The CB1100 Community Forum

It's really impossible to pick my first motorcycle love because I literally grew up with motorcycles and have always loved them. My dad was a rider, my mother was a rider, my older brother was a rider, one of my two older sisters was a rider.

Was my first love the one I remember seeing first? (Harley Panhead) The first one I actually wanted? (Honda C110) The first one I bought ? (Harley M50) My first "big bike"? (Honda CL77) The first one to take me out of state? (Honda CB350). The first one to take me cross country? (Kawasaki KZ1000)

My first was a new 1965 Aermacchi (badged Harley Davidson M50) like the one below. I was 15 when my dad took me to Ray Conkler's Harley Davidson in Cincinnati to buy it. $388 if memory serves me. Bought it with grass cutting, paper routes and a $1 an hour bus boy job after school. It was an Italian made 2 stroke, 3 speed in the left grip, kick starter on the left. Oh what freedom that little 3(ish?) HP mc gave me.



I've had singles, twins, triples and fours, 2 strokes and 4 strokes, automatics, 3 speeds, 4 speeds, 5 speeds, 6 speeds and now a DCT. I've had CVT, chain, belt and shaft drives, air cooled, air/oil cooled and liquid cooled, electric start, kick start (and at times have resorted to push start lol). American, British, Italian, and Japanese.

Pick a first love? I can't. I have honestly loved them all

HARLEYS: 65 M50,59 XLCH, 49 56 & 57 Pans, 94 XLCH

HONDAS: 66 CB160, 67 CL77, 69 CB350, 73 CB350F, 67 CB450, 76 CB750, 85 VF1100S, 00 CB750, 06 ST1300, 13 CB1100, 14 CB1100, 14 CB500X, 21 NC750X DCT

SUZUKI: 74 GT750, 76 GT750, 81 GS850G, 83 GS1100E

KAWASAKI: 77 KZ1000

YAMAHA: 73 RD350, 73 TX650, 79 XS650, 81 XS650, 04 FZ1, 01 FZ1, 06 Majesty 400, 08 Majesty 400, 18 FJR 1300

TRIUMPH 03 T100

BSA 69 750 Rocket 3

I think for me, it was my uncle Wayne's Trail 110 when I was so little I couldn't reach the food pegs.

M/C #4 was my earliest "favorite"
PO broke his arm on it, but only scratched the fender.
It was only a few months old.
Mine was orange.
Best looking scrambler pipes EVER!

https://bringatrailer.com/wp-content/upl...=940%2C626
My first was only 49cc.
1962 was a three speed.
48 MPH level, 52-53 MPH downhill

https://www.cmsnl.com/ca110-1962-usa_model997/info/

I miss the Can-Am 175 qualifier the most of all the ones i no longer own
but i love the ones i live with

Although I owned numerous bikes prior, I picked up an '85 GPZ900 a year after Top Gun the movie aired. I thought that bike was the coolest bike and by virtue of association, I was the coolest motorcyclist ever. Still miss having that bike after all these years...

(11-08-2021, 06:26 AM)suhawk305_imp Wrote: [ -> ]I’m 10 years behind Rocky with finding my first motorcycle love. It was about a 1965 Honda CA95 Benly (aka Baby Dream). Even though I preferred the the CB160 or a Bridgestone 175, (the only motorcycle dealers in my area) I was thrilled to have the CA as a 16 years old kid in 1966. I have a lot a good memories riding that bike with a lot of trouble free miles. And yes, I used scrub the white wall tires to keep them nice and white!
[url=https://imgur.com/bJfuOXB]

Very dapper suhawk! What a ladykiller.

(11-09-2021, 04:31 AM)SportsterDoc_imp Wrote: [ -> ]M/C #4 was my earliest "favorite"
PO broke his arm on it, but only scratched the fender.
It was only a few months old.
Mine was orange.
Best looking scrambler pipes EVER!

https://bringatrailer.com/wp-content/upl...=940%2C626
My first was only 49cc.
1962 was a three speed.
48 MPH level, 52-53 MPH downhill

https://www.cmsnl.com/ca110-1962-usa_model997/info/

I’m with you doc! I thought I was the only one that thought the 1970 CL350 K2 was best looking scrambler pipes ever! I’ll take this a step further, I think the K2 model was the best looking scrambler EVER! My CL350 K2 was candy ruby red. Unfortunately, my scrambler was stolen!

Hey WHOOPS! Don’t laugh, but my Honda CA95 was a real Chick Magnet!

Whoops, that was a great story on your CB900 ! That bike had the dual range transmission if I recall. For me, my first motorcycle love is my Honda 305 Scrambler (CL 77) . I'm the second owner and bought it when I was just 17 and it is still running today just like a well cared for Honda should. Says a lot about the engineering. Black frame, silver tank and fenders and completely stock. The '67 model year had the guppie muffler on the end of the pipes. I did mount a pair of straight thru scrambler pipes on it, but it was just too loud. It's back to stock and runs just fine. This scrambler took me all around California growing up and was the "Big bike" for me at the time. It's parked next to my CB in the garage. Whether it's 2 or 4 cylinders between my legs I still enjoy the rush and thrill of riding these days.

My first would be one of those lawn mower engine mini bikes in the mid 70’s.

The first full sized bike would be a 1987 left over HD Heritage Softail. That’s the one that hit me like a lightning bolt. Took me five years after that to get one brand new in ‘92