How did you start

[Sirreal]

How did you start your motorcycling history, what got you into bikes, what was your first bike, and what did you hit with it:)

I started when i found a burnt out Triumph T120 in a culvert under the A40 near Northolt Aerodrome. I was 15. It took me 3 months to rebuild, begging parts of mates where i couldnt bodge. Why did i do it? I loved twowheelers, avid cyclist n'all that, just for the sense of freedom and control that having my own transport gave me. BY that time (mid 70's) london was full enough that a bicycle was faster than a car, and cages had never really appealed anyway. I first rode the bike on fields, so i could see what it felt like to fall off, and what the bike felt like when it was about to spit the dummy (me ;)). Being highly illegal, running on the road was always nerve racking, as vibes made the mirrors useless, they were so bad that when i looked behind me my head fell off :) so i sold it to a mate and moved on.

:sirreal:

[RHM]

I was always into pushbikes as a kid. My Dad had had a Matchless 350 (http://www.byronbaymotorcycles.com/matchless/m350_1951.jpg) when he was younger too, before we came along.

My older sister hung around with the local Hells Angels so it was pretty much a given I'd get into bikes.

But my old chap buying me a secondhand Honda SS50 (http://www.mopedarmy.com/img/gallery/ss.jpg) in the slower green colour started me off. I then bought myself a new CB250N on HP whilst I was still at school from my part-time earnings, moving up to the CX500 when I was eighteen and in the sixth form.

I've been in debt due to bikes ever since... :\

[MuzzyRex]

Started off with an Suzuki AP50 1976, the passed my test on a KE125.
This was followed by an RD250 and an RD350LC, then a Kwak SR650 and a Z1000J.
The thou J turned into a Harris Magnum 2.

And the rest is history as they say.
I currently have the Rex and a Gpz750 Turbo as well as a 250 and 350LC.

[yasimitysam]

First ride on the back of a CB250 dream aged 11 that was the start of it .:ysam:

[CR]

I wanted a bike ever since i remember, but a ride on the back of a GPZ600R i think i was 14, really made me dream of it night and day, my dad wouldn't never let me have a bike, so when i got one at 19, i wanted it so much i would steal one if i couldn't buy. That was also the end of my relationship with cars.

[ZRX Gremlin]

Similar story here. My biking career started as being a pillion.

A schoolmates older brother had a Kwak Z1 900 (forget which model) which at the time was THE bike to own and took me for a blast on it.

Scared me shitless at the time and I still hate riding pillion now. I got to grips with riding a bike from the front end a couple of years later on a Bridgestone 250 around a friends farmland. Got the bug there and then and soon begged, borrowed and stole to get my own bike.

Up until then I'd been a keen cyclist but the idea of just sitting there twisting a throttle for forward momentum had obvious appeal. :bike:

[sluglie]

one of the first things i cvan remember is sitting on the back of my grandfathers matchless when i was about 4 (my dad wouldnt let me near his arial or lc350) got my first bike at 7 (my older brothers pewe50, cause he moved to an 80) and the rest is history.

never own a car or even a car licence, no wife, no kids, no worries, and my gf has her own bike (gpx250) well, she is only 21

[jobeprobe]

Well i'd be about 11 or 12 when i saw my older brother hiding his mags

ooops !!!

misread the question :headbang:

Rob

[Clunk]

As a kid I always out on my push bike. Most of my mates were a year older than me so they started on DT50 MX and Suzuki X-1 while I was still peddling about.
Once I turned 16 I got an immaculate 7 year old FS1E-DX, it was completely standard and even had working pedals. So while my mates were strugling to break 35mph I was able to hit 45mph :lol:

I didn't hit much with it except a wall, closely follewed by the road, when I rode off with the steering lock on.

Next was a KH100EL, I hit a lot of things with that mainly due to the front drum brake, which didn't.

Now, 22 years on I've just bought my :zrx: and I'm lovin' it :cool:

[Sog]

dragged round race tracks,dealers,breakers,mates houses by my ol man all my childhood,camping at gp,s rallies etc from 5yr old he was passionate bowt em as am i,feild bikes,fizzy,x7 etc the list is endless im now 40 and have never been away from em dont think i ever will be ,god willing

[kcearl]

i was a mod, i hated bikers, i had a vespa..

i am a biker, i hate mods, i have a kawasaki..


always a little indecisive ;)


:kcearl:

[Whitey]

Does this mean one day you will hate beer?

:hmm:

[kcearl]

oh the furkin cheeck.. who do i report this post to? :oldgit:

i wil always love beer... until my wife tells me i dont (which might be quite soon after friday night.. ho hum)


:kcearl:

[BenjZRX]

I remember as a young kid, 10 maybe saying to my dad why are motorbikes faster than cars? his reply they arn't. me: so why do they keep overtaking us.

Thats proberbly my first interest

A few field bikes owned between mates, like a CCM 350 dirt bike and a Honda 125 twin, amongst uther total wreks.

But lived a dream in my teanage years till the day I got a bike on the road, it was a Yamaha FS1E DX and I loved it, even though Fantic GT's and Suzuki AP50's were faster, but only on the straights :rocket:

[ZRXDANI]

Hello guys happy to see that we moved to this modern-looking site even though I had just managed to put pictures into my signature and I haven't on this one... :nope:

Ok I used to go on my dad's bike (a 400 Kawasaki from the 70's) and I was so little that he had to put me on the tank (my mum being on the back seat) where I would even fall asleep so that sometimes he would catch me from sliding down when he would go knee-down... :oops:

Now how's that for a start?!?! :stir:

Cheers Ev'ryone!!!

[Nidge B]

Legally...16 years and 1 day old on a Fantic caballero. Before that abused anything that had a motor round fields, Puch Maxi's/C90's/various scooters come to mind :laugh:

http://www.fanticmotor.it/images/vostre-moto/10-Caballero_SX_77.jpg

[AJ rbrc]

Age 6, yes 6, started MotoX. Factory Yam rider by the age of 11. On the road at 16 with a FS1E. First chop (T120 Bonnie) at 17. Built my 1st streetfighter at 21 (Z1 based).

Then several other bikes, CB750, XS 650 and 750, XJ750 all chopped then 3 years ago the ZRX

[Johnie72]

A mate of me brothers from college took me on the back of his RD 350LC when I was 14. That was it, from that day on I promised myself a big Kwak. BAck then though my dreams were of a Z1000. Still wanna get one one day, maybe a resto project for the future.

[chevy]

First bike white and red AR 50 with belly pan and handlebar fairing. Almost a mini ZRX really

[TI GG RRRRRRRRRR]

my dad was a Hells Angel (Derbyshire Chapter) all his mates used to come round to our place.. My first pillion was on a 650 bonny chop with a leopard skin seat and exhausts up the cissy rail... no helmet... i was 4 years old

[trfcpaddockboy]

I was into the Rock scene so of course took an interest in bikes as well. The real clincher was the fact that my parents hated bikes so that made me more determined to get one.

Went out and bought a GP100 and the night before I picked it up suddenly realised I didn't have a clue on how to ride it. 15 minute lesson on my mates 125 wet dream in Southport station's car park and I was then fully qualified to pick it up. Of course it lashed it down every day for the first 2 weeks of owning it, but didn't stop me loving every minute of it.

[LadyZRX]

The house I grew up in was at the back of Leicester speedway stadium so I think thats what set me off. Got a bike at 18, cb125, right heap, cost me £80. Rode ever since. :bike:
:ladyzrx:

[David W]

My Grandad had bikes, and so did my Dad. I've got photos of my Mum pregnant with me at Mallory Park in 1970 so I imagine the smell of two-stroke oil probably got to me in the womb :D: .

First bike of my own was a Yamaha YZ80 schoolboy motox'er when I was 7.

[Craig]

My Grandfather was a motorcycle outrider in the army during the war.

We were to poor to own a car in the early seventies so my dad had a bike to go to work on a C90 then graduated to a Cossack vokshod 175 now you don't see many of them around. He used to take us up the club to watch him play darts on a Friday night and if it rained we had a special plastic bag with a hole cut in the top for you head to pop thru. I used to love seening the shadow we cast at night.

I do remember being ill and my dad taking me to the doctors on the back of the bike.

He got rid of the Cossack when the law changed and bought a 1976 FS1E DX (purple) when I was 16 in 1986 he gave me that and took his test then bought an X5. My elder brother had a AP 50 which he fitted an A100 lump in.

I kept the fizz in the till I was 23 then gave it away. (if only i knew then what I know now) I bought an rxs100 while the fizz lived in the shed and got rid of that during 1993. Took my direct access on valentines day 2002 came home from cradley Kawasaki a couple of weeks later with the :zrx:

[tog]

I'm glad to see someone else appreciates the subtle qualities of the SS50 !! I loved those bikes and ended up owning three of them (two scrappers to keep the other on the road). It's funny the sentimentality you have for that first bike. I've even recently considered buying another one and having it shipped all the way over to Canada where I now live. Luckily my wife was sane enough to point out how stupid I was being

[bob]

My father and older brother both rode bikes (H*nda men, the both of them). I remember standing in a bike shop, the zxr750 had just come out. I swore a sacred oath I would once own a big powerfull GREEN Kawasaki. And now I do! I'm so happy :win:

[Strappy]

Always been interested in bikes when I was a lad, then an instructor moved in two doors down from us so that was it, I had to learn to ride then! Couldn't afford to run a bike and a car and always needed a car for work so passed my tests on a rented bike, some Suzuki 100cc four-stroke thing. All I remember about it is that it was blue and didn't go above 45mph.

Kept thinking about bikes over the years but could never justify the expense (if only I'd known then what I know now...) and finally got around to getting one a couple of years ago. Did the CBT as a refresher, went out to buy a sensible 600cc and came home with an XJR1300!

[Crazy Carl]

Both of my parents rode when I was little. First ride was on my dad's BSA 650 Lightning when I was only 18 mos. old. Mom rode a Yam 350 & dad a Yam 650 for a while, then the old man got into Harleys. Spent most of the '70s/early '80s on the back of dad's '74 Harley- stroked to 86 ci, raked 10* & with a 10" over girder fork.

