pdef
01-25-2005, 10:51 PM
hmm I don't know how to start this so here goes.
I come from a family of motorcyclists. My grandfather rode one when he came back from WW2. My dad and uncle rode motorcycles when they lived in Austin in the early 70s. My uncle got caught up with the Hells Angels and gave up motorcycling after a few years when he got into some really bad stuff and left the city. My dad started off on some triumph model that I cant remember and eventually sold it. He then piece-mealed together a chopper out of a HD frame and random parts. He sold that to a navy guy coming back from vietnam for 2000 bucks and felt he was ripping the guy off. I was told that bike was a piece of junk, but at least looked neat. He then bought a Moto Guzzi touring bike and rode around with his old lady(my mom) on it all over the state. There are pictures of me as a youngin sitting on the bike, but I dont remember it. He eventually sold this bike to buy a piece of land in Lago Vista that right now is just sitting undeveloped.
I had always had an interest in motorcycles but could never see myself having one, mostly for monetary reasons. I had always begged my friend who has a 73 sportster to teach me how to ride but he always dodged out.
After dropping out of college and getting a fulltime job I found myself having a lot more disposable income and started saving up. After saving a couple grand I decided I wanted to buy a bike. Once my friend saw I was serious about it, he took me out to a parking lot one day and taught me how to ride on his sporty. The next day I headed to my local Honda shop and purchased a used honda shadow 750.
I had so much fun on that shadow. I loved to go out riding with no place to go. Unfortunatly I also got caught up in the image part of it and was only wearing a 1/2 helmet or no helmet at all. It was a normal custom to go to Northgate and get hammered and ride home.
One night after about a year and a half of riding I get a call from my buddy with the sportster, he has bought a new bike and wants to show it off to me at work. I tell him ok and 30 minutes later go out to the parking lot. He shows up on a cherry 99 VFR800. A sportbike!? "What are you thinking?" I ask him. He shrugs and shows me all the cool things it has, single swingarm, gas gauge, clock, wind protection.... 100HP! I say ok, its not bad, but you have to let me ride it. After much convincing, he lets me take it around the parking lot. Whoa! It feels weird sitting this high on a motorcycle. I am bobbling and weaving all around and manage one lap before returning it to him. It was scary but and the same time exhilerating(sp). The power and smoothness of the engine were amazing. At that point the sportbike seed was planted...
6 months later, said friend and I are now roommates. He is debating selling the VFR because he is having trouble making payments. I am back in school, but am still working. I loan him 1500 bucks so he can keep it, but only on the promise that I can ride it whenever I want, as long as he isnt using it. Big mistake. I start taking the thing to school and on longer trips to Somerville, Waco, and Houston. I start wearing more gear because the VFR scares me more than the cruiser does, and I am not concerned about image when on the VFR.
A friend of my roommate's is wanting to get into motorcycling and is looking for a decent beginner bike. I suggest he get a shadow like mine and he asks if I would sell mine. We eventually come to a price and I sell my beloved shadow. It may not have been the best bike but I had some great times on it. You never forget your first. I take the money from the sale and combined with the unpaid loan, I buy the VFR from my roommate.
About the time I am riding the VFR I started dating a nice girl named Tracy. She rode on the back of both the VFR and the shadow and was very pleased when I chose the VFR over the shadow. She enjoys riding with me, but I am not the most fond of having a pillion. I just dont like the way it feels compared to riding solo. Scheming of getting her on a bike begins here...
I enjoyed about 3 months of ownership of the VFR before stupidity killed it. I had spent most of the day riding around with Tracy on pillion. I drop her off at her home in Anderson and make my way back home to College Station. I decide to take 3090 as it is fun and ont he way. I am riding down 3090 and in a split second I am sitting on someone's recliner in a living room and have no clue where I am. It turns out I was involved in an accident and stumbled my way to this nice couple's house and asked for help. Imagine answering a knock on your door to see a bloodied kid in motorcycle gear who doesn't even know what day it is. They take my cell phone and manage to get ahold of Tracy who came to pick me up and take me to the ER. One concussion and a totalled motorcycle later I am debating this whole motorcycle thing.
I went 2 months without having a motorcycle and started getting the bug again. It helped seeing all the bikes get the great parking on campus! After checking many internet sites searching for a CBR 600, I find a CBR 929 in Louisiana for the same price I am wanting to pay for a 600. A week later I am driving down there and picking up the CBR.
I rode the CBR for less than a year. In that time I did one trackday and I started doing group rides, mostly with twtex, and have come to the conclusion that for me, the CBR sucks as a long distance mount.
Christmas 2004 I decide to trade the CBR in on a new Aprilia Tuono. The tuono had great reviews and was known for truly being a 'comfortable sportbike'. So far I have 2000 miles on it and eagerly await putting more on. I also want to do trackdays on it as I am a lot more comfortable with it than the CBR.
Gonna end my novel with a couple pictures.
