Your Rider Resume

[carbonar1]

I'm a noob here, but this is a good way to get to know each other so I'll join in.

I Started riding off road at 7...mostly trials and trails. I rode roughly once a month on borrowed bikes till I got my road license at 17, and my first road bike was a '70's Z200. Next was an RG250, followed by a GSXR1100J while I was still on my probationary license. My first new bike was a '96 Gixxer 750.

I've been a chef, a housepainter, a builders labourer, a bike mechanic and retail parts salesman, a welder and metal fabricator, and a jack of all building trades. I've done dozens of track days on NSR 250's, GSXR 750's and mostly R1's. But only on two tracks...my crappy, bumpy little local goat track, Mallala. And the majestic and mind blowingly fast Phillip Island GP circuit. (145.05's if you care)

I've crashed plenty as a young 'un, and got away with it...mostly. Until I had one mega crash about 9 years ago that I'll always suffer from. I spent alot of this year having bone grafts on old, unhealing broken bones! I'm 42 this year and I've had 25 bikes, and I still have 4 of them. I've modified most of my bikes, some of the current ones quite extensively.

I love bikes with a passion, I enjoy nurturing that passion in others. I've taught plenty of folks how to ride from scratch, and I love being taught new skills by older/better riders. And I'll help however I can, within the boundries of my experience. :thumbup:

 

[ebk02]

My riding has spanned many years, bikes, and styles of riding. I started riding 45 years ago, and the first bike I had was a POS 250 Triumph single - which left me stranded more times than I like to remember. I have ridden bikes from singles, twins, triples, 4 cylinder - 2 stroke, 4 stroke.... and all sizes/styles from 175cc to 1500cc. I started when there was no helmet law - and didn't use one. I have even done dirt riding, but after I realized I didn't heal as well as younger riders, I gave that up. I have enjoyed sport bikes, cruisers, touring and every "blend" in between.
I am sure I have logged over 200,000 miles on 2 wheels - I had one bike I put over 40K on alone. And, on any "average" year, I have usually done anywhere from 6K to 10K miles.
I have ridden in every weather - rain, thunderstorms, light snow, cold......
And along the way, have learned to maintain all my machines.
I do not use armor - I operate under a philosophy of "live to ride, and ride to live". I am a very defensive rider, and (knock on wood) never been down on street - and don't intend to....

 

[Uncle Hilty]

Great Thread! My first moto was a 71 CB350. Sole mode of transport back in my college years. Crashed twice sold it and bought a car. Fast forward 30 some years and i have an inkling to buy another old honda. Was out to lunch with a client and he is bragging about some $30k BMW bike he wants to buy but needs room in his garage and wants to sell one of his current bikes. Well its a 72 Honda 350 Scrambler almost the same bike i had! Love it and still have it. The riding bug got me good and i soon figured that a 40 year old bike is not for everyday use nor longer adventures. Bought a Ninja 250 and learned the meaning of keeping speed into corners! HA, great bike and everyone should spend some time on one, its a wonderful teaching tool. But since i now have the FZ the ninja will go bye bye.

Love to work on the bike(s) but mechanically challenged.

Read everything i can get my hands on.

MSF and Licensed.

 

[DarkNinja75]

I'm a newbie here but I've been around my fair share of motorcycle forums.

I started riding when I was 17 (in 2007). After a ton of research and a little bit of saving, I bought a '93 EX500 (Ninja 500) for my first bike. I took the MSF course and wore all the gear. One week later I was in the hospital with a spinal fracture, fractured rib, and totaled bike. Completely my fault, riding above my skill level and being a stupid teenager. Lesson well learned.

Once all the broken bones were fixed 3 months later, I was back on that 500. I put it back together with the help of my dad, although it turned into a rat-bike thanks to finances. Good thing, too. I then crashed that bike again at 10mph...and again at 10mph. No damage to me or the bike either time, but good learning experiences both times (one rain, one oil).

