New motorcycle riders, why did you finally pull the trigger?

[jasonaz1]

I've always wanted one. My father rode while I grew up. He had Harley's though. My brother got one back in 2005ish for a while 600cbr rr but sold it. I've wanted one but always talked my self out of it cause I figured I'd be to dumb on it trying to stunt or race etc..... I actually ended up trading 2 set of wheels plus $500 awhile back (2010) for a 2006 R6 with exhaust and power commander. However I ended up flipping it for a profit instead of keeping it.
 
Fast forward to May this year my mid/low 11 sec civic/auto cross/weeked car got totaled in a accident that wasn't my fault. Just after buying a new daily I was looking for a new toy. Either build another Honda or swap a v8 into some import to try drifting or buy a bike. After going back and forward with everything and pro/con of each also fun level/trouble I could get in. The motorcycle won and purchased one a little after my Bday in September.
 
Bought the FZ-07, bought a helmet, gloves, jacket, boots, mirrors, tail tidy, blinkers then sign up for a motorcycle class to learn the basics and get cheaper insurance.
 
 
Haven't looked back yet or doubted my decision on the bike vs a building a car.
 
It's so much more fun then I'd thought it be.

[shadowcat]

I use to hate motorcycles....yup. I was THAT GUY you know the one who blocks lane splitters and stuff I thought they were stupid dangerous and people who rode Em where just looking to die. But about a year ago I started watching motovloggers like jakethegardensnake, C2W,motonosity, bakerXderek and others, why did I do that? Still don't know but I'm glad I did. Now I ride a fz07 and can't see myself NOT being on two wheels anymore I love it, why? Don't know yet I just do. As of typing this my bike sits at 7561 miles after 3 and a half months of ownership.
 

[mjh937]

I had a bike back in the '80's and had always wanted another. About four years ago a friend of mine bought a Street Triple and he let me ride it a few times. That got me looking at bikes again. I kept putting it off as I did not want to spend the money. My wife said that I should get one while I was still young enough to enjoy it (I am 49).
 
I was looking at the FZ-09, but went to the dealer the day the FZ-07 was announced. I had not heard of it before then, but had been stopping by the dealership every few months for a few years do the saleswoman had a good idea what I was looking for and thought that was exactly what I wanted.
 
I too did the YouTube research and put a deposit down the next morning. I could not be happier with my bike. I wish I had got one age years ago. Of course I would not have an FZ-07 if I had.
 
 

[reckless]

I use to hate motorcycles....yup. I was THAT GUY you know the one who blocks lane splitters and stuff I thought they were stupid dangerous and people who rode Em where just looking to die. But about a year ago I started watching motovloggers like jakethegardensnake, C2W,motonosity, bakerXderek and others, why did I do that? Still don't know but I'm glad I did. Now I ride a fz07 and can't see myself NOT being on two wheels anymore I love it, why? Don't know yet I just do. As of typing this my bike sits at 7561 miles after 3 and a half months of ownership.

Would this count as going to the "Dark Side?"  

[reckless]

Well for me, I've always wanted a motorcycle but my mom just would not allow it...forward a few years later, bought my own house so decided to finally get one. I went and got my permit in Dec 2013 and then took the MSF course in Feb. The FZ-07 is the third bike I've owned in less than a year...that's how long I've been riding (not even a year yet)! First bike was a 2009 Ninja 250r, second is my 2000 R6, and now my FZ-07. Still have my R6 but sold my 250r. Ever since getting on my 250r, I just can't imagine not owning a bike. I just like the feeling of being free on my bike. I guess you can call it a mid life crisis.

[Guest August BB]

I was raised by parents who completely deplore motorcycles. Like they get way too angry at the thought of them. Which is why my oldest brother came home in one ('90 zx6) after he moved out of the house and he revved it until my dad came outside yelling at him.
 
Which is why probably I wanted a motorcycle since I was 19.
 
Remember parents, the more you prohibit something from your kids, higher chance they will just over-compensate later in life for it. I know a parent who forbids any form of candy in their household. Poor kids will be hoarding sugar when they grow up.
 