Grandparents bought a Honda ATV 90 for all us grandkids- no suspension, balloon tire, pull start, etc. Great fun & had a friend w/a Honda Mini Trail 70 & we'd switch back & forth. Got a used Yam DT125 when I was 12 & it's a wonder I didn't die on that bike as hard as I thrashed it- hill climbing, jumps, racing friends on gravel roads, etc. Tried to test for my license at 16, but something was always wrong with the old man's Harley & the examiner would never let me test on it. Going to borrow dad's friend's KZ 650 for test, but as he took it around the block to warm it up, he dumped it in some sand & scraped himself up pretty badly. When he pushed the bike to the house, he's p**sed off & asks if I want 'this damn thing'. Said sure, but that I only had $400 to my name. By this time, his wife's there & between her freaking out & him being p**sed, they decided $400 was a great price. One new handlebar & a turn signal later & I was burning up the roads.

[Tennis]

Both parents had bikes in the fifty's dad had a shaft drive sunbeam, mum a 650 thunderbird, suppose it was a mid life crisis/ post divorce that made me do my test, the instructor had an "s"

:tennis:

[zrxtrucker]

Twas summer of 73, my mate (and now my boss) wanted someone to travel from Plymouth to Portsmouth with him. He had a Yamaha YAS3 125. Took us forever, even though we both weighed about half what we do now. He was meeting a young lady. I got to meet her mate. We needed to do the journey every weekend so it was decided that I should also purchase a bike, the Yam YAS1 125 cost me 125 squid. About three weeks after that I had worked out I was enjoying the motorcycle ride more than the sh*g. :taff: 32 years later and I.m still riding. Couple of months later we sold bikes due to deploying out to the states for 6 months and he has never rode one since.

[WilfMoralee]

Wel my first bike was no too many years ago - 2 to be precise. Nobody in families into bikes but I always have been, just finally stiopped putting it off and did my test.

I ended up with a Jailing XL125 (I think that's right), then switched to a Honda CG125 before finally getting something decent - my Rex400.

Good news is my dad's currently booked in to do his test and my brother's going to as soon as he can afford it. :thumb:

[tim brad]

I started as a baby brought home from merternity warb in my dads double adult busmar then stight of to be shown of at the WMC peraps thats wy I still have three BSA,s a ZRX and drink too much bear.

[OZZIE]

My older brother and all his mates were into bikes. I was about 13 when he took me to a patch club. I started learning on other peoples bikes sometimes with their permission, sometimes without. Cut my teeth on dirt bikes in paddocks and illegal on streets around Brisbane. Was hooked before I knew how to ride (crash history suggests I still dont know how). Never got a licence till I was in my twenties (1982). Swapped a carton of prime cuts from the meatworks for my first licence with the local cop. He never booked me either. Grown up alot now however. I'd say I got the rush only a bike can give early and have never lost it... :D:

[ivan77]

id never even riden a moped when i booked my das course!!! just fancied having a go!! i told my partner that i wasnt interested in buying a bike,i passed and went straight out and bought a zx6rg1 for £4000,she wasnt impressed :mad: but at the time i couldnt give a toss!!! all i wanted to do is ride my bike!!

[SCVZRX]

When I was 12 yrs old on a IT175 in the desert. Did that until I got my permit at 15 and been on the road ever since. :bike:

[screemin187]

Got nicked by the police speeding in a 30, riding 3 up with no lids on the footpath on the Ballymoney Road

Parents not amused. Dad lifted the bike from the side of the house put in in a trailer, hooked it on to his brand new 1 day old vauxhall astra belmont (remember those) and in a fit of rage reversed, kinked the trailer, cracked his nice colour coded bumpers. My fault of course :laugh:

[ray robo]

Must have beeen in me all the time but i never knew, never even noticed bikes untill a friend of mine pulled up out side school, (just after home time) on an imaculate green Honda SS50 "1977 i was 16 god am i that old" it'll do over 55mph down hill he boasted. never mind sixteen year old girls, I fell in love there and then hook line and sinker, problem was no cash, had to wait another year till I left school and got a job and within three weeks was begging dad to sign hp agreement (still under 18) bought suzi GT185 ram air, old type with tear drop tank ooh!! first sex, never looked back.

[bikesnoopy]

My dad and my 4 older brothers all had motorbikes(and my older sister)so it was obvious that i was gonna have one.My dad got me a 1959 98cc Royal Enfield with a Villers engine in at 4 years old.Learnt to ride that round & round the garden and ive never been without a bike since for the last 43 years...hence im fast approaching owning my 100th motorbike. I think the 1100R i just sold was no95,the H***a Blackbird ive got is no96,which makes the "winter project" 1200R no97...phew...and i can honestly say,ive enjoyed them all(except when theyve broken down,or run out of petrol,or ive crashed them or or or.....) :laugh:

[tog]

.......and drink too much bear.
I find the fur irritates the back of my throat.:mut:

[diesel]

Im the only bike lover in my family too. Never owned a bike until last March when I did my DAS and bought a nice shiny '91 Zephyr 750 which I thought was quite good for my first EVER bike (never even sat on one before this). Got sick of it in June '04 and bought a ZZR600 - wasnt impressed with it so I sold it in March this year for a CBR600 - hated that horrible machine so I decided to spoil myself and get a ZRX1200R last month and absolutely love it! Bikes will be with me for a long time to come (hopefully this one).

[garlic]

I bought a cg 125 off a girl at work for £100. Popped round to check it over (the bike), started it up fine. Next day, went to collect with the cash, it was gone. Nicked! Plod found it a few days later. I rode about on that for a few weeks and that was me addicted, so I moved on to the heady heights of the DT125 - brilliant fun.

[The Dwarf]

Well at 15 I realised I had the urge.

Not alone in this at our school, instead of being split by football clubs we were split in to Hailwood / Ago fans (weird when I think about that ).

Many dreams finally resulted in a Bantam and a field.

Mum said it would not last "When yer 18 you can chop it for a car. I'll pay for lessons"

Swore I would never drive a car until I could run a bike and a car. 19 Years later paid for my own car lessons.

Now-a-days if I can't sleep, stressed by all things humans get up to , gettin near burn out.

I just dream about ridin' the bike, a bike..modifying a bike. Sunny day!...... half forgotten road........me..... bike............sleep.............dream.

Wake up and ride....... :jase:

[pegasus_bob]

Always fancies bikes after an older mate was always cleaing and tinkering with his where I lived (Chelsea, London).. . . . got a Raleigh Runabout moped Feb '72 2 days after my 16th birthday. . . . seized it up two weeks later. . . Mobylette followed. . then YG1-F Yamaha (73cc) bit like an overbored fizzie. . numerous (about 15) Jap bikes of all sizes followed. . then a few years back a Ducati SS, (crippling commuting across London),. . . . a 600 Bandit that went in for it's first MOT June last year . . . . .and I came out with a brand spankers ZRX1200R . . . . . sort of the Z1 I could never afford.

[B6 Mick]

My grandfather (mothers side) rode till his 1st heart attack, he was like 55 odd then. He rode for the 8th in Egypt during WW2 as a dispatch rider. So yeh he was a total bike nutter. Scotts, AJS, Enfields, and a Panther with the manditory chair. My old Lady use to knock around with the lads, and got a taste for the pillion seat, I'm lead to beleive that her and her sister made quiet a duo. Anyway, my dear mum nearly spat me out in me grandfathers side hack, at the front steps of one Londons finest hospitals.
Dear stepfather wouldn't have a bar of no motorbicycles, or talk of them. Yet many years later, I find out he was one of the lads. :teeth: I rode and raced push bikes, then one day I took a mates cb350 twin for a spin, and that was it. Been in love ever since. The same buzz, but bugger all effort.

[Mr Bounce]

I suppose my interest started as a boy, my dad use to owned a NORTON, ES2, I think and my uncle owned a Triumph Thunderbird and a BSA Lightning etc. My brother also had motorcycles, manly old BSA and Ariel ones that always needed tinkering with and on accessions pushing home ;) :> I really develop an interest as a result of regularly spending part of my school summer holidays with my aunt and uncle in Summerset where I became schooled in the art cleaning motorcycles correctly after day trips to the sea-side. HAVE ATTACHED A PICTURE OF THE OLD GANG :bike:

[pablo sanchez]

it all started with my dad owning bike nearly all of his life from his ts100 -rd350s then the tzr then the gpz900r and now the zx9r.

i started racing minmotos during 2000 racing a polin 8.5 bhp and finished 3rd in the west ofscotland seniors, then we started racing the scottish, racing at go-kart tracks like racelands, knockhill, larkhall etc.... done ok for my first seseon with the big boys lol finished 4th overall in the heavyweight lmao was basically all the fat ppl. :doh:

the following year my m8's started racing the aprillia 125's but i couldnt afford to race them, so i became the team mechanic, over the season the lads placed well considering this was there first season finishing 5th,6th and 8th overall :biggrin:

i sold my minimoto and my dads old gpz900r (spares/repairs) and bought myself a wee kawasaki ar125 b6 its was a good wee bike had 90mph out of it lol basically as far as the clocks went. the 125 eventually ended up a 180cc due to me revvin the tits out of it lol many a weekend spent rebuildin the topend. :p: ohh and the wee accident which ended in 2 brockin wrists lol

then i bought my beloved zrx400 eddie lawson rep :)

who knows whats to come lol well wait and see :bike: :

paul :blahblah: lol

[SHE-REX]

I think I was about 10 or 11, when I used to ride on the back of my brothers little and well battered honda 50. I just got adicted

[rayrexer]

my father had a vincent and a bsa so bike blood was passed down when i was 17 i took delivery of a kh250 took my test sold it to make way for a z650 that had to go when i came along a gpz 1100 b1 followed by a z1300 now i`m the proud owner of the best bike ever made an o1 reg.zrx1100 always been a kwacker fan always will be had them for 30 years never sell the rex

[Dogruff]

Addiction came from my dad, When i was about 9 or so, he had a Honda 750, Can't remember what kind of Honda 750 though, Think it was one of those with the 4 into 4 exhausts, He had various bikes and occasionly let me ride the smaller ones along the drive and into the garage for him.:bike:
When i was 16 i used all my savings, (and some of my dad's) to buy a 4 year old AR50, I remember, at the time, it felt just like a superbike. Anyway, My old man helped (did it all himself) do bits and bobs to the AR, eventually it'd do 50mph, down a hill of course. When i'd only been riding for 5 months a moron in a vauxhall viva decided he didn't like his drivers side wing anymore and decided to remodel it using my pride and joy. (sorry mate, didn't see you) open your bloody eyes then!:doh:
When the bike was brought back to me by a friendly neighbour in his van, i just stared at it and burst into tears.:cry: (well i was only 16) But i was still hooked, when i got the insurance money i got my AR80 and the rest is history.:D:

[Zed Rexer]

Puch Maxi and Raleigh Runabout on fields at 14. Puch was £20, Raleigh was free been in a garden for years. First road bike Suzuki AP50 at 16, crashed it into a sandstone wall in the wet :( Worst crash in 12 years of biking.

