What got you into bikes?

[Indiana_Jones]

What got you into bikes?
I guess for me it was watching "The Great Escape"
McQueen is legend :kick:

-Indy

[6Chris6]

What got you into bikes?
I guess for me it was watching "The Great Escape"
McQueen is legend :kick:

-Indy
My father used to run a pub in rural south east England which had quite a large biker contingent one of my most vivid memories (think i was about 6) was being picked up and sat on some big cruiser while he revved it up :eek5: :eek5: :eek:

[Marknz]

I used to marshal at the hill-climbs back in Guernsey when I was a kid and the bikes were always of greater interest to me than the cars. And then when I was in Akld with the mob and getting some decent dosh in my hands in the mid 80's along came a little Aussie they called the Wiz who won the world 500cc title. That was what led me down on Barry's Point road with cash in hand.

[Wonko]

Allways like the cruizers that used to blast through Waihi and Paeroa when I was much younger, but Mum said no. A couple of years ago, a friend let me shoot up the drive way on her FXR 150. Impressed by the digital dash, my thoughts were ' now you can easily tell how fast your going' and the rest is history.

[madandy]

Several cousins in Palmy on my Fathers' side have ridden or still ride Motocycles in a M/C club ( thats GANG to Zed :kick: & Bondagebunny :bleh: ).Moto Guzzi, Ducati,Triumph, BSA, Norton & HD mostly but I prefer sports bikes that can be thrashed without too much maintenance so I choose Japanese despite the laughter!

My old man used to drive Road Trains in Queensland and sometimes he would pick me up from primary school on his SR250...that was my first ride
I really like the sensation of speed and manouverability of bikes and jumping dirtbikes was soo much fun as a younger idiot

[Motoracer]

My brother got me into them. I am so very greatful for that cause through bikes, I have come to meet some pretty awesome people!

[Posh Tourer :P]

I've been riding as a pillion since about age 7...... Got a bike almost as soon as possible.... never dirt biked though....

[Ms Piggy]

When I was a younger lass lots of my male friends had bikes off and on road and I went pillion lots. I have always wanted to ride and those boys always used to say they'd teach me to ride but never did and I guess I never pushed it either. Then finally last year I got the opportunity to buy a bike and had someone that was actually willing to teach me.

The timing was prefect really and now I'm in love :love:

[slob]

My brother got me into them. I am so very greatful for that cause through bikes, I have come to meet some pretty awesome people!
Heh heh, no worries bro! :niceone: I started riding mainly for transportation (it's only affordable option in Kathmandu, Nepal). It was only after I came to NZ that I started riding for the pleasure of riding itself and got into sportsbiking. To-date I have never owned any form of transport with 4 wheels!

[Grumpy]

I got sick of all the brown nosing I had to do to get the mothers car so it was time for my own vehicle.
Cars were too damn expensive back then so a bike it was. My dad saw a chance to relive his younger years so he was dead keen, so off we went checking out the shops. Never looked back.
That got my brother and sister into bikes and then my old man went and bought one as well.
Would have been a real family affair except that my mum hated the the things.

[boris]

i just hated driving cars, being stuck inside some thing .I liked the freedom a bike gave i would ride all year round.Now days I drive a car, when its wet or cold, have to pick up something or someone.Having bike frendly perents helped too.

[Firefight]

What got you into bikes?


-Indy



Money :crazy:



F/F :rolleyes:

[matthewt]

After being a car freak for a few years and taking the piss out of mates on bikes I decided that I should actually try one "just for a laugh". It was a suzy TS100 (or 185 I forget) and I loved it. I bugged them for the next 3 months to ride their bikes until I could save up to get one myself. Been into bikes ever since.

[Jackrat]

Me dad and his brothers all rode so bikes were just always there.

