Tbh everything changed for me one Sunday afternoon when I was on the back road to a place called Tranwell which was a disused airfield north of Newcastle. I was scratching my way up there on the SS when a couple of those pesky RD350lc’s came past and I couldn’t keep up. The SS was gone within a fortnight and a brand spanking RD was in its place ( £ 950 in a box from Hamilton’s ). Ridden to work, raced crashed seized taken abroad on holiday. The perfect bike ! I’ve had one ever since.
I mustn’t forget the puch maxi that was in the local hospital car park! It wasn’t mine obviously but I used to bunk off school quite a lot and pinch it! Very naughty I know but I never went far and I always put it back! Well I didn’t have a choice as the steering lock was on so I just rode round in circles until I’d ran out of fuel! Problem was it would gradually work it’s way towards the wall so every ten minutes or so I had to drag it back in to the middle and I was away again! I always left my dinner money on the seat! Can’t believe I didn’t get caught!! I was eleven! I pinched my big brothers lambretta sx 200 too when I was 9 and rode all over town at about 3am! Ahh halcyon days indeed!
My first 5 legal motorcycle 1 malaguti 50 superquatro started riding at 16 in 1979 2 yamaha dt175mx brought brand new only a few days after my 17 birthday I passed my test 3 Moto morini 3 1/2 sport again brought brand new I lusted after a 350 LC but my dad wouldn't sign th HP papers would still love to own a LC but never have 4 honda 400/4 5 Yamaha dt250 mx brought this to comute on I'm now 56 have never not been without a motorcycle and to date have owned 29 bikes and still loving it
I have a lady Dax. It was actually one of my first five obtained about the time of 250 Kwak.still got it. I refurbed it a couple of years ago. I posted picture of it in the non ducati classics thread.i kept the original seat on it even though it's almost shot
First bike was a 197 Villiers engined Norman, no rear suspension, I think the bike was made in the 50's. Bought it for three pounds tens shillings when I was 13
KMX 125 FZR 600 20 year gap (all that settling down rubbish ) mid life crisis GSXR 600 Street triple R Ducati 959
1976 Honda CB125 1978 Yamaha RD250E bit of a break for wife,kids,mortgage etc 2012 Ducati Multistrada 1200S and Suzuki GSXR 750 K3 at same time 2017 Yamaha MT09 SP 2019 Harley Davidson Softail Fat Bob. Still got the GSXR for those times I feel the need for speed and am thinking of adding an air cooled Ducati of some sort to top things off..
Yes, I bought it brand new on the drip XBR136V took a morning off work to pick it up then the bloody thing wouldn’t start that evening when the shift finished.
I remember crossing the Wear on the A19 and one went the other way, I could hear the exhausts above my 250. There were so few sold, it was probably you I bought my bevel new from TT motorcycles in 1980, what a bunch of cowboys.
Yes it could have been one of the rare occasions when it actually started and I got to ride it ! They came and went very quickly but must have been good at BS as they had the Laverda and Ducati franchise. I remember that they were supposed to sort the insurance for the Laverda and I never got a cover note when I picked it up and months later had to produce my documents so called into the shop to get one. He just got a book of cover notes out and asked me what date I wanted writing on it. Looking back I guess I wasn’t insured for it and they clicked the premium I’d paid.
I took my brothers KH 400 out with my fat cousin on the back and pulled the biggest wheelie, scared the living bejesus out of us, a lesson learned that day.
1 Hybrid Indian Brave frame with a villiers 250cc twin engine. 2 Triumph Tiger Cub 200cc 3 Bsa B40 350cc 4 Triton 650cc 5 D.O.T. 250cc
First was a cellar find 1963 NSU quickly Followed by; Honda 100n Yamaha rd 200 Honda 400/4 Moto Guzzi v500 Then came Ducati
