What event started you down the Sport-Touring road?

[spd2918]

What event / image / thing go you started in your motorcycle touring?  Photos are encouraged.  I'll start:



I spend much of my summers on my grandparents farm just south of Tomah WI.  My grandfolks were kind, hospitable Danish folks that opened their home to anyone who needed a place to stay.  I remember a young couple that stayed and worked with us for two or three days.  They each rode a big motorcycle with a round blue and white badge on tank.  I couldn't believe they lived off the bikes while traveling.  I thought "How cool is that?" and what freedom they must feel.

Years later, on a 10 state road trip with a buddy, we camped near a solo rider touring on another bike bike (same roundel on the side).  I told my buddy: "We ought to make our next big trip on bikes."  Within a year my dept. started a motorcycle patrol and that cemented it.  Now that buddy and I cross country once a year.

Knucklehead buddy in FL (don't ask about the helmet):

[karlfitt]

There wasn't really an event.

Whene I was 4 or 5, my dad rented a bike to bring on vacation so he could "run to the store for supplies" and such.
Next year he owned a bike, and bought one to teach us kids to ride.

Rode on the weekends in the dirt from 5 to 16.
At 16 when I got my first job, dad gave me the Honda SL 125 we had at the time so I could get back and forth to the job.
Bought my first bike at 19 (Yamaha XS 650)
Second one at 21 (Suzuki GS 750)
The road has been downhill since then...



I am a little late to the party getting my kids addicted, my son is 11 and my daughter 13 now that they have their first dirt bikes. Sorry world, I hope you'll forgive me for being a bad parent.

[Corbeau]

First bike, an EX500, couple of months with my license in hand and probably not 2,000 miles of experience. Rode solo to Parry Sound Sportbike rally, met some fine folks from STN, all in all a 750 mile weekend which hooked me on sport-touring ever since.

[phoenix]

2003 ST.N meet in Kentucky. My first overnight trip. I had joined STN 6 or 8 months before going on that trip. Met up with Dredhead outside Chicago and then met up with more weirdo's down in Kentucky.  

[radman]

The importing of the FJR into America.  Never ridden so much in my life.

[chornbe]

It took me 3 days to catch up to some dude on a Vespa who asked me when I was going to buy a real bike. By the time I caught him, I was 6 states away and I realized I was touring. I figured I'd stick with it.

[bogthing]

Uh, lets see...I've been absolutely batshit about motorcycles since I was old enough to walk. As a teen in the early seventies I became enthralled with motocross and enduro. In high school someone suggested we go up to New Hampshire and witness "Bike Week".

We did.

Anyone old enough to remember "Loudon" and the scene that occured every June in and around the track, can imagine the effect on a motorcycle mad teenager. In those first few years we met some extremely "interesting" folks, many who traveled across country on motorcycles, like it was okay or something. In those days there were many different camps in close proximity. I remember that those who wore lots of leather and preferred the American motorcycle were wildly entertaining from a safe distance, but quite scary and unpleasant up close.
Those that preferred the large German and Italian machine (and those shiny new CB750's) were a lot more fun to hang around with.  I decided that I had to be part of this whole thing. That is how it all began for me

[MK96xj]

For me it is really several events.

Growing up my family traveled. Every year was a road trip of some sort usually with trailer in tow.

I went to Germany several times as a kid. My cousin and uncle rode and would ride with them all the time. Every time I went there I would buy a new helmet. (back in the day when the US dollar was worth something against foreign currency)

My father got back into riding in 1978-9 with the purchase of a Honda Hawk 400. This would later be my first street bike.

I started dirt riding in 79-80 on an Honda XR75 and various other basket case bikes

Through all these and probably more events the combination of travel and motorcycles stuck.

[MadOzodi]

Uh, lets see...I've been absolutely batshit about motorcycles since I was old enough to walk.

LMAO, I haven't heard that expression in a long time!

I bought my first motocycle last May a week after getting my M endorsement.  5 months later, a weekend trip down to Arkansas and back pretty much did me in.  Riding with a C14 and Goldwing on my Legend with just a flyscreen *really* had me wanting a full fairing.  Within two or three weeks, at the beginning of Oct., I'd traded the Legend in for the Sprint.  Heheh, wh00psiez (kinda)  

[zer0netgain]

I always wanted to go cross country on a motorcycle.  Current bike had no real limits short of the fear of it breaking down on me.  I did rallies that were upwards of 800 miles away.

Got a newer bike.  That next year I went cross-country with it.  

[cultureslayer]

$2k could buy me an almost new bike or a complete POS car.  Wasn't much of a choice for my first vehicle.  

[CLAY]

SPORT-touring?  Having my Shadow and out-riding it on every corner I rode into.  I knew I needed and upgrade when I nearly wore through the kickstand "kick".  Plus I'm a bit of a hooligan.  

Bikes?  In the late 70's my dad's cousin lived out by us for a summer and worked on the farm- he had a CB750.  Then my dad bought a CB350 a few years later- riding on the back of those two things cemented my love.  As soon as I had the coin after highschool I bought my own- a early 80's Honda XR125.  Been riding off-and-on since then.  On hardcore for the last 6 years or so with no end in sight.

[Bogie]

When I bought this in 1977....



  I thought it was a "Highway Machine!!!" ...

[Rincewind]

Dad invited me to go on a tour with him.  I had started riding years before then, and my parents had been going away touring very often while I was growing up, but it wasn't until my sophomore year of college that I got invited to come along.  We rode down to NC, and I split off from them to visit friends in Charlotte.  I was to meet back up with them near Boone, and got there before them.  So I headed out and stumbled upon a mountain.  I believe it was Beech Mountain in the Blue Ridge Mnts.  Riding that to the top, I had sort of an epiphany where the road, the bike, the mountain, and me, just sort of blended together into one.  That climb sort of clicked it for me.  The next day I split off again and rode nearly 500 miles back to my woman's arms.

[scottzilla]

I learned the ground is really, really hard and decided I needed to balance sport with touring.

[Bogey907]

$6 a gallon for aviation fuel...

[Rabidsnipe]

STN got me started sport-touring!  Reading epic stories of cross-country travels really had an impact.  Heck, STN basically got me interested in motorcycles.  I had an interest in high-school but nothing more than thinking that Yamaha R6's were hot.  After my freshman year of college I bought a 79 XS400 Yamaha off eBay for $400.  It took several iterations of motorcycles before I got a VFR and actually started touring on it.  Thus far I've only been to a few states but "the night is young".  I'm only 25 and, hopefully, have plenty of time to indulge in long-distance travel in search of the perfect road.

And, as has been the case thus far, when I don't have plenty of time, Arkansas is only 200 miles away!

[Orson]

When I wuz about 12 years old, we were on the family summer vacation, sitting in the car waiting to board the BC ferry to Vancouver Island. The ferry docked and disgorged its cargo. First off the boat were two identical Kawasaki Z900s with sleeping bags tied on to the rear grab rail.

I was starstruck  

Those two riders, heading off to points unknown seemed like the coolest beings on the planet. The seed had been planted  

[SVTNate]

Reading STN and another touring forum.  I had a V Star, and as my abilities progressed as a new rider, I found myself scraping the boards and wanting more power.  I also wanted some storage space, but I didn't want sport bike ergos.  Reading about other peoples' tours inspired my, and I bought my '09 FJR.  Four months and 1,600 miles later, I haven't taken a tour or even a long ride on it yet, but that's an issue of not having the time, and winter coming... not the lack of desire.  

[skater69]

I was looking for a new hobby after getting bored with necrophilia.