Your Rider Resume

[Trusik1]

I started on a small 50 cc Romet Komar :wow: That was fun ride: the chain would always fall :cuss:and it overheated so I had bucket with water and rag to cool it. Then I went on to MZ 150 Awesome bike that could have been started with nail. Last one was MZ 251 "Many dreamed of it, few got it". After that I road some othe bikes for fun :CZ 350, Jawas and Junak, Ural "Awsome". Next big thing in line was GSF600 S "Bandito" This was great bike. Now I got Blue FZ1 that is :wow:

 

[super googan]

41 years old, Riding for 27 years started at 14 on a Yamaha mx100. Exactly 14 days after I bought it I had it wide open in 5th gear. Ripping through a field with 20" tall grass the stump I hit was 15 inches tall !! That hurt :woot:

Lucky for me my friendly local dealer had one with a blown motor and he was nice enough to swap the frame forks and front wheel for me.

5 minor accidents in 27 years.

#1 14 years old the stump : oops:

#2 19 years old Big extended van runs stop sign see's me and stops with the nose in my lane. I brake and correct to avoid him. Then he panics and jumps forward another 10 feet and slams his brakes again now blocking both lanes !!
Lost the front end on the brakes and just missed him 1987 fazer 700

#3 22 years old cold tires and sandy road in early March total rider error lost the front hard on the brakes 1992 gsxr 750 ( riding too fast ! )

#4 22 years old Same 92 gsxr 750 turning into a parking lot like I always did ( night time poor lighting )
This time the owners had put up a cable across the entrance. I noticed it at the last second and almost stopped ...........almost !
That cable must of been broken 6 times before the owners tied some strips of caution tape to it. Wonder if anyone sued them ?? I should have !

#5 32 years old Nice bend in road 300 year old woman with the huge dark glasses decides she likes my lane more and crosses the double yellow !!! left me about 12 inches on the edge of the road between her bumper and the curb. Really thought I was going to die !! one of those life flashes before your eyes moments.

All I remember is laying on the ground and looking at her dirty wire spoke hubcap 3 inches from my nose. The bike next to me over the curb.
She pulled away slowly as I laid on the ground dazed and confused.
( THE CRAZY OLD BAT LEFT ME TO DIE ) I thought she was pulling over !
Nice man returned and helped me out when he realized I was ok he went after her. No luck she was gone I was going slightly over the speed limit but nothing crazy. I doubt it would of made a difference considering the bend in the road and the angle she took in my direction. 2002 Hayabusa


Consider my self lucky never anything more than a little soreness and minor road rash. Helmet, leather, gloves and boots ALWAYS !!

Bike history ...I'll never remember them all and will include a few from my close friend that I trade with often and have put quite a few miles on.

Yamaha mx100
yz80
xt350
yz125
dt 175
85 rz 350 FUN FUN FUN
87 FZX 700 Fazer twice :smokin2:
94 vmax
85 ? fj1100
98 r1
2011 FZ1

Suzuki

91 gsxr 750
92 gsxr 750
95 gsxr 750
91 gsxr 1100
95 gsxr 1100
2000 gsxr 1000
2002 Hayabusa

Honda
80's cr250
8o's xl350
89 hawk gt 650 ( real fun on tight twisty roads )
80's cb 900

kawasaki

2000 zx-9
old 3 cylinder 2 stroke ...H1 maybe ??

I'm forgetting a few of bikes here ( old age ) :woot:


Friend bikes I've spent a fair amount of time on
zx11
zx12
vmax
many gsxr

Memorable rides

Riding one of the first 5 MV Agusta's in the country ( my friends millionaire CEO's bike ) I was pretty scared , but when your friend smacks you in the head and says WHEN WILL YOU EVER GET THIS CHANCE AGAIN you just do it!

My buddies 92 GSXR 1100 street/drag bike 1502cc aftermarket block, rods
crank 220 something horse power 8.63 168 mph FAST !



Riding mostly the local back roads, 2 track days at Pocono PA over 10 years ago. Lots of weekend nights at the drag strip and street racing when I was younger.

Best pass was on my 2002 Busa stock wheelbase lowered and strapped, air shifter
pipe, filter and gearing. 60ft 1.49 ET 9.42 mph 151

I miss that bike it really was a great do everything motorcycle. Pretty comfortable. 15 minutes to lower and strap and it's a drag bike, 15 minutes and back to a great street bike. You guys will think I'm crazy but it was pretty darn easy to ride fast in the twisty stuff too. Yes a little heavy and you need to muscle it a bit but very stable. So much torque that I could ride miles of tight roads and almost not have to touch the shift lever.
made for a calm easy ride depending on the torque, leaving you relaxed and only worried about entrance speed and picking your line. Never needed to worry about clicking multiple down shifts looking for the power.

So far I'm really enjoying the FZ1. She's a little slow after the Hayabusa and lacking in torque but I'm enjoying having to down shift and let her rev
into that nice top end rush.

