YZEtc

Good times:

Riding my smuggled-into-the-country 1990 Yamaha DT-200RA from Connecticut to Mount Washington (a decent haul).
I rode with guys on a CB-900F and CB-700SC Nighthawk S, and at least one of them was skeptical as to the ability of the 200cc bike surviving such a trip without either exploding en route from the constant revs out on the Interstate or at the very least being completely worn out upon returning and requiring an engine overhaul.
The bike was geared up as tall as I could make it (as large a front sprocket that would fit and about three teeth down on the back sprocket) and fitted with road-biased dual-purpose tires (and the wheels were ballanced), but otherwise stock.
Top speed according to my speedo was between 95 and 100mph, and we kept this pace for hours.
One of the guys was all giggly at the DT's ability to run that speed for hours, while my buddy that was skeptical kept waiting for the explosion that never came.
Fun trip, all-in-all.

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Buying my first "real" sportbike:
1994 Yamaha YZF-750RF.
Brand new, and they were pricey for a 1994 750.
Awesome machine, killer suspension (meaning good), fine handling and feel.
Had a lot of fun on it.

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Being right in the middle of the big hoopla when the 1998 YZF-R1 was released in the spring of 1998.
I was the first to get one from the local Yamaha dealer (where I also worked) and this bike delivered on all the hype, the fact that it was a very good-looking machine was an added bonus.
Everybody wanted the blue one (which I bought, too), and it seemed the only guys who wanted the white/red were guys who had to either take that or nothing.
The thing that made this exciting was that there was a feeding frenzy about being able to get one before they were all sold, and I was accused of "buying the bike out" from another guy.
The scene was interesting, yet still a good memory.

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The latest good thing is the purchase of my SV-650K7.
Although I learned this many years ago, it reminded me that the amount of maximum power isn't everything and the way it is delivered (and even sounds) and the way the bike feels while you toss it around accounts for so much.
I love it when some kid not even half my age (and fresh out of his basic rider's course, carrying his GSX-R-matching HJC under his arm but getting beads of sweat in it from his tank top exposing his underarm area while thumbing his cell phone for the latest text message) asks why I "went down" in engine size from the YZF-R1s and FZ-1s (perhaps assuming I must have run into financial difficulty and that was all I could afford).
Actually taking the time to explain how I feel about it results in a confused look on their faces, especially when they're told the bike makes 70hp max. at the rear wheel and isn't the best choice for wheelies.
To me, this is comical.