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In my case, blew up my Mustang and needed cheap reliable transportation


However, it could also be in my blood.....Granddad on my fathers side use to race motorbikes at the old Brooklands track prior to WWII...

I'd always liked motorcycles. They remind me of horseback riding in a way. I just find them fantastic. I've always been drawn to sportbikes. In a way I was always envious of the morons shooting down the beltway at 100+ mph. Not because I wanted to do that but because they where on motorcycles. I admire cruisers and think they are pretty but I have no desire to ride them.

My first motorcycle experience was a tiny honda my dad got when I was 7. My brother rode it around the yard. I promptly burned my leg against the exhaust and still have the scar. But it didn't turn me off of motorcycles, I learned early that you must take care around them.

My father still has that honda in his garage. I plan to pick it up and try to restore it. It has 300 miles on it and is from the mid 70's.

Because I was told I couldn't.










and I like bikes, always wanted one, got tired of riding pillion, I'm super-cool, etc...

At first after taking my drivers test for a car, I got into the idea of obtaining as many licenses I can get, ie. CDL, D, M, gun and maybe a pilots license. I wanted to be interesting like James Bond.

As I was taking motorcycle lessons I started to get hooked on the way you control the way the bike moves and drives, much more interesting than using steering wheel and sitting straight.

When I was shopping for a personal use vehicle I noticed that car insurance rates for a new driver in NYS, esp. NYC I was in shock, close to $6,000 USD for full coverage, $3000 for minimal coverage for 6 months both. Yikes.

I thought about a scooter or motorcycle and saw that insurance was around $1700 all year full coverage and the price has been dropping like a rock since then. After getting the bike I calmed my fears by buying protective gear that the dealer suggested instead of riding off in a helmet and regular pants and jacket.

What I don't like is that many girls around here want guys with cars and drivers treat you like you have no rights. 9/11 teaches compassion my butt... Ooh sorry, I started getting a rant on.

I've always wanted to ride... No idea since when, but mom wouldn't sign off til just recently... As soon as she said sure, I was searching craigslist, american classifieds, and the local paper every day for a good deal!
Wrider

someone left one at my house when i was 18. I drove it around and liked it, so I got my own.

I grew up in an area where lots of people rode bikes in the woods behind my house.
I begged my parents for a mini bike. Pleeeeeessssseee!!!
They said "too dangerous, no. And besides, girls don't ride motorcycles."

I grew up, got married and spent time trying to get my husband interested in riding so we could learn together. Pleeeesssssssssee!
He said "too dangerous, no".

I finally decided to live my life without other people's validation and took the MSF and got a bike.
I'm so happy I did it and my husband has been very supportive and proud of my accomplishment.

Oh yeah, and I'm also super cool like Shorts.

I'm in the same boat as Viper re: NYC though I'm not from here originally and am used to having some mobility. I'm not a city boy and I hate relying on Amtrak and NJ Transit to get me out of here -- plus those two are really only good for points south or up to Boston and not West or Northwest.

My dad had a harley when I was younger though I'd never ridden it. As a result of that, I'd always assumed that bikes were these huge beasts that cost a small fortune (with all due respect to harley riders -- maybe that'll be me one day, but not today). On a whim, I decided to investigate the costs of buying and owning a motorcycle and discovered that they were even less than had I decided to buy my dad's 7-year-old VW GTI VR6 with 100k+ miles on it -- the insurance alone was 2-3x what I pay for my Ninja 500 and parking it would've been a nightmare even though it's not a very large car.

Once I had the practical rationalizations out of the way, of course I thought about how exhilerating the experience could be and how women would find me irresistable as I sped past them, unrecognizable in full gear ... at all times ....

It's my wife's fault.

No, really......... it is!!!!!!!

She had a Honda Trail 70 as a teenager. I guess the bug never got all the way out of her system. Several years back she started dropping hints about a scooter. In 2004 we had some money available, so I said "do it."

She bought the Reflex..... then the Marauder..... I bought the Bonneville, she bought the Trophy..... I traded the Marauder on the V-strom.... now she wants a Ural........ or another scooter.....or both.

The sickness is settling in.

Simple. I wanted to go fast. I wanted the freedom. For me, it's all about a mix of ridability and performance. And I got a bike that's fairly cheap to customize to where and what I want. If given the chance and money, I could easily drop $1500 on the Ninja and be about where I'd want it to be. Maybe $2000.