I’ve been riding motorcycles for over 30 years. A long time ago when I first started blogging (before it was called blogging) I kept a list of bikes I had owned online and thought I would update it and put it here on thecrumb.com:
#1 Honda SL70
The late 1970′s. I was 12. What’s a little snow when you’re young and stupid! I rode this bike quite a bit growing up in Northern Durham county. My neighbor had a Suzuki so needless to say we raced quite a bit! This was my Peter Fonda, Easy Rider pose. Check out the striped socks! We had over 2 acres of land in Durham, plus I could really go about anywhere else via trails in the woods. While often chased by the Sheriff, he never caught us (don’t tell my Mom)!
#2 Honda SL125
Of course with the LAW chasing me down I needed something bigger. I think I got this in the early 1980s. It was for the most part a stripped down Honda SL125. No lights. Kickstart. My Dad and I painted it ourselves (it was originally orange and green). It was VERY fast considering I was moving up form a 70cc!
Unfortunately I don’t have more pictures of it…
#3 Kawasaki KZ550 LTD
I had the Honda 125 until 1983 I think. By that time I was able to drive so the bike wasn’t that important anymore. So there was about a 6 year gap where I didn’t ride. Then in 1989 I got the urge again and picked up this Kawasaki. For the life of me I can’t remember where I bought it or why. The cruiser style just isn’t me…
The funny thing about this bike is shortly after I bought it I spent $100 on a fancy torque wrench and promptly snapped off the oil drain plug. I drove it for several years without ever changing the oil.
#4 Honda Hawk GT NT650
By 1992 I wanted something more. I read all the motorcycle publications and at the time I was infatuated with the Honda Hawk, so I got one, the only bike I’ve ever purchased new! It was an incredible machine at the time: a V-twin, single sided swingarm, aluminum frame – it was an inexpensive race bike!
Brenda and I would often ride out to Lake Crabtree on this bike when we were first dating.
#5 BMW R100GS
I rode the Hawk a lot. That was the bike I really learned to ride well on. It would do anything. But by this time I had met Brenda and it was a small bike to get two people on so I wanted something bigger. A co-worker and good friend had a BMW he was getting rid of. Sold. This was an incredible machine. Easy to work on, go anywhere and comfortable. This was the first bike I did my first real traveling on. Here I’m loaded up for a camping trip.
And the R100GS came with Brenda and I on our honeymoon :)
#6 Kawasaki KLR650 (#1)
While riding the BMW I got an urge to do more off-road. The BMW GS was a great bike but a bit too big to do anything serious off-road. Looking back I should have never sold it but instead I bought a Kawasaki KLR 650. This was a great bike as well. Not as comfortable as the GS but otherwise a great dual-purpose bike. The best thing was the 6 gallon gas tank. I could go all day while the sport bikes and cruiser would have to stop and fill up. Unfortunately I realized I was too old to do ‘serious’ off-road, and was still bitten by the BMW bug – so…
#7 BMW R100
I searched around and found another BMW. This one was a BMW R100. 1000cc of rat bike. It was really beat up when I got it, and I had plans on fixing it up. But I’m not a fixer, I’m a rider. I did take it on a good trip to the mountains which was fun. It would do a steady 90mph on the highway without stretching it’s legs at all. I never really liked this bike much and as a result sold it and bought a boat. But that is another story…
#8 Kawasaki KLR 650 (#2)
Mid life crisis? Did I mention the boat?
A few years with no bikes and I got the ‘itch’ again. After a lot of thinking I decided that the KLR was an easy choice: cheap, easy to ride and maintain, and I was already familiar with the bike. It sounded like a good idea at the time…
#9 Kawasaki Concours
This was my mid-life crisis bike. The KLR was a great bike to get back into riding on but the love didn’t last. I was traveling more and the KLR was great around town, and it was fun once I got to the mountains but the trip there and back was never fun. And I’ll admit it – I wanted something fast! The Connie was the exact opposite of the KLR. It would eat long stretches of highway like the Cookie monster devours the letter C. But riding around town, and flogging it around the mountains wasn’t the most fun.
You can almost guess at this point what happens next…
#10 Kawasaki KLR650 (#3)
So it’s obvious now the KLR is my ‘safety’ bike and one I keep returning too. It does nothing ‘great’ but everything ‘good enough’. I came really close to making this the perfect bike for me but it was never quite 100%.
I ended up selling this bike to Dave Despain of SpeedTV fame who as far as I know still owns it.
#11 Suzuki DL650 V-Strom
I knew I really like the dual-purpose bikes like the KLR and I liked the long distance comfort of the liter bikes like the Concours. What I needed was for them to sleep together and have a baby. Turns out they did! it was called a Suzuki DL650.
The ‘Wee-Strom‘ was the perfect bike. Not too big, comfortable on long trips, capable in the mountains and dual sporty enough I was comfortable taking it down gravel roads. I’d still be riding it if it weren’t for the deer!
#12 BMW R1100GS
Y
ou were expecting another KLR weren’t you?
After my accident I did look around for quite awhile for another DL650 but while I was searching I stumbled upon a guy selling a BMW on Craigslist. Hmmm. The bike was an older model but with practically no mileage. When I was at the point in my recovery I thought I could ride again I contacted him and he still had the bike for sale. After a quick look, and approval from my super wife to ride again, the BMW now sits in my garage.
#13 ?
There are several bikes I’ve lusted after over the years. Honda VFR. Something classic looking like the Triumph Bonneville. And I’ve never owned a true ‘crotch rocket’ (and don’t really have any desire for one). We’ll see how the BMW does – barring any incidents with furry creatures I hope to be riding it for several years!