[nickb.]

I blame my step dad, it's all his fault...! got taken to Brands to watch some proddie racing, and that was it, Hooked. as soon as I could I was there, Suzuki a100, the start of it all, now some :blahblah: years later, it's still a strong as the first day I dumped the clutch and flipped the bike back on top of me!!!:D: :D: :D:

[TallAndy]

i started courtesy of my brother, he gave me a go on his Fantic 50, which i promptly rode into a wall :doh:

my first bike was a Suzuki AP50, which i promptly rode into the back of a car whilst staring at the ( tight ) jodhpur clad bum of a girl on horseback :doh:

thus 2 of my great passions in life where born. 1: motorcycles & 2: firm bums :biggrin:

[Storm]

dirt biking got me into it on an old TS250 then got a KX 125 first roadbike was a GP100 it was slower than a week in Jail moved on to an X7 then progressed from there currently got a Rex 1200 S:)

[Dixie]

Only had two bikes, the REX and before that a Kawasaki Eliminator 125. Bought the REX before I passed my test but due to a paperwork problem couldn't pick it up until the afternoon after I had passed.

Started riding simple because of the Mersey tunnel. Toyed with buying a car to get to work, but then the toll would have meant paying nearly six-hundred quid a year - but bikes are free. I have to say that for the first few weeks I hated riding a bike. I shat myself everytime I climbed on board. One day I forced myself to ride it to Llanberis. It took hours. But even on a 125, it was amazing. Of course I got bored with that, and then the REX came along.:p:

[Dean]

Started at 11, mates shared a suzuki 50 step thru, had a go and got the throttle wrong way round, cracked it open, popped a 2 inch wheelie and 'roared' off, straight in to a tree!.

Crashed a lot since then, come to think of it..:hmm:

[mrbox]

my mum worked for yamaha uk and got me a job there when i left school, up until then it was a car or nothing but that didn't last long when i got a brand NSR125 in 2001 managed to get 80mph out of it restricted then i spent a small fortune on a big bore to 172cc and an arrow pipe and got 110mph on the clock (probably more like 85!) now 21 and still ain't got my car licence TAKE THAT MAX POWER!!!:bum:

[robbnot]

:dunno:
it was the hair bear bunch
or riding round the footie field on mopeds an stepthroughs ; honda melodys and c50s/90s and suchlike me n mates had borrowed of their mums, i bought my mates mums puch maxi. i had it legal and rode it for about a year......
cor i aint thought about that bike for years good times...
then a cg 125 off some angels (whod fixed the engine nicely :cool:

or fixin up a lambretta in traffic education at school with mr townsend

or richard tompsons vincent blacklightning

or being on two wheels since i was two, just natural progression

the first thing i hit was a chain link fence at 20mph with a recoil like a fuggin bungee then the bike hit me! (melody or summit)
the last thing i hit was my mates bandit 12, breaking his rear blinks !!
and my wrist, elbow, 3 ribs and my baccy tin(on my ribs)

ho hum:crazy:

[gsexr]

started at 10 and learnt to ride on my mates three speed jawa round his back garden then between me and me mates it was an A50 and a honda 90 and a jawa 350 and a honda benley..... oh hazy days of sunshine eh.
Got to sixteen and had an FS1E whilst still at school which was great. At 17 it was a honda XL250 but missed the 2 stroke buzz so got an RD250. Never did me test so after that it was a long break and then a Dt 125.
Then another long break and finally did me test, had a DR600 project so bought a new zx6 which was great. Bought a honda CB750 for the winter which i still use and got a TZR 250 for the 2 stroke buzz again. Sold the zx6 and got a new gixxer 750, awsome bike but a pain unless yer nailing it all the time so finally seen the light and got the ZRX 1200r which i lurrrve to bits :bike:
Could be the best bike ever :cool:

[Rozza]

Like a lot of others I was an avid cyclist (as in I lived three miles from school and my parents didnt school run me, we are talking mid '70s) so on my 17th birthday I was given a gold coloured Suzuki GT250 and that was it. I loved that bike, went on rides all by myself. :bike:

After a while i got a Suzuki GS550 with an alfa 4-1 exhaust and I learned that screaming down the street at 3am was gonna upset the neighbours! I stayed with this, whilst my only other slightly older bike mate had a Guzzi T3.

Next up a Q plate Kwacka GPZ550 before my Guzzi mate (after years of badgering me about the common Jap or the stylish Italian conundrum -won out).

Next up was a gorgeous Laverda Jota 180 which after a lick of Ferrari red paint was etched permanently onto my heart. A trip to Eastern Europe in 1990 was amazing, got pulled by Czech police on a number of occassions just to look at it:cool:

Then came a girlfriend who wasnt a biker and had no real interest, so bike was backburnered for a while. The girl came and went, but the biker urge had been subdued and was replaced with planetery wanderlust.

In 2001, a Z650 came up about 10 miles from me, and the nostalgia of a time passed welled up, so i snapped it up and have owned her ever since. Best move i ever made getting 'back into bikes'.

She is 25 and electrically tired though, so for day to day running and for more excitement I got a ZRX which I am learning to appreciate, love but above all respect.;)

[yasimitysam]

I started with with a race,usual warm procedure then bang we were off .

I was shitting mesen we were all over the place knocking each other out the way the weaker ones falling behind . Then just ahead was the finish line , one last final push and I made it . I felt all warm a gooey not just because I won but this womb was gonna be the winners circle for 9 months . :)

[Rozza]

nice one yasimitysam! In Oz, they a biker with a bit of 'spunk' !!

[choppersex]

Raleigh Runabout with leg shields removed for extra speed.

[Kjitta8648]

Learned the pushbike at the age of 4, after that it just took off....:bike: :biggrin:

[RJH59]

I was never interested in bikes until I saw a 76 Z1000 with a rickman fairing and I had to have it ... been kawasaki ever since a couple of z9 and z1's. 2 gpz900r's a 1300 and some others not worth mentioning. I have only had 1 big stack still got the scars but with a few mods got back on a bike the next day with a broken wrist and ankle. Love hurts :>

[Darklord]

Started with a C90 @ 16 'cause it wound up my mum and been with them v=ever since, mainly sports bikes apart from a brief fling with a Fazer (that was an ace bike) untill some tosser punted me off:cry:

Now the Wife has passed, she'll be keeping my aging CBR and i'm off to the shops with me compo for a loverly ZRX :biggrin:

[RexRon]

Learned to ride with older brother and friend in the neighborhood. My
first bike was a 1964 Ducati Bronco 125. Had lots of bikes since that
and met some of the best people in the world because of it. currently
have a 2002 ZRX 1200 and 2000 Vulcan 800.

Ron

[big jamsie]

Z1000 with a rickman fairing - NICE !!!I was never interested in bikes until I saw a 76 Z1000 with a rickman fairing and I had to have it ... been kawasaki ever since a couple of z9 and z1's. 2 gpz900r's a 1300 and some others not worth mentioning. I have only had 1 big stack still got the scars but with a few mods got back on a bike the next day with a broken wrist and ankle. Love hurts :>

[Mart]

I had to get a bike in my teens as I would have been billy no mates otherwise:biggrin: I still love bikes but most of them are in cars now, Plonkers:doh:
Martin

[jdunphy]

Dunno why Im admitting this , my first bike was a Mobylette Moped @ 17 :doh:
Only thing the folks would let me have. Ah well gotta start somewhere

[sulzerei]

Always been interested in bikes. Then our
neigbour bought a Z 750 and I always watched
him or gave him a hand with cleaning and
servicing the bike. He took me out a few times
for a ride on Sunday morning.....will never
forget this feeling :D: ...but then Ihad to start
with the Kreidler Mofa...25 km/...H :hmm:

[julesmelb]

My old man bought me a 79 Honda CB100 for 50 bucks as it wasn't running. First thing we did was pull the side case off, only to find the oil had solidified in the engine. We cleaned her out, bunged some new oil in and away she went. A top bike and a lot of great memories...

[kermit z]

I started riding on a friends Yamaha Enduro 125. My first bike was a 1979 Honda XL100S back in 1982. It died after giving a rather shapely blond a ride. She kept saying to go faster. It took one for the team:biggrin:

[Purge]

On the road legally at sweet 16 on this Puch 3 Gear (note the ELR paint job and pedestrian slicer front reg plate).

Given to me by my Uncle, sold a year later for £40 after 10,000miles below 30mph :cool:

http://www.purgeraptor1.btinternet.co.uk/Pictures/PreviousBikes/Puch3Gear.JPG
:purge:

[gsxmax1]

Got a pillion ride on my god fathers Yam RD400, which went like stink at the time, so persuaded my dad to invest in a 50cc for me.

Somehow a Honda CB50J and a restricted 30 mph just wasn't the same !

[pauls toy]

i started at 16 on a AR50 of course with the 93cc big bore kit ( remembering a quote from a mag a 16 years old ZZR1100) then progress to rdz125,cd185t (still got somewhere in garage ) then cb400 superdream lasted 2weeks honestly didn't break it . Then gsx550 and gs750 ,RD500lc GPZ750 turbo went down to gt550 x2 gsxr750 gsx1100 ZZr1100, st1100 pan european and now zrx1200s ,so a right mixture funniest moments was when i blew up the rear shock on the zzr1100 airborne on a hump back bridge which i didnot know was there and a very steady ride back with oil and shite over back wheel and explaining it to warranty what happened the truth of course and the rd500 with sepparate oil tank filled with reddex so anyone didnot like behind you would disappear in a cloud of smoke ..

