Greetings from way too cold for California. I'm new to this forum and looking forward to reaping the benefits of the multitude of experience available here.
A bit about me. I'm 59 years old and have been riding since 1968. I was 11 years old and my parents bought me a shiny Kawasaki 85cc road bike that I rode in the field next door every chance I got, after school and all weekend long. It wasnt a dirtbike, but I made the best of it and earned my wings that first year with roadrash and bruises from jumping hills and dips. The next year we figured out maybe a dirt bike was a good idea so a brand new Yamaha 125 found its way into the garage. It was too big, too fast for a almost teen, but we went for it. And it was FUN.
As I grew older so did my love for motorcycles and a steady progression of larger, faster bikes came and went, CZ 250, BSA 441 Victor, and in 1974 a YZ 250. My friends and I had started racing motocross every Friday night and Sundays too. My afterschool job at Sids Chevron in Sacramento afforded me the means to buy a big black and gold 850cc Norton Commando my junior year and I had the best of both worlds in my opinion, the YZ for racing and the Norton for the street. I've got a story....back then, one of the guys that worked with me after school at the gas station, one had a BMW R90 and he had a friend with a 1974 Ducati 750 Desmo we would go riding up Salmon Falls road near Folsom lake, Ca. We would chase each other around those foothill roads really taking risks that young guys always do. Being second or third, my memory doesnt help me, I remember coming into a corner WAY too hot and slamming on my back brake on the Norton...well my Friday night race bike (the Yamaha YZ 250) shifts on the right, the Norton being a pre '75 Limey shifts on the left...SO, what happened was I shifted up a gear...and I leaned that Norton over...and it tracked like it was on rails. I learned that day to trust a motorcycles steering geometry and handling characteristics. I learned that day to become a better rider. Since that day 42 years ago I've owned many motorcycles and for the last 30 years Harley Davidsons exclusively. I need to confess my present bike, a 2002 FXDWG isn't a CVO but it can keep up...lol. well that's Tim, I've already met a handful of members, and a good friend, JC, is a dear friend of mine. Hears to a new year! Happy riding. Tim
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Topic: New year, new way! (Read 2864 times)