Unfortunately I have been diagnosed with Thoracic outlet syndrome.
In simple terms the artery that supply's blood to my left arm gets pinched off when I have my arm in certain positions. Sport bikes are no longer an option for me The FZ1 has been a great choice for me with my medical limitations. I've raised the bars an inch but still have some issues on rides over an hour or two.
Still adjusting to the upright riding position that I have to be in because of my arm. Have a hard time trusting the front end in the corners without having my weight low and forward.

Guess that sums things up for me. :sport12:

 

[Aussiefz1]

1977 first bike 1964 suzuki T20SS awesome 2 stroke
1979 Z1R kawasaki euro model, rubber frame with hinge in the middle
1980 Truimph bonnie Hardtail chopper, kidneys still bleeding
!981 Honnnn Honnnnd XL250S sad
1981 RD250LC, Yamaha phew now we was cooking
1983 FXWG Hardly Dangerous, what ever:zzz:
1988 Z650 kawasaki still had rubber frames minus the hinge in the middle but.
1989 another RD250LC musta been getting old or something just didn't do it for me like the first one
1995 FJ1200, unstoppable, 380,000 k's on the clock when sold.
2000 Bandit 600, another awesome bike with a huge fun factor
2005 ZRX1100 lots of time spent sorting this bad mannered brut.
2009 FZ1N best well mannered bike owned.

started riding 1977 never ridden before, pissed the old folks off no end.
couple of minor offs, in the first couple of years, but then the big one, rearended at a set of traffic lights. 9 months in and out of hospital 12 months off work.
A couple of little stepoffs when working in Melb as a motorcycle courier, that was a fun job, 5 years and still here.
Another big stepoff in the late 90's buggered the shoulder pretty good ( good bye to big heavy machines ) Doh then I buy a ZRX.
Well over a million miles in the saddle for this little black duck, don't get to ride enough these days, busy busy busy.
Live in Victoria Australia, and have done so almost all my life, Member of the Wagga Wagga based Redback Tourers.
Lineworker for energy company, in the past been a van courier and motorcyle courier, welder, welders supervisor, chrome plating line supervisor.

 

[CGFZ1]

Wow, you all owned some great machines! My resume starts at age 6 when I learned how to ride a bicycle. For my birthday my Dad bought me a Japanese mini-bike with a rear tire that folded up into the frame when not in use. It looked like a scooter without the body work. Can't for the life of me remember what kind of mini-bike it was but it was a blast to ride. From there the list is as follows

Dirt Bikes and misc machines
1. Suzuki TS 50 (don't remember the year of the bike)
2. Suzuki TS 185 (don't remember the year of the bike 79 or 80 I think)
3. 1982 Suzuki RM 125 (I rebuilt the engine and sold it, only rode it a few times)
4. 1984 Yamaha 225 Tri-Moto (three wheeler)
5. 1985 Yamaha Tri-Z 250 (three wheeler)
6. Honda Pilot (modified with a CR 500 engine) Sounds better than it was, drive train could not handle the CR's power broke a lot!:rant: I learned how to stick weld because of this machine. It went like a raped ape when it held together which was not very often. (don't remember the year)
7. 1989 Kawasaki KX500 (raced it until I busted myself up on it practicing for a race which ended my racing career, the bike sustained very little damage in the crash, I took the bront of it.):surrender:


Street Bikes
8. 1986 Yamaha Maxim 400
9. 1987 Yamaha Maxim 650
10. 1983 Yamaha Seca 650 Turbo (fast as hell but engine blew up about a month after I bought it) bone head move on my part, over rev showing off. (kid stuff)
11. 1990 Yamaha Seca 900
12. 1987 Kawasaki ZL1000 Eliminator
13. 1993 Kawasaki ZX-11 Ninja
14. 2000 Kawasaki ZX-12R Ludicrous Speed, We've gone Plaid sir! (Space Balls)
15. 2007 Yamaha FZ1 (Current bike)

In 2003 after my Dad was killed in a motorcycle accident near Rhinelander Wisconsin, I took a 8 year lay off from bikes .:frown: It was a tough road back to getting on a bike again but I knew he would be upset with me for giving up something I was passionate about. It is great to be back on a bike again and the FZ1 made my decision to ride again an easy one, it is the best bike I have owned so far and it is great to be back in the Yamaha camp again.

Take care,

Chad

 

[FZ1riderNY]

Wow, you all owned some great machines! My resume starts at age 6 when I learned how to ride a bicycle. For my birthday my Dad bought me a Japanese mini-bike with a rear tire that folded up into the frame when not in use. It looked like a scooter without the body work. Can't for the life of me remember what kind of mini-bike it was but it was a blast to ride. From there the list is as follows

Dirt Bikes and misc machines
1. Suzuki TS 50 (don't remember the year of the bike)
2. Suzuki TS 185 (don't remember the year of the bike 79 or 80 I think)
3. 1982 Suzuki RM 125 (I rebuilt the engine and sold it, only rode it a few times)
4. 1984 Yamaha 225 Tri-Moto (three wheeler)
5. 1985 Yamaha Tri-Z 250 (three wheeler)
6. Honda Pilot (modified with a CR 500 engine) Sounds better than it was, drive train could not handle the CR's power broke a lot!:rant: I learned how to stick weld because of this machine. It went like a raped ape when it held together which was not very often. (don't remember the year)
7. 1989 Kawasaki KX500 (raced it until I busted myself up on it practicing for a race which ended my racing career, the bike sustained very little damage in the crash, I took the bront of it.):surrender:


