why ride what it is your ride?

[kyro2000]

I thought it may be a cool idea to see why it is that some of us ride the bikes that we do.
I'll start.

1st bike: Intruder800. I got that as I planed to get more riding skills in and enjoy some trips. What I found was that working in retail made it a pain in my butt to get long rides in. I just didn't have the free time.

Current bike: Yamaha R1. I got that after realizing that most of the time I ride for 1 hour maybe 2 hours when I go out to ride. So I didn't really need a crusier. The ultimate desicion was to have some fun and enjoy some extra power. I look a long time at the GSX-R 750 and 1000. Went with R1 mostly because when I was living back in Iowa, every one and I mean evryone was on a GSX-R. Just wanted something a bit different.

[Nexus242]

i wanted a yellow bike

[Jerryzuki]

Well, I wanted a cruiser that my wife would ride with me, I refuse to pay the $$ for a Harley so we decided on the C50T.

[ZukiChaos]

1st bike: '05 Virago 250...that lasted me about 4 months...I passed my MSF test & then I wanted MORE (& I was sick of the lack of power when I needed it...oh & the noisy, high maintenance chain was worse than my "ex" (just kidding in case you read this)

2nd bike: 05' Suzuki C50...I've been lovin' it ever since. EFI and shaft dive are nice. I ride it every chance I can. It handles great on the highway and on the backroads. I have added so much chrome & debadged it...and I still have more changes to make.

[fundyrider]

I had always had the desire to tour by motorcycle but with mortgages, children and such couldn't justify the money or time it would take to do so, I had bikes but didn't venture very far. When I got the chance to fufull my dream at age 48 I spent a lot of hours trying to figure what bike would best meet my need. I looked at many styles and brands and decided that sport tourers might be the ticket, built with touring in mind but sport bike handling and with the latest technology. I was leaning towards BMW but the nearest dealer was 4hrs away so that narrowed it down to Yamaha or Honda, I would probably have bought the FJR if there was one available to test ride but there wasn't but I did get to ride the ST1300 and I was blown away, smooth, powerful, crisp handling, lots of cargo space, great wind protection, it fit like a glove.
Very happy with my choice although I'd still like to try an FJR, but then again why torment myself.
Peter

[Clint]

Torque, handling and comfort. The Bandit is long on all three.

[IntruderCruiser]

my wife liked it -- 1500 LC

will probably get either a HD or a ST1300 in the next year or so

[watto]

Many years ago, when funds were short and we had only a four speed manual car, my wife said one day to teach her to drive the manual and get myself a bike or get her a small auto car. Hmmm, I thought about that for a split second and taught her to drive the shifter and went and looked for a bike.

It was a 1980 GSX750 about seven months old and in mint condition at the local dealer. I had to have it, however I was in the Aussie Airforce at the time and had to go away for a week or so. I left a deposit and said I'd organise the rest when I got back. Well, while I was away my wife had organised a loan and arranged for the bike to be ready for pick up the day I returned.

I didn't know any of this and when I got back she picked me up and we went home, I was about to grab a beer and relax and she said she wanted to go shopping. Oh no, I didn't need this but went along anyway being a good hubby and as we passed the bike shop she suggested we drop in so of course I said yes. The shop owner gave me the keys to the bike and wished me all the best. WTF? I looked at my wife and she just grinned, I got the message and said, "What about my helmet?", and she said "It's in the boot/trunk" and that is why I have a 1980 GSX750 and also why I'm still riding it.

[MagnumForce]

Bike #1: '05 Suzuki M50. Can't go wrong with GSX-R derived EFI, shaft drive, and cast wheels. The fact that it doesn't look like a typical classic-styled cruiser is a bonus.

Bike #2: '01 HD Sportster 1200. I like belt drives too. It also came with cast wheels, larger aftermarket tank, and a custom paint job. Bought it for $5,600 (with 3,600 miles on it). No, not every Harley has to be expensive...certainly not the Sportsters!

[CManT1914]

01 GZ250

I needed a cheap bike to learn on, and this one was $1300 with 4500 miles on it. I was also much more likely to convince my parents to let me get this than a Gixxer or the like.

[ILm50]

05 m50-

lots of bike for the money, unique looks, and best of all, it's different than evertything else i park next to

[inspiron]

I wanted a low-revving engine with about 100 hp. I looked at lots of different models from many manufacturers, and just fell in love with the GSX 1400.

[stevie c]

Because I love it!!

[Ranger_b0b]

Cuz it was FREE!!!

Next one I plan on will be another standard...FZ6 or 599 only cuz the GSR600 aint available in the states...

[DrBob]

I have 2-3 bikes at any given time. If I see something I like, I buy it. If I like it, I keep it, if not I sell it. It's no more complicated than that.

[axel_2078]

I got my Marauder because it's much more comfortable to me than a sport bike. I can ride it for hours without my back hurting or my wrists going numb.

[stevek]

M50 - Mostly because of the shaft drive combined with the engine size. I wasn't interested in the extra maintenance of chain/belt. Looks didn't hurt either. Once my wife went "wow", the check was written.

[visser]

1st Bike - 03 VFR. My first bike. Too porky, spongy, and upright for me. Vtec is the worst idea ever for a bike, even after tuning out some of the transition. But hey, my first bike and great memories. No regrets.

2nd Bike - 04 GSXR 750. Light and easy to manuever around town, in traffic, and in corners. Stable handling at all speeds with great feedback. Stellar brakes. Aggressive riding position similar in some ways to the way I ride a mountain bike. But no more painful to me than the VFR. And I am willing to sacrifice long distance comfort for performance. This bike fits me perfectly and therefore I feel safer on it. But I do miss the better overall sound of the V4 and Staintune exhaust. V's really do sound better than honking in-line fours. And I could do without the cheezy graphics, but that goes away with the planned future paint job.

[Mavman]

For me the M50 caught my eye on looks, it's easy to manage due to my short stature and just the right size engine for my riding style.

[Bowtie18]

I went in looking for a helmet when I spotted my S/W Vol. I fell in love with it on the spot. Long story short (I've told it here before, don't wanna bore people!), I did the paperwork the next day. It was just everything I could have wanted in a bike, for my first bike. Actually, it still does everything I need it to do in style, and I think my Vol will be mine for a couple more years to come.