And on the flipside I found that the more you try to push something onto your kids, the more they seem to push it away from you.

[prediddy]

Well I took the MSF BRC about a year ago and started looking at bikes after I got my license right after.  I didn't even know what kind of bike I wanted, just that I wanted to ride.  Was going to purchase a buddy's DR-Z400SM in the spring time, but after going back and forth with him over the course of a couple months, he decided not to sell.
So I was passively researching and looking around Craigslist for something else, with nothing really catching my eye.  Becoming bored of my own indecision, I started leaning towards a Triumph, and ready to pull the trigger when I went on a last minute visit to another dealership by me that had an FZ-07 on the floor.  Well, seeing it in person, I was [em]pretty much[/em] sold on the spot.
Now I'm no impulse buyer, so I left and did a lot of research into it (both motorcycling press, and owner groups, *ahem*fz07.org*ahem*) and I couldn't find anything to suggest that this wouldn't be the ideal bike for me, so I went back a few days later and snagged it!

[TwistedTorque]

I've always loved bikes since I was a kid. I used to watch motocross/supercross on ESPN all the time. It was just a matter of waiting for the right life events to align. I didn't want to get a bike and then not have money for gear/parts/travel.

[shadowcat]

I use to hate motorcycles....yup. I was THAT GUY you know the one who blocks lane splitters and stuff I thought they were stupid dangerous and people who rode Em where just looking to die. But about a year ago I started watching motovloggers like jakethegardensnake, C2W,motonosity, bakerXderek and others, why did I do that? Still don't know but I'm glad I did. Now I ride a fz07 and can't see myself NOT being on two wheels anymore I love it, why? Don't know yet I just do. As of typing this my bike sits at 7561 miles after 3 and a half months of ownership.

Would this count as going to the "Dark Side?"  
More like being shown  the light 

 

[motomeek]

Grew up with a few cousins who still ride and eventually got my father into it while I was in junior high. Wanted to ever since.
Of course, after my dad had an accident, it pretty much put my efforts of getting a bike to a halt while I was still living with my parents.
 
To my surprise, after showing interest from riding a friend's scooter, my parents got me a 50cc Yamaha Zuma for my 19th Birthday.
I think my mom thought that'd be "enough" to tame my desire for trying 2-wheels. The low power really limited where I could travel since I live in a pretty hilly area. Going 35MPH up those hills doesn't make for happy drivers.
 
I ended up selling it once I got a new job that was too far for the Zuma to commute to. Fast forward to post college – got a job and moved out. Saved up money and finally purchased a CBR250R after a good 4 years of not riding. After a year and half and 23,000 miles on that, I decided to get the FZ07 for a little more power to do some 2-up riding.
 
Funny thing is, I get the 07 and the GF sees I still have the 250R and decides, "Screw 2-up, I want to ride my own bike."

[mjesenovec]

Unfortunately, I have yet to own a bike. I've always been in love with bikes since I was little. Even as a child, I remember telling my dad I wanted a bike one day. He used to ride himself, and never had a problem with it. At age 19, I took the MSF and got my license. That was 2005. Fast forward to today, I'm 28 and still don't have a bike. I was planning on getting one a couple years after I got my license, but life happened. Finding a career, personal obstacles, buying new cars for no reason, and just life in general always got in the way. Up until this point, I've been bouncing around between a Ninja 650 and an FZ6R. I had recently chosen the FZ6R due to added comfort and leg room. That is...until I saw an FZ07 in person and go to sit on it. I don't know what it is about this thing, but I've fallen in love, and hope to finally make an 07 my first bike next year. Fingers crossed!

[mjh937]

I would recommend taking the MSF course again when you are close to buying your new bike. It really is helpful to get more comfortable and find out what you have forgotten over the years.

