custom over size brakes on it for me and they didn't torque the calipers banjo bolt and I lost everything and totalled it and me into the back of a car.. Dark days for a long time for me.
I'm here and I still ride so all good.
What beautiful bike they are.
We have a vintage bike show in town this weekend so I always look for one.

That’s a shame. You can still find them now and again, but they have considerably gone up in price. I was considering buying one in the early 2000’s to go with my Yamaha 2 stroke collection but didn’t want to spend $3500, now they are over $15,000 if you can find one.

 

[Budnicks]

First Bike Taco 22 then Taco 44
1st real Motorcycle was a Yamaha 80 Enduro, 1968 IIRC
then 100 Ace & 250 Wombat/Combat Hodoka's,
then Kawi's/KXs 250 & 450, back to Yamaha YZs, & IT400 desert bike all 2 strokes
had a few street bikes too, my favorite was a Honda 1984 Nighthawk-S CL/CB750,
quick & light
then later that year, got a 1985 Yamaha VMax 1200, 140hp cruiser,
run 11's without trying even, cruiser bike
best dirt-bike
was a 1 lunger 490 KTM, freaken' rocket on dirt, 90mph,
killer suspension too
then;
I had graduated to the Quads,
Yamaha Banshee 'Daytona 350' 4 cyl. 2 stroke rocket
4-1 FM expansion pipe, custom reeds, 4-1 carb, & 5.8 gal. Desert Tank',
bigger wider Traxxis tires, lighter spun alum 10" or 12" wheels, better shocks
longer swingarms & control arms, more front shock travel, fast
sounded like an Indy car on the pipe

Learned quick, you're on the ground/or face in the dirt a whole lot less
when 4 wheels under ya'

there's young riders
& then there's the old riders & then the bold riders
but; not any 'old bold riders'

 

[khryslerkid]

My second bike was a '69 BSA when i was 18. My first was a '67 Triumph.

 

[barnfind]

Got my first bike back, A Ruttman Spyder long frame, with hot 212 predator, in place of the 5hp tecumseh.

 

[Scott Engelhardt]

I know a guy the has an RZ350. That guy is me!

 

[Scott Engelhardt]

My high school bike that I still own, my SRX600, and my Daytona Special I like the Yamaha motorcycles. I have owned many brands but these are the bikes I have kept.

 

[Cranky]

Got my first bike back, A Ruttman Spyder long frame, with hot 212 predator, in place of the 5hp tecumseh.
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Cool bike! Guess the Honda wasn't my first bike after all....was the first street legal bike though. In my senior year of high school, they added a metal shop class and signed up for it as soon as I heard about it. When it was time to do our project, everyone was going to build a BBQ pit from a 55 gallon drum. Nope, no way. Dad wasn't into grilling and neither was I so sent off for a set of plans from the back of some car rag.

The plans were for a mini bike frame. Made the frame out of galvanized pipe of all things lol but that's when I learned about welding and heating galvanized steel. The instructor knew how to strike up an arc but that was about it so my welds weren't exactly pretty but they held except for one. The front fork and neck was from a bicycle and the lower weld let lose but the top one held and was able to shut it down without crashing. Got that fixed and did a better job on the welds. Got a bit more power from the old 3 1/2hp engine using a straight pipe and milling the head on a friend's driveway. Started on a rough area then moved to a smoother area to finish it. That took awhile but made a difference and could feel it on the first pull of the rope.

The drive was direct using a belt. The compression made the tire slide so just jumped on and it started. Even though I had my license to drive, I rode that little bike quite a lot and knew I wanted something more but that didn't happen until 73 when I got out of the military and found the 350SL.

 

[Cranky]

My second street legal bike was a CB750 Custom. Only put about 6k miles on it before deciding to trade it off for a MIG machine and a bunch of square tube steel. IIRC, part of the trade was for a chop saw too. Still have the welding machine and it still has the same spool of wire in it. Yeah, it had the industrial size spool in it. My first wife didn't like bikes all that much and if I went over 55 with the bike she would let me know. She was always looking at the speedometer over my shoulder. Even though back then the speed limit was 55, no one was doing it but me and well, we were more or less a target so we didn't go anywhere much with it and it ended up just being in the way of traffic.

 

[bandit67]

I found this 70 scooter still with the original owner, even got the title. Its a silver tag, was complete , but needs everything. As all my friends had this bike when I was a kid, but I had to settle for a mini bike. Plan is to get restored and turn the grand babies loose with it.....

 

[Scott Engelhardt]

I found this 70 scooter still with the original owner, even got the title. Its a silver tag, was complete , but needs everything. As all my friends had this bike when I was a kid, but I had to settle for a mini bike. Plan is to get restored and turn the grand babies loose with it.....

View attachment 1823962

Trail 70 is a great little bike. About 35 years ago I was buying every one I could find, trying to make up for not having one as a kid. I made 12 good ones out of all the ones that I found. I spent a bunch of time getting them all street legal. I wish I would have had 100 of them they sold fast. I also had a handful of the Z50 bikes. I am down to one Z50 and a few trail 70 parts bikes. I got a big bore kit for the Z50 and hope to get it built next winter.
I really need to thin the rest of the herd. I figure any bike I have not ridden in a year is going to be sold this summer.