How old and how many years have you been riding?

[motomaniac]

45. Been riding since I was 10. Had a little 50cc Suzuki offroader. Think it was called a Trailhopper which is exactly what it was used for. Had mostly offroaders/motards ever since. Now I stick to my Scrambler for offroading and long trips and my W650 as my commuter.

 

[Dave]

I'm 33 next week, got the America 5 years ago, had a Honda CB650 for about a year and a half before that

 

[albo]

65. First bike Honda Benley 125 SS then T00 green and cream.Many bikes since then,the search goes on for the perfect bike but may have found it in the Bonneville I've had for 2 years.

 

[tooblekain]

Another way to look at it

I think we should compare experience like an airplane pilot does and maybe log it in terms of miles or hours instead of years because Ive met people that say theyve ridden much longer than I have but when I look at their odometer I clearly have much more miles than them. Also, it should also be the TYPE of miles. Ive met too many riders that claim they have ridden much longer than me and when they try and smoke me in the twisties Im on their ass the whole time and eventually they let me pass and try and keep up and I completley lose them.

But anyways...I'll answer away.

I'm 29...been riding for 5 years. Got my Daytona 675 around April 2006. Got my 2007 Bonneville around April 2008

4 years of it on the track
5 years commuting, errands, etc
4 years in the twisties



Total miles done on my bikes

My dad's Sprint RS: approximately 10K miles

My Bonneville: almost 39K miles
types of miles on Bonneville...a majority of it commuting, about 35% on twisties, 10% pillion, zero miles on track...may change eventually

My Daytona 675: a little over 19k miles
0-9000 miles: 30% commute, 60% twisties, 10% track, only once 2-up
9000 to current: 99.99% all track miles. .01% commute

Lacking experience on:
dirt or dual purpose
cross country
2-up...my dad has a lot more eperience doing that. Lucky that my girlfriend has her own bike and prefers to ride her own. I feel comfortable doing it for commutes. Not sure if Im comfortable 2-uping on the twisties. Would feel more comfortable doing 2 up on the track to maybe show someone lines.

To put it shortly...I basically ride everyday and hate driving---and only drive my car if I absolutely need to. To give you perspective. My car that I got back in 2001 (2001 Ford Mustang V6) only has 93k miles.

 

[koifarm]

Hey Toob,
The number of miles rarely equates to experience, it's what you learn and what you do on those miles that counts. Time is the best teacher, if you can survive five, ten, twenty and so on years then your experience base increases exponentially and you learn from experience...some never do, some catch on quickly others slowly it all depends on attitude and safe driving.
Good driving habits, situational awareness, maintaining a safe long following distance, good reaction times all help build that bank of experience and thus increase your chances of never having a bad incident. On that note, you can also never trust cagers to do what you think, especially soccer moms on cell phones....but if you make yourself aware of things around you, you gain reaction time.
I've been lucky in only having one accident resulting in a busted kneecap and that was early on in my riding career, I learned from that and have yet to have another accident.
Just a few thoughts....

 

[tooblekain]

Hey Toob,
The number of miles rarely equates to experience, it's what you learn and what you do on those miles that counts. Time is the best teacher, if you can survive five, ten, twenty and so on years then your experience base increases exponentially and you learn from experience...some never do, some catch on quickly others slowly it all depends on attitude and safe driving.
Good driving habits, situational awareness, maintaining a safe long following distance, good reaction times all help build that bank of experience and thus increase your chances of never having a bad incident. On that note, you can also never trust cagers to do what you think, especially soccer moms on cell phones....but if you make yourself aware of things around you, you gain reaction time.
I've been lucky in only having one accident resulting in a busted kneecap and that was early on in my riding career, I learned from that and have yet to have another accident.
Just a few thoughts....

I totally agree with you Koi...its just a lot of people say they've ridden for any amount of years but really dont have many miles...which I would say much experience.

Perfect example. One of my dad's friends has been riding for 20+ years so he says...however he barely rides and when we were on the twisties I saw him run wide to the other lanes. Granted Ive only ridden for less than 10 years but I ride a lot more frequent than him. I even ride in the the rain, wind, etc.

I 100% agree that time is a great teacher, but think about it...it actually takes time to log in miles...so its like 2 peas in the same pod.

I like to think of myself that with all my miles (and time) of riding I have developed the good habits, situational awarenes, good reaction times, smooth riding, etc. Ive also learned a long time ago that cagers are stupid and that we must ride like we dont exist. I can tell you that my last incident on the street was back in 2008 where i merely just "dropped" it. As for the track my last incident on the track was a year ago on my 675. However incidents on track are different than on the street...and much safer.

This reminds me a while back when a Harley rider saw me take a turn what he thought was really fast at a light--and said to me that he thought I was gonna hit the curb. He also asked what why I was reving while I was shifting. I explained to him I was blipping downshifting to to prevent wheel rear hop. And that I was looking through the corner to make sure I negotiate it fine. He commented saying he's been riding over 10 years and says he never heard of blipping downshifting :d

I also do quite a bit of trackdays on my Daytona 675 (last year did 14 trackdays) and the skills you learn on the track are valuable on the street (for example...blipping downshifting like I mentioned above). On the track I ride in the advanced group and am in the middle to upper pace in the advanced group.

