Friday, September 16, 2005
My Motorcycle History Part 1
Ok, This history covers the period from about 1994 through 1998. This span of time begins when I did not own a motorcycle, and had not owned one for about 10 years. I was sitting on the couch, being a potato, and Debbie walks up to me and sais point blank "I have decided to get a motorcycle again, whether you do or not". I blinked a couple of times, and immediately replied "Over my dead...", No I really said "I guess we are getting motorcycles". I had been out of motorcycling since the mid 80s, when I had crashed my Gold Suzuki GT-750 Water Buffalo in a hairpin turn in the hills behind Milpitas California where we were living. I gave it up, thinking this just wasn't fun any more, since I dislocated my right shoulder in the process, and it took almost a year to heal. Anyway, we proceeded to look for Motorcycles, debbie bought a Black 1985 Honda Shadow 250, which lasted her about 3 months, since it was so small. I bought a Red 1982 Yamaha Virago 920 (no picture), which I loved, except it had a few problems, like it had sit for a year in someone's garage. Truely a bad thing to do to a Yamaha, they get all gunked up. So, while I was having problems with the Yamaha, I found a really good deal on a Black 1985 Honda Shadow 700 with very low miles (3000 miles?). I snapped it up. Then I discovered why it had such low miles. It ran great, it was very reliable, had lots of power, but it had an exhaust note that would drive almost anyone crazy. It sounded like it had no mufflers, though it a had factory exhaust system. I eventually changed it out for an after market exhaust system that improved the tone somewhat, but I never really learned to like the Shadow 700. I eventually sold it for a bit more than i originally paid for it.
My next purchase occured around 1994. I bought a Suzuki GSX1100G. Basically your 1100cc road rocket. I should have known when I bought it that any motorcycle with a name like GSX1100 would be a hotrod. I knew it had a heritage from the Suzuki road racers with the same engine, but somehow I thought I would be able to handl it. fool that I was. I don't think I ever got a ticket on it, but I can't imagine why. It just wasn't happy below 70mph, and I really wasn't happy above 70mph. One day, Debbie and I were going to go out for a ride together on it, I warmed it up but left the choke/enrichener on a bit too long, and it loaded up. We got on, and sputtered along until we got to the freeway in california, and i decided to open it up to clean it out. So as we accellerated onto the freeway, giving it full throttle two up, we accellerated until it cleared out. It only took a few seconds, but then I looked down at the speedometer, and it read 90+mph, and I think I was still in 3rd. Needless to say, I turned white as a sheet while I looked around for police cars. fortunately none wre around, so I slowed down for the rest of the ride. I don't thihnk Debbie knew how fast we were going, until later, when she beat me up.
Within a few months, we moved to Texas, and I sold the Suzuki and bought a brand new Yamaha Virago Black and Cream 1100 Special. It was really a pretty bike. It handled well, was fund to drive, and it was happy below 70mph. In fact it didn't really like going a lot faster than that, but I didn't care, I was now a cruiser. I rode the yamaha for a couple of years, to lots of rallies, until we sold our house in California and became momentarilly rich enough to buy Harleys. ¶ 3:03 PM
Ok, This history covers the period from about 1994 through 1998. This span of time begins when I did not own a motorcycle, and had not owned one for about 10 years. I was sitting on the couch, being a potato, and Debbie walks up to me and sais point blank "I have decided to get a motorcycle again, whether you do or not". I blinked a couple of times, and immediately replied "Over my dead...", No I really said "I guess we are getting motorcycles". I had been out of motorcycling since the mid 80s, when I had crashed my Gold Suzuki GT-750 Water Buffalo in a hairpin turn in the hills behind Milpitas California where we were living. I gave it up, thinking this just wasn't fun any more, since I dislocated my right shoulder in the process, and it took almost a year to heal. Anyway, we proceeded to look for Motorcycles, debbie bought a Black 1985 Honda Shadow 250, which lasted her about 3 months, since it was so small. I bought a Red 1982 Yamaha Virago 920 (no picture), which I loved, except it had a few problems, like it had sit for a year in someone's garage. Truely a bad thing to do to a Yamaha, they get all gunked up. So, while I was having problems with the Yamaha, I found a really good deal on a Black 1985 Honda Shadow 700 with very low miles (3000 miles?). I snapped it up. Then I discovered why it had such low miles. It ran great, it was very reliable, had lots of power, but it had an exhaust note that would drive almost anyone crazy. It sounded like it had no mufflers, though it a had factory exhaust system. I eventually changed it out for an after market exhaust system that improved the tone somewhat, but I never really learned to like the Shadow 700. I eventually sold it for a bit more than i originally paid for it.
My next purchase occured around 1994. I bought a Suzuki GSX1100G. Basically your 1100cc road rocket. I should have known when I bought it that any motorcycle with a name like GSX1100 would be a hotrod. I knew it had a heritage from the Suzuki road racers with the same engine, but somehow I thought I would be able to handl it. fool that I was. I don't think I ever got a ticket on it, but I can't imagine why. It just wasn't happy below 70mph, and I really wasn't happy above 70mph. One day, Debbie and I were going to go out for a ride together on it, I warmed it up but left the choke/enrichener on a bit too long, and it loaded up. We got on, and sputtered along until we got to the freeway in california, and i decided to open it up to clean it out. So as we accellerated onto the freeway, giving it full throttle two up, we accellerated until it cleared out. It only took a few seconds, but then I looked down at the speedometer, and it read 90+mph, and I think I was still in 3rd. Needless to say, I turned white as a sheet while I looked around for police cars. fortunately none wre around, so I slowed down for the rest of the ride. I don't thihnk Debbie knew how fast we were going, until later, when she beat me up.
Within a few months, we moved to Texas, and I sold the Suzuki and bought a brand new Yamaha Virago Black and Cream 1100 Special. It was really a pretty bike. It handled well, was fund to drive, and it was happy below 70mph. In fact it didn't really like going a lot faster than that, but I didn't care, I was now a cruiser. I rode the yamaha for a couple of years, to lots of rallies, until we sold our house in California and became momentarilly rich enough to buy Harleys. ¶ 3:03 PM
