Do you remember when you got your first bike? For most of us, it’s one of the best days of our lives. Thanks to the support of our friends at Spy Optics, we’ve decided to start a new Saturday column called “My First Bike.” The subject of this week’s column is Throttle Jockey’s Matt Davis, who has fond memories of his first bike, which sparked his passion for racing motorcycles.
“This was my first bike. It was a 1976 Yamaha GT 80, and I got it when I was 7 years old from my mom and dad. My dad and my brother Robert are in the picture with me. The tires were harder than the metal fenders. The pipe would blow smoke circles. I put #8 on it because I was going to turn 8 years old soon. I never raced that bike, but it was my first. I did get both wheels off the ground before getting rid of it, though. That’s right, I was rad. Mud flap and all. Notice: I did not have the paper-plate front number plate. It was the TV-tray front number plate. Jealous?
“I would go down to Galloway’s to ride it. It was one of my neighbors down the street who had a track just east of Kokomo, Indiana. The next year, I went straight into racing with a new YZ80.”
If you work in the industry and have a story you would like to share with our readers about your “first bike” experience, contact Fubar: mikef@racerxill.com.
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