 

[tuquoque]

I'm 43 and been riding two weeks, 800 km's
I love it and I'm going to ride at least next 43 years!

 

[irishrider60]

Some observations...

Originally, I was interested in seeing how old the majority of the Bonneville owners are and if they were new or have had some years in the saddle. My assumption was the ages would be older (my age) and riding for a number of years. Clearly, the amount of miles ridden adds to the equation for sure. The challenge is if you live in a climate that lets you ride all year long, one would assume you would be racking up the miles.

For me, the Northeast does not give the luxury of riding all year and this past winter was one of the worst in recent memory. I have ridden only 600 miles this season due to the cold and rain. Since I purchased my America, I have been averaging 5,000 miles per year of riding. Clearly not up to the levels of some, but not bad for the NE. The addition of my new backrest from Fasteddy added comfort in the saddle and hopefully will increase my riding average this year.

 

[T100JIP]

I'll be 65 this Summer, been riding since 1961, though the first years were illegal on a Whizzer motorbike. On a Honda 305, I became legal 44 years ago. It keeps you young...

 

[homefront]

48, riding 32 years (holy cow!).

Started on my friends XL125, when our parents weren't around. Crashed a lot, but somehow survived.

Turned 17 bought an XS400, crashed a few times, but somehow survived.

An XT200, CR125, KDX200, 700 Maxim, Warrior 350, TRX250R, 400 Polaris Scrambler, 1200 Sportster, KLR650, 1050 Tiger and now my new-to-me 2010 Scrambler.

I feel like all the other bikes were tests to see what I really wanted, which I now have.

 

[DIRK]

happy birthday now go scare some cars

 

[Frank]

Started about the age of 12 or 13. Bought a new 72 Kawasaki 750 Triple and made it my daily driver and weekend racer . Gave it up for over 30 years and purchased a new 09 Triumph Speedmaster and I've "got the bug" again!

 

[B06Tang]

My father got me my first bike at six years old and I'm forty three...holy shit that is thirty seven years! I can't even tell you the bikes that I have owned...started riding in the back...practiced...trail riding...practiced...then got the moto bug. Raced motocross for a few years and took it on to the road. I have ridden in three different continents now and still not even close to seeing the end of this. I don't ever see myself not riding...if I get too old to balance on two wheels, then it will be time to get a trike or a Meriden Bonnie with a sidecar...come to think of it...sidecar sounds like a better option

 

[FoothillRyder]

I'm neither the oldest nor the most experienced. I'm 61 and I've been riding since I was 14 - pretty much continuously. First bike was a dirt-only CB100 Honda, first 'big bike' was a '66 T120, did a little MX racing on a YZ125 and a bit of roadracing for two different periods. First was on a CB550-4 (K) in the mid-70's then on a variety of bikes in the mid-80's.

I honestly cannot see myself without a bike - or three - or more. Love the 'retro classic' Triumphs; but others have their attraction. My current collection is in my sig...

 

[B06Tang]

first 'big bike' was a '66 T120

Oh man...was it the white with the red stripes? That is one of my favorite years for the Meriden Bonnies...nice freaking ride. You have any pics?

 

[FoothillRyder]

Oh man...was it the white with the red stripes? That is one of my favorite years for the Meriden Bonnies...nice freaking ride. You have any pics?

Mine had been painted black by the time I got it. I wish I had pics; but alas through two marriages and many moves they've gone missing. It was a good bike, even with the leaks and Lucas issues. :beer:

 

[B06Tang]

It was a good bike, even with the leaks and Lucas issues. :beer:

It is a well known fact that Meriden Bonnies didn't leak...it was the external lubrication system designed from the factory and secondly, I was once told that it Lucas electricity is the reason Brits drink their beer warm! :beer::lol: Even with all their quirks...I'm still planning on going on the hunt for a '61 when I get back home.

 

[mark66]

Even with all their quirks...I'm still planning on going on the hunt for a '61 when I get back home.

Do it!! These old bikes are great to ride around on and keep alive.:cheers:

 

[B06Tang]

Do it!! These old bikes are great to ride around on and keep alive.:cheers:

I am on my last overseas tour right now and then I will be returning back to the states and the Meriden Bonnie is going to be my retirement from the military present. '61, '66-68 are the years that the Meriden's really made my head turned. My all time favorite Bonnie is the '67 Aubergine TT but those are hard as hell to find and I don't like the idea that I would have mod a vintage bike just to get it on the road as the TT wasn't meant for the street. I know the '59s and '61s fetch the most money but that '61 is pure class in my opinion and it's not like it is going to go down in value.

 

[FoothillRyder]

I'll throw this in here just for the helluvit...

My Bonnie basket case T120V may in fact be the very last 650 Bonnie ever built in Meriden. Here's what I know:

- S/N is clearly a September 1973 build
- September '73 was the month of the 'sit-in' by the labor force which shut down the Meriden line.
- They built 281 T120V's in September '73 (and some T140's as well)
- Last 3 digits of the S/N are 281

Once I have my sh&t together I'm going to put this bike back together, and if I can confirm the above 'status', it's going to be as close to original as I can make it.