[tomo]

well it all started 49 years ago when my dad felt frisky:D: :D: :D: :D:

[RCR]

Early Blurred Vision of Z1A

So where and when did I see my first Zed? Let me think, late 1975? Me and the mates were all about 16-17-18 years old then. I had just bought a secondhand Yamaha YDS7 for £350, and Big Alex, Garry, Dougie and Grant owned a CB72, 250K4, 400-4 and CB175. My brother had a Tiger Cub. Some other mates were younger and had to ride FS1E’s SS50, Gilera, all 50 cc rubber-burners. Right Ton-Up Boys eh? We were all hanging around outside the house with our bikes lined up 90 degrees to the kerb just like in CHIPS. The blethering stopped when we all heard this howling exhaust note up on the main road. Aye, it was a ZIA, yellow striped tank, fitted with a black Rickman CR fairing and Piper 4-1 exhaust. We’d heard wee Joe had acquired the Z1A in bits off a guy called Butler for £600 (probably then about ½ cost of a new Z1A) rebuilt it and had it on the road. God knows what he paid for insurance, as he was only 17 years old! We were all totally impressed. I seen Joe’s ZIA a few times parked up outside the Tiger Bar along side another Z1A (red stripes) with white Rickman fairing. They both looked the part and the café racer image stood out from the mix of other bikes that had been modified with ape hanger chopper style bars. So I suppose those images stuck in my mind for a few years and after owning a US spec Bonneville (stolen in Glasgow) finally bought a standard spec Z900 A4 in 1978. This was the bottle green coloured version with standard 4 pipes. Travelled all the way down to London in an over night bus, caught a train to Farnborough, seen the bike, had a test drive and decided to go for it. I called in at a bike shop in Farborough and seen a tatty Z1A with yellow striped tank for sale. I was tempted but decided against a straight swop for the older bike and rode all the way back to Scotland to arrive late for the bike club’s heavy metal disco. Still managed to get up and play air guitar for the remaining few hours. The bike wouldn’t start for the short trip home as the regulator was goosed and the battery boiled dry. I ran that bike in standard trim until 1981 when I gave it a serious restoration from frame up with loads spend to acquire that earlier ZIA candy tone yellow version, with ZIA tank, side panels, tail piece, front forks and brake calipers. Aye that initial impression of Joe’s Z1A left its mark. Fitted a new set of 4 pipes and Lester alloy wheels fitted with Red Arrow tyres. The charging problem only went away once Big Alex managed to build me a one off regulator that looked like it came out of the Tardis! Used that bike for everything, including 3 or 4 trips around France, Italy Germany. Probably done over 100,000 miles on it and then in a mad moment sold it to buy a ZX9R! So if you’re now the proud owner of MPM 18P I hope your looking after it.

[gpjerry]

Cousins Suzuki 125 dirtbike - many crashes but I was hooked.
Another cousins about 1979 KZ750 it was my first trip on a street bike. 75 mph in a 25 mph zone in 3rd gear before I looked at the speedo.

[Hoover]

I started when my dad got back into bikes and brought a suzuki GT750, got the bug then, started with XL100, XT500(pig to kickstart), GPZ750turbo(went thru a car, in passenger window out the windscreen), GSX750, tengai, another turbo(see attachment), 1200bandit and nowZRX11(see photo forum)

[Zardoz]

When I was an apprentice, I worked about 15 miles from home which meant a walk of 1 1/2 miles to the bus stop. The company then sent me to Tech full time for 12 months on the other side of coventry which was an additional bus ride. It took ages & cost a substantial part of my wages. At this point never had an interest in bikes. It became obvious that hings had to change, a bike was the answer. A mate of my dads had a Honda SS 50 for sale, so I ended up with that. Pushed it home then realised I knew nothing about bikes. Tootled up & down the road outside home to get the hang of it (using 1st & 2nd gears, that was plenty). Next day set off for college, never got out of 2nd, didn't know how. Was enlightened when I eventually got there.

As the months passed, got more & more cocky. Then one day riding home, (white lining) I overtook a truck who was waiting to turn right. A car from a left turning pulled out in front of him and splatt.

Off work with broken ankle for a while.

After that wanted something bigger.

Then faster, you know how it goes.

[grim reapers sidekick]

My old man used to work for pride & clarks in london and used to buy the ex demos so i grew up surrounded by bikes (heaven)and i learnt to ride on a vincent black shadow and an ariel square four, so you can imagine my dissapointment when i had to get on a moped (suzuki ap50).:doh:

[ricky]

well how i started

at 16 i started college, and as a gift my dad got my my typhoon 50cc moped (what i still have and using at the min)

i was using this for 2 years then past my car test and got a car.

after 6 mths of having the car i had a car hit my car head on down lanes so with this i got my full bike licence and went and got a CDB 400 nc23 which i loved

but due to having kids and getting married at 19 i sold this not long after getting it...lol

and at the weekend i should have the xrx 400 :)

[gunrunner]

Cushman Eagle>>> 8 hp. 2 speed . foot clutch with tank shifter. It was a blast. Wish I had it back. I was 13 yrs. old at the time... I.m 59 now,,, ;) ;)

[taffy_25]

As a youth I always wanted a bike, but due to health problems (namely epilepsy) I resigned myself to never being able to ride. I was lucky enough to "out grow" it and there for did my CBT, then Direct access and for the last 8 years been happy with a little GPZ500s.

Fancied a REX for a while, and finally picked mine up last Saturday .... to say I'm as happy as a pig in sh*t would be an understatement! Wife asks if the bike makes me happier than she does, so far Ive managed not to answer!!!!

:hail:

[antzrx]

My dad had a BSA Bantam in the shed.I used to ride it up and down the road when i was 13.Great fun...

[jolly green giant]

My Ol' man was into bikes, trials stuff and road bikes, he had the old matchless and bsa's before i came along. first ride at 7 on his honda trials bike, and pillion on his road bikes. First bike, Montessa cota 248 trials at 15, then bought Yamaha TY250 trials, put 125 stickers on it and i was away.... After a crash in '87, on a Suzuki TS125 ( sideswiped at a junction) i stuck to trials for awhile until my mate got me back on the road, been on the road ever since. Had the ZRX for 3yrs now, love the torque and the grin factor.

[Rickpattison]

I can't have been more than 10 when at my grannies place some spotty kid let me ride pillion on the back of his bike, I absolutely loved it; though my sister ratted me out to my mum so I got my arse cracked.
Never forgot that feeling, tried to watch whatever bikes were on the tele then, the trans Atlantic challange etc.
Finally bought my first bike; a Kwaka I might add :biggrin: when I was 19 in the navy. Had a blast every since :happy:

Rick

[hass]

started with a raliegh runabout moped which we rode on fields as a kid in the 70s got on the road at 16 with a gareli record 50cc moped

[Shellwok]

Brothers had 'em,i wanted 'em.Not much of a story i guess.

[Max]

At 16 I was the ..erm...proud owner of a Norton Villiers Triumph Easyrider Moped for about 6 months, then bought a Kwaka..havent looked back since :biggrin:

[Mozie]

My dad had a lot of bikes in his yoof...but got his licence taken away due to havin blackouts (got it back about 10 years ago) so i think partly to relive said yoof and partly to anoy me mum he bought me an ER50 for my 11th birthday, and taught me to ride down the local playin fields. I absolutely loved it. He sold it not long after cos i couldnt be trusted to saty off the roads wiv it so. A while after me and a mate secretly bought an old TS175 and hid it in the fields (funny old thing, it had 2 spark plugs but only 1 coil and lead), Begged borrowed and stole mates bikes til i was old enuf and bought an AP50 at 16...and promptly got done speedin in a 60 zone wiv bald tyres no L plates and defective flashers, hey ho not my 1st run in wiv the law! Went on to own a couple of GP100s (all suzuki to this point), then i bought an AR125...full micron and reed valve intake system...twas good for nigh on a ton. Booked me test, went out got caught speedin and lost me licence 2 day b4 the test day. :doh:
6 Months later took me test got a KR1s then an LTD550 Then a GPZ600R. Had to sell it to pay the way for my 1st baby...took 5 years to convince my (now ex) wife we could afford for me to have a bike again, bought a GPZ1000RX, then a ZX9R, swapped that for a Zyphyr11, some twat pulled out on me in north Yorkshire and robbed me of that, bought a Speed tripple and some twat pulled out on me and robbe me of that too (back in Feb). Bought an 03 ZR7s for a grand but its soooooo boring (kinda like this story i guess). sellin it this week with 500 profit, pickin up me 97 euro import full power ZRX11 2morro nite. I hope.
I've loved the ZRX ever since they were born and swore i would own one...2morro i will!
35 Years and only 1 dream realised! Lol.

[Nighthak01]

Hmm, got in with wrong crowd about 12 yrs old ( ha ). Rockers they were called then. Got right into music, leathers, and bikes. Turned 17 bought a honda cB100N. Was super cool, especially for me at 6ft 2 ( sarcasm ). learned to ride, fix, tune and crash. Swapped for a 125 ( did 80 2 up ). tarted it up and swapped it for a honda 250 dream which siezed a month later. Bought a Suzuki GS 550, loved it until an old bat nearly killed me, the missus, and it :(. 20 yrs on, i finally gave in to the itch again.

[One Legged Space Pigeon]

Started off on a Honda CB125 twin, then after passing my test went through Kawasaki Z250, GPZ305, Honda VF750, Kawasaki GPZ500, Honda CBR600, BMW 750 funduro, Yamaha FZR600, Kawasaki ZX10, Triumph T595 Daytona and finally to the best machine I've ever owned the Kawasaki ZX12-R

[silverstorm]

Started aged 11 with a Suzuki AS50 field bike my dad bought.
Moved onto a TS250 at 14, Honda SL125 at 15, then at 16 road legal Fizzie Chicken (FS1SE Chopper, ported, micron and straight bars), honda 125 field bike, Maico 250 and YZ125 followed while I was into cars. I swapped the YZ for an RD125LC (with TZR motor) before doing up a DT175 (ahem 125) for the road. I then owned a new DT125LC before a long break from bikes.
I then decided to pass my test and took the DAS route 4 years ago and bought a Honda Firestorm. After a year I decided on a CCM R30 before selling it this year and buying the REX.
I now think I am settled with the REX :D:

Oh and I am trying to rebuild a 1974 TS125...............

[fatso]

I started with a Honda 250 C72 (pressed steel frame) then a Honda 250 CB72??? - Panther 600 or 650(cant remember which) single with double adult blackburn sidecar - BSA Starfire 250 - Kawasaki 250 S1 triple, Kawasaki z750 twin, Kawasaki z1100 shaft drive, Kawasaki gpz 750, Kawasaki gpz 1100 B2 and now after 25 years without:cry: , a ZRX 1100R C4.

