Do you remember your first?

  • February 18, 2010 3:08 PM PST
    my first real haul was 2 or 3 years ago. we did just over 500 miles in 12 hours. i had only been riding for 3 weeks so i had my learners permit. we went through Nj, Pa, and Ny. I have no idea the route we took, i know we were at the hawks nest somewhere near port jervis in NY. I was riding my first bike, which is a 1985 Honda Shadow VT500C. the bike was too small for me because im pretty tall, and i did most of the trip riding on the bitch seat and working the controls from there. it was also the most illegal run i have ever been on, we went through 2 other states and i rode through PA without my helmet eventhough i was on my learners permit. it is one of the most memorable rides i have ever been on. Another great ride was when my cousin and i rode down to wildwood for roar to the shore 2009. we did the 200 mile run in a thunderstorm. the ride started out quite miserable, but then i decided that i had to have fun or the rain would ruin my weekend, so i just started rockin out and yelling at the rain. it sounds crazy, but it made the ride bearable and i had a lot of fun doing it. plu now, i can say that i rode the Gardenstate Parkway in a thunderstorm.
    • 352 posts
    February 18, 2010 3:26 PM PST
    my first long run was what we used to call "Run for the Sun" from Long Island, NY to Daytona Beach, FL (roughly 1k miles) - there was about 20 of us, old school hardtails we ran flat out like we stole them, stops were to gas up the peanut tanks and piss. Most of us only had a permit for the MC, if that. That was in 1975, and we had one hell of a good trip.
  • February 18, 2010 3:43 PM PST
    My first long ride was when I graduated school in 1988 me my dad took from PA for California. I had a 1977 Kaw. 750. Dad had 1988 Gold Wing w/trailer. Was awsome took southern route out and northern route back went for 31 days. Camped alot even got to stay in a teepee at Grand Canyon. Seen so much and people on way were great. Even got to see my first rodeo in Cody Woyming.
  • December 22, 2010 1:24 PM PST
    my first long ride was on the back of my dads voyager- alamogordo nm to central florida- i was about 14- and wished to hell i was riding my own bike- first solo trip was last yr from spokane washington to nm- ya can read that story in ride stories- so far its my favorite ride because its my only ride- but not for long- im officially hooked-
  • December 23, 2010 2:33 AM PST
    My first long ride was in 76 on a Honda 750-4. San Antonio to Little Rock Ar. great ride. But most memorable would be in 03. Austin Tx to Duluth Mn. and around Lake Superior on a Kaw 1500 Classic pulling a time out camper. We did 5800 miles in 14 days with lots of sightseeing. Many other long rides but that is my first and our favorite.
  • December 23, 2010 1:40 PM PST
    my best ride was actually a short ride with some of my best friends and my wifey down to Fayetteville Ark. for BBBBq 09 it was our first rally aand it was a gr8 time with good friends and gr8 times. wifey and I had a blast. it was also our first "big" ride on my first biek that i actuall owned and wasnt borrowed so i was able to relax a bit while riding and not worrry so much if something "bad" would happen ( mechanically of course). wish we could do that ride over and over again
    • 58 posts
    December 23, 2010 11:20 PM PST
    My first Long ride was my first week with my first bike. Christmas '79 I flew home to OKC, OK from Monterey, CA. New Year's Eve, loaded up my spanking new '71 Moto Guzzi 750 and headed back across I-40 to Cali. Ice in Flagstaff and "rain" in Monterey. Great trip!!!!
  • December 24, 2010 12:14 AM PST
    My 1st ride I will never forget. Had never been on a bike in my life.( was born riding horses, guess what NOT the same) Pride put me on the bike and started down the road! Luck kept me on the road! Was a crazy thing to do but worked out just fine! Will always remember leaning in the turn, like I was told, the wind sitting me back up, I bout shit myself.
    Logged 4000 miles in 2 months before the Safety Course!
    • 846 posts
    January 11, 2011 6:23 AM PST
    My 1st long ride was back in 1977 on a Honda 360 with a buddy and his bike at the time. We gave are selves a week to do the outline of New England (Mass, RI, Conn, VT, NH, Me and back to Mass). We planned to camp the whole time. Well the second day out it Rained like it would never stop. As we were miles from anything called civilization we had a wonderful breakfast of hamburgers and whiskey (which was the only thing we could find) and were off to hitch a ride to town. The ride it’s self is a whole story to itself but that set the tempo for the trip. About half way through the week in NH my riding partner decides this is not for him and is going home. Thinking I may go with him I just wished him the best of luck and which road to head back on. I continue on to Maine and had a grand time with some folks I met in Bar Harbor town park playing music. That’s where my memory ends on that evening (good time). Continuing on the last day started raining just like the second pouring like no tomorrow. Since I was within a couple of hours of being home, that’s where I headed to. I pulled in to home like drowned rat, equipment wet through but a grin from ear to ear.
    I’ve done further since and a lot longer now a days but I still get that grin when I think about it. It was my first road trip and that has gotten into my blood to this day. Nothing like a good/bad road trip to clean out the cobwebs.
    • 1 posts
    January 11, 2011 6:27 AM PST
    I got one of those Honda 360s in the back of the garage. Maybe if I ever get done with this Pan I'm working on, maybe I could restore it.
    • 846 posts
    January 12, 2011 12:54 AM PST
    I still have mine to and with the same entention of restoring it some day. Along with the sportster I need to finish. Problem is (and You may have it too) when I fell like wrenching it too nice of a day to wrench on bike and I go for a ride instead.
