Jeannine Kaspar
Actress
Honda Rebel
"I remember hearing rumblings of my father being a badass Harley rider prior to having nine children, but the idea of moto'ing myself didn't occur until I was shooting Nip/Tuck and one of the actors, John Hensley, spoke glowingly of riding and I got to see his garage full of sick Suzukis. It jogged my mind, as I'd always associated motorcycling with being cool, but could I join that pack and find that love for it?
"I decided to try out a course designed to get people licensed called MSF. After two days in the classroom learning basic motorcycle info, we moved on to a huge blacktop parking lot they have for teaching hands-on basic riding skills. I seriously wondered if it'd be worth it, as not only was I incredibly nervous, it was an insanely hot summer day and I was profusely sweating from every pore of my body. As the instructors rolled out the Honda Nighthawks to mount, my heart raced: Could I even do this? As I hopped on, got the cue to start 'er up, and she rumbled gently to life ... all of a sudden nothing else mattered. My heart floated--what an intense sound! What a joyous feeling to coast forward! I'm riding! I'm SMITTEN! All this, and I was only going 5 miles per hour. Ha-ha, I kid, I kid, but I was HOOKED!
"My first purchase was a Honda Rebel, quickly followed by a Kawasaki Ninja 250. The Rebel took me on my first ride to the infamous Rock Store off Mulholland Highway. I fell in love with the feeling of this beautiful machine revving and the wind at my back. As I cruised on through the winding road, I felt like a bird soaring over and through the canyons! A car never gave me that feeling--don't know if it could.
"Another weekend, after a track day with Reg Pridmore's CLASS School (where I got rid of some quirky riding habits), I rode up on the Ninja to the Rock Store--and it all changed for me. Using my newfound riding skills, I started to really feel the bike as I slid around the tank to make the turns. It gave me so much confidence as I could finally keep up with the more experienced riders. The Ninja really fits my body well as the light weight of the bike allows me to zip around surface streets, canyon roads and the track. Maybe not as fast as some of the boys, but one day! Making friends with hot guys who ride makes it all the more fun!"
Alonzo Bodden
Comedian and TV personality
1977 Honda CB400 Four
"My first bike was a yellow '77 Honda 400 Four. I loved it! I moved from New York to Los Angeles on my 18th birthday, and bought the bike before I even owned a car. I scraped the pegs on Mulholland Drive and thought I was the man! I put on Kerker pipes and clubman bars and rode it everywhere. I learned how to ride on that bike. I also learned a costly lesson about passing on the right: The first bike I bought became the first bike I totaled! I'll always miss that bike. To this day, every time I see a 400 Four, I'm tempted to buy it and try to be 18 again."
James Parker
columnist and proprietor of RADD Engineering
1963 Yamaha Ascot Scrambler
"My first bike? Trouble from the word 'go.' It was a 1963 Yamaha Ascot Scrambler--a 250cc two-stroke racing bike, complete with open expansion chambers. Maybe not trouble on a TT course, but mine soon became my streetbike. Street tires went on the bike, and a twin-leading-shoe front brake. I was soon turning out clip-on handlebars, rearsets and frame modifications. Next came an original fiberglass tank and matching aluminum seat. Presto, a cool little caf-racer.
"The problem? Noise. The police didn't like my project. To tell the truth, I didn't enjoy the noise either, and I made baffles for the pipes that cut a lot of power. Away from town, I'd remove the baffles. For the time, 1966, this thing was really quick. Triumph Bonnevilles couldn't stay with it on a winding road. I've never had a bike that wasn't a project, and this was the first."
Kevin Schwantz
1993 500cc World Champion and proprietor of the Kevin Schwantz School
Bonanza mini-bike
"It was a Bonanza mini-bike and it had a 3.5-horsepower Briggs & Stratton engine in it. I couldn't wheelie it, but I figured out how to jump it! The actual first thing I had that most would consider a motorcycle was a Honda Mini Trail. A sales manager at my parents' dealership took it in on trade, brought it into the back to show me and said, 'Here, you want to ride it?' I jumped onto it and rode straight into the wood fence in the back, busting my head open and needing eight stitches. No helmet. wear a helmet!"
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