How did you learn to ride???

[drumminman]

Learned to ride on a honda 160. A buddy of mine offered to lend it to me. Of course he asked me if I knew how to ride. I said "sure!", having never been on a motorcycle.

I put the key in and desperately tried to remember everything I knew about driving with a clutch. I managed to get it started and pulled away smoothly. I had that sucker for 3 weeks and loved every minute of it.

I went on to buy my first bike, A honda dream 160, for $375. I rode that my freshman year in college. My riding jacket was a western fringe affair, like Dennis Hopper wore in "Easy Rider"! I was soooooooooooooooo Bad!

I graduated to a Honda CB750, then a Suzuki GS1000G and now the Busa.

 

[scootergirl]

My first bike was an Intruder 800. Learned to ride that with the help of a friend in a school parking lot. He has the patience of a saint!! And lots of funny stories to tell about me ending up in the neighbors front yard etc. etc. I dropped it a few times before I finally got the hang of not dumping the clutch everytime I tried to take off. I then moved to an Intruder 1500 before I fell in love with the Busa. Once I crossed over to the sportbike world I knew there was no going back.

 

[eynlai]

Yamy during the MSF course, then straight to my brand spanking new Busa from CalCoast Motorsports in Ventura CA.  Dropped it right there in the parking lot while I was taking deliver.  Dropped it 4 more times that same night at my buddy's house and in the back neighborhood of his house trying to get used to it.  My nephew dropped it on the throttle side by accident when he was sitting on it after 3 beers to get a "feel" for it.  

Last drop was about 1 week laters on a incline right turn trying to get back on the 101 fwy South bound back to my buddy's place where I kept it for nearly 3 weeks.

That was back in April of 2004, nearly 20600 miles ago.... had MANY close calls (knock on wood) but no more mishaps since then.  Splitting lanes like the pyschotic bunny I have strapped on my backpack since then.  Saw a couple of CHPs while doing that, 1 on a bike, but they didn't chase me.  Luck Stars, thank you.

:Note to self.. Don't buy a used 2004 hayabusa from Eynlai

hahahaha, no worries. I don't plan on selling mine no matter what. But surprisingly, all of the damages were just scratched fairings and scratched cans. All nicely buffed out and repainted beautifully by my sister's boyfriend's body shop.

I have to retract my statement about the last mishap. That wasn't the last. 7/6/05 this year I was hit and ran on on the 101 fwy Northbound in downtown L.A. Minor stratches mainly on the clutch side muffler, but once again I buffed it out decently.

 

[eynlai]

Yamy during the MSF course, then straight to my brand spanking new Busa from CalCoast Motorsports in Ventura CA.  Dropped it right there in the parking lot while I was taking deliver.  Dropped it 4 more times that same night at my buddy's house and in the back neighborhood of his house trying to get used to it.  My nephew dropped it on the throttle side by accident when he was sitting on it after 3 beers to get a "feel" for it.  

Last drop was about 1 week laters on a incline right turn trying to get back on the 101 fwy South bound back to my buddy's place where I kept it for nearly 3 weeks.

That was back in April of 2004, nearly 20600 miles ago.... had MANY close calls (knock on wood) but no more mishaps since then.  Splitting lanes like the pyschotic bunny I have strapped on my backpack since then.  Saw a couple of CHPs while doing that, 1 on a bike, but they didn't chase me.  Luck Stars, thank you.

:Note to self.. Don't buy a used 2004 hayabusa from Eynlai

Would you be interested in teaching my x wife to ride?

Don't know... If I teach her to ride it would be in CA. Likely she'll get in mucho trouble in other states considering I split lanes alot and will likely teach that riding technique... For safety reasons of not being in a situation of being "boxed" in a pack of cages.

 

[adrenaline junkey]

suzuki rm 50 way back when and i crashed a lot

 

[Lady Ice]

Those are really good stories.. A the key is buy my son a dirt bike now or be like Eynlai

Scootergirl thats true, once you have a busa there is no turning back...

