Calling all midlife riders

[camera56]

Btw, this is how you know you're a midlifer. If you know what these are . . .

 

[FJRBluesman]

Sorry I can't understand this.

I started riding at 11. Got my license at 15 1/2. 30+ years later, I've never stopped. I can't imagine stopping except for a couple weeks cause I'm on vacation with the family.

 

[Toecutter]

13 years later, I disabled the alarm, shot the lock off the nightstand, retrieved my balls and divorced that controlling bitch...

Very similar story here. "If you come home with a motorcycle, I'll divorce you". To her defense, it was an underlying terror of losing me. Most of the control was based on her own insecurity and fear. Oh well....

Enter Eve, someone who obviously wanted to let me be me and do what I want, within reasonable boundaries. After I told her the story about the previous divorce threat and a burning desire to get a bike, her response was, "Well, if you don't get a motorcycle, I'll divorce you". Three weeks later, I was an FJR waiter. Lucky for me, I only had to wait eight weeks to arrange inexpensive shipping from Michigan from another forum member that had recently acquired an '05. 33,000 miles later, it's still all good! :yahoo:

 

[Fencer]

I fall to your mid life first timers....

I am about to hit 38, I got my first bike when I was 35. Prior to that I rode a moped once when I was 12 or so.

An opportunity to get a bike cheap fell upon me, I was too scared and intimidated to ride it the 3 miles to my house, so he brought it over (2000 Katana 750).

It took me a month to get it over 40 mph.

I sold the Kat and got the FJR

Now I also have a track bike and enjoy that (03 Gixxer 750)

What made me do it??

Always wanted to, and I answered the door when opportunity knocked. ($30,000 or so later..... :blink: )

 

[juniorfjr]

Btw, this is how you know you're a midlifer. If you know what these are . . .

Oh my god, what the hell are you doing in my medicine cabinet?

Started riding at 15, saved my paper route money for a 67 yamaha 100. I would work on it all week and dad would take me to the end of the pavement and I would ride until I broke something. If I could I would coast back down to the pavement and wait to be picked up. Rode until going in to the army. Second thing I bought when I got out was a brand new XT 250. Rode it for couple of years and traded it for a CB 750 F.

Then I got into snowmobiles and Hobie Cats. Found a girl, got married, had kid, yada yada yada.

Rode other's bikes and money always got in the way. Then in 05, stock market sucked and 401K was tanking. So I bought my fjr for my 50th. One regret, shoulda bought sooner.

Fred jr.

 

[Scab]

When I was in about the second grade, dad had a cushman. We would take turns standing on the floorboards behind the fairing and touring around the block. We moved within the year and the scooter was left behind.

During the summer after the sixth grade, dad retired from the Air Force and we moved for what was supposed to be our last move. I met a kid from the other side of the block named Larry. Larry had a Honda Trail 70. Larry let me ride it. This ride was the most exciting, frightening, dramatic, awe-inspiring experience of my entire 12 years. The fire was lit.

Within the year, we moved yet again. Just before the move, dad acquired an old Montgomery-Ward 250. It never stayed running, but was at least fuel for the fire. However inert as it appeared, it somehow kept the fire burning. Mostly, we pushed the bike up the hill and just coasted down. Of course, all while dad was at work, and only till the muscles in our legs completely failed us. Then, dad found a man that wanted to trade a riding lawnmower for the bike. Since our new location was 2 1/2 acres of grass and I was the chief grass-cutter, and we only had a push mower... Well, the bike was gone.

Then I met Joey. Joey had a Honda CB125. We went everywhere! What freedom. Total abandon. We had not a care in the world. Except for finding gas money. (or dad's lawnmower gas) I bet we put a million miles on the thing and crashed at least twice a day. At the end of that summer, Joey's dad took the bike to the shop for repair of all the crashes. The repair estimates were higher than the cost of a new one.

Bikeless again.

But the fire would not die.

After selling my first car, I bought a Honda 125 Elsinore from a guy at school. Man, that bike was cool. (at least I thought so) As winter approached, I traded that bike for another car. I just couldn't afford both at the time.

I started pinching the pennies. It wasn't long before I bought a Kawasaki 400. It was a great bike. Sadly, it wasn't long before the bike's life was ended by a '53 Buick.

I went back to cars for a bit. It wasn't long, though, and I had acquired a Honda twinstar. A decent bike, but not a lot of balls.

It wasn't long, and I was looking to get married for the first time. Most of my worldly possessions had to go, the bike included. It was not a demand of the new bride, but a need for the cash to set up housekeeping.