Street Bikes
8. 1986 Yamaha Maxim 400
9. 1987 Yamaha Maxim 650
10. 1983 Yamaha Seca 650 Turbo (fast as hell but engine blew up about a month after I bought it) bone head move on my part, over rev showing off. (kid stuff)
11. 1990 Yamaha Seca 900
12. 1987 Kawasaki ZL1000 Eliminator
13. 1993 Kawasaki ZX-11 Ninja
14. 2000 Kawasaki ZX-12R Ludicrous Speed, We've gone Plaid sir! (Space Balls)
15. 2007 Yamaha FZ1 (Current bike)

I 2003 after my Dad was killed in a motorcycle accident near Rhinelander Wisconsin, I took a 8 year lay off from bikes .:frown: It was a tough road back to getting on a bike again but I knew he would be upset with me for giving up something I was passionate about. It is great to be back on a bike again and the FZ1 made my decision to ride again an easy one, it is the best bike I have owned so far and it is great to be back in the Yamaha camp again.

Take care,

Chad

Wow Chad, I'm sorry you lost your Dad that way. It looks as though his love for bikes is alive in you and he's probably happy that you have decided to ride again. I'm fully believe that he is watching over you on every ride you take! Thanks for posting.

 

[FZ1chick]

Very short history of riding...lol

Well if it came down to time spent in the saddle to get a job with this resume I think i would miss out...LOL.

My story didn't begin until 1998 when i was having a bit of a midlife crisis....but the story actually began in 1971.

After returning from his 2nd tour of Vietnam my father was taking another soldiers wife and child to the hospital when he was killed by a motorcyclist being chased by the police. he rode at high speed into the drivers side door. Clearly side impact airbags were not around back then. As I grew up out of respect to my mum I decided that when i was old enough to drive I would never get on the back of a motorcycle or have anything to do with one. I don't know why i blamed the vehicle and not just the driver all those years. What can i say...I was young.

Well, back to more recent years I had not long been separated and decided I needed to spice up my life so finally put the past in the past and took the brave step and got my bike licence. Of course doing this I did not tell my mum as I was scared of the response. I got my licence and bought a Kawasaki GPX 250. It seemed the popular learner bike at the time. After I got off my probationary I had come to realise that I needed to go up a bit more in power as I was not getting that buzz I looked for. I still has hidden this from my mum...lol.

Next bike became my baby. A blue 1997 VFR 750 which i fell in love with. She had that extra ooomph that I was looking for. Handled the corners just how i wanted it to. By this stage I was in another relationship and living in the most expensive state in Australia to register vehicles. Our first child together had come along and we had 2 cars and a motorbike. Something had to go and unfortunately it was my 2 wheeled baby...lol.

Oh yeah....when i finally got the courage to tell my mum I had a motorbike she said.....And you bought a jap bike...Why the hell didn't you buy a Harley....LOL....she cracks me up sometimes...

Here we are in 2010 and yet another relationship had begun...haha..it would seem i change my bikes like i change my partners...LOL

I got the bug back in my system and had to get back on the road. I searched and test road and pondered my finances........and then bit the bullet. In September of this year we became the proud parents of a 2003 FZ1 Fazer...:woot:

My significant other is now looking at buying a bike also so we can head out on the weekends and see more of our home state. I can't see me ever not owning a bike again for the rest of my life...

Thank you for reading..

 

[Deftone]

My name is Mark and I am a motorcycle junkie. I ride trackdays, dirt and street. I commuted on a motorcycle for about 20 years and I'm about to start up again on my new FZ1.

I rode some dirt as a kid back in the 70's on a borrowed bike. I grew up in Palo Alto (suburbia) so it wasn't easy. Got a GPZ550 in High School, around '84. Then I went to an '89 FZR600 (black), another '89 FZR600 (red/white/blue) Then I bought a '97 CBR900RR in '98. (I still have it). I streetfighter'd it back in '02*.

I got a '98 R1 in '99. I was sure that bike would kill me.

Started doing track days on it right away and I've been doing them ever since. Sold the R1 and bought a '00 R6. "A" group at Buttonwillow on Street tires...

Some where in there I bought a brand new '02 Honda XR400R and tried dirt again.
Then I picked up a '01 KTM Duke II.

Restored a '76 RD400 ('77 Body work)

Got married and my wife got me into dirt so I picked up an '02 KTM200EXC 2 smoker*:

Got a new trackbike, '07 CBR600RR*:

And I just picked up an '07 FZ1*: (setting it up for Sport touring/commuting)

Thanks for having me. Nice to be here.

* still own it.