[hippiebikerchick]

Growing up my older brother had mini bikes and dirt bikes (some he made and fixed himself, always tinkering around with them) and I would ride on the back through the hills as a kid. In high school a couple of my boyfriends had bikes and I would ride on the backs of those. When hubs was going to college he rode a bike because it was cheap but he didn't particularly like them. I rode on the back then too. He graduated, sold the bike and that was it.
 
Fast forward an undisclosed number of years. I feel like reinventing myself and get a crazy idea out of nowhere that I want to ride a motorcycle. I sign up for the msf course telling myself "I just want to get the M1 endorsement on my license to prove I can do it". I show up and out of 12 students, 3 are women. I totally ace the book and written test segment. Next day the riding starts. I struggled and felt I couldn't even hold up the little rebel I was on. I was exhausted when I got home. Day two, I do better and pass at the bottom of my class. LOL! However, I had caught the fever. I got my license, bought a little rebel, rode it and practiced, practiced, practiced. Even though I had been granted a licence it took 3-4 months before I felt I deserved it. I've ridden 16,000 miles in 2 years, 4 months and it changed my life. I love it!

[phyciocc]

This sounds like the first meeting of a 12 steps program , but I am game...
I am Italian, born there and raised there. Left Italy at the tender age of 28.
While growing up, I got my first motorcycle at the age of 15 (50 cc's bikes did not require any kind of driver's licence nor license plate back then. I think they do now).
 
Drove the poor, under-powered motocross wannabe be for about a year (Malaguti Cavalcone, if you want to know).
At the age of 16 I got my first "real" motorcycle. Except it wasn't. It was a 125 cc Vespa. At 18 and half (in Italy car can be driven only after age 18), I got my first car. I still drove bikes, but they were borrowed from friends. To note: I had a Moto Morini 350 for a month, and drove my buddy's Honda 750 cb with a 4-in-one. That bike had an engine that was 50% bigger than my first car (Fiat 500) and 2 extra cylinders (4 instead of two).
Girlfriend, college and other things intruded.
 
In 1985 I arrived in the US "for a two years stay" to study and get another degree.
But life intervened, and things changed. Got married here, got kids here and no more bikes. I hit 50, and I remembered my misspent youth.
 
I took the MSF course (my university offers it 6 times a year) and since then I have gone through 4 bikes: A 2005 Kawasaki Vulcan 805A (too rough), a 2009 Yamaha 1300 Tourer (smooth and nice, but way too heavy), a 2012 Suzuki Burgman 650 ( space-agey with three different settings of the automatic transmission but, frankly, soulless).
 
Enter the FZ-07. Red. I hope this is NOT going to be my last bike, but who knows.
 
I live in a part of the state where, if I want, I can find road with not many humans, but plenty of fauna: in my errand I have seen wild turkey, turkey vultures, possums, raccoon, turtles and...frogs, all crossing the street. My GPS often does not show roads, but pictures of Banjos...
 
I have seen but not encountered (fortunately) deer. I am building up my FZ-07 to look like a mini adventure bike (150-200 miles will be the longest I ride). I have the Madstad screen, and I will install a givi box and soft saddlebags (nelson riggs). I had the box and the bags from my time with the Burgman.
Red girl (this is my name for my FZ-07) will not be everyone cup of tea, but it will be mine.
Having a ball.
Marco
(Physics Prof. Be aware

[vi5a]

Grew up with a Kawasaki KX80 as a kid at 12 years old. Stopped riding when it got stolen 2 years later. Decided at the age of 24 to get a brand new 2002 R1. Crashed and totaled that bike 9 months later. With the insurance money, I grabbed the 2003 R1 (same exact bike). Within 3 months I crashed that also. Called it quits after that. At the peak age of 36 I decided to get back on the iron horse (more like a pony). Bought a Honda Grom with a tiny 125cc motor that topped out at a safe 65mph. Of course, with a few added mods, got that little pony going a nice 85mph. Although, the little bike was capable of freeway speeds, it was dangerous for it to go on the freeway. At a mere 200lbs, the wind draft from cars and trucks would toss me around to a point where riding straight is impossible. So came the need for something I can handle on the freeway, the FZ-07.