My first bike I ever bought

[Firebolter]

Like most of you, I starting riding as a kid. My dad and brother were big into bikes. I remember riding on the back of my brothers CB350 and cruising around my hometown. I had a Rupp mini bike and then at 16, I got a job at Burger King and I bought my first bike with money I had saved-As I was cruising the Mecum pages, I came across my first bike I bought and it was exactly like the one below. I rode the crap out of that thing. My buddy had a TS185 and we used to cut class and go out to Ft Benning and rage on all of the tank tracks and jeep roads. Ft. Benning was a dirt bike paradise when I was growing up. Anyway, kinda cool to see my first bike and all the memories I made on that thing be brought back-

Wes, glad you looked at every page, it made me go back and look at all of them and that is how I found the ole XL-

[smdub]

My first (not my pic.) Bought new in '95 after I finished my undergrad. I kept it up until about ~2012. Had wanted a dirt bike since I was a little kid but mom wouldn't let me have one. When she found out I had this she said "over my dead body". I mentioned that I was an adult living on my own her tone quickly changed to "be careful!"

[Firebolter]

Those are good looking Yamies for sure. Closest thing to a MotoGP look at the time. I had an 85 RZ350-

[motorider]

First dirt bike 1982 YZ80 and first street bike 1972 CB175.

[Bucho]

I didnt start w/ dirt bikes as a kid. My dad had bikes mostly before I was born. My much older brother had a Honda Shadow 500 and when he was over seas in the Marines his bike lived at our house. I remember sitting on it in the garage and dreaming.

I managed to save $500 as a poor college student. Bought this sweet 83 model used in fall of 1999.

I remember it as a great bike. Seemed plenty fast to me at the time. I have fond memories of cute coeds riding pillion w/ me.

I also remember having to occasionally bump start it as the starter was crap…

[Firebolter]

Awesome-when you see something and it brings back the past in a positive way-good stuff!

[motorider]

I worked at Dominos Pizza back in high school and saved enough cash to buy the YZ and CB and some others along the way. I found them in the PennySaver or newspaper classifieds. They never ran when I bought them, had to completely disassemble them and clean every part. The YZ was my first engine rebuild project. Had the cylinder rebored and put a new piston and rings in that one. But what a sense of accomplishment when I kicked them over for the first time. Never looked back after that, I always had to have something to ride ever since then.

[motorider]

I didnt start w/ dirt bikes as a kid. My dad had bikes mostly before I was born. My much older brother had a Honda Shadow 500 and when he was over seas in the Marines his bike lived at our house. I remember sitting on it in the garage and dreaming.

I managed to save $500 as a poor college student. Bought this sweet 83 model used in fall of 1999.

4E8E94DC-0869-4E9D-895C-99E1021C0C43.jpeg

I remember it as a great bike. Seemed plenty fast to me at the time. I have fond memories of cute coeds riding pillion w/ me.

I also remember having to occasionally bump start it as the starter was crap…

The Viragos and Shadows are great bikes. Cheap and reliable and easy to ride. I took my motorcycle license test on a Shadow 250.

[Bucho]

I worked at Dominos Pizza back in high school and saved enough cash to buy the YZ and CB and some others along the way. I found them in the PennySaver or newspaper classifieds. They never ran when I bought them, had to completely disassemble them and clean every part. The YZ was my first engine rebuild project. Had the cylinder rebored and put a new piston and rings in that one. But what a sense of accomplishment when I kicked them over for the first time. Never looked back after that, I always had to have something to ride ever since then.

Thats cool. I didnt learn ANYTHING about wrenching till I had bikes as an adult. Only from the kindness of DAMN guys have I learned anything…

[Bork]

My first & still have it. https://marblesmotors.com/content/uploa ... 100-17.jpg
2nd after a short while and then on our ping-pong table split the cases. What was I thinking? Anyhow got it back together & surprisingly it ran. https://cdn1.mecum.com/auctions/lv0119/ ... 7848656000