What do you ride

[Brent Deines]

Hey screenman, what do you ride? I think there was a post about this important subject a long time ago, but I didn't participate and I'm too lazy to look it up.

[screenman]

BMW r850r nothing special but it fits me fine. Got top and side boxes on so I can do repairs from the bike. A lot of the guys over here are more into sports bikes, I prefer a nice comfortable tourer. I tend to like longer rides rather than a quick hour trying to get the knee down. What sort of Harley do you ride?

[Brent Deines]

Heritage Classic. It's the bike I dreamed of ever since I got my first mini bike at age 9. Had it about 3 years and enjoy it more than any I've had. No knee dragging for me any more either. I don't heal as quickly as I used to, and there is only one way to ride a crotch rocket.

I'm not terribly loyal to brands. My wife rides a Honda, my son rides a Kawasaki that I picked up 20 years ago, and we have a couple of Yamahas that we play in the mud with. They all have their pluses so it's just a matter of whatever puts a smile on your face.

[screenman]

That sound like afun collection, I really miss my moto-x bikes but I just do not bounce and mend as quick as I used too. I have had some good rides on the beemer but I seem to be running out of mates to ride with, most have problems getting passouts from the other half.

[Brent Deines]

I sold my dirt bikes about 16 years ago when my kids were little and had no time to ride, but bought a couple more last year to teach the family to ride off road before they got out in traffic. The ones I have now are more trail bikes than race bikes like I had before, so I'm not as tempted to do stupid things that will get me hurt.

I have a lot of friends that have bikes, but most of them don't get out much these days for the same reason you mentioned. I still enjoy riding with others, but now find that riding by myself gives me more freedom to go where I want, when I want, and how fast or slow I want. The larger the group the more time it takes to get organized and the less time in the saddle.

[toab]

I ride a '78 yamaha xs 650 special.Had this bike for eons.Nice sound with the straight pipes and parts are easy to come by thanks to a parts supply house down in florida.The bikes a little small around here nowadays compared to what everybody else rides.I rode my '80 xs 850 triple last summer which was way faster but the love just isn't there so its back to the 650 this summer.Just can't beat that no counter balancer bolt loosening vibration.Something like an old triumph 650,the bike that Yamaha emulated to build the xs 650 back in 1969.I imagine that Screenman can chime in here as its the british market that this bike was originally designed for and I hear that there are still alot of these old yamahas over there which is why the florida supply house is able to stay in business as there are not many of the old xs 650s around here anymore.

[gt_repair]

I started out on a 1966 bridgeport and a 67 when I was 14. I bought then to fix and sell, then a 72 yamaha 650 specal, a 82 yamaha 500 DOHC, and the last a 84 yamaha 750 maxima.

Some jurk had his blinker on the make a right hand turn, so I went around his left side knowing the blinker was on and brake light, as I passed on the left, he turned LEFT and crashed into me and my bike. Through me head first under a Ford PU sitting on the side of the road. Thank god I did not have a helmet on at that time. I wouold not be here at this time if I did.

It put me in the hospital for 3 months.

I broke my: Neck, back, pelvis, colapesed lung, lost a leg, paralized from the neck down for 2 months, muscle and nerve damage, spinal cord damage. I had to learn how to do everything all over again.

Other than that, nothing else went wrong.

Got any keys?

Its funning, I use to ride at 100 to 140 mph on the high ways back home in Wisc., and I got wiped out at 20- 25 mph.

Some old man I never knew told me that If you get to the point you are not afread of your bike, you better sell it. I geuss that is why I started buying and selling bike. I guess he knew how I liked to ride at an early age. Or my dad told him to tell me that knowing I would not lessen to him on that part.

I never liked dirt bikes but I love street bikes. Not the crotch rockets. I like the cruisers.

Now you know were the name "pegleg" comes from.

[toab]

Wow GT you are scareing the heck out of me.I guess that I have been pretty lucky in my 20+ years of riding.I have only had 1 old fart pull out in front of me up town at low speed and 1 bycyclist ride across the road in front of me.I try and ride as if other people don't see me because some people actually don't.thats always the excuse I hear 4 wheelers say.

[Brent Deines]

I ride a '78 yamaha xs 650 special.Had this bike for eons.Nice sound with the straight pipes and parts are easy to come by thanks to a parts supply house down in florida.The bikes a little small around here nowadays compared to what everybody else rides.I rode my '80 xs 850 triple last summer which was way faster but the love just isn't there so its back to the 650 this summer.Just can't beat that no counter balancer bolt loosening vibration.Something like an old triumph 650,the bike that Yamaha emulated to build the xs 650 back in 1969.I imagine that Screenman can chime in here as its the british market that this bike was originally designed for and I hear that there are still alot of these old yamahas over there which is why the florida supply house is able to stay in business as there are not many of the old xs 650s around here anymore.

I loved the xs650. A number of my buddies had them, and they were great bikes. My son has an 82 Kawi CSR750 which is a very similar 2 cylinder bike, vibration and all. I picked it up for a song in 87, and have babied it ever since. It still likes and rides like new, and I still love the classic chrome fender look. My first street bike was an xs1100 which was just a larger 4 cylinder version of the xs650. That was a great bike as well, but like you with your 850, the love just wasn't there.

[Brent Deines]

I started out on a 1966 bridgeport and a 67 when I was 14. I bought then to fix and sell, then a 72 yamaha 650 specal, a 82 yamaha 500 DOHC, and the last a 84 yamaha 750 maxima.

Some jurk had his blinker on the make a right hand turn, so I went around his left side knowing the blinker was on and brake light, as I passed on the left, he turned LEFT and crashed into me and my bike. Through me head first under a Ford PU sitting on the side of the road. Thank god I did not have a helmet on at that time. I wouold not be here at this time if I did.

It put me in the hospital for 3 months.

I broke my: Neck, back, pelvis, colapesed lung, lost a leg, paralized from the neck down for 2 months, muscle and nerve damage, spinal cord damage. I had to learn how to do everything all over again.

Other than that, nothing else went wrong.

Got any keys?

Its funning, I use to ride at 100 to 140 mph on the high ways back home in Wisc., and I got wiped out at 20- 25 mph.

Some old man I never knew told me that If you get to the point you are not afread of your bike, you better sell it. I geuss that is why I started buying and selling bike. I guess he knew how I liked to ride at an early age. Or my dad told him to tell me that knowing I would not lessen to him on that part.

I never liked dirt bikes but I love street bikes. Not the crotch rockets. I like the cruisers.

Now you know were the name "pegleg" comes from.

I used to ride pretty fast as well, sometimes in nothing but a pair of cut-off shorts. I should have been dead a number of times over, but for some reason God chose to look after me. I'm a pretty conservative rider now, and I think I enjoy it more than ever before. I might be able to get the Harley up to 100 going down a big hill, but I really don't find the need any more. Although I've been lucky enough not to have any serious bike related injuries, I've heard enough stories like yours to keep me on my toes. Still, no matter how careful you are or how good you are, sometimes accidents just can't be avoided.

Do you still ride Don? I've always wondered if I would have the nerve to get back on if I lived through an accident like that.