Rediscovering Riding Again...

I had not ridden a bike since I was 20 years old - more's the pity I know. There were just a lot of years where it was not financially viable to put out the extra money for a bike while having a family to look after. However, I am at a point in my life where I can do that again (and after reading many other blogs, I see that I have not been the only one). Now, let me take you back...

When I was 12, my father bought us a brand new Honda CT70. It was to us way better than our 10 speed bicycles for obvious reasons. (It had an automatic transmission if I remember correctly). We all learned to ride on this - including my mom - and then sometime that same year, Dad decided that doing the family thing of us all riding would be a good idea. (He had been riding for a year or so before on a much, much bigger off-road Honda.) So then he proceeded to acquire bigger bikes for us all to go off-road riding on the many logging roads around northern Vancouver Island, British Columbia.

Now let me state right here, that that little Trail 70 was the last brand new bike I have ridden! All the bikes in those ensuing 8 years were parts of bikes that my dad meticulously put back together to form a small fleet that we were proud to ride, let me tell you. Have a look for yourself: 

 

Check out the Honda CT70 at far left, then the Yamaha XR75, the Can-Am 250, Suzuki 125(?), Honda (Year?), then the BMW r 60/6. Thank you Mom for being the family photographer or I would not have this gem of my past!

I was looking at images of older Honda motorcycles to try to figure out what year and CC that big red one was. All I remember is the smile on my Dad's face when he rode it after fixing it up. 

The mint green Suzuki was mine. I had spray painted the tank, side panels and fenders as they were all scratched up from previous owners. My father believed that girls should know how to do some stuff too! (Changing tires on vehicles, oil changes, lubes, making stuff out of plywood with a jigsaw, and painting anything that didn't move...).

All the bikes were not in good shape when Dad got them, but through his care, mechanical prowess and perseverance, they were functional and road-worthy when he got finished with them.

Geez Dad, miss ya so much! You would have liked my newish Suzuki...and I didn't even have to do any spray painting...

Have a good ride for those of you not dealing with snow right now, and for the rest of us, there's always a bit of vicarious fun to be had while watching YouTube videos of other people riding...

Suzu