One year after owning that bike I got tired of my "beginner bike" and wanted something prettier, faster, and newer. So in 2008 I picked up a '97 CBR600F3. I owned that bike for nearly two years, never crashed it. I dropped it once, though. And I had a number of close calls that should have slowed me down, but didn't.

At 40k miles that bike started blowing clouds of smoke indicating worn rings, so I off-loaded it for cheap. I found myself with a car and no bike. Being completely addicted to bikes, I did the only logical thing; traded my car for a bike! I ended up with a nearly pristine 2001 TL1000R. What a monster! And what a pig! The power intoxicating, but cornering on it was like a wrestling match. Within about 4 months I sold that thing.

The same day I sold my TLR I picked up my next bike; '05 SV650S. This was 2009 and I found this bike with 5500 miles on it, clean as could be. This marked the beginning of a love-affair. Three days after picking this bike up I did my first track day on it. That was a trial by fire to get myself familiar with it, and it worked pretty well.

Then the mods began. That bike was great for everything. I did a GSXR front end swap to give me a better suspension and better brakes, followed by a 1200 mile trip from San Francisco to Portland, OR. I threw some heated grips on there...then an air horn..mirror extenders, stomp grip, rearset risers, Givi rack, Power Commander, and the list goes on. I thought I had finally found the perfect bike. I did a 2500 mile trip to the Grand Canyon on it. Another trip to Yosemite. And on the weekends I'd take off the touring bits and take it to the track. I planned to ride that bike until the engine blew.

In the mean time I picked up a dedicated track bike; '01 F4i with 40k miles. As I found out on my first track day leaned over and knee down, 3rd gear wasn't very operable and it popped itself back into second. I did one more track day on that bike before getting rid of it.

But trouble started at 30,000 miles on my trusty SV. Some mysterious gremlin that I spent 6 months trying to diagnosis, along with 2 mechanics. Bike would work great for 90 minutes or less...any longer, and something overheated. If it was cold out, no problem. But on hot days it would start to stall out. Turn the bike off for 10 minutes, and it'd be good to go again. There's a huge thread on SV Rider about me trying to figure it out and getting nowhere. In the end, I had to sell it. My bike was my only transportation, and it had to be reliable.

During this time I became licensed to be an MSF RiderCoach. I love the sport and wanted a safe, liability-free way to share my passion. The MSF was/is it.

With the SV gone, I thought I'd go a little while without a bike and see how it felt. That lasted a week. I picked up a pristine '01 CBR600F4i. That bike was gorgeous and a blast to ride. And while I had a great record with my last 5 bikes and no crashes, I was too afraid of scratching my F4i. Aside from that, the ergonomics sucked. I did a couple 300-ish mile trips on that bike and that was it.

In the middle of that, I picked up a second track bike; '95 Ninja 500. I've decided the Ninja 500 is a cursed bike for me. I crashed 3 times on my first one. In 5 years of no tickets, the FIRST time I rode my second 500 I got busted for speeding while cruising around (although I beat it). Then I proceeded to do a trackday on the bike and the front brakes came off while entering a turn! I still have that bike, but I'm wary of the biker gods when I ride it...and I use loc-tite.

Prior to selling the F4i, I pretty much decided I wanted either an FZ6 or VFR. The problem with the VFR was two-fold: heavy and electrical problems. That made me focus on the FZ6, which is what I picked up. '08 with 4500 miles and some tip-over damage.

I'm on 6 years riding now. Hopefully all my crashes are behind me. However, my goal is to start racing within the next two years, which means my risk factor is about to skyrocket.

TL;DR: Owned 8 bikes in 6 years, crashed a bunch in the beginning, learned a lot, became an MSF coach, getting my need for speed out at the track now.

 

[XTremo]

Passed my motorcycle test in the UK in 1971.....and been riding ever since.

Haven't hit the deck on the road since 1978 when I got thrown off a GT750 Suzuki in a 110mph tankslapper. Got up and walked away from it though.....in fact I've never broken a bone on a bike so I've been pretty lucky.