Fatso!!:cool:

[axibon]

I was 5 yrs old when I got on a legendary Erivara 50cc motocross bike. And then I got the rex. Now I can really call myself a motorist.

All right.;)

[Boggy]

Hi ... I started at 13 years of age riding a friends Frances barnett 250cc on a waterworks site and started road riding at 16 on a Bsa Starfire 250,
then on to a Norton Atlas ... then a honda cb750 (sohc) then a Kawasaki H1B 500 tripple .. then a Kawa Z1B 900 .. suzuki gs1000 ... Kawasaki gpz900 .... honda X11 ... ZRX1100 .. cb1300 ...
and so on .... seem a long time ago .... thats coz Im old ! :doh:

[REXRIDER]

HMmm started at 17 with a honda CG, for cheap transport, then a mate killed himself on a gsxr750, then someone tryed to kill me one one while i was a pillion, one of my mate said, lets get bikes! i said, no youll die, then went along with him lol, never looked back!!

[FlaZRX]

My dad had a Kawasaki 400 Triple, later on I bought it, and asked it I wanted to learn to ride, the rest was history.

[motorcitycobra]

1977 (I think; when I was 12) Kawasaki released the Z 1000; and quite a bit later I saw MAD MAX. :biggrin:

This pointed me in the right direction; I owned 2 Yamahas before having a drivers licence means any driving was illegal. :dunno:

In 1983 when I was 18 (age for drivers licence) I bought my Z 900 (built in 1976) and from that time the trouble with around 20 Kawas (and myself)never ended. What a beautiful live!!!:drink:

Today I stay with my ZRX 1200 R (2003) and the Z 1000 R (1983) which is presently in restauration. :oldgit:

[phatasphuc]

My old man was a through and through Beezer Geezer and I remember an uncle having a Rudge Ulster - those were the days, cheesecutter cap on back to front, ice on the 'tache - fabulous, what?

I can remember being physically sick with the cold when I was about 10 and my old man took me with him to look at some bike parts 60-odd miles away, one Boxing Day (fascist bastard). I think I must have had some sort of hypothermia because I 'slept' for the last 30 miles home after chucking-up.

First experience on the road - 5 in the morning blatting around Worthing on a Puch Maxi with no mudguards, aged 13.

But..............I think I really fell in love with bikes when a friend of my Dad bought the first Yamaha YDS3 in our area. Been fascinated with bikes (on and off) ever since.

[hhwarner]

My firs bike was an old XL 100. It wasnt running when I got it for £100 & had to learn the hard way to get things up & running. Id had no experience with 4 strokes previous to this. My brother had a stroker & learned a bit fro him but when I took the rocker cover of the XL I thought WHAT THE F%@k.

[RHM]

I should also say that one of the images that got me into bikes was the one attached to this post.

I've wanted a Z1 ever since...

[SuperSonic]

I used a moped to ride to school. Then we started with some moped tuning (Tomos) and racing. Then every year we wanted something bigger, faster, wilder :)

[Evurr]

My first memory of bikes was watching the Norton F1's racing the Jap bikes... I loved watching them wizz past and then be overtaken again. That's what I call racing!!!

My history started earlier though as my parents have a picture of me as a kid sitting on dad's Ambassador!!! I don't remember that though.

I've always had bikes around me... dad has a garage full of vintage bikes that he has lovingly restored.

My first real experience of a bike though was at the age of 16 being sat on my bro's X1 and taught clutch control. It was basically, learn to ride this or be stuck in the village!!! I have a picture of my maiden voyage on my Mypace page.

That brought me freedom (unless it was drizzling, when the bike would give up about 3 miles from home!!)

Next was a CB100 which a new driver decided to take me off of... breaking my elbow but earning me a lovely wadge of cash....

Onto my first Kwak... Z200... evil thing that was. I hated it. If I was tightening the chain I WOULD scuff my knuckles!!! It would break down on me religiously... until I spotted that the tiny bolt on the points was the wrong way round and the cam was hitting it!!!

Still proved to be an evil bitch of a bike and I soon moved onto my beloved Z250. I loved that bike... I went everywhere on it.

Time for something bigger though and my first dream bike. I saved my pennies and found a Z650 in Stroud. Always wanted one from the moment I saw it.. and now I had one.

Rode the 250 in the winter and the 650 in the summer....

After 2 wet summers I bought a fiesta and the bike only came out on sunny days... sadly the guy I was with had a Harley with a smaller front wheel than standard so his speedo was always wrong... I just couldn't keep up and remembered feeling my hands slipping off the grips trying to keep up in a head wind!!!!

He sold the Harley and I decided to put the bikes away. He always told em I should sell them.. but I held fast knowing one day i would want to ride again.

Now, 8 years later, the bloke has gone, the 250 sold *sob* but the 650 is being taken apart and lovingly restored by my father. So one day I will be renuited with my love.....

The my new bloke arrived.. and E-bay happened!!!!

Got my mint '01 zrx1100 for £1800.. the guy forgot to put a reserve on it and I'm back on 2 wheels!!! To be honest after being off the road for so long I'm finding it a bit daunting... and now it's autumn the bike has been packed away.

So, roll on spring when I can rack up some miles and enjoy the second bike of my dreams...

All I need now is a Buell S1, black with pink wheels and airbrushed lightning on the tank and I will have all the bikes I want!!!!

Or.... maybe there would be room for that Norton F1.....

[Meaner Green]

I was getting a lift into work,when I was about 17-18 on a mates Kwak z750. That got my intrest in bikes going. Can't remember the year,think it was '87 but I remember it was the year that the last bike show was in London before moving to the NEC in Birmingham.
My first bike was a Honda cb100n. Fun sort of. I passed my test first time and got a cx500. Try as hard as I could I could not get the magic ton (tonne?) out of it. 96 yes but that was with no loose change in my pockets,the wind behind me,going down hill and shagging the tank! Had that for a year. Next I think was a Honda cbx550 for a week,got had over with that one. Blew up after a week. My first performance bike was a red/black/silver GPz600R. Oh I loved that bike. 130+ no problem. I am 6'04 n was bout 15.5st at that time. Lasted 8weeks before some scumbag stole it. Got another one with the ins money. That lasted a little longer til someone jumped a red light n knocked me off. Bike took full force sacrificing itself so I only got a few bruises n a few cuts. Then followed a Honda vt500e. Got bored with that and sold it to a friend. Next was a Kawasaki GPz750 oil cooled version. Loved this bike to. Very comfy for my expanding frame. Had this for a few years and kept it as a work horse when I got a ZXR750H2. WOW!!!! This one had a KERKER (i seem to remember) pipe on it the was loud at tick over. It was a very fast bike for what it was. Surprised a few people over the years on younger supposedly faster bikes. Sadly the GPz sat in the garage and was eventually given away and the ZXR750 I had for bout 7yrs before being slid down the A3 due to some old boys stupidity. He got done at court as there was an independant witness (on a CBR600 yippee!!!!!) Ins paid out due to uneconomical to repair,still a runner tho so I sold it on. I then got a ZX9R that had been custom painted in WEST colours from F1 I think. Some dozy cow u-turned putting a proper end to the life of that after I had 9 glorious months with her. I had a CBR900RR for a while but never really got on with it,that was sold on. I was about to get a ZX12R when the seller stuffed it with a pedalcycle (?) writting it off. I then saw the Rex but wanted one in Kawa racing green. Not long after found one in Bristol,not realising the green was at that time a darker metalflake sort of green. Saw her,loved her n bought her. She don't have a name but if she did it would be Sticky. Why? After my girlfriend coz all Vickie's are aren't they?

[sifu 2]

got a ride on the back of my brother in laws kawasaki z900 ,it was fast back then , he is anamazing rider ( star rider ) if anyone remmebers that cource
back in the 70s

[Mr Angry]

Star rider was always second rate course next to the RAC/ACU :)

Still have my badge somewhere :cool:

[serenaur]

My Dad has always been into bikes so I guess it was going to rub off onto me!

My Dad always used to have a bike and he also taught my Mum to ride so I grew up around bikes. As soon as I was tall enough to be able to reach the pillion pegs we'd all go out for blasts all over the place. We'd go to bike rallies, bike racing meets, big bike shows (NEC etc), motocross meets and just anywhere that had anything to do with bikes. I always wanted a bike as a kid while I was growing up but unfortunatly living in the middle of the city wasn't the best place to be if you wanted an off roader as if they didn't grow legs and dissapear in the middle of night it was a diffcult job to find anywhere to ride them legally.

We moved to the country when I was 14 and although I still wasn't able to get a bike of my own I'd made friends with people who had smallholdings and let me ride their bikes on their land so I was at least riding by this point.

When I hit 17 my parents said, as a birthday gift we will get you on the road, i.e. pay for lessons and your first years insurance and tax etc but only for one vehicle! So I had the choice of getting a bike on the road or a car. My parents had already started trying to usher me into 4 wheels offering me my Mums old fiesta as a first car and with my Dad showing me the basics of driving it on private land but I just couldn't resist and in the end I managed to get my Mum to swap her FJ900 (which she wasn't using as it was slightly too tall for her) for a 1984 Yamaha DT125LC II. I rode that thing to death (literally!). Just around this time all of my friends from school were turning 17 so before long we had our own little bike gang! We'd ride all over North Wales just for the sake of riding and generally just having a laugh! I knew I'd made the right choice of bike over car! Well after about a year I blew the DT up (!) and I went for my test and passed 2nd and a half time (that's a story for another time!) and bought a Kawasaki KLR600. I rode that for a year but after having persistent problems with it I sold it and bought a Yamaha XJ600N. That's when motorcycling really opened for me. I travelled all over on that bike, I did my first few roadtrips on it, me and Girlfriend went all over on it, I met lots of new people on it and visited lots of old friends.

Well that pretty much bring me to yesterday (31/1/2008) when I bought my Rex. I'm looking forward to a good summer of roadtrips and visiting more old friends and making more new friends through motorcycling!

[Foundryrider]

All began in 1993

Cagiva Mito 125 (full power 34 HP) – (I sell it before obtain the drivin licence..)
Yamaha FZR 600
Yamaha YZF 750 – a bike for all the seasons
Triumph Speed Triple (single light)
Ducati 900 Superlight (904 large valves single seat) – I suppose I can buy an used Ferrari with all the money I spent for that bike.
Honda CBR 600
Honda VF 500 – 1984 surprising bike! 3000 km in a week, mountain drive with my girlfriend and bags, and no probs.
Yamaha R1 (first model) – che petardo! (fire-cracker)
(2 or 3 bikes at time..)

