HOW LONG HAVE SOME OF US BEEN RIDING MOTORCYCLES?

[ARCHIVE_vin]

Big Bore Upgrade

Hi Everyone,
just letting people know what I am planning to do to release more ponies from my 87 1K.
General outline is following a job done by ZLRX (respect!).
I have sourced ZZR1100 barrels and pistons,ZZR cylinder head - which I am taking camshafts and valve springs from (head won't work -its for downdraught carbs).
I am waiting for a lead to supply a GPZ11E - water cooled cylinder head (which is the same as a ZRX11).
When this arrives, I should be able to open up the crankcase bores to accomodate the larger diameter barrels.
Then switch cams and valve springs over.
Any thoughts on this mod?
Have been told 130bhp is probable outcome - sounds good to me !
Vin

 

[CHRIS]

in conjunction with the thread, of average age, i'm just curious as to how long some of us have been riding ?
for me, it's been about 31 years ! i started riding when i was 6 yrs old .
many miles under my belt, although i have to admit, i have'nt been riding as much as i used to, these days ! we may have discussed some of this in the past, but i thought i would share with some of the newer members ! CHRIS

 

[CHRIS]

OHH I FORGOT ! ALSO, WHAT MAKES THE ZL YOUR FAVORITE BIKE ? IF NOT, WHY DOES THE ZL HOLD A SPECIAL PLACE IN YOUR HEART ?

 

[beeZLbub]

I've only been riding since 2001, but last year I really dove into it to make up for lost time . I got a new job in Center City Philadelphia, so to save gas/parking money, I decided to moto-commute. I figure I logged about 345 days of riding out of the year. I rode regardless of weather conditions unless there was snow actually on the ground. If the forecast called for snow, I still rode, but if it snowed 3" overnight, I drove in.

I think the worst was the string of sub-zero days sometime in February, but the time & money I save is totally worth it to me. Both the train and the car take close to an hour for my commute, but the bike gets me home in just over a 1/2 hour.

I haven't had my ZL long enough to know if I can call it my favorite, but I can say that I've lusted after one since I started riding (my buddy's got one). Also, it's the nicest bike I've ever owned, so that's definitely a plus!

-Fran

 

[greg]

been riding since 84.
best bike so far was a cb650 great bike had it second hand some ware in 86-87 then a yam 535 now got the zl600
the zl pulls like a train and has the biggest tyers of any bike i have had still getting used to the seating position.
worst bike was a cb750 kz never happy with it.

 

[lowlife]

Was weaned on dirt at 6 years old, at 8 years when most people were playing cops and robbers, I was jumping field drives and making briggs head gaskets out of cheerios boxes. So that makes 22 years on the road and 38 years in the dirt. Still and always will have a dirt bike, See my first post and you will hear my story on the ZL9, but my current Yammy xt600 (On/Off but mainly dirt oriented) might be the bike if I could only pick one.

 

[wuputt]

Lowlife, you pretty much gave my history! I was using beer cans to make my head gaskets tho! I started in the dirt back in '64 with a Brigestone 50 Sport. I have had at least 1 bike at all times since then. That puts me at 43-44 years on MC's.
I walked into a small used bike dealer back in '88. I was just ridin round and stopped for no real reason. There sat the first ZL1k I ever saw. I waited for the opportunity to get one for another 12-13 years. When I had the money I couldn't find one and when I was broke they were all over! In '02, my son and I were looking at houses to rehab. At the time he was building up a old Honda Civic. We went by a Auto body shop and he wanted to stop and check for some parts. I walked into the ofice and low n behold, there sat my ZL1k! I talked him into selling it to me and we loaded it into my truck!!!
Fav bikes have been my Voyager 12 for the highway. Of course the ZL1k gets the overall thumbs up! Close second was a KZ1100 that I put a **** load of money in. (lost my ass on that one!)
I still want a ZL9 and a Vmax.

