1976 Honda Z-50A

This was more properly my son's bike, his first ever. His uncle, a carpenter, gave some fellow permission to chuck "a few things" into the construction-site dumpster. One of those things was the little Z-50! That was in '84, and by the next summer, at age 6, Bobby was riding the bike like an ace. All that was wrong with it was closed-up ignition points! I didn't even replace them, just gave 'em a quick dressing with a file. Indeed, aside from a new chain and sprockets early on, and a valve and ring job in the early '90's, I never put a dime in the bike. Excluding gas and oil, I probably had $100 in the bike, max. Not bad for 12 years of riding!

He rode the bike for many years, and it was eventually passed on to Dana, becoming her first bike as well. I finally sold it in '96, and Dana was more than a little upset; though she was riding 250's by that time, the Z-50 was still her favorite bike!