1999 - some forced divorce due to work outside my country

2003- Back home

Some scooters
Triumph Bonneville – my wife calls it “grandpa bike”
Yamaha XJR 1300 – get sick of those “big cow” - for my wife “uncle bike”
Yamaha MT 03
Yamaha FZ1 – my wife begin to understand the problems of design for a passenger..
Honda CBR 1000 RR
Honda CB 1300 (smoooth, smooooooth) & Yamaha R6 track only – my wife regulary asks me “Go out whit bike? where do you travel me today?” the saddle does its work but she calls the bike “Moana” because she's jealous
Kawa ZRX 1200 R (yes I sell the techno Honda for good old Kawa carbs) & R6 track – my wife haven't yet seen the green..

next?

...really, I try to buy back my old Ducati (and get 3 bikes: one to race, one to ride, one for eye's pleasure... last summer I made the wood floor in garage and put a sofa near the tools table for meetings.. :drink2: )

[DevonianZRX]

My earliest memory of bikes was going to an uncles on me Raliegh Chopper and watching him tinkering with his machines, at least one was an Ariel square four. Can also remember a Norton.

Shortly before getting my first bike at 17 (Szuki x1 50cc), one of our neighbours bought a 250 superdream. This is where my interest really started. I needed transport to get to work, started early mornings before buses started running.

About 5 years beforehand dad was involved in a bad accident, pulling out in front of a motorcyclist who was travelling well in excess of the speed limit. Bexause of this, When i bought my X1 it was agreed with my parents that it would be delivered to a training centre for a basic off road training day, and i would go on for further training afterwards. Remember i was still 17 so they were my guarantors. They made it clear that they did not like bikes but also want me to have my own independance,

To this day, i feel that was the right way to go and would encourage any new biker to start this way. And yes, i also feel the CBT is one of the best things for new riders.

Today, 28 years after my first bike its gone full circle. My nephew is now on two wheels and he too is taking further training, under the watchfull but not intrusive eye of uncle on his ZRX

Devonian ZRX"S"

[MACSTER54]

Everyone seems to have been into biking since the dawn of time but I came into it through necessity.

8 years ago got a new job where I needed my own transport. A car was too expensive at the time so got myself my CBT and then opted for the RS125 (God, I wish I never sold that bike!!)

Since then it's been a Suzuki GSF400 and then an RF600 then onto the ZRX1200s.

Still got the RF600 if anyone is interested in buying it!:happy:

[z1baz]

my father was a works rider for manx norton,my first bike was a panther 500 i used to ride around the estate grounds when i was 8,went into racing 80`s on a kriedler then onto a honda 125 ex gp bike,up thru the 250 classes racing the likes of kenny carter et al,then british 750 formula 1 n raced in the transatlantic trophy for 3 yrs against merkle n shwantz.ended up a test rider for norton on the revolutionary rotary engined british superbikes with mick grant,ron haslam.:hail:










nah to be honest,my fathers mate had a cotton 170 trials,he learned me to ride at age 10 n that was it hooked,saved my dosh till i was 17 n bought a new suzuki gt250 b in red but had been competing in trials n enduro`s and some local sprints etc on many bikes i had knocked together or done deals with up till i had my first real bike my faithful old gt.:biggrin: :biggrin:

[leodog123]

many moons back it all started with a TL 125 HONDA !!! sorry but we all start some where moved on to a rd 250 kh 250 rd 400 gt 380 gt 750 gs 500 triumph t120 harley sportster harley fatboy fed up with slow pace tucked harley away and bought YES !..MAGIC A ZRX 1200 .NOW 46 AND LIVING IT LARGE yes bikeing is expensive but well worth it

[Rexus Quickus]

I'd had enough of public transport and cars weren't up to much in London - even in the late 80's traffic was a git. I'd always fancied a bike.. so, having never ridden one, I got a bus down to Catford, bought an MZ 125 from a dealer. I had to ask him how to ride it (days before CBT!) and rode home.

Still amazed how I'm alive. :dunno:

[grant]

My brothers had 50cc at sixteen. Zundapps if anybody remembers them.I couldnt wait for my sixteenth for my turn. Saddly both my brothers never went past 50cc me the youngest went all the way to ZRX1200R

[Icerider]

my 1st bike, well it was to me (-; being 16 and impressed with anything with an engine, was a 'Honda P 50' One of those mopeds with the engine in the back wheel and a seat the size of a armchair... (-:

But moved on cars for a while as they were better for courting. But eventually got back starting with a KH 250 Then a Z500. Due to no work had small break then back with a 600 bandit then 1200 Bandit. Before reaching the pinacle and getting the ZRX 's

DC

[Zappa]

:cool: Hi, Zappa from Sweden.
Started 1979 on a KH125, after military duty a bought a Z500 in 1981 who was nice to round up bigger bikes in the corners.
Then in 1982 a fell in love with the GPz750 and traded in my 500.
That bike was awesome in early 80's.
Sold it when I got a wife late 80's.
After that I was addicted to home and just lend a bike from friends occasionally.
In the spring of 2005 I got my hands on a GPz1100 -82 in nice condition and started again, pimped it up to a redlight monster (about 115Hp) with 16/48.
Now we talking...
What happens after that?
Yes, took a tour for a gaswire to my old GPz and in the store there was that magnificent piece of art representing a ZRX1200R in green metallic.
I ask for a test ride and was in love.
I bought it...

Since then a have had some miles when the weather been Ok (snowed this morning) and today I took a nice ride scaring some with that Micron race system... nice sound indeed.

So now I sell my old GPz even it's fun to ride to the benefit of riding in class.

brgds

Zappa

[DavyNinja]

I've been riding bikes since I was 13, my dad brought home my 1st field bike (Honda CG125) for my Birthday, we hid it in the back of his van for 2 weeks so he could decide how to brake the news to my mum :D:

Road bikes.
1st - was a heinz veriaty Suzuki Ts100 motocross - Never ran right and is still in my Garage because one day it will run again.
2nd - Honda Ns12R
3rd - Honda VFR 400
4th - Kawasaki 600 J1 (Red)
5th - Kawasaki 600 J1 (Green)
6th - TBC hopefully a 1100 or 1200R Lawson ZXR

:D:

[bladerunner]

I never had any interest in bikes at all I just wanted a car. But I had to get a moped when I was 16 to get me to work when I landed an apprenticeship with the West Yorkshire Police Authority as a mechanic, which was some achievement back then in a world full of Youth Slaveing Schemes.
Now this is very relevant to my whole motorcycling life since becouse the Police would teach me to drive an pass my test in their own driving school at Crofton, Wakefield but not until I was 18, so being tight I thought it worth the extra years wait, so what else could I do:hmm: well passing me bike test seemed a good idea, so that's what I did an I've never looked back since.
If I'd got any other job I'd a just passed me car test an never bothered wi bikes so in a strange way I owe the Police a big thankyou, pity then that ever since they've bin trying to take me liecence back ha ha ha

[Raven]

I only learned to ride a year ago.. had lessons for my 40th birthday, got 125 and dawdled round on that for a bit.. and got my test in Feb this year.. I'm having a midlife crisis!!!!!

[Tartan Kawasaki]

It all started for me when I was 12.I started listening to bands like AC/DC,Motorhead,Saxon etc.By the time I was 15 I was hanging out with the local bikers who all liked the same music I was into. I grew up in a wee village in the Scottish borders that had a thriving MCC who put on a rally every year and I started going to it about this time.When I was 17 I bought a YB100 and started running round with the MCC and would quite often go 100+miles with them to rallies.And it's what I still do to this day over 20 years later,still listening to rock music and sleeping in a field at weekends.I wouldn't have it any other way :cool:

[ozzyz]

Where do you start?


1971 (11 years old) Dad bought me a Honda Step through to have some fun on and modify for dirt racing, First time on and front wheel was in the air and rode into a barbed wire fence (don't tell anyone my rep is on the line).

[Billy big skid]

My mate's dad had a small farm. At the age of eleven we were riding old Bantams, James captains and the like around the fields. As we got older we built trials bikes out of Triumph tiger cubs. Fizzy when 16, then onward through the Jap 2 stroke 250s.
Rode big bikes on the road but never had a license until i started driving for a living and realised i was being stupid so i took my test. Still got an old (1977 Ossa) trials bike but it's broken at the moment.
I also race on track ( tuned ZXR400L) but am getting a bit long in the tooth for it these days (i'm 50 next year) still fast enough but can't take the battering when i crash like i used to.
All my bikes (5 at the moment) live in my house with me. It can get a little crowded sometimes and the kids used to have a christmas bike instead of a christmas tree, we used to hang baubles from the levers and wrap tinsel around the bars and pipes. My youngest sat backwards on the race bike to watch telly, she now goes everywhere on the bike with me.
Still riding although i don't seem to have as much time to do it these days as i used to, maybe it's the crap weather and daft shifts.
I'll ride until they chuck me in the Fixby frier to the sound of Motorhead playing the ace of spades.

Remember, never mind the ride safe, ride free bollocks. Just get on the f*cker and cane the tits off it with a big, cheesy grin on your face.

Keep 'er lit!

Big Al

[joulesa69]

I started on CB250 doing figure of 8's in my local street at 16, then rode a few dirt bikes for fun on mud at 18. Took my test at 38, did a refresher course at 39 then bought my first bike last month, i wish i did it soon :\ but then i may be riding something else if i did :o:

Big bike (weight) for 1st bike but i have plenty of road experience (in car : 6 diff countires, race track , rally driving, skid pan and approx 250 000 km traveled mostly in cities/towns) so think the torque is great for relaxed touring :bike: With the amount of traffic on the roads i can't see myself ever betting a sports bike is this puppy love or is the ZRX that good :happy:

[gordong65]

Got into bikes aged 12 , watching my older brother arrive one day on a suzuki t100 i like many others watching an older brother riding off and thinking how cool it was , Bought a Yam dt50 when I was 16 and have had bikes ever since the usual suspects xs500 ,350lc's ,laverda jota, triumph speed triple also recently bought a 675 and now ready for a ZRX! :>

[Fuchs]

i was starting with the age of 12 too...friends and i where living in the country side with not much police. so we were going everywhere with our simsons, schwalbe, star and bikes like that. was great fun. :) with 13 i got my first 150ccm motorcykel together with a friend. it run over 130km/h...great fun, but do not tell my parents :biggrin: they never knowed

as my brother was starting to ride i was looking at him as well. he was 16 and i was 14. but i never thought he looked cool an bikes. sitting totally strange on them, like sitting on as far as you can at the back and wearing an ugly old helmet...no he was not cool :biggrin:

[Rushfan]

It was a Honda XR75 for me!!! Maybe about 1973?!?!? :hmm:

[ZRX631]

I started on a Honda 50 at age 5 in 1970, moved up to a race prepped Yamaha 60 a couple of years later. I have not been bikeless since then. I've been through several KZ/GPZ's since then. I don't think I will ever have less than two bikes from now on.

