By John Bettencourt

I have been riding motorcycles since I was 13.

I think my story actually started on a pedal bike. I loved the feeling of riding it from the age of 8. That feeling was what pushed me to the next level.

When I was 13, my parents finally agreed to buy me and my brothers a Honda ST90. I wanted an XL125, but was happy with the 90. Better than nothing, I figured.

I rode that bike for two years, and the love for riding just kept growing.

Then my older brother bought a Yamaha CZ250cc dirt bike. Wow! Massive power! I rode it every time he let me. My parents did not approve of the bike, but what could they do after he brought it home? He unloaded it and took it for a ride. He pulled out onto the street, right in front of a California Highway Patrol officer and got a ticket.

Fast forward and a couple of years of saving, and I was able to buy a Honda CB360 street bike. Loved it and rode it all through college. But I wanted more power.

My dream bike at the time was a Honda CB750, and I was able to make that dream come true working weekends and summers in 1979. This bike took me to a new level, touring. I rode the wheels off it.

I graduated from college and started working in 1982. I was at a shop, getting a new tire for my 750, and saw a Suzuki GS 1100 E.

Man, I fell in love with that bike: fast, aluminum swing arm and a new thing, light-emitting diodes, later known as LEDs. I couldn’t believe it, but I was trading my beloved 750 for a Suzuki.

That bike did not disappoint. It was fast. It handled. And it was beautiful. That bike was king of the road and got tons of looks and compliments everywhere I went.

Then my riding life took a sad turn.

I was starting a farming company and needed money. All of my riding buddies had sold their bikes. So, as much as it hurt—and it did hurt—I traded my speed demon on a pickup truck for my business.

I was 29 at the time. I was sick about it, but excited about my new company.

After about five years, I saw a Honda XL250 for sale in front of an apartment building for $650. I flipped a U-turn and bought it on the spot.

It was not my dream bike, but it satisfied the need to ride.

After another six years, money got tight again, and I traded it to a cotton-picker mechanic for some repair work. A year later, I got married and had a kid right off the bat, so riding kind of drifted to the back of my mind.

I never forgot about it. Every time I saw someone riding, I would think about all the fun and good times. I had no regrets about anything. I raised my daughter and kept moving forward.

Then some of my old buddies started to get bikes again—Harleys. I was envious, but not ready.

Then, one day, I said, “Heck with it,” and went to the Harley shop and bought an FLHX.

Twenty-three years had gone by since I and ridden a motorcycle. The day I picked it up, I thought, “Do I even remember how to ride?” This thing was a lot heavier than the bikes I was used to.

I took it down a side street near the dealer, and I couldn’t believe it. It was as if I never quit.

I hit the road for the 30-mile ride home, and I was in heaven. That was 11 years ago. That bike got me back in the game at 50 years old.

I took on many long trips and did a ton of customizing. Then, in 2018, I decided to get a new Harley-Davidson FLHX CVO model. I couldn’t ask for more. This bike is great.

That is my motorcycle story, and I hope it continues until the day I die.

John Bettencourt is an AMA member from Kingsburg, Calif.