 

[snuffcityrider]

I started riding when I was 14. My first bike was an R5 350 Yamaha that I bought and paid for mowing yards and throwing papers. It just wasn't fast enough so I added expansion chambers and had the heads milled and my favorite prey was the Honda 750's for about a 1/4 mile, after that they ate my lunch. Sold that for a car my senior year in high school and later while in the Army bought a 69 model Yamaha 350 that ran nothing like the R5.
When I got back to the states from Germany I bought a Kawasaki 750, had a thing for two strokes I guess. That thing was a monster.... Next bike was a Kawasaki 900, finally stepped into the 4 stroke world. Sold it and had about a seventeen year absence of motorcyles as I was heavy into white water kayaking and couldn't afford to have two hobbies.
In 2005 I got back into bikes and bought a Triumph America and had it maybe 4 months before trading it in on a Rocket lll Classic which my wife and I rode as far up as Montana and multiple trips to Colorado and New Mexico. I loved that bike but eventually traded for a 2010 Goldwing so the Mrs. could be more comfortable. I now have the Wing, a Triumph Speed Four (for sale!!), the Z1 and the Tenere. My wife also has a Can Am Spyder, so I guess we're hooked you might say. Loving the FZ as it is more upright and also has more power than the Speed Four, and at the age of 50 upright is a good thing.:smoking:

 

[cshrumfz1]

I would spend summers at my Grandparent's farm as a kid, and Grandpa had an old Honda CA175 (I think). He and I worked on it for a day or so when I was 12 (so...'82), and got it running. I think back now about how I would be going SO FAST (maybe 40-ish), and if I woulda went down, I would have torn myself up...sleeveless shirts, shorts, no helmet - all on a graded dirt road! But always wore real lace up shoes! Not a TOTAL squid! :disturbed
Between those summers, and at home with my best friend (he had 125cc dirtbikes) I had a decent basic knowledge of how to ride a motorcycle.

I also spent a lot of time on a road bicycle during my teen years, riding at least 50 miles a day all over the foothills of Boulder, CO. So, riding on two wheels has never been an issue for me...I still love to ride my bicycle now, not the same one though...and not nearly as far. Lack of free time has put quite a damper on things!

I have always loved motorcycles, and never had the nerve to actually GET a motorcycle endorsement and buy a motorcycle. My first wife and I would talk about getting one "some day", but that day never did come. She was diagnosed with breast cancer, and succumbed to it in '99 at the age of 32. I realized then that our life is short, and we aren't the ones who decide when our time on this rock is done. Once I was able to start moving forward with my life again, and met my (now) wife, she had the same love for motorcycles as me. We got married in '02, but before that even happened, we got one of the first made 2001 FZ1's in April of '01.

By October of last year, I had put 40K miles on her and planned on keeping her... until I had an accident. It was leaking radiator fluid from the weep hole in the engine case. Took it in to the shop, and they replaced the water pump. Got it home, and it was now leaking oil! Son of a ... So, I strapped it up to my friends' trailer, and when I hit a bump, she committed suicide off the side of the trailer! Oh My G*d! I was 'almost inconsolable'. I took it it to the shop again...a little pissed! Because if they'd have fixed it right the first time, then I wouldn't have had to put it on a trailer! But then I came to my senses and realized that it was my fault. :shame: I screwed that thing up bad too! To the point that I had it written off with the insurance.

My wife started realizing that nothing would replace my FZ1 except for another motorcycle, and I wasn't going to accept hers. We first started looking at used ones, but I am kind of apprehensive about buying a used bike from someone (I know, it's just how I am). We started looking at new ones, and prices were a bit much. Found a new '09 at a dealership in Dallas, and after talking to the GM of the store, planned a trip to Texas. This time in a truck! Left for Dallas after Thanksgiving dinner, and was waiting in the parking lot when they opened on Black Friday. I have put 3K miles on her so far, and next year will be a better year for miles. I like to do as much of my own maintenance as possible...probably do my own damn water pump if needed next time! (hope there is no "next time!!")

Now, when my bike is unable to be ridden to the shop....I'll WALK it there! :Liar:

- Chad

Owned Motorcycles
2001 FZ1
2006 R6 - wife's (totaled, by her)
2006 Suzuki SV650 - wife's
2009 FZ1 - current ride

Below is the bike much like the one rode as a youngster, the original FZ1, the new one strapped and finally in the driveway.

 

[Old Mate]

Here's my Motorcycling life so far ,

I dont really care if people find it interesting or not , to be qualified to give advice , I found it interesting non the same.

Nearly 50 , spent 28 years in the motorcycle industry from a wee tacker , starting out assembling CR 80's in crates , within 3 weeks I was doing XS1100's ,lol , and you learn and grow from there, up to senior managment of retail and wholesale for 15 years.

Then I walked away , and found something else to do for a career change and make more money to boot . I started losing faith when all customers started caring about , was best price , sticker kits, freestyle motorcross , jacket ventilation and helmet wind noise.

I ride everyday just abouts , as my bike has been and will always be my mode of transport . The Mrs and the kids now can drive the cars . Thought my 18yo has got a CB250 as his 1st bike as he cant afford a car.