Moved to Spain in 2005 so I had to reprogram my brain to ride on the other side of the road.....that took a while, particularly at roundabouts.

As for bikes....I've owned 58 of them.....yes, 58! And these are the bikes:

Lambretta (1)
TV175

Vespa (1)
SS180

Triumph(1)
3TA

BMW (1)
R1150GS

BSA (2)
D7 Bantam
B33

Kawasaki (5)
S3400
H1F500
Z650 x 2
ZR7-S

Honda (13)
C90
SL125
CB250
CB400/4 x 2
CB500/4 x 2
CB750 K2
CB750 F1 x 3
CB750 KZ
XLV650 Transalp

Suzuki (16)
T250J
TS185
GT380J x 2
GS750
GT550
GT750 x 2
SP370 x 2
GSF600
GSF1200
DL650
DL1000
DR650 x 2

Yamaha (18)
SR125
DT175
DT250
DT400
RD350M
XJ600 x 2
XJ900
FZS600 x 2
YZF600
TDM850
TDM900
TT-R250
XT350
XT600
XT660
FZ6S Fazer

So there we go.....still here after all these years! :thumbup:

 

[kingston123]

I want to buy a new one now. i am thinking to buy a FZ6R. can anyone advice me about it?

 

[Wyomedic]

Lets see, I started on a 1971 Suzuki TS 50 back in 1975. Learned how to wrench on that bike and tore it down to little parts and back again. Since then I have had a Honda SL 175, Yamaha 550 Vision, whick took me across all of Wyoming, South Dakota and Colorado, Had an EX 500 for a short while, then went the dirt route. Did some racing on a Suzuki Rm 250, Then moved on to Enduro type bikes like XT 350, DR 350. DR 650. And now I have a 2004 FZ6 and it is my main ride. Still have a pickup for camping and hauling stuff and sometimes the wife lets me drive the Mini Cooper since I make the payments on it and she feels guilty. I put on about 300 a week on the bike and love every min of it. Living in Mesa, Arizona with all the snowbirds, you have to drive defensive or become roadkill in a hurry. Never been down, ATGATT even though its 110*

 

[Water Bear]

Well, let's see.

Here's my lengthy resume:

-Took the MSF course a few years ago
-Saved some cash
-Bought a blue fz6
-Have started riding it almost every chance I get, but only have 200+ miles experience so far
-Have far more enthusiasm than sense, man I just love to ride
-Loves long walks on the beach

And that's about it!

DarkNinja75, your story was really interesting to read. I like sv 650's a lot, I enjoyed the tale.

 

[DBL]

I started riding when I was 8 years old. My brother, who was turning 11 on Christmas day had been begging our parents for a Honda Mini Trail 50 for a long time so he was just about to have that wish come true. Around Thanksgiving the parents realized it would not be fair for him to get a bike and not me so they asked the next door neighbor if he would teach me to ride his mini bike. He agreed and my dad told me if he felt I was able to ride it safely, I would also get a mini bike for Christmas. This of course made my brother really mad since he had to wait until he turned 11 and here I was only 8. What is funny is now we are both in our 50's and he STILL talks about how unfair that was. HA! So, I started riding a mini bike at age 8 and got my first street bike when I was 17 with money saved up from my paper route. I even remember the OTD price of my brand new 1978 Yamaha DT100E was $641.92. I took the advanced MSF course on my 2000 Honda XR650L in 2003. My 2007 FZ6 is my first 4 cylinder "crotch rocket". Here is a complete list of my past bikes:

PAST BIKES

 

[Druff]

Complete Noob by some standards... Finally decided early 30s I needed to ride and damn what I had been missing!! Started simply enough with a 07 M50 limited, it was fun easy to ride. Built a hardtail bobber rat rod from a Hardknock and made as many parts as I could. It's a great ride but hard frame an suicide shift mean a kidney killer. Confident in my building I finished, almost, a complete frame up build turning an awful brat 77 GS550 into a gorgeous cafe. I made or modified everything but again, it's not really a daily ride as the pegs are rear rear sets (back by the rear axle) so it's almost a drag bike seating position. So for the last 2 years I've had to spend too much time wrenching and not enough in the saddle so I just picked up an 08 in blue. I really cannot wait until the weather is warm enough to really crank up the miles and get back to riding everyday!