 

[billbell]

Honda Trail 70, then a Yamaha YZ80. My first bigger bike that I rode was a 74 Honda CB350. There used to be a million of those things around!

 

[RENO911]

Well, my first actuall ride happened almost 3 years ago when I was on leave PCS'ing to FT Huachuca, AZ from FT Drum, NY. Had stopped to visit my family in TX and would not leave the wife alone about getting a bike since my B-Day was around the corner

So....after much arguiong and pleading we went to Waco, TX to look around. Now me personally, i wanted a sportbike but nooooooooo the wife said..."i want a cruiser NANANANA, you aren't getting one" So, i compensated and bought a 2003 Nighthawk 750. A week goes by and the wife and I go back up to pick it up...i had gotten a helmet in the deal but left it at my parewnt's house(I know....what a moron)

The salesman looks at me and asks.." Have you ever ridden"? I said "no. but how hard can it be"? He laughed and said, you are gonna kill yourself. So he made me stay in the parking lot learning how to move w/ just the clutch and no gas, then shifting from 1st to 2nd, then doing figure 8's for a good 4-5 hours till they shut down. Then he said...you ready? I was like..i guess so. He got on his Goldwing, me on the Nighthawk and the wife in trail in our truck and off we went. Since we didn't take the Highway, it tookj us a good 2 hours to get home. I had a couple slip-ups but never dropped it (scared my wife when i took the whole left lane to make a right turn..lol) but that was the first time i learned how to ride and it was the best experience of my life. So, after all he and his shop did for me, i told him, when i by my Busa, it'll be from you...and it was. Next bike was when i was in AZ, went to a sportster for the lil extra legroom, but now...my world is complete

Just wish i could hurry home from this sandbox and ride...... Sorry for the short story

 

[CMEPASU]

1993 Honda CBR600F2...My best friend who had gone off and joined the military was coming back for his first visit and told me that he had bought a new 1993 Yamaha FZR600. I had never even riden a motorcycle before but if he had one then I did too. I went and bought that bike based solely on Motorcyclist and Sport Rider shoot-outs of the current crop of 600's at the time. I first rode it around the neighborhood getting used to the feel of the bike, then after he got home we went to a mall parking lot at 2am for more practice. I rode the hell out of that bike, putting several thousand miles on it in three months. My only crash (knock on wood) was when I was doing a wheelie across a parking lot and t-boned a police car.

 

[kod3001]

I started riding bikes late in life, I was 23 or 24 as I recall.

Went on one of these 1 week intensive training courses, learning on a Yamaha 125, nice little bike, nice low centre of gravity.

On the day of my test they said none of the Yams were available and I'd have to sit my test on a Honda CG125. Ended up putting my foot down on the U turn and failed on that point only, passed second time.

I then bought an RS200. Then moved onto a crappy old Kwak GT550.
Then went a long time without a bike. Bought a Yamaha YZF600 Thundercat when I was 31, kept that for a couple of years, riding it through all seasons, great bike.

Sold that, then got the Busa.

 

[LadyHawk]

My older brothers always had dirt bikes, but I didn't ride them until I was 13. My brother "gave" me his enduro.. I don't know what year it was, but this was back in 82, and it was beat to crap, so it must have been a late 70s model. I rememberthe clutch was broken, I think the lever was gone.

We lived out in the boonies outside of Denver, and we would take them out in the pastures and go crazy on them. There were some oil rig roads and some small hills that we could jump.

My mom said she would stand at the kitchen window and pray that we didn't kill ourselves.

From there I got a 86 Suzuki gs450, maroon, in '89 or '90. Had that about 2 years.. then nothing until April of '04. GJoker bought his Busa and I inherited the '01 750 Katana.

Now I'm (not) patiently waiting for some fundage to get me the '06 Busa LE. I'd go for the Purple/Black 04 too.. or the '03 LE. Or... or...or...

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[stkr00]

1972 Honda SL100..... but my story is boring....

Did it look anything like this DevilDog?

Back in 1978, I learned on this Honda SL-100.  Dad taught me the basics, then I learned by trial and error after that.  Lots of broken tail lights while "doin 12's" by accident.  This poor bike was used as a motocross wannabe through the woods nearby.