 

[jas16]

i'm a newbie, been riding for barely 1 and half years. so got a lot to learn, but i do ride quite abit as its my transport to et me to university which is bout 28 miles away.

well, the zl400 i have was pure luck, it was under some sheets, waiting to be scrapped as the guy who owned it didn't look after it atall and my employer said do you want it to drg race on, i said yes, and now its in the garage waitin to be ridin, once my holiday is over

what i like about it is that the power is completely usuable due to shaft drive for someone like me, let go of the clutch, pull the throttle right back and it just goes, no wheel spin or issues, sounds nice at high revs aswell



love it until i eventually get a vmax and zl1000/900

 

[ZLFancyPaint]

been riding 29 years. took a class in college with my brother's girlfriend so she didn't feel odd being the only girl in class. She never rode again after clqss and I'm on my 7th bike.
Fav machine is the zl900. how can you not love that rear tire?! (gotta admit drooling over a vmax once or twice)

 

[Kawasaki-krazy]

Been riding 32 years legally (and a few before 'cough' 'cough')Thats 31 years on 'proper' bikes and a year on mopeds. Used to nick my sisters Raleigh runabout before that though and she's 3 years older than me. Had to laugh when she used to complain that it didn't seem to go very far on a tankfull of petrol

KK

 

[gosupes]

Started out on a Honda Trail 70 at the age of 8, moved on to a RM125 when I was 13. Started riding street bikes when I was about 18. Off and on, 35 years.

 

[acp]

Started riding in 2001 when I turned 16. Got a moped for a year, then did my full bike test when I turned 17. So it'll be exactly 6 years and 4 bikes (well, 3 bikes and a moped) on Saturday.

And when I get my compensation it'll go up to 5 bikes

 

[rammy1500]

I've had my motorcycle licenses since '86, had dirt bikes since the 60's. Got to love the V-Max as well. There is a guy down the street that has a two car garage but leaves his V-Max in the driveway, in the elements everyday. I really need to stop and see if he wants to part with this bike since he isn't taking care of it.

 

[Stormy]

Been riding farm bikes on my parents property/farm everyday since I was 7 years old, so that makes it 36 years, but I got my bike licence in the South Australian Outback where I grew up, when I had just turned 17 years old (the testing cop at the police station said "ride once around the block, while I make myself a coffee, if you come back in one piece and I can see that you didn't drop your bike, you've got your licence", he knew how long I'd been riding for, so the licence riding test was a just legal formality.

Since then, I've had numerous road legal bikes for everyday transport, including (in order);

Honda "step through" 70
Suzuki A100
Honda XL125 Enduro
Honda CB250RS
Yamaha R3/350 (2 stroke)
Suzuki GSX550E (that was a ballistic beast to ride)
Yamaha XV750 Midnight Special (I've still got a photo of it somewhere... An imitation Harley V-Twin crap, when I was a wannabe harley owner, now I would touch a harley with a ten foot barge pole)
Yamaha AG200 (for running the property only)
and the last and current bike, the Kawasaki ZL1000-A1 "Eliminator"

Only owned three cars my whole life and I only got my car licence 10 years ago.

Mick.

 

[R. J.]

Just read this thread. I found it interesting. I started out on the back of a 60s Honda Dream 305. My oldest brother bought me a Rupp mini bike when I was 8. I got my first street legal bike when I was 13. I rode it on & off road from the start. I took my motorcycle endorsement at age 16. I put over 12,000 miles on it then bought a 1979 Yamaha DT 175 & logged over 22,000 miles on it. In the same amount of time I trail rode & raced a 1976 YZ 125 & a 1979 PE 175. I also rode my Brother-In-Laws 1977 Yamaha 650 & 1980s KZ 900. After moving to FL in 1985 I bought a 1983 Honda 650 Nighthawk & logged over 83,000 miles on it. I also rode on the street & raced my 1982 KTM 504. I also raced & trail rode with my 1982 YZ 250. After hanging up racing in the early 90s I bought a 1981 Yamaha DT 400 & restored it. I rode it for 5 years then sold it for way more than I had in it. Then in 1999 I bought a Suzuki DR 200. Now I ride my sons bikes. He has a 2012 Suzuki DRZ 400 & a KTM 150 Cross Country. I also still trail ride the Suzuki DRZ 150 that he used to Pit Bike Race with. I also trail ride with my 2002 Yamaha 350 Sport Quad. I also have a Yamaha 350 Grizzly 4 x 4 Quad that I use for hunting & trail riding. I bought my ZL 1000 in 2010 with 8,800 miles on & ride it every week. My next machine will be a CanAm Spyder.

