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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 have a Saturday column called “My First Bike.” The subject of this week’s column is onOne Software’s Brian Kraft’s, who has fond memories of his first bike, which sparked his passion for racing motorcycles.
Like many of your readers, I will never forget the first motorcycle that I was able to call my very own. I was 12 years old, and I had been hinting for a bike for probably five years. I loved the idea of riding around my neighborhood and going out to the trails of the Pacific Northwest. And for some reason, I really wanted to peel out in the mud and learn to ride wheelies.
It was Christmas Eve 1982 and my dad and I got in the station wagon to go "run some errands". About 20 minutes later, he pulled into Portland Honda and my eyes lit up! I sat on a couple of bikes while my dad negotiated the deal with the salesman. He talked the rep into throwing in a bright red helmet if he bought the bike today. About an hour later, we were all set with the bike hanging off the rear bumper of the station wagon on some detachable mounts. I had a brand-new 1982 XR80R and because of my excitement, I could barely sleep for days. The icing on the cake was that my dad let me ride it for hours on end around our neighborhood the entire Christmas break (the neighbors were thrilled).
Just a few months later, my dad and my little brother both got bikes, and we've been riding ever since (along with about a dozen friends we've recruited over time). Now, 24 years later, I'm blessed to have two children of my own, and I'm looking forward to seeing the looks on their faces when they find a dirt bike under the tree one of these Christmas mornings to come.
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.