The fire never died, but the grown-up responsibilities just wouldn't make allowance for a bike. But I lusted and longed. Ten years later, the marriage went down the *******. Oh well.

Not nearly enough time had passed when I made probably the biggest error in judgement ever. I got married again. It wasn't the institution of marriage that was the error, but the choice of partner. Life began to really suck.

I longed for the carefree, reckless abandon of my youth. I longed for that feeling of freedom. I longed for what motorcycles had always given me.

I bought an old, used, not running, spray-painted black, skanked 1983 Honda GL650...cheap. After a lot of work, I had a great bike. I had returned.

It wasn't long and marriage number two went up in a mushroom cloud. On a positive note, the bike stayed and I rode. I couldn't afford anything else, but it didn't matter. I rode.

Finances eventually improved slightly. I sold the GL650 and bought a GL1200. Barcalounger on wheels. But I loved it anyway. It is what I was riding when I met who is now my third and final wife. She loved riding that bike, too.

Bikes bring out the promiscuous side of me. I am never satisfied with what I have. I am always looking and wondering. One day, after taking the boy for a Doctor check-up, we struck out for Atlanta just to see what an FJR looked like. While there, the cell phone rang. It was the wife.

"Where are you at?" she asked.

****, I was busted. So, I confessed. I was in a motorcycle dealership in Atlanta, looking at bikes.

"Do they have the one you've been lusting for on the internet?" she queried.

Uh, yep. Just one. The last one.

"Well, tell them to load it up in the truck and bring it home." she said.

What? Uh...okay, you talked me into it!

Enter 2005 FJR. The only new bike I had ever had. (at that time)

That fire...was now a raging inferno. Burn, baby, burn.

Of course, this past June I killed that bike and nearly killed myself. But, what I didn't kill was the fire. While still on a frikkin' walker, I had the wife drive me to D & H to buy a couple new bikes. I had to get two this time. It seems the fire had spread to my wife. She wanted one too.

Enter my current ride: the FZ6 and its stable mate, the wife's Vulcan 500.

I don't see the fire fading anytime soon. Bikes are a different freedom for a free man. Bikes are therapy. Bikes are a disease for which I seek no cure.

 

[Silver Penguin]

Another returnee here! My Dad was a biker and worked in the business. He built a mini-bike for my brother and I to learn to ride. When I was 14, Dad bought the title to a totaled moped then rebuilt it for me. I put a lot of miles on that Yamaha FS1E until I got a Honda CB200 at age 17. Then I met a cute guy who also had a CB200.

Fast forward twenty or so years. The two bikes gave way to a car, a mortgage and two kids. Then, when the kids were older and we had acquired this strange phenomenon called 'disposable income', DH bought a POS bike from a friend. It had everything in the world wrong with it, but it was a bike. He rode it. I rode it. Dormant memories were awakened. He upgraded to a Kawasaki Z-RX and I got a V-Star 650. Then he traded for a Yamaha RoadStar Warrior and I got a VStar 1100. The FJR came next, but by then we were well and truly hooked. We started keeping bikes as we added more to the garage. Right now, the total is nine bikes, but of course we're still looking for the next one(s).

For me, the return to riding was about finding a shared interest. For so many years, we'd been Mommy and Daddy, doing all the usual parental stuff. We'd lost ourselves in among the kid stuff. As husband and wife, we had very little in common other than the kids. The bikes brought us back together again. We enjoy riding together and spending time with other motorcycling folks. Some of our dearest friends have been made through riding.

This has also been a learning experience. As kids, we took classes similar to MSF (RAC/ACU in England) but the rest of the learning was seat-of-the-pants stuff. These days, we have so many resources to learn about riding, how to enjoy it more, how to be a safer rider etc. It was a great accomplishment for both of us to become Rider Coaches with the MSF.

There are so many facets to motorcycling too. We did the cruiser thing (and I still do, now and again). Now we're more into the touring scene, but we each have a streak of hooligan somewhere. Dirt riding wasn't available to us as kids, so we're getting into that now, and the camping that goes with it.

To say that we have a passion for motorcycles is an understatement. This is what we do for fun.

Jill

(PS Feel free to PM me, in case this wasn't enough info for you)

 

[AethonFJR]

Sorry I can't understand this.
I started riding at 11. Got my license at 15 1/2. 30+ years later, I've never stopped. I can't imagine stopping except for a couple weeks cause I'm on vacation with the family.

Ditto here

Hard for me to imagine being with out a bike. Started riding when I was 14 (middle aged by today’s standards for starting) and have owned a bike ever since. While I was living in the jungle, dodging lots of bullets, I couldn’t ride, but I knew I had one in storage at home….

