I tend to hang on to bikes for a while, so I do a lot of mileage on each one, which means that each bike becomes attached to good (and bad) memories which of course generate emotional responses, which (to complete the cycle) become associated with the bike(s).
So I have lots of history with most of my bikes:
The ZXR400 I had for something like 12 years, from '96 onwards, so it was the bike that did all the VD stuff: the trackdays, the rideouts, the "events", the parties. It was the first "modern/fast" bike I'd had, so I learnt a huge amount from riding it, and gained a huge amount of confidence from it's very solid handling, and "flat-out" riding style.
There's no way in hell I'd be able to curl myself up onto it anymore, but I really, really miss that bike.
Both Mirthcycles (550Zephyrs) were so much fun to ride and I did the "Hacks Tours" on them, Once a couple of minor mods were done they handled fine on back roads and rewarded "enthusastic" riding far more than anyone would have expected. I still remember dropping one in mid-winter and knocking a dink into the lower frame rail from the crash bars (Couchy came to pick me up!), funnily enough it handled even better after that!
Before that, the Ducati TL600 I had was the first bike I had a major crash on, the first bike I rebuilt, the first bike I got the "That thing's quick!" compliment on from a fellow Ducatisti.
Post-crash reassembly:
Rebuilt
I also have fun memories and history with Dad's old bikes, the Matchless G80 that he made up for a friend was one of my favourites, the Matchless G3 that we still have holds lots of good memories:
Ironically, the JAPton is the bike that I have the "least" connection with of Dad's old bikes: I only rode it once or twice before it was fully "finished" and I missed it's glory days of Classic Days at Spa and hillclimbs at Kop Hill etc, but it's the one I now have in the garage and will keep my memories of my father with me.
DSC00874 (2) by Steve Weeks, on Flickr
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