The Bikes
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I began riding motorcycles in 1984 when I moved from Denver to San Diego. I started because I needed a way around the traffic and because the weather was always beautiful. I bought a new Kawasaki 750 for $2000 (a great learner bike which lasted me about 35,000 mi) and began to ride. When it died in June 1990, I traded it in for the Gold Wing. This was my main method of transportation for many years, until I moved to Colorado Springs in 1995.
In February 1997, I bought the Shadow, mainly because I had always wanted one, and cruised around on it for a few years until I sold it in July 2000. I bought the Tiger in November 1998 because I wanted a touring bike I could take on long stretches of dirt road (like western British Columbia). I had been drooling over the Valkyries since they came out in 1997, and in November 2000 during one of my regular periodic test drives, found one I could not pass up. It continues to serve as my primary touring bike.
The next addition to the stable was a brand new VTX 1800 Retro. There is just something about a big-bore V Twin, and when they added the retro model to the line, I just couldn't resist. I flew up to New York and picked one up at a great price and drove it back to Virginia.
Finally, after riding a Harley for 1000 miles in Hawaii, I decided to break down and add one to my collection. After all, I can't claim to be brand-neutral and ignore Harleys altogether. I must admit that the Road King is growing on me!
Here are the bikes in reverse order in which I acquired them:
2003 Harley Davidson Road King ClassicPurchased: Feb 2009 (9714 mi)
Currently at 11k mi
2002 Honda VTX 1800 cc V TwinPurchased: June 2002 (New)
Currently at 18k mi
1997 Honda Valkyrie 1520 cc Flat 6Purchased: Feb. 2000 (61k mi)
Currently at 115k mi.
1998 Triumph Tiger 900 cc Triple Dual-SportPurchased: Nov. 1998 (2.1k mi)
Currently at 15k mi.
1994 Honda Shadow 1100 cc V-TwinPurchased: Feb. 1997 (11k mi)
Sold: July 2000 (18k mi)
1985 Honda Gold Wing Limited Edition 1200 cc Flat 4Purchased: June 1990 (35k mi)
Sold: Aug. 2002 (68k mi)
1983 Kawasaki 750 cc LTD Belt-Drive TwinPurchased: 1984 (New)
Sold (Died): June 1990 (35k mi)
1974 Datsun 260Z
Purchased: 1981
Sold : June 1995
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(OOPS, that's not mine!)
Contact me at: rf6gunz@yahoo.com
Copyright © 2000, Rick Fletcher