Whether it's bad luck or my own inexperience at the time I've hit the floor once, out broke the truck behind me and he clipped the back wheel as he swerved and jolted me sideways. Yep he drove off as I slide along! Luckily slow enough just road rash. Enough to know I don't want that to happen again!

Thanks for the great reads, great forum and great ideas.
Peace all

 

[Blackcombe]

Well i too am new here, and really in the big picture i'm still rather new to bikes, Currently mid thirties was a late starter to get into motorcycles (mid twenties i think). Number of reasons, early on when back at home my old man hated bikes so always threatened to cut it in half if i brought one home, then later on i was still a young lad behind the wheel and took too many risks in a car so never trusted myself on a bike.
Then i guess mid twenties i bought a KLR250 for riding on dirt, enjoyed it a lot but struggled to find time, then got to point bike was a pain to get going when i did get chance to go out so sold it and bought a TTR250 that was also registered for road use. Continued mostly on dirt tracks then decided to get licence and try the road on the TTR still. By this stage i was say thirty odd so had become much more responsible road user. However even with licence still didn't tackle the road much or even the dirt but when i did i found a couple hours on the dirt meant a couple weeks of back pain (medical back issue anyway), so started concentrating more on the road in the last year and after a few months realised i liked road riding but not the TTR on the road.
Having a friend that owns his own bike mechanical business i contacted him for advice on suitable bikes for me to step up from the TTR. He pointed me to the FZ6, SV650 and Hornet but basically advised if budget allowed his pick is the FZ6. And from there the search began, once found something i liked and the price was at a starting point and felt could deal on i then had him pop out and do pre purchase inspection. Seems the first bike that i took a real liking too got an all clear bill of health and a damn good deal that she's now in my shed.
So far i'm really enjoying the learning and basically the easy and comfortable ride that the FZ6 is. Alan.

 

[Jcbarron]

45yo, raised in a cycle family. Mom and dad had AMF Harleys (you can stop snickering now). Was a true dirt bike punk. First ride for me was an Elsinore that I launched out from under me repeatedly. The roster includes all the big four plus a Hodaka and selected early 3 wheelers. Not much of a wrencher outside of routine stuff but a very solid rider.

 

[Monica A]

Started on the back of the then boyfriend now husband's bike. Really, ladies, can't dislike holding onto your honey for hours, right. Then we moved to an area that had easy dirt bike riding access. Hubbie and son (at 7 years old) did dirt. My brother-in-law bought a dirt bike we stored at our house. Somehow my husband talked me into going along on the bro-in-laws bike. I had a pretty bad accident - over handlebars, landed in a ditch upside down on my head (don't ask)- Rode 45 miles home. Didn't break my neck by some miracle. Never rode dirt again after that. When my son we getting close to getting his driver's license, he joked we would get our street motorcycle licenses together. He got his driver's license, we did the MSF course two weeks later, and got our motorcycle endorsements. I started on my hubbie's Yamaha dual sport within 4 weeks I found and purchased my FZ6. Now, I've moved on to my 2006 Triumph Sprint ST. Our retirement plan is to ride around the country instead of RVing it like many people. BTW-This is my third season and I haven't dropped or laid down my FZ6 or Triumph so far. ATTGATT for sure!!