[kennyz]

It all started for me when I got ahold of a minibike frame that needed a motor. My dad wasn`t too happy when he went to mow the lawn and found the motor missing from the mower. After that my first real bike was a Honda MT125. Not much power but boy did I tear up the woods with that thing.

[kevin 4030]

Started off with an Suzuki AP50 1976, the passed my test on a KE125.
This was followed by an RD250 and an RD350LC, then a Kwak SR650 and a Z1000J.
The thou J turned into a Harris Magnum 2.

And the rest is history as they say.
I currently have the Rex and a Gpz750 Turbo as well as a 250 and 350LC.
started off with a Kawasaki kh250 then a Kawasaki km90wich i passed my test on then Kawasaki z550 , ke125 ,z650 then zrx1200r

[J.P]

For me it really started when enlisted in the army. I was skint, but won some money betting on fotball. Most of it spend on booze that summer:drink: But It did pay for my license and few months later I stumbled across a Honda CB750 K2 (1973). Had that bike for many years as my only means of transport. Brought it with me to England when I went to college, good memories:bike:
That bike was a good old runner, no trouble at all. I sold it to buy a car (Norway is not the place to ride year round...)
A few years back the urge to get a bike again was strong and decided to get another CB750. That bike has been nothing but trouble, spent no time riding only fixing it. when I finally got it sorted I`ve had enough of the old bikes. Got myself a new classic instead, the zrx:biggrin:

[Fen Tiger]

It started for me when i was 13, my Mum ran off with a biker, an i used to get to read his mags and ride pillion,I have too point out though that my Dad was not as impressed as I was!
When I turned 16 I got an MBX50 an put 12,000 miles on it in a year I was hooked, passed me test at the first time of asking back in 1987 and rode for the next ten years all year round, before buying a car :(
I think my favourite bike that i have owned was my first 900r-A2, I would just go for a ride anytime night or day, several times i woke in the middle of the night and would just get dressed an go for a run too Yarmouth and back, about 150 mile round trip have some breakfast and go too work.

Baz

[sportsguy85]

Always wanted a bike but my parents hated the idea of me getting one. So while I was in college i took my license course and taught myself to ride the bike I own today. My ZRX 1100 and I don't know if I will ever get rid of it.

[Nokesy]

Allways loved cars/bikes, after my boy racer days Dad in law started me off by showing me photos of his 1960's Cafe racer style triumphs. so I done sencible thing, done my cbt, bought a really lovely 1984 honda CBT125 twin..liked coz it looked/sounded like a 250 had that for 1 year, (that bike done family proud serving 2 others in family as start bike)
Then done my restricted test, moved to my "Fonz" bike, a 1981 suzuki GS550All black & crome, felt lovely after a 125, still done 80mph with restrictors in, when time was up took restrictors out & was like having a new bike, much more power.
Then I fancied a mini beast so I got a 1998 600 bandit in candy apple red, spent shit loads on turning it into a streetfighter...looked mad!!
Then a took a brave step..bought a bike I said I would never want coz id die..a superbike, went to garages with all intensions of buying a 1200 bandit
drove out on a Kwak Zxr 600R Ridiculous speed machine, obviosly lived!! had to sell that in end for various reasons!! thought I had retired, but got twitch again,
Now with my ZRX....where next.. Dont know, but I know the end one will be a harley....street rod ideally

[kentgpz11]

It all started for me when my mates big brother got a brand new 1976 Suzuki GT250, I was hooked on 2 wheels. When I was 14 I bought an old Suzuki B100P field bike & taught myself to ride, (still got the scars on my knees!) On the road at 16 on a Fizzer, many bikes & many years later I have the Rex.

[bowlinebuoy]

Started off with a Fantic 'crosser field bike at 12, follwed up by a succession of scrappy crossers and trials bikes before buying a DT125 new with my first pay at 17.

Lots in between from GT500 to CBR1000 that took me round Europe 3 times, to the trust ZRX now languishing in my garage.

[ZEDPOWER]

Still living at home Riding off road on placky bombers, but my Dad would'nt let me buy a road bike all though all my mates had road bikes. My Dad was a Rocker in the sixties and a Triumph and AJS owner, he used give the mods a good kicking and do wild things like a ton plus without helmets, and playing Chicken with his mates on the bikes....which is Red traffic light first to stop loses !! And so on, plenty more stories like that. Anyway he thought I would be doing the same sort of thing ? So when I announced I was buying a high tec Suzuki GP 100 , he stated he would shuck me out. So I bought the bike, and he kept his word and shucked me out !! I ended up in house full of bikers, and that was amazing we used strip honda 900's down in the front room with Motorhead blasting out of the Warfdales ! My journey had begun. cheers Ray. ;)

[ausjc]

My girlfriend wanted a bike but I thought they were too dangerous. We got one anyway, and I immediately fell in love with it. I'm now on my 4th bike :biggrin:

[Gary Quango]

my uncle took me for a blast round the back streets of London when I was a Sprog :) I was hooked , felt like we were doing the ton ( probably only going about 20 :) .... it was an old triumph twin ;)

[Camera Hunter]

When I was 13, my dad had a ’70 something Yamaha 650 Special. He used to give me rides on it, and that’s how riding got into my blood. When I was 17, I used to ride that bike myself and continued to do so until I was 20, when I got my own bike, (a newer version of my dad’s cycle). I sold that bike in the late 80s and then went without for some time, until I bought a ’97 Honda Nighthawk 750, which I still have (and now plan to sell). My younger brother, who has been riding motorcycles for just as long bought a ZRX1200 four years ago and I thought it was really cool (without telling me, he ended up selling it about 2 years later).

This year something clicked and I knew I needed an update. I looked at about ten ZRXs, picked a 2005 and the rest is history!

[bexupnorth]

Started on my Mams old moped. A Cazenave, never heard or seen of another one since. First bike I owned was an FSIE, went everywhere on it.

Ade

[Wheeltrax]

In at the deep end...

Someone gave me a go on a 400cc 2 stroke crosser. OFF ROAD! :bike:

"Oh, be careful of the powerband" says he.
"Whats a powerband?" Says I. :doh:
"Never mind. You'll find out" says the evil minded bstd.

What a babtism of fire. 1984/85 and I still remember my legs flapping in the wind behind the bike as I "found out" what a powerband was all about.
Happy days!

[bexupnorth]

Now that is Evil :eek:

[Spider]

Here is my list, seems like not alot of bikes but feels like alot of years..

'80 TS125 White - 1986 - 1987
'81 CB250N Black - 1987 - 1997
'78 XS500 Black - 1988 - 1989
'82 GS550L Black - 1989 - 1991
'84 GPZ750 Red- 1990 - 2005
'99 ZRX1100 Green - 2005 - Now

I have a habit of hanging onto bikes that I like....I'm planning on keeping Rex for a long time yet... gotta beat that 15 years on the old GPZ

[Spider]

OOPS!! Should have posted the above list in Your Bike History.
Still finding my way around the site....

[brecknock]

From being an ickle kid I liked cars and bikes.

Many of my prejudices come from opinions in Bike magazine in the 70's eg, I remember a comparison btw a Harley (rubbish engine and brakes) and a big Kwacker (heavenly engine but scary everything else but still the best thing going). I still vow never to have a HD, ever, ever, ever.

Saw a yellow Norton Commando pass my dad on the A1 about 1972 and thought it was the fastest, coolest thing I'd ever seen.

Captivated by the Barry Sheene Daytona documentary, and any motor cycle racing and speedway on World of Sport and Grandstand.

Got taken on a coach holiday to the 1977 IOM TT by my mum (thanks) and stayed in the same hotel as the Motor Cycle News journos (old, fat blokes I recall). Amazing bike atmosphere everywhere.

I just love the smell of Castrol R. Still do.

Used to sit and watch bikes going past my house en route to Snetterton most weekends in the 70's.

First job in a petrol station serving petrol, so met loadsa bike owners that way too.

Did photography at school as a way of getting out to take photos - but really meant I went into every bike shop in town (and there were three) for hours every Wednesday afternoon.

Got a sports moped and blew my education by reading MCN, every bike mag and following speedway across the UK five times a week instead of revising.

Had a X7 and the first 350LC the local Yamaha dealer had delivered...made me a local hero for a while...

Played about at Jeff Crookbain's Motorcycle School at Brands Hatch when I was given cash as presents...

[Usafric]

My first real introduction to bikes while living in Plymouth in 1979 (I was 14) was a mates brother who had an XI, looked really cool, and he was a real poser anyway. Well when I was 16 I got a FSIE, got a bigger piston/barrell and that thing would do 50 on the flat, and got 67 down Newbottle hill, near Banbury. Still 16, I bought a 75ish CB250, I would park it around the corner, leave on my FSIE then get on the 250 and ride it to school. Not the brightist of things I have done but we live and learn, sort of... Since then I have always owned a bike of some sort, DT125, CB360, X7, KZ650, KZ1300, XT550, CR250, XR600, DRZ400, 3 ZED's. just to name a few.
None of my family like bikes, but my wife will not stop me riding as she knows what a passion it is for me (after her that is).

[Usafric]

Excerpt from an article I found in a bike mag. I believe it sums up why I ride, and to some one who doesn't ride, they just don't get it.


