I don't have any pictures, but my first bike was a Yamaha PW80 in red and white. I also realised today that it'll be 30 years this year that I've been riding...
That's a great picture, I have that model of Fs1e , I bought it from a gent in Bristol years ago , a Baja Brown fs1e
Just checked the reg of my old FS1E and and last time the V5 was issued to a new owner was in May last year. It's still alive! LAD 796P, where are you now? Funny how I can remember the reg number of my first bike
Great thread Your post pulled the carpet for me Bumpkin, brave of you to share. I have no pictures either. a Phillips Gadabout with a seized engine followed by a Suzuki 50cc both while still at school. the Suzuki was off the road and a non-runner, and it might have been 50p but could have been a fiver. The kickstart was missing and you couldn't bump start it like a Honda 50 despite having an "automatic" clutch. Bought a kickstart new from the Concessionaires in Poole which was a lot more than the bike. It started first kick being a 2-stroke.
Started on a Suzuki RM80...was roughly 12 years old...seemed a potent thing at the time. Used to rag it through the local woods. (Not my photo)
Nice first wheels, you must have had a great time on that. My best mate, we first met at playgroup at about 4 years old, had an old CZ 175 field bike we used to razz around the local gravel pits, break and then fix in a seemingly never ending cycle. We were maybe early teens at this stage. The son of a local garage owner turned up one day on an RM125 that we each managed to blag a go on. That was a wild experience that somewhat recalibrated our minds. The CZ, that had previously seemed exciting, was immediately transformed into a heavy, underpowered slug... Self and same best mate of some 57 years are off to the Dolomites in June. We tour together every year. Bikes have cemented our friendship.
Soon to have flat bars welded on to the chopper style bars. Motocross style! The under engine exhaust quickly got crushed. Replaced by …copper pipe, bent on a plumbers pipe bender. Oh the smell when hot! End of pipe was flattened with many holes drilled in..and an aluminium plate fashioned on the side, to stop it burning my leg…too much, as it was routed up the side. Pedals were removed and ‘pegs’ somehow forced on to the pedal attachment, so it was not offset…like a ‘real’ motorcycle. Light was removed. It had to be bump started which led to a huge amount of frustration one day with many hours of pushing, but no starting. Turned out the woodruff key had failed. Another was fashioned out of spare ‘bits’. There was probably more done to it that I cant remember, on this “ special “ build. The bike was same colour as above, I was black and blue. From falling off it, jumps, wheelies, all the things it was (not) designed for. I remember flipping it when I fell off the back when going up a steep hill…more grip on bars and throttle to hang on meant the throttle was fully open in 1st, so it unleashed full power ( around 3.5hp would be my guess) and the bike flipped. Leaving me on my back unable to breath for a few seconds. The near death experience was quickly forgotten.. Wheelies were achieved by ringing its neck in 1st or 2nd and hitting small hillocks flat out. All very sensible stuff.
I do like some Nostalga in bikes and I like every thing 2 wheeled ,we chat even my current non biker firends chat about thier old c90 or puch maxi they thrashed around the fields on . Happy days I still have a AR80 also which is part on my Dna growing up with one
My first bike was a Raleigh Runabout. It was cheap and allowed me to get to work 10 miles away and college 20 miles away maintaining my independence. The photos are either similar or actual bikes I've owned.