I am very happy to have worked in it for so long , as was my life. But just as happy to walk away when nearly 30 years of hands on experience , but mean jack to some cockhead that complains that when he looks in his mirrors all he can see is his elbows , lol .

I wont even bother posting my bikes , rode em all , raced many , crashed lots, and if I couldnt fix it , bought another.

Im a Wizz at all spare parts for Vintage now , 70's and 80's Jap bikes , spare parts , number interchangability , also had to suffer years of 80's KTM dirt bikes , and BMW's , fck me dead Ive really suffered bad , but ended up learning a lot :smoking:

PS i love 2 strokes

 

[Deftone]

PS i love 2 strokes

You and me both, bud.

 

[CorrectionsK9]

Well I started out in 1979 with a Honda Z50 rode the heck out of that little thing on many many trails in Western Maryland

Then on to a Suzuki TS100 with the "kick in and out gear" street and trail gear. I rode that until my buddy got his first street bike and I had to have one.

My first street bike was a 1987 FZ600 I rode that thing forever putting 30,000 miles on it

I sold that one to buy a 1986 Suzuki GSXR750 Limited could kick myself for selling that one

Track bikes in between this time I had a 1992 FZR 600, 1986 Honda Interceptor, and a 1985 GSXR750 which I went through my W.E.R.A roadracing school. I almost forgot I currently have a 1997 GSXR600 for a track day bike

Then on to a 1995 Kawasaki ZX900 didn't like it to much with the clunky transmission.

Sold that one to buy a new 1997 GSXR750 liked it but missed the power of the big bore bike

So it was on to a 2000 Suzuki TL1000R nice bike I did a fair amount of mods to it and I liked the torque of the V-Twin but once it rolled of the kick stand it was tainted so I collected the insurance and sold the bike out right and made a few hundred bucks in the process

That funded my 2002 Honda RC51 loved the bike but me being short I was always tippy toeing.

I wont even mention the two money pit Harley Davidson's I currently own a 2001 custom Night train and a 2006 custom V-Rod

After the RC51 I needed another sport bike so I bought a 1989 FZR400 super nice just as a secondary bike to the Harley's I took it to Daytona one year and man did I get some good conversations. I love the rare and gray market bikes.

I sold the 400 and bought the 2007 FZ1 a cobalt blue model that I swapped over to the retro. I love riding it.

Well I still liked the old stuff and a local guy here had the 1984 RZ350 I kept it for 2 years and rode it some but with work and traveling I never got to really enjoy it so I sold it to fund the 1986 GSXR1100 that I currently own.

Currently 1986 GSXR 1100 and 750
1991 GSXR 750
1993 Bandit 400
2000 ZRX 1100
2001 HD Night train
2007 FZ-1

Man what a list.... and like many other guys on here you look back and wonder where the time and money has went...lol

 

[Dustin]

I just realised I've never posted on this thread.

Compared to most of you guys, I'm a spring chicken. It was 2008 that I decided to get my bike license despite having no interest in motorcycles at all. I never saw the appeal to flashy noise makers and could never figure out why anyone wanted to ride such an unstable machine.

Near the end of winter in 2009, I enrolled in a riding school and bought myself some gear. At the time, I had no friends who rode so I was flying solo for the adventure and had to learn on my own.

I started doing research and in April 2009, I picked up my first bike--a 2005 Suzuki GS500F from an older couple in the town east of me. I drove my car there and left it to pick up another day. I still remember the first ride like it was yesterday. I broke even when I sold it, not bad for a first bike.

Fast-forward about 6 months, 10,000km and one trackday the GS500 was up for sale and I was bike hunting. Browsing the local sportbike forum, I come across a 1989 Yamaha FZR400 for sale. I was instantly interested and messaged the seller. We started chatting about the bike and for whatever reason, became online pals. Although I wasn't really sure at the time, I thought this person might have been a girl. I didn't pay much attention and it wasn't relevant nor important to me until the first day we met up to go riding. Wow. This beautiful, smoking hot girl shows up and we hit it off straight away. I spent the next few months trying to convince her to date me; she spent those months pretending she wasn't interested. Ha!

We've just recently parted ways but I did buy that FZR in 2009 and spent a lot of money bringing it up to snuff. Not the best purchase but it was a great bike; shame I was too unskilled to make use of it. I had my first crash on it, a pathetic low side that I blamed on everything but myself--sand, cold tires, the lot. I know better now and it was a shame I didn't truly get to ride it like it deserved. Either way, I did a ton of riding on it and it had 80,000km when it finally changed hands.

Some time in early 2010, I bought a 1981 Suzuki GS650E. A friend's Dad had owned it for a while and said he would sell it if I was interested. I checked it out and picked it up the next week. It qualified for cheap vintage insurance and I ended up just doing some maintenance and flipping it for $1200 profit. Great bike with a wicked engine note.

