Bierkan's Bike Biography

I was born a poor black child.

er...wait...wrong story.

I was first exposed to motorcycles back as a kid. Like many of us gen x'ers, my dad used to drive around on his bike with me perched up on the gas tank. Hell, we thought it was safe back then! My folks had a number of different motorcycles over the years. However, it wasn't until I was in the Air Force that I got my first bike, an 87 Honda Rebel.

Well, that isn't completely true.

I did have a 85 Honda Elite 80 scooter right after high school. Yes, it was legally a motorcycle, but, hey, it was a scooter!! I will say that it was incredibly easy getting a motorcycle license riding a scooter. The riding test was a breeze! Nuff said.

Back to the Rebel. I loved that bike. Every change I could, I rode. While still Active, I rode just about all over the coast of Mississippi. This was back before all the casinos and it was actually somewhat safe to travel along the Gulf Coast Highway. Now cagers are too distracted by the neon. After I got back to Iowa, I rode that bike everywhere: to school at Iowa State University, to work, to Guard, even on short trips. I never tried any long trips on it - it was too small for my height. I ended up selling the bike to pay for a new motor in my then-wife's car.

I should've got rid of the wife!

(I did, eventually)

Then, in 97, I borrowed a Yami 600 for the summer. Boy, the riding bug was back, and BAD! That fall, I bought a used 85 CB750 Custom. She'd been ridden hard and wrecked a time or two, but she was reliable two-wheeled transportation.

In 99, I traded her in on my current ride, Ghost. Ghost is a 96 Kawasaki Vulcan 1500 Classic. Here's a picture from 2001, back when she was mostly stock. I'd already removed most of the intake path and built a Coyote intake, welded the tabs for the Nomad engine guard, and installed V&H Straightshot pipes.

Since then I've done much more to her. I've definately made the bike "mine" over the years with the modifications, attempted mods, and such. More on that in a later post.

After buying Ghost (btw, she's named Ghost because I thought a white over grey paint job would be hard to see on the highway - I now know it's the opposite), I found the Vulcan Riders and Owners Club (VROC). VROC is an internet based club of Vulcan enthusiasts. I'm member number 2023. Now we're approaching 20,000. VROC has been an invaluable source of knowledge on maintaining and modifying the Vulcan.

Before getting Ghost, I would not have dreamt about riding across the country. Now, I think little about a trip to Texas or Colorado. Here are the states I've visited on my bikes:

In my next post, I'll detail a modification I'm currently doing.

Ride Safe - Bierkan

create your own personalized map of the USA
or check out ourCalifornia travel guide