I went through a faze of going to India for six months every year in my late 20s early 30s, I did this for several years. I was late to motorcycles.
I bought a Royal Enfield 350 bullet on my second trip and learned to ride it there, the gears were on the right and you pushed up to go into first gear and then down to go through the gears, they are very robust solid old school style bikes and looked good to boot. I travelled all over India on it over the next several years, leaving it to friends to use between trips, they would be riding it through the monsoon and I would have to get it tidied up when I returned every year, but it was a great bike and never let me down. Lots of stories about that bike.
It finished it’s time with me in the Indian foothills to the Himalayas, my mate had a house keeper who was a widow, and she was saving money to help pay her sons wedding, I decided I would not be returning the next year and gave the bike to her to sell and use the money towards the wedding, she had it sold within a couple of days and I never seen it again, fine cool bike.
My first bike in the UK was a Kawasaki GT 550 also a fine practical bullet proof machine, had that for ages, then had a few bikes since, I have an 8 year old Kawasaki z1000sx now and this will probably be my last bike, fast practical machine, cant fault it.
But I had 3 bikes in my life and 3x this model. Number 2 and 3 are standing here. 26 years old on the pictures, all original, without restoration, now 40 years old. The first owner had it most time in his living room. I was 15 years old, and my dream was to have later a Honda XL 500S. In age of 19 I bought then the newer model, XL 500R. 500 ccm, single cylinder, 27/33 PS, very strong, like 45 PS. 0 – 100 km/h in 7.6 sec on 27 PS. A big bike killer on curvy streets in the 80’s years. Handling like a bicycle. Starting the engine can break leg or foot. I had it offroad on 80 mph / 130 km/h. Autobahn speed, lol. A farmers way. I was young and needed this. After 5 years I sold the first, because a very strong car. 10 years later I bought the next XL.
I also have a 1994 Honda Dominator nx650cc only 16000 mls on the clock.Its stashed away in my pals lock up in need of a few bits and bobs, but will put back on the road at some point in the near future
Thanks for joshing my memory @Redcloud203 with your cycle. Would enjoy that for local city rides and reminded me of my true first bike that I forgot about to mention. It was a Moped, which required no license and as a kid I used it to deliver newspapers. I always was trying to make it easier to deliver them and increase my route size.
I suppose those are considered motorcycles & bicycles ?
First was a 1970 Honda CT70
Because Dad was buying. However found out one thing that was a very bad idea They put a pointed chrome strip along the top of the gas tank, Looked okay just don’t slide off the seat breaking or crashing.
Last was a 1981 Kawasaki LTD 1000 close to this one except I had all chrome covers.
A Brother in-law had a fire sale and the extra 930cc made a wee difference.
I remember that chrome strip very well on the Honda CT70, lol. And could tell some sad story’s about Thrush side pipes. on my Nomad as well. However it was a great & fun learning bike for us as kids. Also that bike taught us to not only, stand up straight but sit up straight.
Very nice bikes. I wish, I had pictures of all that I’ve had over the years. I couldn’t ever tell anyone how many, I’ve had. Great memories & fun times!!!
I didn’t list them all just some of my favorites.
I did take a 12 year break after being sideswiped by a teenager on the freeway. Sliding down the freeway in heavy traffic at 70 mph on your face will wake you up. to the invisibility of being on a motorcycle.
When I did get back on it was a new me an offensive rider not a defensive rider, but that doesn’t matter, people still don’t see you. While on one of my other Harleys I was sitting at a stop sign, there was a car in front of me and a minivan hit me from behind at 40 mph, luckily I had a sissy bar and a backpack on, when he hit me it crushed my bike underneath me between the two cars, the sissy bar flipped me up into the air, I did a back flip and went head first into the windshield of the minivan that hit me, then onto the top of the van and rolled onto the street. 21 fractures, a concussion and something called deep bone bruising but no broken bones. In 3 days, I was out of the hospital, 3 weeks later I bought my next Harley on crutches, and had my buddy ride it home for me, I knew if I didn’t get back on right away, I would be done with bikes, I still ride and have a great time.
This is the last helmet that saved my life, you can see the glass imbedded in it.
I really don’t get the logic in some American states where you can’t lane split, we call it filtering, it doesn’t mean riding like a lunatic between cars but there really is no reason to be stuck behind a car on a potentially fast road and be hit from the rear, makes it far more likely to happen, glad you survived though
They tried to pass lane splitting here but no such luck, I think in California it’s legal but not over 5mph.
I do not stop directly behind cars anymore; I am either to the left or right and constantly tapping my brake light watching in my mirrors.
Seems dangerous and crazy to me, no such problems here, even on city streets I can ride up the wrong side of the road to the front of the queue without issue, your not slowing anyone up and are gone before the car behind has even moved, on motorway/highways cars and trucks will even pull aside slightly to let you through the middle if there is a traffic jam, bet your jealous lol, and again glad your alive and still riding
Glad you survived my friend and back on a bike again. I’ve had several crashes, on my bikes and race cars also. Maybe we should start a new topic on those, that ended with good results for us to help others.
True enough, from some of the YouTube stuff I have watched there are a lot of angry drivers in the states, but anything that makes motorcycling even more dangerous than it is anyway is not a good thing I feel, common sense is the way forward and better all round.
Although some bikers don’t help the cause much with the behaviour and riding, I go very fast when appropriate but follow the rules on busy roads or built up areas.
