Mellow
02-01-2007, 02:00 AM
http://www.st-owners.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=33135&stc=1&thumb=1&d=1215881350
Dana has been a great
member of the site.
He's always had a
positive affect on
the members here.
Please congratulate him for
being the
February 2007
Member Of The Month.
From Dana himself:
I'd like to say how humbled I am to be chosen for this honor. I don’t know
what I’ve done to deserve it, but I have to admit how smitten I am with
ST-Owners.com. I spend time here every day seeing what my friends are up
to. It’s become a part of my life and I feel something is missing when I can’t.
I started riding when I turned 18 as my father wouldn’t allow me to buy a bike
before I reached that age. I was living in his house so I guess he got to make
the rules. My first bike was a 1970 Honda CB175. I loved that bike; I thought
it was the fastest thing in the world. I didn’t ride it for very long as about 6
months after buying it I joined the US Navy. I drove the bike up to Great
Lakes while I was in training there (after boot camp) but my first assignment
was in Long Beach, CA. I elected to drive the bike back to my hometown of
Burlington, Iowa and left it with my parents to sell. My dad sold it for me for
$150 and threw in the helmet.
http://www.st-owners.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=33130&stc=1&thumb=1&d=1215881341
My next bike was a 1975 Honda CB400F, it was the closest thing to a café
style bike being produced and I was a hooligan already. This was in 1976 and
again, I fell in love with two wheels and figured it just didn’t get any better
than this. I took it to the drag strip in Carlsbad, CA managed to do 80+mph in
16 something seconds. Sorry, it’s been a lot of years so I don’t remember the
exact figures. This was my main ride for three years.
http://www.st-owners.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=33131&stc=1&thumb=1&d=1215881341 http://www.st-owners.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=33132&stc=1&thumb=1&d=1215881341
In 1979 I went to the Honda dealer in El Cajon, CA and purchased my first
new vehicle (of any type) a 1979 Honda CB750F. All I can say is WOW! This
was a whole new level of performance, made every bike I owned previously
pale in comparison. When this bike came out it was the fastest 750 made by
any manufacturer. This was the height of the embargo tax too, so bigger
bikes were being taxed at a very high rate. Still in the Navy, it was again time
to move, I owned three vehicles, two motorcycles and a Ford Maverick. I
sold the Maverick and the CB400F to a friend and moved to Hawaii. Since this
was a military move, they shipped my bike to Hawaii. For the next two years
I only owned a motorcycle. I rode that bike all over the island, riding the
circumference many times even on the dirt track around Kaena Point (and I
have pictures to prove it). I loved the corners through the tunnel on the Like
Like Hwy (pronounced Lekie Lekie), managed to hit 127 mph on the sugar
cane rode outside of Wiapahu. I owned this bike until 1987 when I sold it to a
motorcycle bone yard for $100, that brought a tear to my eye, I can
guarantee you that.
http://www.st-owners.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=33133&stc=1&thumb=1&d=1215881341 http://www.st-owners.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=33134&stc=1&thumb=1&d=1215881341
Got married in 1984 and had a family to raise; owning a bike just wasn’t in the
budget for this sailor. I know this is a common theme here; I just grin when I
read another account on the forums. Time passes and the kids are all adults
now with lives of their own. With my active duty Navy career over I went
back to school on my GI bill and got a degree in Electrical Engineering
(graduating from the University of Iowa). I now have a new good paying job in
San Diego still working for the Department of the Navy with a new home with
a monster mortgage to pay but essentially debt free otherwise. The itch to
own a bike strikes and I surf the internet to see what’s available, I scratch
that itch in August 2005 when I bought my beautiful red Honda ST1300ABS.
Truth be told, I was looking for a 2004 as my wife liked the blue color better
and I had to admit it sure did look nice in the pictures I saw. I didn’t know a
thing about this site when I bought (sure wish I did, it surely would have been
a much different experience). My good friend hig4s told me about this and
the STN site for information after I’d owned the bike for a bit. I’ve been an
active member ever since. I’m finding myself planning my vacations around
STOC events and when my wife suggested we visit family in Iowa in
November, I was thinking, “What? There’s no STOC event planned there at
that time of year!”