Shortly after, I picked up a 2005 Suzuki DRZ400SM. I bought this from a guy who has now become a friend and my bike mechanic. It was set up exactly the way I would have wanted, with some nice hand guards and a full Yoshimura exhaust. Awesome bike, so much fun. I fitted sliders everywhere and a rack & hard case to it and did everything and went everywhere on it. Enormous mountainous highways, windy roads, winter commuting, forest service roads; you name it. Great bike and I do miss it. Killer handling, super easy to wheelie and you can beat the crap out of it without even a scratch. The guy I sold it to was super nice and I recently saw him riding it around the city, where it belongs. Managed to break even on this one too!

2007 Honda CBR125R. You guys didn't get them in America, but they are awesome bikes. I picked it up for $1400 and only had it a few months. I upgraded the brake pads, headlight bulbs, fitted the stickiest tires I could find and changed the front sprocket. Great city bike and so fun to ride; like a bicycle. 100MPG, 260 miles on a tank and 80MPH flat-out, I don't know why this wasn't sold in America. I went up north into the mountains and did a huge day tour on it that ended up taking way longer than I expected because of things like... hills. I did one trackday on it and flipped it for $2200 a few months later.

The FZ1. 2003 FZ1 in bumble bee colours. Fantastic bike and I often think about getting another. I think next time, it will be a gen 2. Bought it with 80,000km on the clock and sold it at 100,000km. I only paid $2500 for it (cheap in Canada-land) and did a few modifications. HH pads, RaceTech springs, Givi racks, heated grips, electric plug-ins, fancy bulbs and windscreens. Sold it for $3600.

2005 Suzuki SV650. My current workhorse and a fantastic bike. It's also the longest I've ever owned one single bike, at a about a year and 3 months at time of writing. As it sits now, it's got full Givi racks, GSX-R1000 rear shock, RaceTech front springs, HID projector headlight, HEL lines, HH pads, aTRE eliminator and a Yoshi slip-on. It's a perfect commuter, a great tourer with my 90L of hard case and with the few small upgrades, a great handling bike. Although I do miss the 7000RPM+ rush of the FZ1, this v-twin is a fantastic motor and I can find no faults in it. It loves to rev, makes good torque and sounds fantastic. I may eventually sell but by the time I do, I'm sure I'll lose money on it because the mileage will be so high.

The newest addition: 1986 Yamaha FZ600S. Showroom mint because Lee (Oldschool) took bloody good care of it. You've all seen the thread. It's nearly back to factory-new + some upgrades. The bike is absolutely beautiful and Lee gave me a fantastic price. Picking it up was an adventure in itself. A pink minivan, one best friend and 32 hours of non-stop driving in a Canadian winter. There were a lot of points where I had considered turning around and going home. We even nearly got stranded on the last leg of the trip home because of white-out conditions. With precious cargo loaded on the trailer, we stopped and waited out the storm. I got the bike home and it was a huge relief. We didn't celebrate until it was unloaded and in the garage, washed and tucked away. No premature cheering for us, not after that much stress.

I wonder what's next for me?

 

[FZ1inTX]

BTTT . . . we have a lot of riders here that probably have never seen this thread and may want to post their own. :tup:

 

[pokey074]

My first bike was a 1994 Kawasaki Ninja 500 purchased in 1996 while I was in the Army in Hawaii. This was after only a few lessons in a parking lot on a fellow soldier's Honda Rebel 250 or something similar. I promptly wrecked a few months later but salvaged the bike and a buddy welded up an 87 or so GSXR 750 front end. Sold that bike to 2000.

Went bikeless until 2006 when I bought a 2006 Kawasaki KLR650 with something like 300 some miles on it.

Rode that until 2010 when I traded it in on a brand new 2009 Kawasaki ER-6N.

Rode that until 2012 when I traded it in on a 2011 Harley-Davidson Dyna Wide Glide with only 637 miles. Never did feel in control and got tired of constantly/needlessly replacing parts. Not to mention, I do NOT fit in with the Harley crowd as I actually wear riding gear (ATGATT).

Traded that in on Wednesday for a 2012 FZ1.

 

[Ssky0078]

Sky's Rider Resume

I love motorcycling. I originally wanted to get a motorcycle about 12 years ago and always listened to every person that said 'you'll kill yourself', 'they're not safe', and my fav 'why would you want to do that, you'll get bugs in your teeth. So, instead I finished med school, got a gf that didn't work out, and around the end of 2008 after residency went to a dealership and saw a brand new 2008 Fz6 and fell in love, I saw the Fz1 next to it and was intimidated by the size of the bike at the time. Life took some rough turns for me through 2008 till 2012 and finally in September of 2012 I decided I was going to live my life for myself, I'd take it into my own hands, and stop worrying about everyone else's fear. I went about it logically, I bought some gloves and signed up for the BRC, figuring I could borrow a helmet and only be out $250. I figured if I liked it and felt safe that I would go ahead and find a bike after. I absolutely loved the course and went from being worried about the bike spontaneously throwing me off it into the air, to riding around a little faster than the course instructors liked but I still got smiles most of the time, and some of the best performances on the exam.