 

[andyfazer600]

Never really knew anyone that rode when I grew up, just a natural interest set in. Then I watched the dominant Rossi years and was hooked, especially after a Sachsenring trip. The opportunity to ride came later though as I joined the Navy as a youngster and spent alot of years underwater! Once I got married and had our first kid, I gave up the Navy life and with that came a bike. My first was a simple Yamaha SR125 - awesome little bike but didn't like being run over by a careless driver lol I got my full license not long after and graduated to a Honda Deauville, again a nice bike but just a bit dull and now I've got my FZ6 with no plans for a change for a long time.

 

[FZSexy]

Started riding at 45 years old, 48 now

Rode a scooter around the block at 45 and it recalled a day of riding a mini bike around the neighborhood when i was 10 or 11 years old. It was my one and only time on a motorized bike as a kid, and it was a day i never forgot. The ride on the scooter brought it all back, vividly.

It was not my scooter, but a few hundred miles later i bought my own, then another. Over the next few years I put 30,000 miles on both, selling a car or two early on in the process as I lost all interest in driving, and felt a commitment to riding I could not deny. Not knowing the future and being it rains just a month out of the year where i live i did not want to give myself an opportunity to "go back" to cars, or seek their false comfort. Good call on my part as I have come to view bikes as far more practical, comfortable, and awesome. I'd rather ride a 150cc scooter then drive a Porsche Turbo. And that is the truth.

So I got there, made myself a rider of things on two wheels. But i needed more POWAH! My skills and confidence grew riding my scooters all over SoCal. I wanted to stay with scooters but alas, they don't make 100HP scooters with 10in wheels. Or really at all. I came to see scooters as small bikes and big scooters as freaks of the scooter world, so to speak. Which are great, but not for me. Yet...

I say yet because as I get older and less bolder, who knows? But my leap to motorcycles has been a revelation, and it's one which keeps revealing itself to me with just under 4 months and just over 3,000 miles of riding under my belt on the FZ6. I was ready for this bike. I rode it home in over 10 miles of rush hour, L.A. traffic the first day. Having never rode a motorcycle before did not matter. I knew I could do it after my 30,000 miles of riding auto scooters around city streets, dodging cars, splitting lanes, OUTSIDE ON A BIKE!

I stalled it several times on the way home, it was "herky jerky" here and there, to say the least. But i was never nervous, scared, or feared dropping the bike. Everything felt good, familiar, and right. It was faster, heavier, geared, and I could feel its potential under me. Needless to say if i had been hooked on riding before, the hook had just become a bit deeper.

Hope to have a more fully realized "rider resume" in the future. But for just getting my foot in the door this resume has so far been just the ticket to freedom I needed. Great thing is I didn't know I needed this freedom 'til I had it. And now that I do I hope to never let go.

 

[Sburke]

I've been riding for about four years, I'm 26. I turn out roughly 15k riding miles a year, maybe a little more.

Bikes I've owned and currently own.

00 Ducati M750
04 Yamaha R6
05 Yamaha R6
06 Yamaha R6
11 Triumph street triple
10 Triumph speed triple r
78 Harley 250cc 2 stroke
11 ninja 250r
06 Yamaha fz6


I desperately want a Yamaha r7 to collect and ride sparingly.

 

[Monica A]

I can add to my Rider Resume now.

We did over 2100 miles in 8 days!!! We called it our "Long Way Up and Around" trip.