I played in the dirt for a lot of years until everyone I used to ride with took up golf instead of riding; I moved to dual sport. Bought a new 1980 Yamaha 850 XS and I finally evolved into sport riding and road trips. Moved all the way to the fully loaded GW before the pendulum swung back to supersport touring when I discovered the FJR. plopped down my $$$ and waited 6 months for delivery......

Family, limited resources, and life in general frequently held my riding to much less than I would have preferred. Except for not riding in the rain unless I get caught in the rain {except in the dirt} (and living in Portland OR for 3 decades) I always managed to find at least some time to ride.

 

[twowheelnut]

Yo, Scab! The edit button is your friend.

 

[Bearly Flying]

Well when I was about 10 yrs old, the Brother and I had an old CCM 3 speed bicycle and an old !/4 hp Iron Horse gasoline washing machine motor. We convinced the Old Man into fabricating a mounting system for the motor, V belt drive down to the sprockets. And Viola we had Ourselves a Motorcycle....( never once managed to get the thing back home under it's own power, but what the Hell)

Fast forward a few years, a friend of mine was working at a Turkey Ranch, the owner of which had a 59 Bonneville, that I bought for $300.00. Completely original with the headlight nacelle etc.etc.

But all 14 yr old's know that you must chop the bike. So got rid of the whole front end assembly, put the front fender on the back, some high rise handle bars. Man I was bad ass......

Drove the living **** out of the old Bonneville for 3 years. ( Finally got a legal drivers license)

Sold the Bonny for $350, Very well used condition.. ( found out later, there were only three 59 Bonnyville's ever brought into Canada)

Bought a 49 Thunderbird Hardtail. ( Found out it had a bent frame), but up to about 80 mph wasn't tooooo bad..

74 Triumph Trident followed, Great bike, until I raced a Corvette. Beat him, but blew the centre cylinder to do it.

Took a bit of a break, couple of dirt bikes, to keep a guy going.

Along comes 1984,,,, Friend of mine buy's a 84 FJ 1100, Starts bragging up JAP SCRAP, Let's me take it for a spin....... HOLY MUTHA OF .............. Then he tells me of an 85 sitting on the showroom floor..........

Wife and I get into The (Be All End All Argument) about" nothing"..... " I'm going home to Ma'ma" "Fine, See Ya Have a Nice Life".

Phone up Buddy " Give me a Ride to The City to Buy that Bike"

Bought the bike, went on a two week tour. Got back home,,,,,,,, Kisses, hug's etc.etc........ Even after 20 years , She still wouldn't sit on that FJ.

Bought an 05 FJR 1300, She was on the back the second day I had it home. ( put an Autocomm system and a Russel Seat and She loved riding on the bike)

And I would Give all that up in a second to have HER back.......

 

[Toecutter]

And I would Give all that up in a second to have HER back.......

 

[TriggerT]

OK Camera, I have a questions. Why isn't the FJR listed in your "Bikes Section" on your blog page? I am sure it is because the site couldn't possible handle the volume needed for the praise you would bestow on our beloved FJR, but still.

 

[camera56]

OK Camera, I have a questions. Why isn't the FJR listed in your "Bikes Section" on your blog page? I am sure it is because the site couldn't possible handle the volume needed for the praise you would bestow on our beloved FJR, but still.

So much to do . . . been wanting to write a detailed review. But to your point, it's my first love. Gotta show it some!

 

[El Toro Joe]

I was going to add my story, but it looks like you have enough for a book already

 

[luvtoride]

I started full time riding much, much too late @ 37 or 38 YO. When I was young I was ultra interested in riding. I had many friends w/ dirtbikes which I tooled around on from time to time.

When I was old enough, I got a moped. Hahaha I took that moped to woods parties, rode trails in the woods & did donuts in the gravel in front of my house.

Due to the strong will of my mom not wanting me to ride on the street due to the danger, I never got a street bike.

Forward to sitting in the bar one day... drinking like a fish & talking about bikes. I showed a real interest in learning to street ride & a friend says... "would you ride a jap sport bike?" me says... "Uh, yeah, I guess... I actually thought about getting a cruiser to learn on... but yeah, I would"

My friend says "well, I have a '94 Kawasaki Ninja EX500 sitting in my shed that I no longer ride. I put it down a few years ago & have since not gotten on it. It needs a few odds & ends like a handlebar & some other stuff that I broke. But it should run. If you want it you can have it" I told her that I'd call her tomorrow & if she still felt that way NOT-DRINKING that I'd definitely & w/o a doubt, take the bike.