Motorcycle History:
Childhood: During my childhood my cousins had a Honda Big Red 3 wheeler I got to ride a couple times when I was about 10-12 years old. Also got to ride a 50cc quad for a little bit as well. Was never allowed to ride on a 2 wheeled motorcycle.

1st bike. 2008 Yamaha Fz6 Raven Black: In October I decided to cash out a 401k and get the bike, not a smart financial move as I had to pay the penalty this year, but a great life move. I was surfing ebay and came across a 2008 Fz6 Raven Black in Maryland that was well below the NADA amount. It just so happened to be the same weekend as Hurricane Sandy. I waited till the last minute and jumped the bid $100 and won my first auction and very fist bike. Had to wait for shipment and as soon as I got the bike I stopped using my car. I got in about 2,000 miles before crashing it out in Tortilla Flats, AZ, which I got some grief over, but I rode away and was lucky that the shop was able to total the bike and I could upgrade to my next bike. It was a great bike, but I was already starting to get the itch of wanting more power.



2nd bike. 2009 Yamaha Fz1 Granite Gray: In the end of December I found a 2009 Yamaha Fz1 Granite Gray that was just a little under book value and came with a new set of tires on her and new oil in her belly. Took delivery of the bike January 4th(?) and the next morning was in a state park where I was riding a little carelessly and crashed this bike. I was in love so I didn't take the bike in to the shop, I just took off the fairing and put on the Euro Naked Headlight. I've put on 13,000 miles on in the 6 months since.

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Training:
MSF Basic Rider Course: 10/2012
MSF Advanced Rider Course: 2/2013

Notable rides:
1. Yarnell Hill and The Spars AZ: Do this ride frequently for work reasons. A more notable portion of road in AZ.
2. The Snake: 4/2013 rode with a group of 30 youtubers at the infamous Mulholland Highway section called the snake. Didn't make an rnickeymouse video.
3. Ortega Highway: Idyllwild National Forest Highway: 4/2013. Best thing about this road is the posted speed limit is 50mph and the corner warning speeds are 30mph. So you have plenty of room to experience the performance of a bike while staying within reason on the road.
4. Idyllwild National Forest Highway: 4/2013 Beautiful hill climb from Hemet to Idyllwild up the CA74. A ton of back and forth corners as the road snakes up the mountain.
5. Banning-Idyllwild Panoramic Highway CA243: 4/2013 Coming down from Idyllwild You can't help but take in the views while also enjoying the twisties, in particular the final section before Banning as you can look out down to the valley floor below.
6. Colorado 550 "Million Dollar Highway": 7/2013. Part of the San Juan Mountain Skyway from Durango to Ouray. Considered on most motorcycle top 10 US roads. Speed limit is 30 and you don't want to push it much past that as you are constantly looking at 1,000 foot drop offs and no should to speak of. It would be a bad day to get a case of target fixation.
7. McClure Pass, Colorado: 7/2013. CO133 from Paonia to Carbondale has amazing scenery as you are surrounding by 10,000+ foot mountains and finish off the section to Carbondale next to the White River. High speed sweepers and minimal traffic.
8. Cottonwood Pass, Colorado: 7/2013. From Buena Vista, CO start on Co road 209 "Cottonwood Pass, Colorado and head west. starts out with canyon riding as you climb up to a 12,000 foot pass. As you descend down into Gunnison County the road becomes Co road 306, which is unpaved, graded dirt road. On the Fz1 it was kind of fun and speed limit was 25 and I didn't go much past that. It was good to help me get over my fear of loose road after my first crash that had gravel as a contributing factor.
View attachment 15435


Motorcycling has been more than a hobby for me, but really a life changing experience. I feel more conscious, alive and in the moment on the bike than I have doing many other things in my life. I look to correlate life lessons to being on the bike, such as "When on a motorcycle you always have to look through the turns, just like in life you have to keep looking ahead of where you are going. The minute fear kicks in and if you're on a motorcycle target fixation takes place, you are going directly toward the fear, often with disastrous results. If you can keep looking through the corner, no matter how challenging, eventually the opening will appear allowing you to speed off to the next twist, the next adventure in the road."

Future Rides:
1. Yamaha FJR1300A
2. Yamaha Super Tenere
3. Aprillia Tuono V4R (the box my Fz6 was delivered in was for this bike, I think it was meant to be).

 

[Blanchy]