Tracy and I at an Astros game (http://img156.exs.cx/img156/9846/astros29bj.jpg)
A picture of my first trackday (http://img171.exs.cx/img171/575/hotday1hr.jpg)
The tuono (http://img58.exs.cx/img58/8127/dscf00044xd.jpg)
I come from a family of motorcyclists. My grandfather rode one when he came back from WW2. My dad and uncle rode motorcycles when they lived in Austin in the early 70s. My uncle got caught up with the Hells Angels and gave up motorcycling after a few years when he got into some really bad stuff and left the city. My dad started off on some triumph model that I cant remember and eventually sold it. He then piece-mealed together a chopper out of a HD frame and random parts. He sold that to a navy guy coming back from vietnam for 2000 bucks and felt he was ripping the guy off. I was told that bike was a piece of junk, but at least looked neat. He then bought a Moto Guzzi touring bike and rode around with his old lady(my mom) on it all over the state. There are pictures of me as a youngin sitting on the bike, but I dont remember it. He eventually sold this bike to buy a piece of land in Lago Vista that right now is just sitting undeveloped.
I had always had an interest in motorcycles but could never see myself having one, mostly for monetary reasons. I had always begged my friend who has a 73 sportster to teach me how to ride but he always dodged out.
After dropping out of college and getting a fulltime job I found myself having a lot more disposable income and started saving up. After saving a couple grand I decided I wanted to buy a bike. Once my friend saw I was serious about it, he took me out to a parking lot one day and taught me how to ride on his sporty. The next day I headed to my local Honda shop and purchased a used honda shadow 750.
I had so much fun on that shadow. I loved to go out riding with no place to go. Unfortunatly I also got caught up in the image part of it and was only wearing a 1/2 helmet or no helmet at all. It was a normal custom to go to Northgate and get hammered and ride home.
One night after about a year and a half of riding I get a call from my buddy with the sportster, he has bought a new bike and wants to show it off to me at work. I tell him ok and 30 minutes later go out to the parking lot. He shows up on a cherry 99 VFR800. A sportbike!? "What are you thinking?" I ask him. He shrugs and shows me all the cool things it has, single swingarm, gas gauge, clock, wind protection.... 100HP! I say ok, its not bad, but you have to let me ride it. After much convincing, he lets me take it around the parking lot. Whoa! It feels weird sitting this high on a motorcycle. I am bobbling and weaving all around and manage one lap before returning it to him. It was scary but and the same time exhilerating(sp). The power and smoothness of the engine were amazing. At that point the sportbike seed was planted...
6 months later, said friend and I are now roommates. He is debating selling the VFR because he is having trouble making payments. I am back in school, but am still working. I loan him 1500 bucks so he can keep it, but only on the promise that I can ride it whenever I want, as long as he isnt using it. Big mistake. I start taking the thing to school and on longer trips to Somerville, Waco, and Houston. I start wearing more gear because the VFR scares me more than the cruiser does, and I am not concerned about image when on the VFR.
A friend of my roommate's is wanting to get into motorcycling and is looking for a decent beginner bike. I suggest he get a shadow like mine and he asks if I would sell mine. We eventually come to a price and I sell my beloved shadow. It may not have been the best bike but I had some great times on it. You never forget your first. I take the money from the sale and combined with the unpaid loan, I buy the VFR from my roommate.
About the time I am riding the VFR I started dating a nice girl named Tracy. She rode on the back of both the VFR and the shadow and was very pleased when I chose the VFR over the shadow. She enjoys riding with me, but I am not the most fond of having a pillion. I just dont like the way it feels compared to riding solo. Scheming of getting her on a bike begins here...
I enjoyed about 3 months of ownership of the VFR before stupidity killed it. I had spent most of the day riding around with Tracy on pillion. I drop her off at her home in Anderson and make my way back home to College Station. I decide to take 3090 as it is fun and ont he way. I am riding down 3090 and in a split second I am sitting on someone's recliner in a living room and have no clue where I am. It turns out I was involved in an accident and stumbled my way to this nice couple's house and asked for help. Imagine answering a knock on your door to see a bloodied kid in motorcycle gear who doesn't even know what day it is. They take my cell phone and manage to get ahold of Tracy who came to pick me up and take me to the ER. One concussion and a totalled motorcycle later I am debating this whole motorcycle thing.
I went 2 months without having a motorcycle and started getting the bug again. It helped seeing all the bikes get the great parking on campus! After checking many internet sites searching for a CBR 600, I find a CBR 929 in Louisiana for the same price I am wanting to pay for a 600. A week later I am driving down there and picking up the CBR.
I rode the CBR for less than a year. In that time I did one trackday and I started doing group rides, mostly with twtex, and have come to the conclusion that for me, the CBR sucks as a long distance mount.
Christmas 2004 I decide to trade the CBR in on a new Aprilia Tuono. The tuono had great reviews and was known for truly being a 'comfortable sportbike'. So far I have 2000 miles on it and eagerly await putting more on. I also want to do trackdays on it as I am a lot more comfortable with it than the CBR.
Gonna end my novel with a couple pictures.
Tracy and I at an Astros game (http://img156.exs.cx/img156/9846/astros29bj.jpg)
A picture of my first trackday (http://img171.exs.cx/img171/575/hotday1hr.jpg)
The tuono (http://img58.exs.cx/img58/8127/dscf00044xd.jpg)