real biker: coming full circle?

gordonscott · Full Member Joined: May 06, 2009 Posts: 304

A real biker: Coming full circle. I’ve been on a few forums and been in the bike culture for some time now and lately been doing some pondering. When I was six yrs old I lived on the third floor of an apartment building next to a Honda dealer and that was my introduction to motorcycles. I was there everyday looking, sitting on and drooling over this little z50. I would go to sleep at night dreaming of what adventures I would have if I had one. Then almost a year latter on Christmas day (I was seven now) there it was next to the tree! $399.00 brand new and it was all mine, the joy. My mother’s boyfriend carried it up three flights of stairs to put it there next to the tree. Time passed and I out grew that little bike and got a Suzuki DS80. That bike was bought for me from my new stepfather. I had a lot of fun with that bike too but growing fast as all kids do I found myself selling it in a few years and started riding enduro, an OSSA from Spain. Then on to trials, a Montesa. Then two things happened, I seen a movie with Mel Gibson called “Mad Max” WOW!!! The KZ was king in my book, with those Dunstall fairings and badass pipes, I was hooked. Only problem was I still had two years before I could get my license to even ride one. The other thing that happened was an English gentleman from London moved in across the street. He was a Triumph guy all the way (and had a few BSA’s also) and despite the age difference we became friends quick. I was young and stupid and knew nothing about Triumphs or any other English bike for that matter but defended my choice for wanting a KZ while he tried to sell me on the merits of the Triumph. This was my first exposure to “brand loyalty” but it was all in fun. Well the time came and I got my license and got my bike. It was not long before I realized some gave the wave as they rode buy while others did not, you see to some I was on the wrong brand of bike. There was an “us against them” mentality and it was time to choose sides, and I already had with my KZ. I was now hanging with the “rice burners” and we would make fun of the big slow American v-twin. And choppers? Why the hell would anyone want a bike that couldn’t even do a u turn on a two-lane road? No suspension, rode like crap and looked stupid in our opinion, performance is what we had in mind and trust me we let “them” know it at every turn. Then one day I get a call, “did you here about Ed? He had a bad one last night and didn’t make it” Ed was tight in our click and it hit home hard. Time to slow down, but we were young and “that won’t happen to me” bla bla bla…. And then on a cool October Saturday while riding along a car pulled out from the right and that’s the last thing I remember. Body cast and months in bed was the result. Summer went by but next season I found myself on a CB750 in full café trim and back on the road. Ended up meeting my future wife and thought it time to change bikes if I was to bring her along with me so my first v-twin found it’s way to my shed. Great bike but not big enough so I went and spent the most I ever had on a bike and took a chance on a new brand, a Victory TC bagger. Again I found my self on the wrong brand and caught a bunch of B.S. from the Harley crowd, same old s*** and I was no better then them, slinging it right back. I still liked to ride but not like before, needed some new spark. I seen Jesse James on the disco channel one night pounding out a gas tank by hand and thought “man that’s cool” not long after I bought my first XS and was going to have a go at a chopper, GASP!!! That first ride on a bike I built myself was like the little Z50 had come home to roost. I had not felt that way about a bike since I was 7 and once again was hooked, I’ve gone to the dark side LOL. I realized that I was a real biker at 7 and have been a poser ever since I got the “us against them and brand thing” in my head. I now have tried sidecars and I’m hooked again! It is to me a never-ending journey and it should be about having fun, be it building or riding a perfectly stock bike. It’s going to be hard for me to get some of the nonsense out of my head but hope to stop posing and become a real biker again like when I was 7. So to any rider on the road, you will get a wave from me whether you are on a Harley, crotch rocket or scooter, I’m just out for a ride and to have fun. P.S. sorry so long winded but you had it coming LOL…

xjwmx

Interesting philosophy. Getting into biking at a later rather than younger age, maybe I avoided all that. Or maybe I'm in my "second childhood." Wink

I truly "ride my own ride" and nothing regarding what you write of affects me, but I get a wave from most anybody who doesn't look busy just trying to keep in on the road. The notable exception is the rare Harley riders of the young greasy type, who'd probably be unfriendly even if no bikes were involved Smile

1979FXE

I get what you are saying Gordon...have felt like that a lot. Well at 57 , I dont give a crap what others think or ride. Til they buy my bikes and maintain them , no one will tell me what to own or ride. What makes you happy and brings that spark to your eye is all that matters. I have owned many types and kinds of bikes. Not for long some of them , but I haddem.
Soft place in my heart for old harleys and I dont care if they are slow and cumbersome. I like em....thats me....

gordonscott · Full Member Joined: May 06, 2009 Posts: 304

Hi Guys, I guess I was trying to make a subtle point. I’ve read a lot of bashing on this site, brat vs. chopper vs. café vs. stock, you get the point. We are all different and have different tastes. What you may not like now may become your favorite scoot later in life so have an open mind and enjoy.

