I was riding mopeds in france from aged 12. Then I was lent an Ossa Phantom 125 which blew my mind. I just could not leave it alone, rather like when you discover what your todger is for. The next bike up at 16 was a yammy xs750. By this point and age I was torn between riding and sha..ing. And so bikes have always been a massive feature in my life.
my Dad used to take me to the Boxing Day scrambles races at Pirbright every year from about age of 8. When I got to 12 a neighbours friend sold me a bike in bits in a tea crate for £5. I saved up and bought a workshop manual and put it all back together (with help from my Dad). I was hooked right then both on riding and tinkering. That was over 50 years ago and it's never left me since - I just love the sense of freedom and exhilaration I get on nearly every ride even in today's traffic. (ohh and that first bike was a Honda S90)
Lusting after my mate's 250 desmo when I was 17. Managed to save up enough for an FS1EDX as soon as I turned 16 and never looked back. 43 years later and I'm still riding. Hope to continue for a while yet but perhaps I will have to tame down my choice to more sedate offerings as my body continues to age in the coming years. I have always said to myself that when the day comes that I can no longer swing my leg over a sportsbike, that's when I will make the switch to less frenetic models to see out my two wheeled journey through life.
Nice thread I was never into bikes as kids, my dad used to do a bit of racing but once I came along my mum made him sell everything and bikes weren’t really a subject in the house growing up. Remember his mate coming over when I was like 10 and giving me a ride on his litre sports bike and it scared me shitless too. At some point during my teen years I ran out of ideas for Father’s Day gifts and bought him tickets to wsb at brands to see foggy and we were pretty much both hooked. Didn’t start riding legally until 2010 (did loads of tours abroad unlicensed and uninsured lol) when I decided London was no place to work anymore and needed to get to Cambridge cheaply and quickly, so passed my test and bought a Yamaha diversion. Three days later it was stolen and found written off so I bought my first “proper” bike a 675 and the rest as they say is history. As others have said it’s a perfect escape and makes u forget “all the shit stuff “ and I’m still addicted to making stupid and obnoxious noise whenever I go through tunnels so think I’ll be here for a while yet, touch wood. (And of course my love for the racing on the telly box will never dwindle.)
I thought i had a old pic of my xl. And here it is, this brings a flood of great memories back. This is post tidy up and just put on the road....
Always wanted bikes since was a kid, watching Foggy was my love of sports bikes started. Was however told by my mum she would kill us if we got bikes but we used to get some cheap mopeds on the farm tracks in summer holidays ETC as a kid but never anything serious. Once I got old enough, decided to go down the cars route so wasted load of money on fast cars and stuff. Then finally early 30's decided to do my CBT and get a 125 for getting round town. Was almost scared to ring my mum and tell her but she wasnt that bothered! Had the 125 a few months, went to watch my cousin on a track day one sunny August day, before had even pulled out of Snetterton had already decided the Porsche was going - had a transit and R6 track bike by Mid September so then went and got big balls licence. Onwards and upwards from there, multiple R6 road and track bikes moved up to multiple Ducati road and track bikes - no going backwards now!
Honda SS50 at 16 and still going strong. think might have posted this before but one of my fav gifts for my 60th....
My neighbour used to build and race his tt bikes so I spent countless hours, days, weeks sitting at the door of the garage asking stupid questions at all of 10 years old. He’d then rag them up and down the road in the form of a shakedown then load the em up. The smell of castrol one is still not forgotten let alone the look of the bikes. Got my first one at 16 and the rest as they say….
I'm going to see some sidecar scramble in N Essex next week. My mates in touch with an 80 year old who is running his last race - would be rude not to cheer him on on his last outing - what a legend.
Family. Been sat 0n bikes, pillion on bikes, riding bikes since I was a toddler. Been same with cars. First bike of my own about 12. Lost my biking mojo a few years ago, it comes in waves so I keep the ones I’ve got. For me these days it’s about a laugh with your mates
My Grandfather rode motorbikes in Northern France in the First World War. He rode all around treating soldiers for ‘Trench Mouth’. When soldiers living and fighting in battlefield trenches developed severe gum infections linked to poor diet, poor oral hygiene and intense psychological stress. His experience on motorbikes was bred into my father who built his own motorbike in his bedroom (on the 2nd floor) and had two bikes in his garage on his dying day. As a kid I was always amazed when we were out in the car, without even looking he could always name a passing motorbike, just by the sound of the engine. Annoyingly he was always right. He in turn bred motorcycling thoroughly into his six sons. We might as well have been born on them. My mother’s advice to my wife was, ‘Give up now, it’s in his blood. But if you ever get any money spend it quick otherwise it will turn into motorbikes’. We start them young in our family. This is my niece. This is what we got for our Grandson. I should have posted it before. Early rider training. And this is how we teach them about balance and fear.
When I was around 10 or 12, my dad bought a CZ250 from Nottingham Cattle Market auction centre one Saturday, he used to ride bikes in the army, many years before, every opportunity, I used to go pillion with him We used to ho to steam rallies, and other shows, sometimes, we woukd go in the car, and he would go on his bike, I would ride his bike round the showgrounds, such as Cromford Meadows or Peterborough showground I was hooked As I approached 16, I asked my mum if I could have a motorbike, she said "no!!! Because they are dangerous" Not to be put off, I went straight outside, and asked my dad the same question He couldn't say the same as mum, because he had a Suzuki 250 at the time He said yes, and the first bike I bought was a used blue Suzuki ZR50S, which got written off after 5 months, black ice on a bend, that got replaced with another Suzuki, but, thus time, it was a yellow TS50 ER Had that until I was 17, then went to Richardsons Motorcycles in Mansfield, to look at some 125's I fell in love with the Suzuki RG125 Gamma, with full fairings, and I really wanted it, I was heartbroken when my dad said no, and told me that I was having a Yamaha RD125LC, with a custom paint job Sold the RD when I was 19, eventually did my test when I was 30, and bought a Suzuki SV650S 6 months old, with 65 miles on the clock, apparently, when your wife says "do what you fucking want", it does not mean you can go out and buy a motorcycle, his loss/wife, my gain
Oh, and my son was screwed from an early age, he was 2 years old when this pic was taken, on my brand new GSXR1000 K5
Grew up in the country-side of warwickshire & friends we're usually 8+ miles away. Cycling & building legs were fun for so long till I'd got too an age I could use scooter & bikes. Then left biking for twenty-odd years before legally getting back into it.
My father was born prematurely in 1924 when his uncle blew himself up in the garden shed tinkering with his motorcycle; after the 2nd World War my parents worked for the Export Agents for Velocette. I think given this background, and as a Birmingham boy, I was always going to become a motorcycle enthusiast!
This has reinvigorated my riding this year, the Monster 1200R is bloody amazing but can be hard work unless roads are empty. This on the other hand is perfect for zipping in and out of traffic and zooming around the back roads!
