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How did it all start?

I started on a Honda Trail 90 at 14 years old.  Lived on around a 1000 acres and knew all the county roads to run up and down.  Wasn’t allowed on any paved roads but I’d sneak across and do other sections of the county when I could.  Then my parents got me a Honda 125 street bike for my 16th birthday but I was only allowed to ride on the back gravel roads around our farm. Totally different riding and even though I had then gotten my motorcycle endorsement wasn’t allowed to run the paved roads.  So when they got me a 74 Chevy Nova (new) the next year I sold the bike.  I would love to have another Honda Trail 90 with the luggage rack on back for nostalgia.  I don’t even have a picture of that bike but for 2 years I was on it as much as school and farm chores would allow.  I do still have the 74 Nova even if it no longer runs.

Fast forward to 1995 and a friend had gotten back into motorcycles and was trying to talk his wife into riding. I made the comment about enjoying it as a kid and bought a Honda Nighthawk 250. That only lasted about 4 months and 1000 miles before I traded it for a new 1996 750 Nighthawk. Rode that around the country for 65k in 5 years and then the FZ1 came out and you know the rest of the story.

I bought it May 12th, 2001 (my little sister’s 40th birthday) and managed to do the 1st 100k in 5 years and 1 day. Had hoped to make the next 100k in the 2nd 5 years but now just hope to make it in the same year as its’ 10th birthday.

This is a picture while not the 1st day was shortly after that when I was riding with some friends and they snapped the picture (it was before pink jackets).……

Here you can see I date stamped the 100k mark on the return trip from a little 500 mile lunch ride to Oark,AR.

I’ve had a Corbin from about the 2000 mile mark on. I was on my 1st long ride to State College, PA and got to Knoxville where the Honda Hoot was going on. My butt was not happy with the soft stock seat in the heat so stopped at the Corbin booth and asked if they had one to fit. They swapped hardware and shipped my original seat home. It’s still in the box. I had to have it recovered around the 100k as the seam started to  split.

Any other mods?

No real mods the way most people think about mods. Corbin saddle, 5 STAR rack and Givi  windscreen and now a Vario, Race Tech Gold Valves and a rear shock. That’s about the only real things that might be considered a mod. Can’t think of anything  else that would be considered a mod as everything else is maintenance.

Any idea on how long  it will take to get to 200K? (around 193,000 now)

Most 3 day rallies are good for around 1k depending on location. There are 6 of those in the next few months. If I didn’t have to work it would be a piece of cake as I’d just start riding and not come home until I hit the 200k mark.

Riding is one of my few stress reliefs and right now Zumba is the other one.