Srinath

The cool thing about the XS is that we can have that stock vs cafe vs bobber vs chopper vs flat tracker debate. It works as any/all ...

The GR I have and love is a bike that desparately needs one or more of those mods ... but they are near impossible on it ...

The savage really wants to be chopped and bobbed, and it looks stupid as a cafe or a flat track.

GS500 ... forget it, most mods look stupid, and as it is its pretty bland ...

XS ... well dont hack up an older model, and the common newer ones, yea by all means ... no one's gonna miss it.

Cool.
Srinath.

xjwmx

By saying there is no best, you quickly provoke a my preference is best, as above.

1979FXE

So far as I have seen on this site , most are open to all persuasions of rides and opinions...hope it keeps up. Dont bash others and you wont get bashed for your likes dislikes and opinions. my 2 cents worth....I like variety....hope no one took my earlier comment as saying what I like is best...just what I like. Have xs fever right now..LOL.

Srinath

Its more like for this particular bike I have to do this.
Like my motor is DOA from a cam chain guide that went south. Perfect for a rebuild and a rephase.
The seat and tail get cleaned up, again if it was a nicer non special I'd let it be.
Something like that.

Cool.
Srinath.

Joseph · Full Member Joined: May 22, 2007 Posts: 767 Location: NY

I like the street trakcers but my favorite are soft tail bobbers. Lowered suspension and maybee bend the seat area a bit lower. Hard tails are just ok to me and cafe I just dont get right now. My taste change so that is how I feel now. I love watching and learning from any build and give credit to anyone motivated enough to do so.

yamaman

Cheers Gordonscott,
ay the road rise up to meet you.
ay the wind always be at your back.
ay the sun shine warm upon your face,
and rains fall soft upon your fields.
And until we meet again,
ay God hold you in the palm of His hand.

jayel

May those that love us, love us.
And those that don't love us,
ay God turn their hearts.
And if He doesn't turn their hearts,
ay He turn their ankles
So we will know them by their limping.

gordonscott · Full Member Joined: May 06, 2009 Posts: 304

jayel wrote:

May those that love us, love us.
And those that don't love us,
ay God turn their hearts.
And if He doesn't turn their hearts,
ay He turn their ankles
So we will know them by their limping.

Thats realy funny Jayel, I'll have to remember that one Smile

I grew up on the Mass border of New Hampshire and Laconia Harley country. Lots of bikes this part of New England, LOTS! Things are much better now with the two groups and we now have a lot of new riders that don’t know what it was like 20 years ago before the Discovery channel single handedly created an explosion of new riders. So now most give the wave but was not like that in the past. Way before my time Harley and Indian riders would not even talk to each other LOL… So I would have to say it is better then ever out there. I even had a guy on a pan-shovel stop and ask me if I needed a hand when my XS left me on the side of the road this past summer Cool

Yes times have changed Very Happy

jayel

that's a old Irish blessing/saying always liked it Laughing

just the right blend of humilty mixed with a poke in the eye, read once about a old Indian rider explaining the Indian/Harley thing he said Indian riders rode motorcycles and Harley riders were the scum of the earth, the only thing was that the Harleys would blow past the Indians on the road or track, win on sunday sell on monday

harleysmakegooddonorparts

gordonscott wrote:

Hi Guys, I guess I was trying to make a subtle point. I’ve read a lot of bashing on this site, brat vs. chopper vs. café vs. stock, you get the point. We are all different and have different tastes. What you may not like now may become your favorite scoot later in life so have an open mind and enjoy.

its been 15 years since i had my first and only cycle, a little honda cr 80 that blew through the neighborhood dirt roads. growing up around a father and uncles who were always "harley" guys i always thought my first real motorcycle would be a HD. 6 years ago i made a move and a life change and stumbled into a sober clan of dudes who were into chopping old bikes, harleys, triumphs, kawasakis, and xs's. they all had one thing in common, they looked simple, basic, and unique, much cooler than the flashy harleys i had seen at the bars and on tv. it didnt take me long to find a guy on craigslist selling an old non running xs for a mear $75. I rounded up a truck and trailer and have been slowly leaning and piecing it for 2 years. in that 2 years my ideas of how i want this thing to finish out has changed a dozen times. now im so close i just want it running so i can enjoy the feeling of riding something i built (with much help). to me these old bikes are so cool because if i decide i want to do something different down the road i can easily do it because of their simplicity.

mseriously · Full Member Joined: May 08, 2007 Posts: 31 Location: Iowa

Z50 was my first bike! Rode the dog crap out of it! My brother helped me scrounge it up behind my old man's back, once I had it, he couldn't take it away from me. We took two of them, one yellow and one red and made one good bike.

