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How the obsession all started…

By Thom | January 11, 2008

I started riding motorcycles when I was just a wee little lad. My father would strap me on the back of his ‘76 Honda cb750 using a car seat and we would ride into the sunset. Yes, I’m serious, a car seat strapped onto the back of a motorcycle. That worked well until we received a kind warning from a police officer and I was forced to wait to ride again until I was tall enough to touch the passenger pegs. It was a couple years, but I was finally able to ride along on the back.

When I was twelve our neighbors next door decided to have a garage sale. In the back was a shiny (to me at least) red 1978 Yamaha 125cc enduro motorcycle for $300. My father purchased the bike and we carted it out to my grandparent’s farm where I could learn to ride. I think the most interesting thing about when I learned to ride was that I just jumped on the bike, found where the clutch engaged, killed it once and then rode off with out any problems! I accredit my success to having watched my father drive for all of those years.

I rode that little red Yamaha for almost 5 years before I upgraded to a ‘74 Honda CL350. I did all my own maintenance (i.e. none) at that time, but it never hiccupped or broke. I probably put on over 300 miles on it per summer, amazing considering that the field road that I rode on was only a couple miles long.

I have since owned many bikes since then, but I’m always drawn to the simplicity and ruggedness that was displayed in that little red thing.

Maybe I’ll have to get another one someday…

Pictures of motorcycles past and present:

1976 Honda CB750 – SPECIAL- what started it all