My story, breifly. Forgive me if the years don’t add up, it’s a long time ago. First, I’m 2nd gen motorcycle rider born in 1958. My Father was an A grade (back in the day eq of pro) solo and sidecar rider. He was also a fully qualified Mechanic and Fitter/Turner (Machinists). A good friend of his was Paul Giles father of Shawn Giles (Multiple Aust Super Bike Champ) So bikes and mechanics are in my blood.
1st ride. Dexan? Minibike was a Briggs and Stratton in a cradle frame no rear suspension and only a very crude telescopic front end. Rented at the Sydney Show Grounds that was run as a training sort of thing but my goal was scraping pegs (very easy) and passing everyone.
2nd ride was a Honda Monkey Bike (See the band “The Monkeys”), the predecessor of the QA50 that my brother borrowed. After watching On any Sunday, I decided I was a Flat Track racer. Rode around a horse trotting track that was about ½ mile and wound it up after about 5 laps to 50mph and started to get it sideways. Remember these things were about 3ft or 1m long so it wasn’t long before it happened. A big high side where I hit the outside timber rail with my elbow but I was alright! (Still have that elbow lock up now and then. Floating bone?).
3rd ride Honda XR70, a great little slider, but not very powerful.
4th ride Yamaha YZ80. Borrowed whenever a mate would let me. Holy shit! Very poor suspension but damn that thing went.
5th Ride (might have been 4th ) Yamaha CT2 175. Had heaps of poke and could lift the front wheel easily. Went jumping with my brother (it was his bike and he borrowed Dad’s RT2 360) Evil Knievel has a lot to answer for! We were doing 70ft jumps with stuff all suspension. I remember getting home with about 10 spokes still intact on the rear wheel.
6th/7th Rides were my Fathers RT2 360 Yamaha and Brother’s XL250 Honda.
8th Ride (first real road bike/ride) Brothers XS2650 Yamaha. Once around Mt Panorama (Bathurst) among other rides.
9th Ride Brothers CB750 K2 Honda.
10th Ride. My first “Legal” on road bike, XL350 Honda.
11th Ride Yamaha RD350. And brothers Ducati Dahma 860.
12th Yamaha XT500c.
13th One ride on one of only two at the time Honda CBX1000s in Australia (courtesy of Paul Giles) I think I was 17 at the time and the bike was going to do the Castrol 6hr race the next weekend. The biggest production bike race in Australia.
14th YZ125D Raced for three years.
15th YZ465G Raced for one year.
16th Yamaha RZ350
17th Yamaha RZ35RR and Brothers XJ900 Yamaha
18th Yamaha TT600 (Geared for 175kph) and Brothers XLV750 Honda
19th (After a ten year break) WR450 Dirt bike, then converted to a WR450 Motoard.
20th 2009 FZ1 Yamaha slightly modified.
As my Ex Boss and friend said, I should have the Tuning Forks Tattooed on my forehead. Probably forgotten a few here but it gives an idea.

 

[Fz1fighter]

As a kid I always loved taking risks and pushing limits, also known as doing dumb shit on pushbikes. Bmx, mountain bikes it really didn't matter, show me a ramp and ill jump the damn thing, all that stopped when I hit 16, got my license and started playing with cars, by 17-18 some friends had gotten road bikes and I figured why not. So I bought myself an rgv250, at the time it was the quickest bike I could legally ride on my bike "L's" (250cc maximum) after about 6 months on that I got bored and stopped riding, then the dirt bike bug came and bit me on the ass, a couple rm125/250's, a kx, a yz, plus I was riding my friends bikes and was being a complete idiot. It was only a matter of time before I killed myself so by the age of 22 I gave it all up, got married, settled down, bought a house etc and that was it. I hadn't ridden in about 7-8 years, but I was licensed, cashed up and ready to buy. I considered so many bikes, particularly the 929/954 CBR and the 04+ R1, I really wanted to build myself a streetfighter, but reality set in, I have neither the time, money or skill to do the stuff I wanted safely- so I bought my 08 fz1 based on the theory that I could play with aesthetics without compromising safety. That was 4 weeks ago, I'm still getting used to the bike but I love it, it's the perfect platform for me. Cheers

 

[Malkey]

I started riding in 1976 back in England. My dad used to race his Norton 500 at Cadwell Park before I was born. Seeing his pictures made me want to ride too.

So as a spotty yoof I got my first taste of 2 wheels on a Yamaha FS1E.

Since then I've owned the following:

Yamaha RS125
RD250
RD350YPVS
FZ1S

Triumph T140E Bonneville
T150V Trident

Honda CBX1000C

Suzuki SV1000S

Kawasaki Z250
Z400
Z750
GPZ900R x 4 (Yep I loved them)
GPZ1100

I didn't own my first car until I was 26. So I rode through 10 English winters freezing my knackers off. I've done over 30 trackdays at 5 different tracks. I did take a break from riding after moving to LA. But I got the bug again.

 

[vandal_xx]

My name is Nick. I am an amateur rider at best. I started riding my first motorized two wheeled vehicle at 20. I am now 31. I have only ever had yamaha. Two 1983 maxim 650s followed by a 1990 FJ1200 and for the past two seasons a 2007 FZ1. With the FZ1 I have pushed myself to new limits.
First crash ;accelerating out of a turn, on my way to work (1 hour drive). It was about 25F out and I had just left my house. Tires were cold. Air was cold. Rear end spun out and I went down doing like 5MPH. Felt dumb and learned about the power of the FZ1.
Next time was around a tight left and appeared a large flock of turkeys in the road. I stood the bike up and headed for a grassy area. Managed to get down to around 10MPH and layed down right before a rock wall.
I feel pretty good on the FZ1 now and try not to push too hard. I ride about 10K miles a year and love it.
Though I try not to go too crazy, my chicken strips are getting smaller all the time.