So, since I've got nothing better to do than sit and rehab the knee and vape like a maniac, I
started thinking about all the old bikes I've owned. Which ones were dogs and which ones I'd
take back.
First bike. Neighbors 1977 CB350. Rebuilt the carbs and rode it to Lake Tahoe. Sparkly gold open face helmet and blue nylon jacket complete with gardening gloves. I thought I was a real Motorcyclist.
2nd bike 1979 Yamaha XS750 triple. Bought it for $250. It had a loose battery ground wire, but also had
a 3:1 race pipe. Whoohoo ! A heavy pig but the first bike I ever dragraced. ( Very,very slow)
Jumping ahead I ended up working for Yamaha. Bought my first new bikes. 1987 YZ250. (Worst forks ever put on a bike, but stone reliable. I loved that thing) And a XS650 Seca Turbo. Ended up putting an 18" front wheel from a Yamaha Vision on it. Dramatically improved handling and looks. Also had it custom painted to mimic the FJ1100. First bike I ever dragged knee on. Around that time I started road racing on a salvage FZ600
that I fixed up. Not a fast bike but fun.
For street I ended up with 2 VFR 700/750. I loved the way those things looked and sounded. Sold the 700
and modified the Hell out of the 750. Suzuki front and rear ends, Ducati mufflers, 837 cc Big Bore motor.
That's one I wish I'd kept. But had tons of trouble with melting rectifiers. Didn't know how to fix it back then. I do now. Moved on to a 2001 ZX900 Ninja. Again, bought it salvage. Rebuilt the carbs. Absolutely wonderful bike. Sold that and bought my friend's 1986 Ninja 1000. I previously had rebuilt the motor and knew it was in good shape. But then had the clutch basket completely disintegrate. Cleaned that up, then had a brand new chain snap and take out the crankcase. Sooooo on to something new. 1986 Honda XL600. That thing was stupid fun. Could wheelie everywhere. Put a 17" front wheel on and raced a season on Formula Singles. Stock suspension so I was wallowing all over the place, and giggling like a lunatic the entire time. Finished 10th overall. At the same time I was racing a 1987 Yamaha YSR 50 with a 1992 YZ80 motor stuffed in it in the NorCal Mini Road racing series. That was really a giggle too.
For street I moved on to a wrecked 2004 ZX10R that I rebuilt into a street fighter. Horrible forks but pretty fun. That bike got stolen. For racing I was now on a 1989 Yamaha TZR250 Reverse Cylinder, followed by a 1991 Yamaha TZR250 V twin. Big fun. Finished 3rd overall in 250 Superbike in 2007 in my last year.
Finally I got to my present bikes. 2004 KTM 450/540 EXC I will be racing Supermoto. 2005 Yamaha Zuma 50 I got for free. 1983 Suzuki GS750E I am restoring. And of course my 2006 ZX14 that I've had for over 6 years and still love dearly.
There were other bikes along the way (1987 CBR600 Hurricane for one) but these are the standouts.
Look for updates as I continue to be bored out of my skull during recovery. Ill try to post some pictures later.
Mad
* Last updated by: Maddevill on 12/14/2020 @ 11:17 AM *