My passion is motorcycling. It started when I was 13, and a new neighbor moved in next door who was 1 year older than me, and he had a Honda CT70; I wanted a Honda CT70. After enough begging, my father gave in and bought me one. Terry and I were best buds who rode after school and on weekends, riding dirt paths all over the newly expanding southern end of San Jose. After several years, we both graduated to Honda XL250s and expanded our travels to greater distances at faster speeds. This was the start of a long relationship with motorcycling, motorcycle road racing, motorsports, and having motorcycling as a central part of my life.
I got my official 1st Street bike after I graduated college and was living on my own. It was a new Honda CB750, a sport bike. I then graduated to a Suzuki GS1100 and then to a Yamaha FZR1000. My love for the sport grew deeper and stronger.
Several years later, I met my soon-to-be wife, who asked me to dance in a local nightclub. We discovered we had a mutual love for road racing, motorcycles, all things motorsports-related, and general risk-taking; we were married three months later and have been married for 36 years.
The lust for speed, curves, and challenging myself led me to start road racing at Sears Point Raceway. My wife encouraged me to do it because when she said, "You don't want to be old and gray and say I shoulda woulda coulda." So I bought a Yamaha FZ400, and with her full backing, we went motorcycle road racing for approximately one year. She went to every race and supported me as my pit Bunny. I never won a race or even came close to competing against youngsters, but that wasn't the point.
Over the next 20 years, through my 30s and 40s, I owned 10 different motorcycles and started my extensive collection of tools to maintain them in top condition. Besides enjoying them as a great way to commute and take local pleasure rides, I continued to sharpen my skills by enjoying multiple track days at Sonoma, Willow Springs, Thunderhill, and Laguna Seca raceways.
When I turned 45, I finally hung up my road leathers for good and bought myself a new sport-turing motorcycle, a Yamaha FJR1300. My old arthritic bones needed a more comfortable ride designed for long-range touring and built for two-up riding, and this bike provided these capabilities in spades.
My wife and I have taken many vacation trips throughout California and explored all over Oregon and up into Washington, often logging up to 450 miles in a day. As often as we could, we've also enjoyed many weekend rides all over the San Francisco Bay Area as well.
But right when I thought I had everything together and was in the prime of life, tinnitus struck me down and completely remodeled my life. I retired early and completely quit riding motorcycles.
My Yamaha FJR1300 motorcycle has been parked in my garage and I haven't ridden or started it for 7 years. Looking at my pride and joy rotting away in my garage has finally sparked me to take action - driving into my toolbox and rediscovering my mechanic abilities, I've started wrenching on it to get it running again. It's a big job with multiple bike systems needing maintenance and troubleshooting, but I've rediscovered my passion. I'm determined to get it running again to take on a spin or two.
Rediscovered my love for motorcycling has also spurred me to take action on the detritus of my life. I'm slowly organizing everything we've built up in our home over the past 35 years; selling or donating stuff that's accumulated in the house and garage that we no longer need or use.
Rather than being a hermit who once sat inside and watched TV or surfed the internet all day, I'm now changed into a man of action that looks forward to each new day - tinnitus be damned! You can rage inside my head all you want but stay out of my way. I have many things to do and am enjoying life once again.
All thanks to my love of motorcycling.
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