3LOU5
05-14-2009, 08:33 PM
....which one(s) have left an impression on you?
I'd have to say two bikes for me:
(1) My first bike. It was a Honda XR200R. I bought it from my commanding officer while stationed in Ft. Campbell, KY, and knew just the basics of how to shift. When I took it out for a test ride, I remember stalling it and my C.O. saying, "Are you SURE you know how to ride this??" But I was determined to take that bike around a few blocks, which I did with uneventful results.
It was on this bike that I learned to ride in about an hour, but only because I already knew how to drive a manual tranny-equipped car. Plus, it really helped that my other more experienced dirt-riding buddies were with me. I remember taking overnight camping trips with them in Land Between The Lakes in the rural mountains of Kentucky and just having a blast. With miles and miles of riding trails, one could easily get lost, but you know what they say, "safety in numbers". My buddies all rode Red: XL250, XR500, and XR600; but one had a Kawi KDX200.
I remember this bike fondly (sold it for a street bike) because it was my "first" and I truly learned how to ride by sliding the rear. (In fact, a lot of roadracers like Kenny Roberts keep their skills up by riding little XR100s around the dirt). The other thing I remember about this bike was its invulnerability; it was short of being bulletproof !
(2) My first experience on a suicide shifter. Here's the story:
My g/f and I visited her parents living in Strasburg, ND (Birthplace of Lawrence Welk). Her dad is building a bike that I plan on purchasing in the future. Off the top of my head, it's a rigid (of course) with Pan motor, a 4-speed transmission "off of an old side hack", foot-clutch/suicide shift, springer front end, dual-front brakes (thank goodness), kick-start (ugh), complete with some engine noises we just can't quite figure out.
Needless to say, and in military parlance, it's not FMC or Fully Mission Capable.
So as he was trying to wrench on that bike some more, he gave me the keys to an old rigid he built many years ago.
That particular scoot has an old 1947(?) air-cooled Harley motor called a 4-5 (45 cubic inches, I believe) mated to 3-speed transmission, foot clutch/suicide shift, springer, Z-bars, no front brakes, sissy-bars....well, you get the picture. It's basically an old-school "rat bike".
When I told him if I could watch him shift the bike as he rode up and down the street (I've never ridden such a set-up), he replies, "What? How the hell are you going to learn that way? Just get on and I'll show you !"
Spoken like a tried and true biker, eh?
To make a long story short, it's really not that hard. The only thing that took a bit of getting used to is the foot clutch. It works the opposite of a car clutch in that to make it disengage you have to PRESS DOWN . (Old biker saying: "heel-toe, away you go").
That, and the........uh.........no front brake thing. But lucky for me, Strasburg is sleepy little town with little to no traffic.
[Edit: The Panhead custom is complete. But he's not really ready to part with it....yet....].
I'd have to say two bikes for me:
(1) My first bike. It was a Honda XR200R. I bought it from my commanding officer while stationed in Ft. Campbell, KY, and knew just the basics of how to shift. When I took it out for a test ride, I remember stalling it and my C.O. saying, "Are you SURE you know how to ride this??" But I was determined to take that bike around a few blocks, which I did with uneventful results.
It was on this bike that I learned to ride in about an hour, but only because I already knew how to drive a manual tranny-equipped car. Plus, it really helped that my other more experienced dirt-riding buddies were with me. I remember taking overnight camping trips with them in Land Between The Lakes in the rural mountains of Kentucky and just having a blast. With miles and miles of riding trails, one could easily get lost, but you know what they say, "safety in numbers". My buddies all rode Red: XL250, XR500, and XR600; but one had a Kawi KDX200.
I remember this bike fondly (sold it for a street bike) because it was my "first" and I truly learned how to ride by sliding the rear. (In fact, a lot of roadracers like Kenny Roberts keep their skills up by riding little XR100s around the dirt). The other thing I remember about this bike was its invulnerability; it was short of being bulletproof !
(2) My first experience on a suicide shifter. Here's the story:
My g/f and I visited her parents living in Strasburg, ND (Birthplace of Lawrence Welk). Her dad is building a bike that I plan on purchasing in the future. Off the top of my head, it's a rigid (of course) with Pan motor, a 4-speed transmission "off of an old side hack", foot-clutch/suicide shift, springer front end, dual-front brakes (thank goodness), kick-start (ugh), complete with some engine noises we just can't quite figure out.
Needless to say, and in military parlance, it's not FMC or Fully Mission Capable.
So as he was trying to wrench on that bike some more, he gave me the keys to an old rigid he built many years ago.
That particular scoot has an old 1947(?) air-cooled Harley motor called a 4-5 (45 cubic inches, I believe) mated to 3-speed transmission, foot clutch/suicide shift, springer, Z-bars, no front brakes, sissy-bars....well, you get the picture. It's basically an old-school "rat bike".
When I told him if I could watch him shift the bike as he rode up and down the street (I've never ridden such a set-up), he replies, "What? How the hell are you going to learn that way? Just get on and I'll show you !"
Spoken like a tried and true biker, eh?
To make a long story short, it's really not that hard. The only thing that took a bit of getting used to is the foot clutch. It works the opposite of a car clutch in that to make it disengage you have to PRESS DOWN . (Old biker saying: "heel-toe, away you go").
That, and the........uh.........no front brake thing. But lucky for me, Strasburg is sleepy little town with little to no traffic.
[Edit: The Panhead custom is complete. But he's not really ready to part with it....yet....].