    • 202 posts
    February 5, 2011 12:14 AM PST
    Every weekend when i go out i put on at least 100 miles in 6-8 hours. Usually don't have much for a destination. Most times, even if i have a destination, it ends up changing! :::good times:::
  • February 19, 2011 5:43 PM PST
    My first real trip was not very far, Virginia Beach to DC. I was in the Navy and helped a budy rebuild his 76 Sporty. He later bought a Fat Boy and we were going to the Run at the Wall. Me on my Honda FT 500 and him on his Fat Boy. When we got ready to leave he would not hear of me riding my Honda, I HAD to ride the Sporty, The weather was perfect, we rode back on a 4 lane state through MD, no helmets and no one else on the road, beautifull country.

    Ask me nice and I'll tell you about my 2010, 7 weeks , 10,000mi trip.
  • February 19, 2011 6:49 PM PST
    In 1966 I got kicked out of the house, went and withdrew my life savings of $350.00. Then I bolted a lock box on the back of my Honda S90 Scrambler and left for Oregon. 2 & 1/2 weeks later I made it to Cottage Grove Oregon and stayed with relatives . Along the way I had bought a couple dozen Cherry Bombs which I traded for gas along the way. To make a long story somewhat shorter, 3 months later I made the return trip back to Central Nebraska. I met a lot of great people back then, had fun and the local Honda Shop used my trip to sell Honda's. I averaged 99 miles per/gal and I still have the log of every place I stopped for gas. It was a hell of a ride.
    • 3006 posts
    February 25, 2011 4:02 AM PST
    My first long trip ,back in 2000,was up to the mountains,over 200 miles,by myself,to do some camping & fishing with a friends family. I had never ridden that far before & wasnt sure of my ability to do it.I had my bike loaded down w/about everything under the sun,I was riding a 98 Honda ShdwAce 750.The trip turned out to be the nicest trip I have ever had.Caught a lot of trout,ate lot's of delicious food,rode on some incredibly beautiful backroads.Riding certainly had me hooked,pardon the pun,after that great week riding in the Sierra mtns..
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    • 16870 posts
    February 25, 2011 5:11 AM PST
    My first long ride was from Camp Lejeune NC. to Camp Pendleton CA..
    Two weeks later I road from Camp Pendleton CA. to Naval Air Station Pensacola FL..
    I was 19 and a Marine, and was riding a 1942 Harley-Davidson WLA.
  • March 1, 2011 7:43 PM PST
    Mine was "My Memorial Ride" in 2002 from Tulsa,OK. to Ft. Logan Cemetery in Denver to put a flower on Dad's grave one year after he died. 700 miles, took me 5 days. Read about it here>> http://members.cox.net/rbellamy38/
    Then as a kid, Dad & I took his 1969 Kawasaki Bushwhacker 175cc 2-stroke to the top of Pikes Peak. T-shirts & cut-offs below & snowing at the top. We were prepared, we had coats, but I remember seeing a young couple on a bigger street bike going up and all they had on was t-shirts & cut-offs. Don't know if they made it to the top or froze out...?
  • June 26, 2011 2:06 PM PDT
    My most memorable ride was one of the trips to Sturgis with 4 good friends. We took 10 days, went the southern route on the way out, up and over Independence Pass in the Rockies and up through Cheyene. The trip home we stayed up north and hit Yellowstone and had a last night in Vegas. 10 days and a little over 5000 total miles later we were home. As the saying goes what happens on the road stays on the road but I will say it was a memorable ride. There is nothing more beautiful than the American countryside.
  • June 30, 2011 8:41 AM PDT
    Wasn't my first, but one with lots of memories, from Kentucky out to Colorado, up Pikes Peak then north to Sturgis and then back home. Over 4200 miles with my brother, both of us on Sportsters, back in 1982. Just two crazy boys out having fun, boy those were the days.
  • June 30, 2011 3:53 PM PDT
    logged another great ride- my dad recovered well from last yrs wreck- and rode up from NM to WA to visit- we managed to sneak in a coupla rides- one around lake couer de'aine (sp?) we rode from spokane to st, maries id- then north around the shore of the lake- beautiful ride! id post a pic or two- but they are too big- and i havent figured out how to resize them-
    inland NW has some great little jonts- next quick ride will be through hells canyon
    respects dave
  • July 1, 2011 3:33 AM PDT
    Not my 1st, but one of the best. Heidelberg, Germany to Northern Ireland, on a BMW R100RS, me & Wife and 10 real good freinds. This was in 1977.
    • 314 posts
    August 11, 2011 1:32 AM PDT
    My first trip was 3 yrs ago. I rode to WV 990 miles. Last yr i rode to NC. This yr I went to NH and rode up the auto rode. That was amazing, i was lucky to have great weather that day.
    • 1 posts
    January 28, 2012 6:58 AM PST
    My first will always have a big spot in my twisted little heart...100 miles on the back of Woolys seat and those pretty little buttons was hurting my butt so first gas stop I was cutting them off... Outside of Huston after visiting a friend who was in a bad wreck ran into a tropical storm, 14 hours to get 300 miles talk about the slow race... Lost our friends for 3 hours when we ran into another part of the storm and bikes went every where trying to get off highway to some shelter... Hit brakes so hard to try to make an exit and bounced off cases 3 times, let go of brake bike stood right back up... Tropical storm soaked not only us but was so bad fuses was blowing on the bike, road side rewiring... Friend was so tired that he fell asleep on his bike and almost ran us into the ditch... That was day one...Damn good times...;D That was 1989
  • February 15, 2012 12:05 PM PST
    My first was a week-end ride to Deals Gap to ride the dragon's tail. It was a great week-end meeting new life long friends, and a wonderful week-end in the Smokey Mountains.
  • February 15, 2012 12:08 PM PST
    How 'bout a 1962 Cushman Eagle. Had to split the cost with a buddy. It was used and cost us 45 dollars. HOOKED from day 1. Still am....