We left Reno, NV on Saturday morning. Heading North to Bend, OR. Then we went to Yakima, WA. Next it was off to Leavenworth, WA. Decided to spend the night there because the weather sucked in Seattle. Set off for Ana Cortes in the am. Took the 3:00 ferry to Victoria through the San Juan Islands. Motorcycles are first on and first off. YES!!!! Spent the day exploring Vancouver Island. Stayed the night at the Marriott and got to ride the spiral down to the underground parking lot! Super fun. Rode north the next morning along the leeward side of the island then took the ferry to Port Angeles. Had to tie the bikes to the side of the ferry incase of rough seas, but it was smooth sailing so all was good. Heading South on Highway 101. Got the last hotel room in Bremerton that night. Set off for Newport, OR in the morning. Got a room on the ocean. Beautiful sleeping to the sound of the ocean. Rode to Arcata, CA and stayed with my aunt. Hitched a ride to a restaurant with her in her car. Felt so weird riding in a car after 7 days on the bike. Heading home across highway 299 to Redding then highway 44, 36, then 395 to Reno. Got home on Saturday afternoon at 3pm. We had some rain drizzle in central Oregon and Northern Washington but otherwise beautiful weather.
View attachment 53929
My Sprint and me during 70 miles of wind (notice the windmills in the background)
View attachment 53930
The bikes and me on the ferry
View attachment 53931
Sprint tied to the side of the ferry
View attachment 53932
My Sprint and hubby's VFR
View attachment 53933
My Sprint by the Big Blue Wet Thing (Pacific Ocean)

 

[Floridianson]

Mini bikes before I could drive. Pan head in high school, Kawasaki 500 not long after the Harley. Shovel Head after a woman pulled out on me on the 500
Then a low rider Harley. Then a Sportster, then three more Shovel Heads all before I was 35. Just sold the ZX14 still have the 04 Super Glide and for smits giggles got the FZ6. I will be 63 this year. Don't know if I know alot or ride well just like to ride and ride fast. Yes when I ride the Harley I wave at all bikes.

 

[ratrider45]

ratrider45

1st ride rupp minibike at 5.have owned so many i might forget a few honda hawk gt 1989 1996 honda vfr750ft the best bike i ever had xr 250l xr 250r xr600 xr 650L 03CBR 600RR VTR SUPERHAWK GSXR 1000 ANYTHING OVER 600 CC IS LIKE DRIVING A FORMULA 1 CAR TO CHURCH ON SUNDAY AND I JUST CANT RIDE THE SPORTBIKES ANYMORE AT 49 AND 44 YEARS OF ALL KIND OF RIDING BEEN A MECHANIC OVER 30 YEARS AND MOST QUESTIONS I SEE HERE ARE COMMON SENSE ORIENTED.EVERYONE SHOULD STILL ASK ANYTHING THEY ARE UNSURE ABOUT AND BE SURE OF WHAT YOUR ARE DOING TAKE A COURSE WEAR ALL THE GEAR ALL THE TIME AS BRUISES ARE BETTER THAN STICKING TO YOUR SHEETS ALL SUMMER.HOPEFULLY AFTER A WHILE AS I BECOME MORE FAMILIAR WITH THE SITE I CAN MAKE SOME FRIENDS AND HOOK UP FOR SOME RIDES.600 cc is the way to go cuz you can use most of the power occasionally big bikes are like flinging dog crap off a stick and are too much in the traffic where 5 out of 10 drivers shouldnt even have a license.enough for now ...need to poke around site some more to get more familiar ride safe.

 

[Taz3]

31 now, got my M2 when I was 26.
Logged about 10-12k km each season in those 4 years (this being my fifth season). Ride in all kinds of weather, with all kinds of other riders.
Long trips include Ontario to: Alleghany, Bradford PA, Adirondacks, GTA to Ottawa and back, Algonquin.
Taken the RTI M2 Entry course and the Sharp Rider Training's Total Control Advanced Riding Clinic (TCARC) Level 1 (can't wait to do Level 2!!)

Do my own oil and filter, remove battery, clean air filter, install engine guards, grips, etc on my own, but learning as I go, I am NOT mechanically inclined.

Read lots, seek out opinions of other, more knowledgeable, sources a lot. Like to make my own decisions by learning as much as I can, then going off that, not just taking advice from people. Have accumulated some great friends, a lot who are great with a wrench.

Love to lend a hand whenever/wherever I can!

Started off on a "custom" 2001 Ninja 500 (had all kinds of cheaply done mods to it that I had to contend with over the next 3 years).
Bought my 2007 FZ6 end of my 3rd season, insured it for my fourth season of riding, this will be my second year on her.