Best Bike I Ever Owned.

[Larry Fine]

Well, it all started with a Keystone minibike that my dad put a new engine in, a 5 hp briggs and stratton with a centrifugal clutch. It looked mostly like this. They apparently made these from 1968 to 1971. We built it in about 1980.

To this day, I have never ridden a mini-bike, scooter, or moped. My parents were set against me riding anything with an engine and two wheels. My first 2-wheeled ride was on a friend’s CB100.

My second was on my 18th birthday, when I rode my bicycle to our local Honda dealer, where I picked out a 1-year old ‘72 CL450 and I also bought an orange Bell RT helmet.

The salesman drove me to my bank in his car, we came back and I bought the bike, helmet, and Dairyland insurance. I rode it illegally down to the DMV and got my motorcycle license.

That was my second ever riding experience. The rest, as they say, is history.

 

[TourNut]

My first "MC" was this '71 Benelli 65cc Dynamo Trail , little smoky buzz-bomb . I took my MC skills test for my license , after I added a required mirror for Ohio . I pulled it out of my Dad's station wagon , rotated the handlebars up , just as 4 guys on choppers showed up to get their licenses . The official kept looking at the Benelli after asking questions to all if we had certain legal equipment . a couple choppers got disqualified to take the test because of no mirror or horn . So the remaining choppers then had to steer thru the 4 cones , which they couldn't & flunked ! The Benelli easily passed the test & I got my passed certificate . As I folded up the handlebars & shoved the Benelli back into the wagon , there was 4 pissed off chopper guys complaining to the official about it all - official didn't care : they should have done some research !

2nd MC '72 Honda CL125 - 12 hp - still too weak for a 6'3" 200lb er .

3rd was a used '71 Honda XL250 - had it during college , did 3 enduros , then up to '81 . Towed it up to Chicago for during a '76 , U of C , Professional Practice ( Student ) design job . then rode it back home to Cincinnati ( on motorcross tread tires ) decided I needed a road bike too after that !

 

[ChucksKLRST]

I am going to deviate a bit here in this thread a talk about a bike was not my most favorite or the best but probably the one that I had the most adventures on. It was a Love / Hate relationship with this bike. It took me to Inuvik North West Territories, the took me to Copper Canyon Mexico. It let me ride the Big Dog Ride here in Colorado, even did the Elephant Ride over Guanella Pass in February before the Pass was paved. In Texas I rode it to view the Blue Bonnets in bloom. And rode over many dirt passes here in Colorado. A big heavy dual sport machine that was more tractor than motorcycle, best described as a tractor with only two wheels. This bike required more maint. than some of the others dual sports that I have owned, but never let me down on an adventure. Yes, my big ugly 1994 R100GSPD airhead BMW. As I said a love / hate relation.

 

[Donk]

Maybe not my favorite, but the one I still have a soft spot for was my 1980 Honda CX500.

It just ticked all of the boxes for me at the time. Not the most powerful (even for a 500), but it had enough and I loved the look of the cylinders sticking out.

Cylinders sticking out? Just 2 of them? Yeah I get it.

 

[Hvymax]

This is a rough one. My OG Kawasaki H bikes were absolutely insane. Tuned and geared I could get to 180 on bias ply tires and primitive brakes. They ran like a Bat out of Hell when they decided to run.
My 73 CB 836 dresser was an amazing bike. Fast, reliable, a stereo you could hear for miles!!! Vetter fairing and luggage made it the ST of the 70's early 80's. My current ST could be it's reincarnation minus the stereo system.
My KLR 650 has to get the nod on this though. It's the 4 cylinder CJ5 of motorcycles. It did everything asked if it and shocked me a few times in its ability to do anything I could get myself into. 2 sets of tires and a few front sprockets and it could do anything from swamps and hillclimbs to 900 mile highway days. I could load it down for weeks of road camping off the bike or fly near World Record flags through the streets of DC. After 10 years and 50,000 miles it was taken out by the exhaust melting out the bottom of the clean side of the air box. I only got the ST because it was $1,500 after the KLR died. I will be resurrecting it eventually!!! My KLR was Amazing!!!

 

[Donk]

That's exactly how I feel about my (2) NC 750X DCTs .... just perfect for me now. Wouldn't have been 10-40 years ago, but today is a different time in my motorcycle life.

NC is an amazingly underrated bike. It can do everything you need a motorcycle to do and do it well enough so there is nothing to complain about. Dirt cheap to own and operate too. Definitely a contender in the more is not always better contest.

 

[Igofar]

Re-living my childhood

 

[billo]

Maybe not my favorite, but the one I still have a soft spot for was my 1980 Honda CX500.

It just ticked all of the boxes for me at the time. Not the most powerful (even for a 500), but it had enough and I loved the look of the cylinders sticking out.

