Poly's bikes

[Poly]

My first bike was a Simson S51, I was only 16 when we bought it, my dad came with me. I had my saved money, the people who know me good, they know how I hide money like a little mouse, chasing some idea. Call me cheap, call me Scrooge McDuck but I know what I'm doing, realizing my ideas make me much more happier than expensive food, fancy clothing and luxurious life. Back to the bikes, my first dream was for MZ 150, but my dad was not happy at all, the only girl with a bike in our little town, only 16 and "NO WAY FOR THE HUGE MZ150". So I found the Simpson and we when together to buy it - from Triavna - 50 km from Sevlievo. Boooy, she was such a beauty and I was looking at the trailer the whole way back to Sevlievo. Then we unloaded it, my dad and the neighbor helped me to learn the main maintenance stuff and after thousands time "be careful, ride slow, ride only around the block" we left. Full pocket of spark plugs and a full gas tank were enough for a week big fun - the consumption is 2L per 100 km.

Unfortunately after the awesome summer with my beauty I went to study in Veliko Tarnovo University, did not come back to Sevlievo often and of course needed a computer - so guess what, my dad was so happy to get rid of my bike and to give me an "advise" to use my money for my first computer and later we'll buy another bike (yeah, whatever )
So I came back from the university 5 years later and I was still sick for MY OWN bike. I was riding my friends bikes - thank you guys, but it is not the same. Misho Haralanov had a Suzuki 500 - I was riding it with him and he was like "give it more gas, you are doing good". Bullshit, I was so afraid for the bike and for him, so I was riding like "baba", the same withe Zarko's honda and Enev's Yamaha and .... So a friend helped me to look for a bike, I was thinking for Yamaha FZR250, I did not want a bike bigger than 250 and I like Yamaha. All of the bikes we found we so beat up, ugly shape and very expensive for the crap they were, so one day we went at Pleven - Rumen - Kojata has a small bike shop there and he had this beautiful Honda CBR400 Hurricane, perfect shape, all original, came straight from Japan, Still with the original stickers for warnings and quality on her, started with the first button push. But it was Honda and it was 400, now what we are doing, can you be in love with Honda as you are an Yamaha and Vale Rossi fan?!? I will tell you: YES, YOU CAN, I WAS IN LOVE WITH THE LITTLE (BIG BACK THEN) BEAST. Here she is:


If I find the same bike again I will buy it, just to have it in my collection!
The first time I rode her, I was shaking, such a trill - the first real bike and so "BIG", probably I was riding with not more than 60 km. per hour. Then I got use her, I loved riding it, it was easier and easier and of course faster and faster. I remember one ride back from Pleven with my friends, I was doing 180 km/h, they were amazed, when I stopped my side cover felt down. I had a broken clip on it, fixed it and on the road again. This was the only thing that ever broke on her. I thought that this will be my bike for my life. After 2 years she got small and I was looking for an Yamaha R6.
And yes, I sold the Hurricane and bought Yamaha R6 from Blagoevgrad. And again when we went to buy I was afraid to ride her back - 300 km in the rain, so a friend rode it back to Sevlievo and I started to ride it slow and careful.
She was fast, much faster and so much fun. Well, I got my first speedy ticket with her in town Rila, 100 leva, hurt so bad!

[Poly]

2007 February I went to USA and Doug got me a bike to ride there. Yamaha YZF1000 - Thunderace. It was fun and very good looking, but for my experience was too big. I rode it at my first visit at Daytona Bike Week 2007.



Then we exchange it at Barbors vintage swapmeet and show for a Suziki SV650 - 2003. This is my class bike, smaller, comfortable and gorgeous, I'm still having it in Alabama, but as the weather lately was so f... bad I could not enjoy her much.
At Daytona Bike Week 2008

The next bike I would like to show is "MY ?!?" Harley Davidson MT500 - 2000. MY? How my, mine or not, I love to ride it and the story getting her is funny.
So, we were at the auction in Deland - 2008 March, the same scenario, Daytona bike week and then the auction. Doug goes like crazy looking for treasures like usual, me running after him, trying to keep up and to figure what are the bikes we are looking at - there so many cool bike there that I haven't even heard about. So we spot this ugly enduro - style 80s-early 90s, me eyeballing it trying to find a decal or something to tell me what the hell is this machine. Doug explained that this is a military Harley, with Rotax engine, used in English and Australia and I'm not sure where else, but not in the US. So we look at it, and he concludes "it's sooo cool, I've gotta have it" and I was like oh, sh.., it cost, money and it is ugly, so I told him my opinion and he did not tell me anything. They started the auction and I set up on the benches as I'm not buying anything and in the moment I'm watching him bidding on the damn thing and even won. As I was far sent him the worst face I could come up with and he just laugh at me, pissed me off even more. We brought her to the camp ground and on the next morning I decided to try her - just to the showers and around, I came back with the biggest smile - I loved how it rides, since then I declared that this is my bike and I ride her every time I can since then. I rode it at Daytona bike week 2008, was so happy with her, the people around me were shocked - an enduro Harley, some were wondering why I have a Harley sticker on a KLR , but most of it she was so easy to ride in the crowds and the hot weather.

At Daytona Bike Week 2009:

[NSU Goran]

Hi Poly, great bikes. That Simson was made by IFA just like the MZ, most affordable bike at the Balkans. I had Voshod 3M, was interesting and short experience. Few years later bought NSU Maxi, still have it and my beloved Kawasaki Vulcan 500. С най-добри пожелания

[Poly]

Oh, thanks Goran, but I'm still not at the end, later I decided that I want to ride offroad also, so we bought my first little enduro - Yamaha TTR125 - 2003.
I had it for a very short period cuz it got small for me very fast and I had to switch on something normal size for me.
Here as we bought it, it was like new:


And for Christmas the same year I was surprised (shocked in the good way) from one of my presents - Yamaha TTR230 - 2006 - looked like brand new, beautiful bike:

No telling what are the fillings here...
.... and it came THE DAY to ride it for first time:








NO COMMENT! Don't even ask and don't try it with your favorite bikes. The bikes are not good for submarines!
2008 We brought some dirt bikes to Bulgaria, we have many very good places for offroad, so I ended up with Honda XR250 - 2004, I'm still having it, very good bike, I look forward to ride it next summer again.

[peterawolf]

Poly,

Great stories! I really enjoyed reading about your passion for motorcycles. I grew up riding dirt bikes (all bought w/ my own hard earned lawn mowing & snow shoveling money) because my parents hated motorcycles. My first "motorbike" was a little Arctic Cat mini-bike bought used w/o a motor for $20 from a friend when I was about 10 years old. Then I bought a used 3hp Briggs & Stratton engine from a local lawnmower shop for another $30. For a total of $50 I had my first motorbike and was the envy of all the neighborhood guys! I later sold it for $75 to use as a down payment on a 1978 Honda CR 125 Elsinore w/ a bad rear wheel and broken clutch cable for $200. A little more wrench turning and I had my first REAL dirt-bike! I was also starting to develop a passion for working on bikes and building my collection of tools as well.

God bless,

Peter