Thought it would be cool to do for several years, but never thought I actually would ever ride.  Then I got a new job, and my manager and several co-workers were riders.  All cruiser guys.  I wanted a sportbike, but not a crazy one.  Boss recommended I look into the GS500...bought mine about three months later.

Simple... Dad had one... well he was the first in his/my family to do so... and was the only one to have one... comming to think of it.
I had places to be and people to see... so I rigged it and stole it... that was a few times... and he figured out from mileage... so, He lets me ride it a few times... After that... well it just made sense to me... cars.. too big, heavy, inefficient, expensive and wasteful, bicycle - too slow, painful and not flexible in terms of time - distance... Moped... well OK would have worked... but M'cycle just fit perfect. Came to the US in 92 Feb, bought a bike in 92 March a 87 ninja 600, and never looked back. it went, a 650 nitehawk came and went, a Katana 600, a virago 535 and then the first GS ... the 89 was bike #5. Still around... with 41K miles... Just fits and works right.
Cool.
Srinath.

I always wanted a motorbike since I was 8, a teen fat neighbour had a minimoto which he covered with his huge body. A couple of years later a "best friend" was expecting one of those minimotos as we were making plans to have fun with it but the day he got it simply all my expectations vanished and had to stick with bicycles for a long time. Years later, at 17, got my first job, and after 3 months of commuting on public and crowded and unpredictable transport I said ENOUGH!, and got mom to lend me money for a Carabela Minienduro 125 which owned for 2 years and moved me around to highschool, work and later college, but it was too small so sold it and bought a car, time passed as big bikes passed my cars flowing gracious and effortlessly by, making me wonder about having a big bike until 2001. Then my boss deprived me of my parking place, so it gave me a good reason to finally buy my Y2K golden GS. I only commuted once on the bike, not long later I was fired so had a lot of free time to learn to ride the heavier bike. I've been improving slowly my riding and having fun so much so now my Y2K Honda Civic Si is parked the whole week as I commute, go shopping and everything on the GS. I'm planning to keep the GS for a long time.

Yay!  Three pages!

Isn't it funny how so many people don't ever think they'll ever ride, then, next thing they know, they already have 20000 miles on their first bike?

I was working at a Marathon station when I was 16.  The mechanic there had a motorcycle that I thought was the coolest thing.  

Fast forward 2 years:
I had a 69 VW Baja bug that I was offroading one day.  Coming around a sharp turn I caught a tree with my rear wheel (I was running 31x12's), and bent the rear suspension up.   I didnt really know how to fix it.
I asked that mechanic I used to work with about it, because he always used to tell me stories about his VW he used to have.  
He said, "Well, how bout you trade me that VW + $400 for my motorcycle?"  

Hmm.  An intersting thought.  
So I had him drive his bike to my house a few days later.  
It was a Red 93 GS500e with 7000 miles.  I said ok, we traded titles, and he sent a tow-truck to get the VW.   It cost me in total about $1400.    
I then racked my balls about 5 times in the driveway trying to learn how to work the clutch.    
I practiced for a while in the park across the street, and learned how to go, stop and turn.  Dropped it once or twice.  
I went and got my permit (so I could do it legally), drove and practiced for the next month, breezed through the driving test and got my endorsement.

Fast forward 1 year:
I had a 71 VW Super Beetle I had for sale for $2000.  This kid wanted to buy it, and the dad says to me, "Hey, by any chance would you be interested in a trade?"   "What for?" I ask.    "Well, I have a 95 Suzuki GS500 with about 4500 miles that I dont need anymore since I got my Harley".  
Needless to say, I went over, checked out the bike.  We traded titles, so then I had 2 GS's at once.   :mrgreen:
One Red 93, and one Purple 95.

One for me to ride, and one for my friends.  

I eventually sold them both.  I made $400 on the 93, and $400 on the 95.

And now here I am, driving a SV650, and looking for a GS500 for my Wife to learn on.