I've been reading your posts and I know that you don't live far from me. Now I learn that you graduated from high school in 1980 like I did. We need to hook up and meet after the snow melts, lunch is on me!
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What Was Your First Street Bike?
- Thread starter cabanza
- Start date
Yeah, I'm still a part timer, in Weston. We are probably 60/40 VT/MA now, but having a new live in (MIL) plans to permanently escape north are in hover mode for now. Do you attend any of the MOV breakfasts or events? We've probably seen each other. HS was in OH, but I've been East longer than the Midwest now. Another 20 years, they'll let me vote in the town meetings 
BTW, you misspelled "mud dries"
BTW, you misspelled "mud dries"
gymply
Member
1983 Honda V45 Magna I bought from my best friend's dad in 1989 or '90 for $450. That's 20-year old me sitting on the bike and my younger brother. Way too much engine for a starter bike but miraculously I survived... Mr. Joe sold it to me cheap because the cam chain was rattling like it was going to explode at any moment. I put around 40,000 miles on that noisy engine without issue. In fact, when I upgraded to my first new bike in 1994, a CBR1000F, my dad started riding the Magna back and forth to work as his commuter ride. I think he put another 15 or 20K on it before he upgraded to an '05 Heritage and she was still running strong when he put her out to pasture...
FASTRacing
Pant Antler
Hard to kill a V4 Honda
😎
😎
JustAnotherSquid
Used to ride a motorcycle
Haven't seen one of these in this thread yet so I'll toss my hat in the ring. Purchased new (leftover) in 1986 from the Yamaha dealer in Stuart, FL for $2400 OTD. I was 17. I don't think I've owned a bike quite as fun since.
Danno
Well-known member
Wow! A friend bought a 76 rd400 with chambers around 1991. I rode it home for him. Woo hooHaven't seen one of these in this thread yet so I'll toss my hat in the ring. Purchased new (leftover) in 1986 from the Yamaha dealer in Stuart, FL for $2400 OTD. I was 17. I don't think I've owned a bike quite as fun since.
zilla
Member
No pictures, but a 1976 XS650. Got it in 1984. Had only ridden a KD125 in the dirt till then.
SloMoRider
Active member
1976 HD 250ss, smooth runner for a 2-smoke. very unharley like
. internet pic, mine was black.
. internet pic, mine was black.
After abusing a handful of Yamaha DT's of various displacement I picked up a '78 XS750 Special which was the first bike I ever had license plates on. It had already been put through the wringer and didn't last long, get heavy on the throttle and it would spit out enough blow-by to lose traction when the rear tire caught it!
Another Sears/Gilera 106 here. In '71. Rode it everywhere for a couple of years, spending many a weekend starting out with a full tank of gas and $10 in my pocket, only turning around and heading for home when half the money was gone. Got a CB350 for HS graduation and my riding distances increased.
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Minimac
Well-known member
My first street bike was a year old '65 Yamaha 80, that I bought for $200
from a buddy needing money before he left for college. I bought it a week before I turned 16 and got my permit on my birthday. One week later I was licensed, but could only drive 1/2hr before sun up until 1/2 hr after sundown. I put over 5K miles on it in five weeks and learned how to clean out carbon from the plug, head, and exhaust. Every girl that rode with me still carries my "brand" on their leg. They couldn't get on or off without touching the the exhaust pipe with one of their legs. I guess I weighed a little less then-I could easily hit 50mph quickly. Mine looked like this, but it was black. It was quickly followed by a '66 Super Hawk 305.
TwinheadlightErnie
Member
I didn't have much interest in street bikes in my early years. I had a yellow/black Yamaha 400, 2 stroke enduro that was street legal, but I only rode it in the dirt. I started working at a Porsche, Mercedes, Audi, VW dealership after school. They took a 1980 XS850SG in on trade. It was only a couple years old and had less than 3000 miles on it. It had a Windjammer fairing on it and the used car dept said I could have it for $1200.00. I pulled the fairing and sold it for $300.00. (can't give them away now but it was pretty good property at the time) I still have the bike and it has changed looks and paint jobs a few times. I built a SS exhaust for it and freshened up the motor. The fairing is from a FZ750. It's still a hoot to ride and doesn't corner too darn bad.
Here's a pic from a few years back.
The paint started to get dated after a while, so I put it back to basic black. It's for sale if anyone is interested.
Here's a pic from a few years back.
The paint started to get dated after a while, so I put it back to basic black. It's for sale if anyone is interested.
Doug Just Doug
Active member
Grew up on dirt bikes in the 70s. Bought a brand new Yamaha YX600A "Radian" in 1990. Put a windshield on it, throw-over nylon saddlebags, a typical 90s ginormous tank bag, aftermarket shocks and fork springs, lowered the gearing a notch, and toured all over with it. Never let me down in the 78,000 miles I owned her. Great bike.
First bike: Honda CM400. Paid $400 for it. Cleaned it up, adjusted the chain, added shock oil. Traded it in for $1000 on a Yamaha Maxim 750. Guy I bought it from found out and tried to tell me I owed him some of the money I got in trade. I have NO idea why he thought he was entitled to it. I guess he was just pissed he hadn't thought of fixing it up.
Very similar story with me. My first was a CM450 and second was a 750 Maxim.
morsetaper2
Well-known member
1974 RD350. Photo a couple days after my HS graduation in 1977.
TJT
Member
My first bike was a '74 Yamaha XS500. I paid $800 for it in June '79. I crashed it in gravel on the test ride and jacked up the cast I had on my arm and somehow felt obligated to buy the bike even though there was no damage to it. Decent bike I guess but what did I know?
I'm about halfway through this thread and there's a lot of great pictures and stories but you win so far at being plain ole straight up cool. 👍My first MC, 1974 RD350. Photo from Summer of 1977 not long after HS graduation, in the back yard. Got my led Zepplin concert t-shirt on!
