Greetings KXRiders,
Wanted to drop by and introduce myself. As of this weekend I picked up a very nice 2008 KX-450 from a good friend of mine. Cool story actually... My 11 year old son decided he wanted a dirt bike. His best friend has a Tao 110 Semi Auto and was talking about it the last time they were together.
Well, naturally he started asking me questions about riding and Dirt Bikes and if he could have one. It has been 16 years since I was on a Dirt Bike. Previous Job I had allowed me to ride a KDX-220. When I left that job I never rode dirt again. Have always rode though. GSX-R 600 and 1000, Adventure Touring, and now Harley Ultra. The idea of riding dirt has never left me though. Just never found a reason... Till the other day when my son began showing interest.
Wasn't long till I located what I thought would be a good place to start for him. He actually used part of his own money to get it! We drove an hour away and picked up a brand new SSR 125 4 speed manual. I had a good long talk about the Semi Auto's and he was determined to learn how to use a clutch. He's actually pretty darn good at it for never being on a bike before. Picked it up real quick.
Seeing my boy on his first Dirt Bike brought back the memories I had riding. I was then determined to find and buy a bike for myself. My good friend, which happens to be the Dad of my kids best friend... happen to have this 2008 KX just sitting in his garage. Picked it up cheap from a friend of his who had no time to ride. Had 23 hours on it! No real attachment, just thought it was a good deal at the time. While shopping for bikes I called and asked him few questions. During that call he offered to have me take the Kawi home and ride it to see if I liked it and if I could physically take the abuse. I've had back surgery and two major knee surgeries. So it was up in the air if I could? So I took him up on his generous offer and picked it up last Saturday.
The past 2 days I've given it a go and wow I missed this! This 450 is a monster too! Words cant describe the ear to ear smiles both my son and I have had this weekend. So glad he showed an interest because this may have passed me by!
The best part of all this... my buddy let me have the bike! That's right, gifted. I offered to buy it and he flat out refused. Said he has no attachment to it and know his buddy and son are having a blast was worth it to him. He has a 97 Yamaha 400 that its pride and joy. I wont bring up the Yamaha again since this is a KX forum but its pretty sweet too.
Anyway, sorry to make that so long winded. I am super excited to be back on a Kawi and even more thrilled to get my son involved.
I have added a few shots of the 450 and the SSR 125
Thanks for hearing my story!