Well, a week later, the bike was in my driveway. I had the carbs cleaned, put a new battery in & fixed a few odds & ends. I took the MSF & was on my way. I rode the hell out of that little bike. It completely changed my view of the style of bike that I wanted.

After a few years came the FJR. I had no idea how it was going to completely change my life for the positive. Riding/touring in the mountains is now a passion. I have met so many fabulous people that I am proud to call good friends, too.

You are welcome to PM me if you like, Heidi

Edited to add: I forgot about this... My aunt & uncle had bikes when I was a kid. There is a pic of me somewhere perched on the seat of my aunt's Honda somethingorother. My uncle always owned full dress Moto Guzzi's & he used to take me out on it sometimes. Another cycle seed planted to sprout when I was older.

 

[Neil San Diego]

I rode a bike for the first time at about 16, a dirt bike at a friend’s house. Not a lot, just a few miles here and there.

Bought my first bike at 19. Got tired of bumming rides to college, so I bought a ratty ’75 CB360. Rode it into the ground over the next two years. (Dayum, I miss that bike)

Bought a new RD400 in ’79. Rode it for two weeks until a delivery driver plowed me under (reading a map while turning left through me!! Dayum, I miss that bike). After receiving the settlement for that (and getting out of the hospital) I bought a new ’80 Suzuki GS750. I rode that non-stop until around the early 90’s sometime. (Dayum, I miss that bike) Life’s changes just got in the way of riding, and more importantly, buying a new bike. A wife, house payments, etc etc.

My wife never liked bikes at all due to an ****** boyfriend in high school that enjoyed scaring the bejeebus out of her on one. Said she would never get on one again. But she always said I could get one once we get financially flush. I just never thought the day would come.

Then the day came.

I started researching and quickly narrowed it down to three. She asked which bikes I was considering. I told her which one was my favorite of the three, and then she drove us down to the dealer and haggled with the salesman and got a good deal on a 2007 FJR. My jaw dropped to the floor! After 15 years of not even sitting on a bike, I get on my new ’07 Feejer and road it home. And they all live happily ever after.

Addendum to this happy story…

While waiting for the dealer to get the bike ready, I was looking through their helmet selection. She looked at me and said “What helmet would you suggest for me?” My jaw dropped to the floor! So she got a cute little girley-colored helmet and we started going out to breakfasts on the Feejer on the weekends.

Two months later while driving down the freeway, she looked over at me and said “What would be a good beginner bike for me?” My jaw dropped to the floor! She took the MSF course, bought a 250 learner, and is now looking forward to riding a larger bike. And they are still living happily ever after.

 

[Bike Effects]

I began to love motorcycles while I was in High School as my best friend was a rider. I told my Dad I wanted to buy a bike and he said "Not as long as your living under my roof!". At age 40 I got my first bike, a KZ-750.

 

[Fencer]

I began to love motorcycles while I was in High School as my best friend was a rider. I told my Dad I wanted to buy a bike and he said "Not as long as your living under my roof!". At age 40 I got my first bike, a KZ-750.

Man, Your dad loved you!

Mine kicked me out well before age 40 :lol:

 

[rogdeb]

I was 15 years old and watching the local "hard knock", Alan Preston (20 years old) riding the Estate (sub division) on his Triumph Tiger Cub. I was hooked.

"Dad" -- I said, "Can I have a motorbike?" "Yes Son" was the reply !!!!!!!!!!!!!!! "You have to buy it yourself though" Scratch that dream for a while.

Two weeks later I was picked up from the bus stop by a neighbor on his new BSA ----------- hooked again !

Then life happened.

College, work, kid, marriage, another kid, move to USA :yahoo: ,, divorce, marriage, divorce (crazy bitch)

Then I met my Debs and life was good, and although she was scared of bikes she was up for it. So -- age 52 -- I took the MSF class, we got our first bike and haven't looked back since.

That's my story ya'll.

 

[FJRay]

I started riding in my early teens in the orange groves around my house and tried to be a racer in the Socal desert but wasn't as good a rider as I was a wrench so I left the racing to those with more talent. I rode all through school and logged a ton of miles on Okinawa 69-71. Was involved with racing at Kadena AB.

After the military I rode until I started thinking with the wrong head to much and married the bitch from hell. She thought riding was selfish so riding was out the window for a number of years until I came to my senses. After two kids. divorce and a bankruptcy I started over with the kids, a VW bus and a Snap-on tool box.

I met my current wife who happens to like bikes and rides her own. Its been 23 years together and survived raising four kids and owned a bunch of bikes.We still have a lot of fun on the road when the time permits. One of these days I hope I can get her away from all her animals so we can do a long trip. While I wait for that oportunity I will continue racking up the miles on the FJR.