In the face of accidents, death and loss, I am transfixed by motorcycles. It’s not in my genes; it’s not from living next to a bike shop when I was a kid. I don’t know why, but motorcycles are a part of my soul. They are part of my oxygen. The complications of this passion are many. I’ve been hurt and I’ve come close to a big mistake. So many of my friends share this passion; they share the rewards and the risks-and sometimes they get hurt.
The rewards of riding are much harder to share than the pain. The words do not seem meaningful-like when you love someone so deeply that the thought of expressing it cramps your chest and dries your throat. Words only scrape the surface of true meaning; the depth of the experience is lost in translation. Riding is absorbing solitary moments and camaraderie at the same time. Using all five senses and touching on the sixth. We each have our own experience, and we somehow draw from the same well of emotions, stress, fears and satisfaction. We share the passion and a language. Words can’t describe it-but riding can.

[chunksten]

I remember the ting ting ting of my dads moto guzzi v50 cooling down when i was 4, been hooked ever since. bought my first bike when i was 18, a suzuki bandit 400v,(dad used to nick it when i was at work and has now got back into biking himself!) rode it every where until dumping it in the middle of round about. since then have had 30 bikes! from a 125 scooter to a hayabusa and now have my ZRX1100 and my own moto guzzi v50!!!!

[deno]

My dad had bikes from when I was a baby got photos of me sitting on the tank of one of his bikes I cant have been more than a year old so they have always been around but the defining moment was when I was abut ten years old and parked up in my grandads lorry on a building site at lunch time and one of the boys working there roared up on a red triumph he looked so cool I decided then and there I would have to have one
That bloke has a lot to answer for

[nephilim]

On a fizzy, like a millions others I would imagine. It was a restricted '78 plate bike, sorry moped, with a mind blowing 37mph top speed! :( That wasn't enough for me so I had to get a different system, about £30 later bolted the new one on, wow, couldn't believe it, it got up to the dizzy heights of 45 now! :D: Big difference back then. Managed to get 53 once, on the tank, downhill, those were the days! And I thought it was the bees knees. :o:

[oldfossil]

I was 15 years old, and a friend sold me a Puch maxi, for the princely sum of one pound, it needed a new piston and rebore, I spent a lot of time cleaning and polishing it before I could afford to get the parts needed to get it running and on the road,I thought it was brilliant,:o:

[TSSRAZRX]

First Bike...1966 Honda CB160, paid USD300. After a few weeks, I hit a sewer man hole lid that was raised above the street. Lots of road rash and trashed my new watch my parents had just bought me. It was tougher to explain the broken watch than the road rash and torn britches. I was only twelve yrs old. We lived in a small town in East Tennessee and I had already been riding for two years, mostly on my older brother's 1965 Honda S90.

[kevman65]

First bike, it was 1994 and I was 19, the bike was a little old Z1R, what a way to start. Suspension was loose, frame was spaghetti, and the motor was:cool:

[angelo_lopes]

Start riding at 19 :baby:, in 1973, a Mobylette Cady. (Start driving cars with 13 and trucks with 15 though :o: )

In 1974 I had no money for a real 50 cubic so I started building one :idea:. A bike was "only" a frame, a fork with an handlebar, a swingarm, 2 shocks, 2 wheels, spokes and an engine. I needed about one year. To get money, I built and sold lots of bracelets me and my girl (today my wife) made with wire and glass beads. This was 36 yrs ago! :teeth:
Three monthes later I was on the circuit races. I tunned the engine, 14 HP on a 50 cc! Engine brand was Flandria. I had 2 of those, both built by myself.

The motorbikes I have had are here (http://www.zrxocboard.com/board/showpost.php?p=359382&postcount=395)

How did I arrive to be a Proud Rexer?

In the late nineties I went to Germany to help my best Friend buy a bike, a Kawasaki Vulcan 800
And I meet the brand new ZRX. I felt in love for it but had to wait 10 years to have one :-)

https://dav-sth-se.diino.com/dav/angelo/Kawasaki/ZRX1100/img0084.JPG

[goth bird]

leaned in the summer on old pit stax on a derby sender, then onto a road going rx100 yam, then the obligatory (for lasses) 600 hornet, 2 infact, gsx 600f (teapot) 600 bandit, thundercat & t/ace!, blade, zx6, firestorm, 900 hornet, then my ZRX! 1200 dream ped!

[Evurr]

have to say this lass has never had the (obligatory) hornet.

[banzai]

i started on a vespa 100 (registered as a 50), promptly stuffed it into the side of a cortina, re built it then bought a vespa 200 (registered as a 125), passed my test, had a few tuned lambrettas blew them up many times so i got myself a 375 stan stephens lc, then i became a God and bought a gpz 750 turbo, i definatley had an angel looking after me on that bike, rode like a total twat.had many many bikes since then, variety is the spice of life , allways seem to be drawn back to a big kwak though:biggrin:

[bad hat harry]

Was into bikes when I were a kid back in the 70's - used to subscribe to the US mag Cycle World back then, all seemed very exciting. Too young for the boom in Fizzies and the like, my contact with bikes (sometimes literally!) consisted of marshaling at local trials events and the odd borrowed ride round a field. Then it all went quiet on the bike front when I discovered GURLS, which needed a car to lug them around in......

Roll forward several years to 1987 and a mate gives me a lift to work on his GPz550 and, all of a sudden, "wow, I remember these things!". Practicing round a car park on another mates GS450, followed by a CB125T (shared) on the road and then a CB100N (mine, all mine!) and then I'm licenced to thrill... :cool:

First proper bike (arguable point!) was an XBR500. I'd just bought a house, was stoney-broke but had to have a bike....

[chipper]

bought a raleigh runabout for £2 at age 12? rode it through a neighbours fence, never looked back 35 years! ohmygod i'm knockin on

[angelo_lopes]

...
Then it all went quiet on the bike front when I discovered GURLS, which needed a car to lug them around in......
...
I'd just bought a house, was stoney-broke but had to have a bike....


Nice going bad hat harry :cool:
I discovered gurls before I discovered bikes
Now when I go with a gurl I miss a bike

[TeZREX]

Well along long time ago...My mates Big brother had the original Z1000R lawson Rep. I always loved that bike and the 1100 katana he bought..All his bikes were brand new (he has a 1200REX now!!) and being young and having a good job he always bought the latest newest bikes. When I was 12 one of the lads got an RD200 field bike which we proceeded to fall off on a regular basis...When I was 15 I got a suzuki GP100 field bike...no front brakes but it went and I rode it all weathers. Eventually I took to the road on a GSX250 8 valve suzuki with a sidewinder...used to go past my mates superwet dream at 100mph (indicated) with the third wheel off the ground more than on it...
Past my car test and GF of the time whinged until I stopped riding....:whip::whip:
Ten years later I escaped, within 1 month had bike test passed and bought an old 550 katana, then moved to a zzr600, then zx6r then the REX, now got the rex a zx7r streetfighter thing, and a blackbird...Had a trailie and a pan too...
My mates big brother still has bikes (he has the rex 12) he sold his rex and bought a mille r a year later went back for a service and the rex was still there:D:so he bought it back and kept the mille too...
my rex is a keeper i love the thing...the others will no doubt come and go but ...a rex is for life...:bike:

TeZ

[CaliMR]

My father had me on dirt bikes as far back as I can remember, probably same time I learned to ride a bicycle. Moved up from a 50 to a 80 to a 125 to a 250 2 stroke. Then a kid I knew died on a dirt bike and my father sold all our bikes. Skip forward 10 years or so and in college I talked my friend out of a Virago that broke down in the street in front of my apartment and he had left on my patio. Dragged it behind a truck and popped the clutch to get the cylinders unstuck, and ran her around on one running cylinder through school. Then moved on to a beater Katana 600, then a CBR900RR with a built motor some racer crashed and I rebuilt, after that monster I switched to supermotos and started riding dirt again with my nephews. Now I am old enough I need a man's bike, so on to the ZRX.

[rf900Flyer]

My father took me to see Evel Knievel and a motorcycle show. He bought me a paperback about cycles; riding etc........I guess he regrets that day.

[wolf11]

For me it started by watching moto gp, i got a itchy feeling in my hands!!!
Next day called the driving instructor and started!!!
As first bike i bought a suzuki gsx600f which i drove for a year, after that i bought the zrx 1100 last year!!!

[moss.ie]

My first experience was getting a spin into our local town on the back of a big yellow bmw R100 rs when i was about 10, Irish rural roads were an experience to behold in those days, and we lived about 9 miles out in the sticks!
looking back it seemed that the bike was truly enormous, i can clearly remember being terrified and exhillerated in equal amounts, gettin off the bike with my knees wobbling, tears rollin down my face from the laughter! wearing an adults leather jacket with yellow stripes and a black porsche design helmet( amazin the little details that stick) , i thought i was barry sheene...................and so it began

and dya know what, after a good hard blast on the bike it brings me back to that first spin every time. :biggrin:

[Stickymint]

My first ride was on a James Captain that my friends bought from my uncle as a field bike, the 1st bike I owned was a mobylette 50 moped bought for £2 at the ripe old age of 11. 103 bikes later I'm still trying to give them up.(Does a Reliant Supervan count as a bike???).

[filbert]

Does a Reliant Supervan count as a bike???.

Nah, but used to have one maself. Twas a blue one, much fun was had in it. Taught maself to drive in it. Always amazed me you could drive it wae a bike licence. But there ya go. :biggrin:

[digger06]

How did you start your motorcycling history, what got you into bikes, what was your first bike, and what did you hit with it:)



:sirreal:

1st was a puch 125, hit a tree with that,
2nd was a cb100, i wrote of a princess with it (car not gurly)
3rd was a z250, wrote it off when i hit a cyclist (his fault)
i hit less nowadays:o:

[streetmoto]

1977 FS1E Following school bus,looked round to see how much smoke was coming out,bus stopped,ran in to the back of it.Bent the forks
1977 FS1E sharp right hander,ground the pedal and slid in to wall
1978 RD200 open her up at top of parents road,high sided staright thru a gate
1978 RD200 Pensioner walked in front of me down High Street,braked & screamed,hit him and went straight over handlebars,bike landed on my Knee,I was lying in the road with my knee trapped between tank & bars,two little old ladies tried to lift the bike of me.Bless 'em:o:

[Viper2662]

I started out on a 1973 Yamaha RD350. It was actually my fathers first street bike that stayed in the family. We pulled it apart cleaned carbs new sprockets and chain. New Baffles in the Expansion Chambers and I was off Riding and tinkering with bikes, and haven't stopped since. Since then I have had a 2000 TL1000r (Yellow because everybody knows a yellow bike has to be fast) and just recently a ZRX1200