Lots of good times with this bike

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[TennBusa]

My story is much the same, mini-bikes and friends mopeds in grade school. I got a Honda CB 100 for my 16th bday. Tough learning curve. Graduated to a CB 450 and on from there. Harley's mostly after getting out of the Navy until I found sport bikes. I'm hooked now. After the divorce is finalized I'll have my Busa. Almost something to look forward to. I've been riding 34 years and am enjoying it more now than ever.

Dan

 

[VaBusa]

Hubby wanted to buy us both Harleys...I had never ridden, bought it anyway and spent a lot of time just sitting on it

...pressured by the men in my life that it's so easy to ride, so I tried and I crashed...more damage to my ego than the bike

...took the MSF course after my second son was born, put about 2500 miles on the Harley, upgraded to the Busa...been smiling every since...

That was 3 years ago...

Now, I ride a dirt bike, my Busa, hubby's Harley...and encourage my boys to ride their dirt bike so they won't be "riding illiterate" like I was...

 

[onerabidshark]

dirt bikes at age 13 or so RM 80 went to YZ 125 then couple 250s went to some small street bikes 175 honda 250 ninja, 750 shadow, xvz 1200,kz1000p, 1200 sportsters, 1100 sabre, those are the bikes I've ridden or owned As far as learning self taught then went and did Motorcycle safety course, and then ride and learn.

 

[Lady Ice]

Michelle, what made you buy a busa for your first sportbike?

 

[VaBusa]

Michelle, what made you buy a busa for your first sportbike?

It's kind of funny...a coworker showed me a web site that she'd been hanging out on (labusas.org), so everytime she'd find something she thought was funny, I'd go on there and check it out...I never knew the place was a biker site (if you've been there, you may wonder the same - ha ha)

Anyway, I started wondering what "labusas" stood for, found pics of the Hayabusa and started becoming kind of obsessed. I studied up on the bike for about a year before I let my husband know and before too long, he was telling me "just get one...you keep talking about it", so I did...

Thankfully I found this place just before I took the plunge...I never was a member over on the other site, just a lurker and very interested in the bike they were talking about...

 

[Lady Ice]

And since it was the world's fastest bike, how did you feel the first time you rode? I know alot of Q, just trying to see what a other woman felt on the busa since I am the only one here with one..

 

[VaBusa]

And since it was the world's fastest bike, how did you feel the first time you rode? I know alot of Q, just trying to see what a other woman felt on the busa since I am the only one here with one..

I was nervous as hell girl...

So many "guys" (not guys here, mind you) pretty much made it sound like I'd kill myself the instant I turned the throttle...I have two boys, so, as a Mom, the fear of doing something stupid was there...I'm sure my heart was racing...

But, after 3 miles and the dark looming rain clouds in the distance, I knew I'd made the right decision. I loved it! I couldn't believe I owned it and I absolutely couldn't wait to ride it again. I'm sure I had this grin stuck on my face the entire time I took it for that first ride!

Since day one, the obsession was there...if I can't ride, I'll just go sit on it or work on it...I've torn it down, done every bit of maintenance on it myself (minus having it lowered by a shop and getting the rear tire replaced)...it's my "down" time...

How'd you feel that first time you rode one?

 

[Lady Ice]

Well I bought a old 92 GXSR 750 which is the world's heaviest bike weighing in a 530lbs. And I loved it but there is a guy who lives up the street form me who buys bike and sells them at his house. He had a red busa just sitting there and everytime I drove by my I would eye ball it. So one day I stop and being the guy he is(COOL) he told me to take it for a spin .Didn't have to ask me twice, DAMM the busa was so smooth and felt lighter than my bike. And when I got back to his driveway my husband looked at me with a big smile on my face and knew it was going to cost him,LOL. And yeah it was scaring cause of what people say about the busa's power but I had to have that bike. Girl, I am a speed junkie!! I have had three camaros and always played with the mustangs on the street. So the busa fits me good..Here is a pic of my other baby..