Burnspot
Junior Member
- Joined
- Apr 8, 2009
- Messages
- 76
- Reaction score
- 2
- Points
- 0
- Location
- Rocky Mount, NC USA
Currently 40 years old. Did the majority of my growing up in Winter Park, Colorado, nestled in the Rocky Mountains. Had already done a good deal of snowmobiling since snows on the ground 9 months out of the year. My first motorcycle experience came when I was around 12 years old when my buddy let me try out his new dirtbike. At the time, I had no understanding of the clutch/throttle/gear relationship and when I gassed it, I promptly released the clutch and popped an inadvertent wheelie....and landed on my ass.
Following that experience, started messing around with 3-wheelers (yes, kids didn't live in bubbles back in the 80's and played with fire constantly, lol). Problem was that the parents never gave up the money to have a 3-wheeler/snowmobile/dirtbike of my own, so my brother and I always sponged off our better equipped friends. When I turned 16 and got my driver's license, my brother and I borrowed our mom's scooter and went down to the local DMV in Granby and tested for a motorcycle license. Back then, the ride test consisted of riding around the block while the tester (old lady if I recall) watched (wide open baseball field area). Passed that and got a motorcycle license, lol. Gotta love super small towns. My brother and I rode the crap outta that scooter (it was larger than 50cc and could actually do an easy 60 on the road).
Went to live on a ranch/campground in Grand Lake, CO during my last year of high school in 1987. My buddy and I rebuilt a Honda dirtbike enough that it was rideable and rode that thing all over the water board roads that skirt the Rocky Mountain National Park during the summer after graduation. Learned a lot about dirtbiking and mountain trails. Also learned that, without a muffler, you could hear that bike from anywhere in the valley.
Entered the Marine Corps in the fall of '87 and didn't ride for a bit. Went on a WestPac cruise on the USS Ranger (I worked on A6 Intruders) and returned in '89. While on leave at home, I bought a used Kawasaki 454 LTD and had it shipped out to California, where I was based. I attended several MSF courses (required by the Corps) and happily donned my requisite orange vest. I rode that bike everywhere for the next couple of years until I left the Marine Corps in 1992...sold the bike to a friend who proceeded to run it into the ground. From there I didn't ride until 2004...I owned and operated a semi truck for the next 12 years around Los Angeles/US and didn't have too much free time.
In 2004, I sold the truck and moved from California to Tampa, Florida. A little bit later, I bought my '04 Fizzer used and re-did the MSF course. I proceeded to ride it all over Florida, no matter the weather. In 2005, I took a week and a half to ride it from Tampa, up through North Carolina, the BRP/Dragon/etc, and back, tent camping all the way (photos on my website - Burningfiles.com). It probably rained 80% of the time too. Later that year, I ended up moving to Rocky Mount, NC...where there is neither rocks nor mounts, just crime and questionable local government...about 2 hours from the beach and about 3 from the mountains. There I sit today, but now with a wife and lots of 2up time.
Following that experience, started messing around with 3-wheelers (yes, kids didn't live in bubbles back in the 80's and played with fire constantly, lol). Problem was that the parents never gave up the money to have a 3-wheeler/snowmobile/dirtbike of my own, so my brother and I always sponged off our better equipped friends. When I turned 16 and got my driver's license, my brother and I borrowed our mom's scooter and went down to the local DMV in Granby and tested for a motorcycle license. Back then, the ride test consisted of riding around the block while the tester (old lady if I recall) watched (wide open baseball field area). Passed that and got a motorcycle license, lol. Gotta love super small towns. My brother and I rode the crap outta that scooter (it was larger than 50cc and could actually do an easy 60 on the road).
Went to live on a ranch/campground in Grand Lake, CO during my last year of high school in 1987. My buddy and I rebuilt a Honda dirtbike enough that it was rideable and rode that thing all over the water board roads that skirt the Rocky Mountain National Park during the summer after graduation. Learned a lot about dirtbiking and mountain trails. Also learned that, without a muffler, you could hear that bike from anywhere in the valley.
Entered the Marine Corps in the fall of '87 and didn't ride for a bit. Went on a WestPac cruise on the USS Ranger (I worked on A6 Intruders) and returned in '89. While on leave at home, I bought a used Kawasaki 454 LTD and had it shipped out to California, where I was based. I attended several MSF courses (required by the Corps) and happily donned my requisite orange vest. I rode that bike everywhere for the next couple of years until I left the Marine Corps in 1992...sold the bike to a friend who proceeded to run it into the ground. From there I didn't ride until 2004...I owned and operated a semi truck for the next 12 years around Los Angeles/US and didn't have too much free time.
In 2004, I sold the truck and moved from California to Tampa, Florida. A little bit later, I bought my '04 Fizzer used and re-did the MSF course. I proceeded to ride it all over Florida, no matter the weather. In 2005, I took a week and a half to ride it from Tampa, up through North Carolina, the BRP/Dragon/etc, and back, tent camping all the way (photos on my website - Burningfiles.com). It probably rained 80% of the time too. Later that year, I ended up moving to Rocky Mount, NC...where there is neither rocks nor mounts, just crime and questionable local government...about 2 hours from the beach and about 3 from the mountains. There I sit today, but now with a wife and lots of 2up time.