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What Was Your First Street Bike?

cabanza

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I learned to ride on a 77(?) Honda CB400F (after riding a Motobecane moped for a while) and the first bike I actually bought was a 1994 Suzuki Bandit 400.
 
I learned to ride on a friend's Sears 106 but the first bike I owned was a 76 Kawasaki KZ400.

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Suzuki M50 aka VZ800, injected bike not one of the older carbed "skunks". I liked it a lot but I was a bit too tall for it so comfort was always a problem. OTOH it was really easy to work on- nice and simple and reliable. The shaft drive was cool too- I ended up fitting a rear unit from a Cavalcade which made the gears a bit taller, very helpful on the highway. Sold it after a few years when I found the Bandit, which I really loved and later wrecked :rofl
 
I got my license on my 15th birthday on my Yamaha DT125, prior to my 16th birthday I talked my dad into letting me trade my DT in on a new Honda CB650 Custom. Not sure what either of us were thinking but somehow I survived.... :dunno
 
I bought my 1974 Suzuki TS-185 from Suzuki of Tampa on Waters Ave for $450 in 1977 and used it to commute to high school and work until it was stolen from the parking lot at the grocery store that I worked at.:(

I never really had closure from losing that little bike and I don't have a picture of it so a few years ago I bought this one.:clap

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I bought my 1974 Suzuki TS-185 from Suzuki of Tampa on Waters Ave for $450 in 1977 and used it to commute to high school and work until it was stolen from the parking lot at the grocery store that I worked at.:(

I never really had closure from losing that little bike and I don't have a picture of it so a few years ago I bought this one.:clap

1649064319832.png
Tears.. I loved my 250. Have been an enduro guy ever since!
 
UK law meant i had to have a 50cc moped at 16, not being allowed a bike proper until my 17th birthday.
so my first bike in january of 1974 was a mobyllete identical to this one.

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In the june of 1974 i picked up an accident damaged yamaha FSIE 16er special moped. i had this until my 17th birthday. same colour as this one.
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I passed my bike test 7 days after my 17th birthday and my first bike was a 1971 daytona 500. in red. like this one.

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My first bike was a KE175, which was street legal and not exactly a street bike, although that didn't prevent me from riding it 20 miles to school or 60 miles to the nearest "big" town.
First real street bike was a 440 LTD. Not sure what was "Limited" about it (lol), but man did I think that thing was awesome!
 
I bought my 1974 Suzuki TS-185 from Suzuki of Tampa on Waters Ave for $450 in 1977 and used it to commute to high school and work until it was stolen from the parking lot at the grocery store that I worked at.:(

I never really had closure from losing that little bike and I don't have a picture of it so a few years ago I bought this one.:clap

1649064319832.png
Very cool, and I remember that dealership well, passed it hundreds of times growing up and living in Tampa (well, Lutz but there was really nothing in Lutz at the time). Remember that Tampa had 3 Honda franchises all doing well at the same time? Honda of Tampa was the oldest one, then Barney's Outboard Marine and Honda motorcycles (not to be confused with Barney's Yamaha across the bay and yeah, they originally sold Mercury outboards and boats) and Honda Village in North Tampa. I worked at all 3 of them, Honda Village twice, then later at Suncoast Honda which was started by the former service manager from Barney's in '75.

I started on a beat up, $50 CA102 in the summer of '68
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