Going Down Memory Lane; Show Us Your First Motorbikes & Your Current Spyder

[Elqueso2]

All,
I thought it would be fun to show each other our first motorcycles and a current picture of your Spyders (including you & your other half on the bike if possible). This also allows us to put a face with your user’s name and see some cool machines. I hope you all participate! No need to reply back on this thread, just post

Please Note:

When Posting your Pictures, please use 'Attach files' (found below the bottom left of the text entry field) to attach them to your post and then Insert the pictures as 'Thumbnails' as detailed in this Sticky - https://www.spyderlovers.com/thread...ert-all-pictures-images-as-thumbnails.162415/

Do not post more than 6 pictures!
(Failure to follow these directions may result in the removal of your post without notice)

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My first Dirt Bike (I was 13) was a Yamaha GT80, First Harleys was a 1965 Panhead 74ci & 1937 Flathead 80ci ULH and my Current 2023 RTL. Since my wife is still removing from her surgery, I don’t have any pics with her on the Spyder, so I added my current 2012 Harley Ultra Limited with her in it. Had to add my most Favorite Pic with my old 2002 Roadking Classic from AZ Bike week with the American Flag.

 

[Snoking1127]

Had a used HD 125 in the late 1950's as my first motorcycle. The Arizona 2018 is my second RT and I have the third 2018 in Washington. The first 2018 RTL "Champaign" was sold in Sept 2025.

Port Angeles, Wa as an early teenager -

Arizona -

Washington -

First road bike in the early 1980's was a Kawasaki KZ 650 SR. Lots of Honda 4 stroke dirt bikes before that.



I actually converted a 175 Honda twin to a trike in the 1970's, with a kit that was produced in the Seattle area. Had an ATC 90 back then also. So two trikes and three reverse trikes.

 

[Bfromla]

Unfortunately, not many pics available of previous bikes. However, here's my 2013 STL & 2006 Yamaha Roadstar.



2003 Anniversary Ed V-Rod (traded for the Roadstar)



Before that, a Honda Twin Star, unknown year, & that’s the street legal list.

 

[Cobranut]

Cool thread idea!

1972 Yamaha JT2 (First bike) - 1984 Honda VF-1100S

1984 Yamaha RZ-350
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2015 F3S

Several others in between, but the F3s and the RZ-350 are the only ones I still own.

 

[Little Blue]

I am not sure where my 'old photos' are and what condition they are.

I have the wife looking for them. Maybe she will find the photos when she gets the Christmas items down from the storage room.

Time is on our side.

So everyone Please post up.

 

[Kromm]

I can't find a Pic of my first bikes. I started on a Dirt bike when I was 13. My First street bike was a Honda 400/4 (attached pic I found on the web). Then I owned a 1980 KZ 1000. I let a good friend take it for a short ride one night, he got into a wobble and totaled the bike. Didn't do him much good either, he was in the hospital for quite a while. I replaced it with a 1976 KZ 900 that I put a big bore kit on and made it an 1100. I rode that for many years till it died (I still have it, one day I want to tear it apart and restore it). I then got a VMax, a very fun bike to ride, just no range with a 3 gallon tank. When I retired, I got an FJR, another fun bike. I have devoloped arthritis in my hip, making it hard to ride the FJR for more than a couple of hours at a time. So I got a Spyder RTL.

- -

 

[2dogs]

This was kinda like my first ride. Home-built with scavenged parts, sometime in the mid-'50s. I terrorized alleyways and open fields until a wrecked, repaired Honda 50 came my way. Then came the Triumph Tiger Cub, followed by a long line of miscellaneous bikes, and some I hardly remember. A CB-160 was in the early mix there for quite a while, too. The only time I've been without a scooter was a couple of years I spent with Uncle Sam.

 

[Cobranut]

This was kinda like my first ride. Home-built with scavenged parts, sometime in the mid-'50s. I terrorized alleyways and open fields until a wrecked, repaired Honda 50 came my way. Then came the Triumph Tiger Cub, followed by a long line of miscellaneous bikes, and some I hardly remember. A CB-160 was in the early mix there for quite a while, too. The only time I've been without a scooter was a couple of years I spent with Uncle Sam.

My first street bike was a 1976 Honda CB-360T.
A friend had a CB-350, and I had him by about 3 mph on top end. He could hit about 105mph and I could get almost 110.
I can't believe we used to ride those ancient things that fast.

 

[GJetson]

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[racoon]

My first bike was a 1982 Yamaha Seca XJ550 that I bought in 1984. Bright red, and yes, I had a red helmet.
One of our friends group owned the local Yamaha shop and sold it to me for a very good price. Even though it was a 1982 model, it was brand new still in the crate. I sold it when I moved from S. California to Indiana in 1991.

Now I ride a white 2024 Spyder RT Sea2Sky, and yes, I have a white helmet to go with it.

 

[Little Blue]

Well, still no photos of my first bikes. So I will just post up about them.

I had a 1971 Honda SL 175. At the time I thought this was a good all around motorcycle. Now looking back, it had it's time.

Next was my first Street bike.
A brand New 1976 Honda CB 750-4.
I rode the 750-4 all the time and even to work. I had 2,500 miles on it the first month. Boy, my butt was sore.

My current Ryde is the 2016 Spyder RTL. I purchased it new and have really loved it to 'Forever'.

That is my bike history. Thanks for your time.

 

[Albec]

No pics, like Little Blue above, but my first bike was a 1971 Yamaha DT125 enduro. I bought it when I was a junior in HS. Bought it from our next-door neighbor. I loved that bike, rode it to school all the time! I lived in Naples Florida at the time so...

I would have driven the wheels off of that thing except for my brother.

I joined the Army right out of HS and I expected to retrieve my bike after basic training was over and I got sent to my duty station, Ft Carson, CO.

I left the keys with my mom, but she didn't hide them very well because my lil brother found them. He proceeded to take my bike and what does he do? You may have guessed, he wrecked it. Totaled it actually. He didn't get hurt but my Yamaha sure did.

I'm still holding a grudge over this!

 

[blacklightning]

I still consider myself a new rider since I did not start until age 40. This past august I celebrated my 60th birthday and 20 years of riding. During this time, I have owned 23 bikes with 6 of them being spyders. The first one was a 97 yamaha fzr600 that I picked up for $1,000.