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How old when *you* bought your first bike?

-Ever-

-Ever-

New member
Joined
Jul 24, 2002
Location
San Francisco
Moto(s)
Ducati S2R-1000, Honda ex500
So I'm guessing that I got my moto liscence about a good year + ago and I'm yet to own a bike. I've actually never even ridden a bike on the street. It seems like lots of the younger crowd of riders have bikes in their family background, and while I'm pretty jealous to hear of kids under ~22 who's parents kindly bought them brand new sport bikes, I've gotten over it pretty quickly. I had the money at one time to afford an old beater to properly learn on, but I wanted to pay my own insurance and didn't have an income of cash at the time so I spent the money on music equipment (something that I don't regret).

What I'm wondering is how old (well, how young) some of you guys were when you first purchased your own bike. I'll be going on 21 in a few months and don't see owning a bike anywhere in the near future. I figure I'm simply riding an easy life lately and just focusing on school with no job still, so I'm not complaining that much either. Just looking to hear how some of you guys dealt with initiating your riding career ;)

Peace
-T
 
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I have never financed a bike.

23 tys. old I did a trade type of thing
all others, cash
 
bought it when i was 22..financed it..but paid it off in 5months... work does pay...
 
I was twenty, in the Army. Took over payments on a bike--not quite 40 years ago. Paid cash for the others
 
16 ~ I had to sell drugs, rob, extort, loanshark, strong arm to get my first bike...
 
If this is going to be your first bike, try to get a smaller, older, cheap bike on which to learn. There are tons of people that get talked into buying some new, cool looking bike that's engineered way beyond their capabilities and they end uppaying WAY too much and usually dump it several times and get scared.
It's far better to get a small (250-600) standard bike for cash so you can make all your rookie mistakes on that and not have to pay$$ for all the scratched plastics when you tip it over in the parking lot.
I just sold a 1980 SuzukiGS750 to a beginner who just finished MSF. I made it into a cafe racer type, so all I did was put the original bars back on-it already had a new clutch, tires, Progressive fronts, sprockets and chain for $800. The guy absolutely loves it and I fully expect him to sell"Angus" to another rookie when he gets a fancier bike.
Take an experienced friend to look at these good old bikes and don't be too proud-they'll still give you a thrill!
P.S. Bought my first bike (BSA Bantam) for $50 in 1973
 
Cool, thanks for the stories guys. Yeah I meant to say "paid for" and not "financed". Sorry bout that.

Keep em coming ;)
-T
 
My story's pretty much the same as yours T. I got my M1 at 20, and faced two choices - get a job and buy a bike, or continue to live the easy, but relatively poor life of a parent-supported student. After a few failed attempts to save up some cash, I finally gave up and just figured I'd wait until after I graduated and got on salary. That's exactly what happened. Five years after getting my M1, I finally got my first "real" job and my first big purchase was that motorcycle I had been waiting so long for.
 
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I was 18... or 19? I dunno, I forget. I was working in IT at a videogame company and bought a 88 NT650 HawkGT for $2750 off the internet (cycletrader) from a guy in Woodland Hills (near LA). Woooo WOoo! Big risk-taker and all that. Turned out to be a pimp-ass deal :thumbup
 
1994, I was 24... $1000 Honda Sabre yr. 1982... heavy, flexi, complicated, flaky, and scary as hell at speed. Since then I tried a 95 vfr, and now an xr65oR.

*unsolicited advice* Get a fast (aprilia) scooter and have fun now if you don't have money or permission for a real moto. Buy your first bike with cash as soon as possible. Ride really safe like old people do. :)

-Dan
 
hehe, bought my first once when I was 20, was a EX500 that came in boxes of parts, for $200. Got it mostly together but didn't have the time to geti it running, so I sold it (and pretty much everything else I had) to buy a running one in december. I never felt it would be right to ask my parents to pay for the motorcycle, I cover ll my gas/insurance/repairs etc.
 
I was 14 years old. I bought a 1972 Honda CL350 for $300 (mowed lawns and washed cars for the money). Fixed that thing up (had a few problems) took it on a ride to Tahoe relized it was gut less and was not going to get me up the moutain .. sold it for $600 and bought a a 1982 Honda CB750K for $750. That got me to tahoe just fine. I was 15 years old.

-Robert

P.S. I no longer condone riding a bike illegally :)
 
I have never paid for a bike. Nope , stole every one of 'em.
I have a stash of 'em buried in a schoolbus just outside Chowchilla.
I don't even have a license.
The one time I went for the ride test, the observer was standing there and I just freaked out , ran it up to the limmiter, dumped the clutch, took the dude out with the resultant wheelie, then hooked back to where he was laying and ran the rear tire up his crotch then proceeded to do another "rev and drop" using his "sack" as a launch pad.:kicknuts
Oh wait.... this is April 2nd:nerd ....Nevermind.:teeth








:twofinger
 
im 18 got my license in February, and still looking for a bike, i go to school, and work, but most of my money if coming from the multiple car accidents i had int he last 6months (im poor, and hate getting money from my parents)
 
Bought (some cash some loan) first bike at 27. No family or friends road bikes. Just something I had wanted to do since I was about 23 when I was buzzed in my car by 6 sport bikes on HWY1 in Marin County. They passed me on all sides. I didn't even know sportbikes existed, but that one day I'll never forget. I finished college in 1992 and bought the bike in 1994. Massive college debts prohibited further savings and more loans.
 
i got my first one at 17 as birthday present, my old kawasaki. pretty sweet present. then helped pay for my 2nd bike at 18
 
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