First Motorcyle

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My first experience with a motorcycle was actually a 49cc mini moped which resembled an 04 Yamaha R1 Raven Edition, at 12 years of age. My father than bought an actual R1 Raven Edition. Once I turned 16 I would sneak a ride on the R1 and it just emphasized how much love I had for anything on two wheels.
 
Moped with a scrub brake. Most fun ever. Then a YZ-80. Then some random Yamaha scooter thing. That was one of the best. I must have given every girl in my subdivision a ride on that thing. Long break, 2013 CBR 600 RR then a 2014 1199 and my current 2021 V4S.
 
1952 500 cc BSA ZB34A competition. 23 HP. Plunger frame, IMHO the second worse rear suspension design the worse being the sprung hub triumphs. I was 13, it was 11. I traded my bug go-kart with a mac10 for it. When I got it, it had only 3rd gear of the four speed. Hard to get it going by using the clutch, easiest method was to point it down a hill first. At some point I figured out that the tranny case had been split open (big crack) by the lay shaft. So, I came up with a bunch of big ideal screw clamps and screwed them down and closed the crack. Now I had 4 gears. Unfortunately, I didn't pack it with grease and any oil put in would end up on the rear tire, so I ran it dry. Didn't last long and man did the transmission generate swarf in it's demise. These have a compression release and cable operated ignition retard. I have a scar at my hairline from forgetting to retard the ignition while attempting to kick start it. It spit all my 140 lbs over the bars. Eventually I came up with a transmission. Then the motor (which never broke surprisingly) got goldstar cams. Not having enough money to buy both initially I bought the intake cam by itself which as I remember really cracked the parts guy up (BTW for the really old guys on the forum the parts guy was Jim Rice the flat tracker). After installation I realized the comedy having made the motor really cammy. With both cams replaced, long reverse cone megaphone and velocity stack it made decent power. The motor eventually got put into a later goldstar swinging arm frame. Rode it constantly until I bought my first car at 16. For the life of me I can't remember who I sold it to or when exactly, but it had to be before I had the forty inch twins.
 
First serious bike was the -03 R1, around 2007 when I was living in Bangkok.
After the R1 it was CBR1000RR, and then 1199.
Had almost 20 years of riding (very fast) in the city and upcountry, never ever got a speeding ticket. Good memories...
 

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Honda Z50A. One for me and my brother to blast around the woods and fields in Michigan.

First big boy bike was a '79 KZ650 I did a light resto in the basement of my apartment building.

After the paint was done,
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Ready to roll,
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1980-ish Suzuki GS650G given to me by a friend who had learned on it and wanted a riding buddy. It got passed on to many more new riders after I bought a 2001 Suzuki SV 650 that I later raced. Now have three first Gen Sv 650's, two race, one street.

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