Dana has been a great
member of the site.
He's always had a
positive affect on
the members here.
Please congratulate him for
being the
February 2007
Member Of The Month.
From Dana himself:
I'd like to say how humbled I am to be chosen for this honor. I don’t know
what I’ve done to deserve it, but I have to admit how smitten I am with
ST-Owners.com. I spend time here every day seeing what my friends are up
to. It’s become a part of my life and I feel something is missing when I can’t.
I started riding when I turned 18 as my father wouldn’t allow me to buy a bike
before I reached that age. I was living in his house so I guess he got to make
the rules. My first bike was a 1970 Honda CB175. I loved that bike; I thought
it was the fastest thing in the world. I didn’t ride it for very long as about 6
months after buying it I joined the US Navy. I drove the bike up to Great
Lakes while I was in training there (after boot camp) but my first assignment
was in Long Beach, CA. I elected to drive the bike back to my hometown of
Burlington, Iowa and left it with my parents to sell. My dad sold it for me for
$150 and threw in the helmet.
http://www.st-owners.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=33130&stc=1&thumb=1&d=1215881341
My next bike was a 1975 Honda CB400F, it was the closest thing to a café
style bike being produced and I was a hooligan already. This was in 1976 and
again, I fell in love with two wheels and figured it just didn’t get any better
than this. I took it to the drag strip in Carlsbad, CA managed to do 80+mph in
16 something seconds. Sorry, it’s been a lot of years so I don’t remember the
exact figures. This was my main ride for three years.
http://www.st-owners.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=33131&stc=1&thumb=1&d=1215881341 http://www.st-owners.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=33132&stc=1&thumb=1&d=1215881341
In 1979 I went to the Honda dealer in El Cajon, CA and purchased my first
new vehicle (of any type) a 1979 Honda CB750F. All I can say is WOW! This
was a whole new level of performance, made every bike I owned previously
pale in comparison. When this bike came out it was the fastest 750 made by
any manufacturer. This was the height of the embargo tax too, so bigger
bikes were being taxed at a very high rate. Still in the Navy, it was again time
to move, I owned three vehicles, two motorcycles and a Ford Maverick. I
sold the Maverick and the CB400F to a friend and moved to Hawaii. Since this
was a military move, they shipped my bike to Hawaii. For the next two years
I only owned a motorcycle. I rode that bike all over the island, riding the
circumference many times even on the dirt track around Kaena Point (and I
have pictures to prove it). I loved the corners through the tunnel on the Like
Like Hwy (pronounced Lekie Lekie), managed to hit 127 mph on the sugar
cane rode outside of Wiapahu. I owned this bike until 1987 when I sold it to a
motorcycle bone yard for $100, that brought a tear to my eye, I can
guarantee you that.
http://www.st-owners.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=33133&stc=1&thumb=1&d=1215881341 http://www.st-owners.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=33134&stc=1&thumb=1&d=1215881341
Got married in 1984 and had a family to raise; owning a bike just wasn’t in the
budget for this sailor. I know this is a common theme here; I just grin when I
read another account on the forums. Time passes and the kids are all adults
now with lives of their own. With my active duty Navy career over I went
back to school on my GI bill and got a degree in Electrical Engineering
(graduating from the University of Iowa). I now have a new good paying job in
San Diego still working for the Department of the Navy with a new home with
a monster mortgage to pay but essentially debt free otherwise. The itch to
own a bike strikes and I surf the internet to see what’s available, I scratch
that itch in August 2005 when I bought my beautiful red Honda ST1300ABS.
Truth be told, I was looking for a 2004 as my wife liked the blue color better
and I had to admit it sure did look nice in the pictures I saw. I didn’t know a
thing about this site when I bought (sure wish I did, it surely would have been
a much different experience). My good friend hig4s told me about this and
the STN site for information after I’d owned the bike for a bit. I’ve been an
active member ever since. I’m finding myself planning my vacations around
STOC events and when my wife suggested we visit family in Iowa in
November, I was thinking, “What? There’s no STOC event planned there at
that time of year!”