I drooled over that bike, just because, but could not afford it.

 

[ST Gui]

I wasn't enthralled by the CX/SilverWing but have really liked the Moto-Guzzi V7 (Stone?) line. I might even own one if it had Honda's reliability. I like the 2026 V7 850. The mufflers on the '23 are more to my liking. Maybe a sawz-all?

 

[diferg]

My first was a 1963 Lambretta TV175. bought for $75.00 in 1967. It was freedom and was faster than the more highly desired Honda 125 SS that everyone wanted!

 

[JJames]

My first was a 1963 Lambretta TV175. bought for $75.00 in 1967

Come to think of it , - About 1973, my brother and me were gifted a Lambretta 175 from a family friend who had moved the US. It was in the basement of his mothers apartment block , up town in Oslo . We were told - It needed some work/ or didn't run . My brother was 11, me 13. Well ,we went and had a look at it. We found carburetter packed in a box . Some how , with probably nothing more than a screwdriver , we got it running ! Next Problem - get it from uptown Oslo , down to the ferry , that went out to the island we lived on. A 175 cc was for 18 year olds with a license ,we didnt even have a license plate. So we made one out of cardboard. Day had turned to evening. We made down to the ferry, occasionally parking and running for the bushes. I've never seen as many cops, as did on that ride trough Oslo. And, yes the 16 year olds ,with there Honda 100's , were left in the dust back out on the island. That thing was a Beast

 

[Donk]

I wasn't enthralled by the CX/SilverWing but have really liked the Moto-Guzzi V7 (Stone?) line. I might even own one if it had Honda's reliability. I like the 2026 V7 850. The mufflers on the '23 are more to my liking. Maybe a sawz-all?

Newer V7 '23 and up are as reliable as any bike. Shaft drive and a 5.5 gal tank too. Motor is a very under stressed 850.

 

[Deputy25]

Best bike I ever owned was a 1992 Honda VFR 750. I had left my 85 VF 500 at the local Honda dealer for service. They called me a short time later and asked if I wanted to sell it. I asked how bad is it? They had put it on a hoist without securing it. I fell off and landed on the bars/fairing/tank, basically totaling it. A customer had traded a 92 VFR with less than 1K miles on a new Wing, and they offered me the VFR for my wrecked bike and 1500.00. I rode that rascal out of there and kept riding it for 138,000+ miles. It took me to The BRP, US 129, Key West, The Outer Banks x 5, Americade, Sturgis, and every crooked road in PA/WV/OH. I eventually gave it to my son and he put a few more (around 30K) miles on it, then passed it on to his Uncle (my younger brother) with instructions that if he tired of the VFR, it needed to be returned. The dummy sold it over the winter for beer money and its whereabouts are currently unknown. The worst part is that every picture I had of that bike was on an old Mac that crapped out in spectacular fashion, taking everything stored on it to a smoky grave.

 

[ddemair]

Best bike I ever owned was a 1992 Honda VFR 750. I had left my 85 VF 500 at the local Honda dealer for service. They called me a short time later and asked if I wanted to sell it. I asked how bad is it? They had put it on a hoist without securing it. I fell off and landed on the bars/fairing/tank, basically totaling it. A customer had traded a 92 VFR with less than 1K miles on a new Wing, and they offered me the VFR for my wrecked bike and 1500.00. I rode that rascal out of there and kept riding it for 138,000+ miles. It took me to The BRP, US 129, Key West, The Outer Banks x 5, Americade, Sturgis, and every crooked road in PA/WV/OH. I eventually gave it to my son and he put a few more (around 30K) miles on it, then passed it on to his Uncle (my younger brother) with instructions that if he tired of the VFR, it needed to be returned. The dummy sold it over the winter for beer money and its whereabouts are currently unknown. The worst part is that every picture I had of that bike was on an old Mac that crapped out in spectacular fashion, taking everything stored on it to a smoky grave.

I've had the experience of "first right of refusal" too when I sold a car to a family member at a small fraction of its worth. It was passed on to someone else and then sold and I only heard about it after the fact. Of course, I was a little miffed.

I decided it was my mistake for not considering that once it leaves my hands, it's up to the new owner to do as they please. I suspect the next owner actually totaled it so I wouldn't have wanted it back anyway.

 

[billo]

Other new bikes. Our household in the late 60’s (representative photos)-

Dad’s bike,


‘66 Honda 305 dream



Mom’s bike,


‘68 Honda cub 90


Brother’s bike,



‘68 Yamaha 180 twin street scrambler

And of course, my bike,


‘67 Honda trail 90

I eventually rode them all. I called in sick for school and “borrowed” my brothers key a couple times. He kept it in a top drawer. I told him a few years ago. He was a little upset!