Think back when you first rode a motorcycle....
 

What was your first ahhh haaa moment? Mine was when I noticed other motorcyclist started waving at you. Also when you turn your bike to the right, you go left.

When I was 5 I rode on the back of a full dress Harley and the hook was set.

When I was a kid(13) a neighbor guy that was older than me (16) had 2 Honda step thru's a 160 Dream and a 305 Dream. One was his the other his dad's. We spent all spring, summer and fall riding through the neighborhood and back county roads. A suburban area but in the early/mid 60's it was a lot like Mayberry. Kids would be kids and they got a wink and a nod. This was before PA had a helmet law or a motorcycle license, 2 great years!

Test drove a then new Suzuki X6. Had to have it, but really had no business on a bike like that. No helmet, eye protection, gloves and most likely wearing shorts and flip flops. (hey it was Hawaii in the '60's).

As I recall, it was the X6 Hustler, wasn't it?

Yes and it was called the X6 because it had a 6 speed gearbox!

I was 12 the first time I rode a full size motorcycle. It was a SOHC era Honda 750 that a guy from the neighborhood had. A big jump from the Blue CL100 Honda my father had gotten me. No riding gear no problem, it wasn't on pavement but on wet grass at the park district...yeehaa! :-) 2 stroke kawi's were just coming out so the Honda was one of the baddest bikes in the land at the time. Actually a mellow sweet super easy to ride bike. The short ride went well on the Honda that day. Sure glad it wasnt one of the 2 stroke Kawasaki's!

Was probably 11 or 12 when an older cousin took me for a ride on the back of some 100cc italian bike he got from the Sears catalog.
Then he got a Honda 305cc we rode for ahwile - maybe the original Superhawk ? At the time it felt like a large, powerful motorcycle.

There was the 305 Dream and two slightly different SuperHawks, the scrambler and a low pipe model. Wanted one then and still want one.

Was 9 or 10, on a Honda 50cc mini trail, with the small and fat gnarly tires.
Full throttle was probably 40km/h, but man at that age, I was flying.
Had the bugs in my teeth to prove how happy I was.:rolleyes:

My first ah ha was within my first week having my new to me GS425 following my brother thru a winding neighborhood road when I learned how to get into a corner too hot and slowly was working closer and closer to the curb and eventually ended up hitting the curb at about 30mph and getting the high side, can you say superman?

This.

I was about 12, went to YMCA Camp Bernie in western NJ (I believe its still there). Those 1970s mini trails were cool. (I know a guy who restores them - he is the guru for them)

But while younger, my older brothers friends had Rupp mini bikes. I used to follow them and watch them ride thru the woods - I was so jealous.

1st moto ride (passenger) was probably my brothers '71 BMW R60/5. I remember riding down the NJ Turnpike heading to his soccer game in Kearny. I was so scared, I was saying prayers.

He still has that Beemer.

My 1st moto was a '78 Yami triple 750 that was a POS & real top heavy, front brake didn't work. I sold it and got a '82 BMW R65LS. Cool moto

Even though this was less than 2 years ago my ahh haa moment was while riding a 95 XR250L off road trying to do a hill climb, went over the bars due to getting bucked off because of shot suspension, breaking my thumb, and getting a nice cast. (made working on the bike and truck fun) It was then I realized that I loved the sport and wanted more, sold the Dual Sport to get a 01 CR250R, and a KLR600 for the street. What made me sell the KLR was almost being ran off the road twice and not having the power to get out of it.

My first ride was around the block on the back of a neighbor's Harley when I was about 8, give or take. Don't remember anything about the ride, but I probably loved it. I was a bit of a dare-devil as a boy, and when I was a tween I somehow talked my parents into a mini-bike. Probably because it was broken most of the time, and posed no danger unless you tripped over it in the garage, well except for my younger brother who inherited it and had one last harrowing ride when it had no brakes and the throttle stuck wide open going down a long street until he had to ditch it or ride into a busy intersection... He survived, lol, but didn't get any smarter, and many years later, was hit by a car hotdogging a dirt bike on the street... Again, he survived, much the worse for wear however. That didn't diminish my love for motorcycles though, As I became an older teen, and before I could drive, I was friends with a hard working kid who had a hardship drivers license at 15 and delivered papers on a 125 or 175 XL like bike. I rode on the back of it helping deliver papers and he would let me ride around on it. I bought my first motorcycle at 18 while I was stationed at Fort Benning. It was a new '82 Yamaha XT200 dual purpose. It was around $1250 if I remember correctly. I really fell in love with motorcycling on that bike. Wish I still had it.