What motorcycles are in our group

[JB White]

No motorcycles for me! I suffered a spill riding my '74 Kawasaki 900 back in '75. 3 weeks in the hospital. Then my Father-in-Law got hit by a car while riding. Now he has steel rods in his legs.

1974 for me on a 750 Kow. My buddy was killed on that very same bike in 1978. I had no qualms doing 150+ on four wheels while strapped inside a roll cage, but a bike at 30 in Chicago traffic... no, thanks. I've only been on a couple of dirt bikes since.

[p246]

No motorcycles for me! I suffered a spill riding my '74 Kawasaki 900 back in '75. 3 weeks in the hospital. Then my Father-in-Law got hit by a car while riding. Now he has steel rods in his legs.

That will ruin the mood for this hobby for sure. I stop riding mine for anything but in town trips October 1st. Too many deer throwing themselves in front of vehicles during the rut here.

[p246]

Had a 650 maximum , for a small bike that thing would scat . A 900 sportster , it was a milk shake maker , nothing really great about it . Have drove a few soft tails , they are pretty cool bikes . A 1000 cc Kawasaki , it was a screamer . Got my license on a full dresser .
Kenneth

Those 900 and 1000 KZ S are in big demand here. There's a speed shop that makes drag bikes down the road out of them. They don't look like KZ S once he gets done with them.

[p246]

Currently completed a 1955 H-D FLH ,& a 1968 H-D FLH , also a 1964 Duo Glide in boxes
Have owned other H-D's, Norton Commando's , Triumph Bonneville's, BSA single's and a MotoGuzzi SP1000

That's an Iconic list there.

[Allen]

No motorcycles for me! I suffered a spill riding my '74 Kawasaki 900 back in '75. 3 weeks in the hospital. Then my Father-in-Law got hit by a car while riding. Now he has steel rods in his legs.

A '74 Kaw 900 would have been a Z1, probably the fastest cycle made during its time. A friend of mine had a new one at the time. He could shift into 2nd, stand it up and pull a wheely all the way through TOWN while shifting. He would usually put the nose down at around 120mph with plenty of throttle left and maybe another gear to go. He later became a motorcycle cop and was issued a Moto Guzzi. He tried pulling that stunt with that heavy bike and just blew the clutch.

[p246]

I still ride street bikes, and use to have a nasty dirt bike habit. Unfortunately air time kept resulting in injuries and broken bones....more the landing. The last RM 250 I had had a 310 big bore kit that ran on race gas and a full race tech suspension. Some times I passed it while skidding on the ground, some times it rode me. Eventually I realized it was taking a lot longer to heel and the wife was getting pissy so I sold it. It was known for kicking back when kick starting and throwing the rider about half way over the handle bars.

[Allen]

My brother used to be a cop. He bought a used police cycle for his own use, a Harley Electroglide. One day while driving, the sun was setting and blinding him. He pulled out in front of a Chevy pickup and was hit. He was thrown clear and escaped major injury as a result. The frame, gas tank and other stuff was replaced on the cycle and made good again while the truck was totaled. Don't know if it was a C-10 or S-10 since I wasn't there. Anyway he would not drive it again after that so I did about once a week to keep the battery up. I had to keep it on the back roads though because it had a full set of blue lights on it. I didn't like it. It reminded me of balancing a school bus on 2 wheels. As much as I despise foreign cars I prefer the Japanese bikes over the Harley's for my personal preference. I can drive them most anywhere. Great on the pavement and dirt roads. See something interesting out in the middle of a field?---run through the ditch and drive out to look at it (try that with a Hog). Also, they're easier to work on. In my younger day I had a Yamaha RD350 and drove my bothers Honda 305 SuperHawk. Both of which we wished we still had.

During my cycling days I discovered just how many idiots are on the highways. I always used my headlight so they knew of my presence, they just didn't care. Many would pull right out in front of you some would make deliberate dives at you to see if you would wreck. Then, while cruising residential areas you had to watch out for dogs that would chase you. Hitting one would most certainly cause you to flip. Then there is the rain--you drive slow you get soaked. You drive fast and the rain feels like needles hitting you and while driving down wet highways you can't see the pot holes. If they are full of water then they disappear. Not a good thing to hit.

I still love cycles. I think it is something that doesn't go away once you've owned one. If availability and $ had been present in my cycling days I would have bought a Triumph Bonneville, a Z1 Kaw, Yamaha 1100, or some of the larger Honda's.

To me (.02 worth) the best looking cycle ever was the Honda CB450 with the bombardier fuel tank made back in the mid '60's. They were as hard to find then as they are now and best represented the Jap bikes of the times.

At 64 years of age, very crowded highways, most of the motorist not being from here and other experiences, my cycling days are over. If I ever get the "hankering" for the open air drives again I will get a nice convertible.

[barretcreek]

73 Duc 750, 74 Laverda 750, 75 Duc 500 vertical twin. Lady on her way to church tried to use my Triumph TT600 for a hood ornament while heading north out of Augusta. I was lucky to walk out of the hospital 3&1/2 weeks later. And that was before texting and driving. Haven't ridden much since.
The Laverda looks like a Honda Dream 305 and doesn't even become alive until 85 or so.

[ray55classic]

That's an Iconic list there.

You go thru a few bikes when you've rode for 50 years .
I've been riding since I was 13 and I'm 63 now.

[Gary and Karen]

I started out on mini-bikes with my Dad and two brothers. Graduated to dirt bikes. Had a Honda 55 and then a Yamaha DT1. Damn thing tried to kill me a time or two.
Fast forward to age 19. Got married and one of the first things we bought was a Honda Scrambler. My MIL thought I was a Hell's Angel (sure...brown leather jacket with fur collar and an orange helmet). Once the kids came along, there went the bikes.
Second marriage...Gary had owned a Honda GoldWing. Got rid of it just before I came into his life. We decided to start riding again and he got me a small Honda to practice with until I felt comfortable. Then he got a Honda Magna V45 and I got a Honda Shadow V45. Did a bit of riding here and there. Had a short riding season living at Lake Tahoe. Eventually sold both of the bikes and gave up riding for a while.
Then we got a Roketa scooter. It was supposed to be for me to ride to work. Gary was riding it when it had a front blowout. 9 broken ribs, a broken finger and a (thankfully) minor head injury along with a bit of road rash. I declared that to be the end of our 2 wheeled adventures.
Now that I live in Bend, Oregon, there is just too darn much traffic to feel safe on 2 wheels.
Do I miss it, yes! Do I want to get another bike, no! Lots of good memories.

Karen