As the winter rolls on it’s time to start thinking about spending time on two wheels.  The story of a person’s first experience buying a motorcycle can be just as informative as their first car. Your first motorcycle can speak volumes about your personality or it could have been strictly for cost.

My first motorcycle back in 1998 was a 1980 Honda CB650 Custom. The main reason for buying it was the $300 price.  The rest of the motorcycle meant less to me then the starting price.  For some this can be a fixer upper from a motorcycle graveyard or for others this is a trip to a local dealer.

Most times your first motorcycle is a very quick purchase and one that is gone from your life just as quickly. Plus the old saying of ignorance is bliss is very true. After getting my motorcycle license I had no idea that my CB-650C handled like a broken shopping cart. Owning an older bike normally isn’t the same headache as owning a classic car. You are dealing with age issues but the parts are cheaper. There is just something that feels right riding a universal Japanese motorcycle like a Honda CB750. Having your upperbody into the wind while  listening to all the mechanical noises and trying to decide if it’s something you will need to work on later. Feeling both the eagerness and fussiness of an inline four cylinder. Knowing that there is a lot more power at the top end of the rev band but being afraid that you will kill the bike going there. 

I only kept that bike for little over two years before replacing with a much nicer and newer Suzuki. So I put this out to the readers of Hooniverse. What was your first bike? What memories do you have of it and how long did you end up owning it for?