FAQ
I've always been an adventurist. I guess it started at a young age exploring and doing silly feats of daring. In my early teens I had my first bike - Yamaha YZ125. Nothing like learning to ride on one of those!
I took that passion for adventure after college and joined the USMC where I was fortunate enough to fly the A-4 Skyhawk and the AV-8B Harrier for 8 years. After I got out of the Corps home and family obligations took over and my quests for adventure went into hibernation - asleep but not dead.
During this hiatus I rekindled my interest in motorcycles. Although I didn't have one, I read a lot about them. I read books (proficient motorcycling 1 & 2, the Motorcycle Safety Foundation's Guide to Motorcycling Excellence, etc.) and subscribed to magazines like Rider and Cycle World. I knew I wanted to ride, to free that sense of adventure and excitement I experienced in my youth and as a Marine. The question was when.
Finally once life's responsibilities allowed, I pulled the trigger and purchased my first road bike. Unfortunately finances didn't allow for a new bike (arguably a good thing), so instead I went with the "new to me" option and purchased a 1994 Honda Pacific Coast (PC800) with 84k miles on it - for $1,000. I had that bike for exactly 12 months and rode 12,000 miles on it. What a fantastic bike! It really allowed me to get into riding without getting in over my head. A very forgiving bike and a great first ride.
After a year I thought I was ready to move up. I sold the PC800 for $700 more than I bought it for
and dabbled with a few bikes trying to decide what I wanted. The first was a 1996 Honda Magna - fun but it just wasn't my riding style. I traded that bike for a 2000 Triumph Trophy 1200. I really wanted to like that bike. It was beautiful! British Racing Green color, fairly low miles (30k), all factory accessories like top box, etc. The problem was that it was unreliable, leaving me stranded more than once. I had it worked on several times, and ultimately I think the issue was with the factory coils (note: I am in no way a mechanic - I know way more about jet engines than car or motorcycle engines - so I'm going from what I read on forums, etc. to make that guess). But the bottom line was I felt that I couldn't trust the bike. So I sold it. That's when I found my current ride. Not knowing if I was becoming a founding member of the "motorcycle of the month" club I didn't want to drop a bunch of $ on a bike just to keep it a month or two and move on, so I purchased a 1991 Honda ST1100 with 73k on the odometer for $2500. That was in December 2012. I still have the bike but just went over 93k on it and it's still running like the day I got it. I've test ridden newer bikes - most recently a 2007 Yamaha FJR1300 - but I'm yet to find one that, for me, does what my ST will do. Yes, different strokes, but for now I'm 100% happy with this old bike.
Although I'm still working M-F and not as available through the week to ride as I'd like, I'm looking forward to taking more rides, meeting new riders and making new friends. Hence my excitement of stumbling across this fine group. I know I'll experience new roads and learn more about motorcycles, riding, etc. that I ever would on my own. I hope I'm able to share what limited experience I have as well.
I look forward to meeting the members here - ride safe.