If you kicked the choke full on, it would give you a little extra "juice" as I remember...haha. Really probably only just leaked a bit more gas!

Rick_in_PDX

first build bike was a 750 3cyl kawasaki. got it in a box at age 16.... you could bore the things out in incriments of A,B,C and D stroke, I gave this thing the full onm "D" stroke treatment, it had chrome expantion chambers, dunstall style fairing, Ihad dreams of it looking like something Mike the Bike Hailwood would ride/race on..... got it running one saturdayafternoon. Pop heard the noise, came out he was happy for me, He got on it to give it its first test ride.... came back home a short time later with a mad and perplexed look on his face, he then told me to sell it cause I was never going to be allowed to ride it, come to find out it terrified him,..... bike was gone the next day I never did get to ride it,
Flash fwd, 1979, was told if I made honor role all year long I would get a new car/truck for graduation....... YAAAAAA!, I did it....went to look at a real sweet laguna ss chevy, on the waythere we past the local Kawasaki/Harley dealership. in the window was a SWEEEEET KZ1000 ~MUST HAVE BIKE IN '79~... we stopped.. I wanted that bike soooo badly!.... Grandfaher who was puttingup 1/2 of the money says, "if your going to get a cycle, your going to get an american one" left there with a 80 lowrider, damn thing was built on a monday I swear!, will admit I sold it 6yrs ago, during the time I had it spent most of myrideng on a guzzi eldorado, hondas, and Kawasaki's ~smattering of Ducati's here and there,
This chopper I am building will be my last bike I will ride, its going to reflect 35yrs of looking,exerimenting, and dreaming of a one off custom....

y full circle maybe a bit oval, but sitting out in the garage building,painting cleaning, I can almost see and smell that old 3cyl and my pop watching over myshoulder waiting to take the first ride...

Thank you for bringing your first bike story to light

blackwidow

I like your story I get some s*** from guys that I should buy a harley and I have a friend here at work that rides a busa and he talks s*** about harleys but I have heard him say a few times that he wouldn't mind a cruiser like my bike... I don't claim to be a biker nor want to be one just read my sig and you'll know who I am

xsleo

My first ride was on a friends Yamaha 100 when I was just a kid. Since then I have had a Rupp mini bike, a Kawasaki H-1 500, A Yamaha XS650, a Suzuki DT125, a Yamaha DT400, a second Yamaha XS650, a Harley-Davidson FXDX Super Glide Sport.
I have ridden several Hondas, and some others I don't recall.
I have always thought that it wasn't what you rode, but that you rode is what was important.
I wave at every thing one two wheels.

gordonscott · Full Member Joined: May 06, 2009 Posts: 304

blackwidow wrote:

I don't claim to be a biker nor want to be one just read my sig and you'll know who I am

Hi Blackwidow, I like your view on being a "biker" Wink

Anything on two (or three) wheels is good with me. Like the point I was trying to make in my story, I have not been a "real biker" since I was a kid and did not care what others thought and just wanted to ride Very Happy

" But I'm trying Ringo, I'm trying real hard to be the shepard" Laughing

p.s. like it or not you are a "real biker" in my book Smile

gordonscott · Full Member Joined: May 06, 2009 Posts: 304

xsleo wrote:

I have always thought that it wasn't what you rode, but that you rode is what was important.
I wave at every thing one two wheels.

You've got it right my friend Cool

nj1639

gordonscott wrote:

xsleo wrote:

I have always thought that it wasn't what you rode, but that you rode is what was important.
I wave at every thing one two wheels.

You've got it right my friend Cool

Even wave to kids on bicycles, if they're looking. The next generation, ya know.

blackwidow

gordonscott wrote:

blackwidow wrote:

I don't claim to be a biker nor want to be one just read my sig and you'll know who I am

Hi Blackwidow, I like your view on being a "biker" Wink

Anything on two (or three) wheels is good with me. Like the point I was trying to make in my story, I have not been a "real biker" since I was a kid and did not care what others thought and just wanted to ride Very Happy

" But I'm trying Ringo, I'm trying real hard to be the shepard" Laughing

p.s. like it or not you are a "real biker" in my book Smile

Hey thanks I hope you get over this and I'm glad to see someone turning over a new leaf (I think thats the saying) to start looking at things in a fun and more positive view. I worry about what makes me happy and not what someone else rides or how much they ride.

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Yamaha xs650