 

[Chikara]

I used to ride on back of my Dad's bikes from way before I can even remember. I started riding on my own at 12 and rode continuously until about 27, at which time I moved to Japan for a decade. I didn't ride in Japan, other than a couple of 50cc rentals on a resort island. I moved back to the US and still didn't ride for the first decade, but i bought my ZL9 and have been on it for three years. I guess, to sum it up, I've got about 18 years of riding.

Why the Eliminator? When I came out of the Marines in 1985, I was a broke like a mofo, but I used to go into the Kawasaki Dealer and sit on the Eliminator for hours at a time. I wanted one so bad I couldn't stand it. I was already riding a KZ750 but I wanted that ZL9 something awful. I had enrolled in college locally, the economy pretty much sucked at that time, and my brother was away at college, leaving his GS750r in the Garage, so I sold my KZ and rode his bike for the next few years.

Fast forward to age 49, with 50 approaching fast. I've got a kid in college--in Tokyo, where there are no student loans--so as bad as I wanted to ride some $20,000 bike, it still wasn't in the cards. I figured if I couldn't fulfill my new dream, at least I could go back and fulfill an older one that was left hanging. I bought my ZL900 and have been enjoying the hell out of it, but it sure does break down a lot and I'm not the most mechanically inclined person there is. I'm not an idiot, and I can do most simple things like oil changes, coolant changes, etc, but I usually have to come to you guys and do a lot of Google searching to fix the more complicated issues. Thanks, by the way; this forum has been a real life saver for me.

 

[rkerg]

My first "bike" was a Puch mo-ped when I was 14. After a long detour trying to be a rock & roll star I got an 82 Suzy GS650G, then a 94 KZ1000p,
then the ZL900 and recently an 88 Ninja 750R. Every bike I have owned has been an inline 4.
My 900 is just a hoot to ride, I love it, it always puts a smile on my face.

 

[Blue-Grass-Tornado]

When I was 18 years old (summer of 82 I believe), a neighbor GAVE ME a 1974 Honda CB450 that was not running, somebody's girlfriend had gotten mad and put sugar in the gas tank or something. At this time in my life, the only "wrenching" I had ever done was on bicycles, but fortunately, my brother-in-law was a mechanic by trade and he come over and helped me get it running without too much trouble. I basically learned to ride it in an apartment complex parking lot, was on the street the very same day, probably an hour later. Been riding ever since!

 

[CaptnBud]

been riding since 1986 , first bike was a 1972 Honda CB 175 twin gold with black pin stripes

 

[overthink]

I have only been riding for four years. Took the MSF course and got my endorsement when I was turning 40. Bought myself a Kawasaki Vulcan 500 as a birthday present to myself after my wife told me I absolutely could not ride a motorcycle. : Rode that for two years and traded up to a Suzuki VStrom 650 while she was on vacation without me. I have clocked about 40K so far between the two bikes and last year took the VStrom for a 5K trip including the badlands, black hills of SD, Beartooth, Yellowstone, Lolo pass and Glacier ( pics here ). I'm hooked.

I hang out here because I bought her an '88 EL 250 without telling her to learn on. Today she rolled around the neighborhood for over an hour practicing for her MSF class in two weeks.