I've always like motorcycles. Probably largely due to the fact that my Dad has always had one in some form or another. I like my Dad, so I like motorcycles. He taught me how to ride when I was 18 on his purple 1987? Yamaha Virago 750. I've never been much of a sport bike kind of guy. In my earliest years of riding I had aspirations of some day owning a massive cruiser.
My first motorcycle was a 1982 Yamah Maxim 650. It was no Harley, but it was cool enough. It was a four cylinder, shaft driven bike so it was smooth and fast. I took it on a few road trips with guys twice my age all riding Harleys and I tried my best to play the part. I even had black leather chaps. My least favorite day on that bike was the day I ran it head on into the front left fender of a co-workers car.
Eventually I upgraded to a 1987 Suzuki Intruder 700. That was a sweet bike. 2 cylinder, shaft driven, liquid cooled and an after market drag handle bar. My least favorite day on that bike is the day I had it in the shop to have the clutch repaired and the shop burned to the ground.
That marked the beginning of a seven year motorcycle dry spell for me. It also gave me time to hone my taste in 2 wheeled machines of joy. My third bike and the one I currently own is a 2004 Triumph Bonneville. It's a blast and it looks very cool. There's a balance each rider must find between performance and coolness factor. For me, it's the Bonny.
I've also developed a taste for vintage honda motorcycles. And that's what the "pistons" part of this blog no one will ever read is about.
