1998

[m in sc]

had this about 5 years at this point. constantly broke($) but cobbled this together back then.  when i went back to college, rode it and my 75 CB750f almost everyday to class, then , work and then night class. roughly 100 miles a day.

this pic was behind where i worked at the time. 



even put a dyna-s on it. yes, it would start backwards sometimes. 



sold in late 99, bought a new sv650. said 'im done with old bikes' yeah, that worked out as planned. 

[Czakky]

I was a sophomore in high school in 98. My uncle had an RZ, dad a CX500 and his friend had a GSX-R of some type that I thought was the greatest.

I had to wait until my dad physically couldn't stop me from buying a bike, a CB750 about five years later.

Love the classic pics!

[pdxjim]

In 1998, I visited the Greek island of Keffalonia in the Ionian Sea.

While there, I rented a TDR250 and fell in love with it.

About a month later, after I got back to San Francisco, one popped up in the Chronicle classifieds for $2500 and I bought it.  22 years later, I still have it.

I also met my (future) wife in 1998.  The first time I brought her home, she saw my Portuguese Orange '75 in the garage and said "Hey, an RD!  That's my favorite bike!."  I haven't let her go either.

[m in sc]

nice jim!

actually, i had the timing wrong on the rd sale. i had it till march 2000, was looking thru some pics.

extra points to who can name whos riding it in these pics. We took the CB and RD out that day, and it snowed on us on the ride.

[pdxjim]

[m in sc]

well played jim. 

[85RZwade]

In 1998 I was a service writer at a multi-line bike shop, where my RZ often spent the night because I was allowed to ride any used bike with a plate on it home. Tried out a bunch of bikes during that time. Still had my first KTM, a '94 300EXC that I never got jetted quite right (it would foul a plug on tight trails), no kids yet and the RZ was on it's stock top end and footpegs. I don't love the Raasks yet.

[toffee]

Around that time, i finished up riding bikes, I had a car at that stage and sold this lovely thing.
I fully regret that !

[Jspooner]

By 1998 I was already married for 9 years, had 3 kids, owned a restaurant and my only motorcycle was a 1975 RD250 that I used for a pit bike when I was racing in the late 80s which my oldest son now owns.

[Dvsrd]

In 1998, I was at the end of my marriage, with 2 sons and all. Not a nice time. Bike wise, I had my first RD350A, in bits. And the wife had her Ducati M600, which I ended up keeping after we settled the divorce in 99.
That Ducati did provide some positive distraction during the summers of 98 and 99, and took my mind off doom and gloom.....

[Organicjedi]

In 98 I was 14. My mom was just getting done riding what was going to be my RD400. It sat for years before but she wanted to learn to ride on it. My dad owned it since 1980. It ended up developing an electrical problem and kept quitting. Plus she wanted something bigger and smoother to ride.

I later found bad connections under the headlight and in the kill switch. The bike was last registered in 98 before being tucked away in the garage for over 15 years until I started digging into it in 2015.

[m in sc]

thats a great story^

I was 26 and had just moved back from Kansas a bit earlier in the year TBH, after putting my almost wife through 2 years of school at K-State. Talk about dodging a bullet.   

[oxford]

1998 I was a year out of high school and got my first bike, 1986 (maybe 87) Kawasaki 250 ninja.  It wasn't fast but I am thankful in my later years it was as slow as it was for a first bike.  Not my actual bike but it looked like this but black.(I couldn't find a picture of a black one with the lower fairing).

[Evans Ward]

In 1998, I was 3 years post bad divorce that took me to the cleaners. Met my future 2nd wife that year on a fixed blind date. I had her number for 6 wks but was reluctant to call her because she was an engineer and had just broken up with a gal who was also am engineer. Eventually called her and we married that year now almost 22 years of blissful matrimony. Was into muscle cars more then bikes then with a break from 1995-2002 from motorcycles. Turned out to be a great year!

[Plasticman]

My wife and I sponsored a foreign exchange student that year and took our foster parent training. Who knew she would become our German daughter and we'd end up adopting two little girls the following summer.  At this point I had stopped endurance racing and was in the beginnings of working on RDs.

Rob