[claire]

ending up with a man who proclaims he couldn't live without a bike. Being a petrolhead by nature I think it was only a matter of time before I wanted to give this motorcycling thing a go for myself and give the pillion seat away. Being 6 foot tall I'm probably the tallest woman to do 15,000 kms on the back of an R1 - what was I thinking. Chris always reckons its a good thing I hadn't been on the back of other bikes cause I didn't know how damn uncomfortable the R1 was as a pillion. Now I even buy bike magazines which is a little scary but makes a change from the rodding magazines I suppose!!

[Motu]

Bodgies and Widgies.

[Two Smoker]

My dad has ridden bikes for donkeys.... Well i couldnt ride his old XJ 750 so i worked my arse off to get my own bike, after buying a car and saving up enough for a bike and good gear i got the current one :niceone: now the bike bug has bitten hard as and i ride (well i will when it gets back from the shop :argh: ) everyday.....rain or shine track or road, i even have a job which involves riding a bike (if you can call a CT110 a bike....) only use the car when need to pick lots of people up or its raining and the g/f and i need to go somewhere...

[Holy Roller]

I guess that its too long ago to remember exactly why, but what with farm bikes and friends trail bikes, being away from home and the freedom to do as I liked.

[FROSTY]

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I'm one of those pomgolians that grew up on bikes then motorcycle and sidecar riding.It was a way of life back then. Nooone could afford a car so the bike was the next best thing.
My first bike for road riding was my 15th birthday present from my family-A 1976 honda cb100.
I havent looked back

[Skyryder]

My first bike I bought when I was 17. It is just one of those things that happened. Knocked around with a crew who rode. Only rode for about three years and stopped. Got married years later and bought a wee Yamaha 175 and then a Honda 250 mainly to get to work cheaply. Had no interest in bikes for some time then saw a Cali and simply fell in love with it. I have only been back in the saddle for about 15 months but not planning to leave for some time.

Skyryder

[yessum]

Chick at school had one, been obsessed ever since :laugh:
Also I've always wanted to get into motor racing, and motorcycle racing always seemed such a pure form of it.. just waiting for the day i can afford a formula3 machine.

[wkid_one]

I didn't like nor understand them - so I decided that the best way to overcome it was to buy a bike. An expensive way to overcome it yes - but it worked. I just wanted to prove to myself I could ride....did that (argueably)...so happy. Next hurdle is racing.

[dangerous]

'what got me into bikes'
Well as a wee fella I was in the back of the parents car at the servo and a CB750 or simaler rocked up for fuel.
As I day dreamed up out of the window at this huge noisy horse of steel I knew that thats what I want one day.

The funny thing is I had know idea what it was yet today I can picture it clear as and know that it was a CB 750 with those horrid big crome crash bars that hang way out to far and even the servo that we were at 'Wierd'

[speedpro]

The guys I hung round with when I joined the Air force all rode bikes.

One of my earliest memories of bikes was of a fight at the old man's gas station between a group of bike riders and the local maori tough guys some time round New Years eve back when Triumph Tridents were pretty special. The bike guys pounded them first time but a quick visit back to the pub saw a good turnout of the "bro's". Things got ugly with a bike on fire and flames in the gutter from spilt fuel. A couple of the badder riders returned the next weekend looking for the chief trouble maker but "gosh", he couldn't be found. They weren't all such bad guys and left a real impression. Mum made the local paper print a correction to the original story they printed laying the blame on the bike guys.

[DEATH_INC.]

Genetics.....
My dad and his brothers all rode bikes and my grandfather on my mothers side rode bikes......I was doomed from the day I was born :thud: ....
My brother rides(I got him into it,he's never had a car...)and most of my cousins ride too.....never stood a chance.....

[speedpro]

Fair number of my family ride as well, brothers, cousin, nephews, and 5yr old son.

[moko]

The guys I hung round with when I joined the Air force all rode bikes.

One of my earliest memories of bikes was of a fight at the old man's gas station between a group of bike riders and the local maori tough guys some time round New Years eve back when Triumph Tridents were pretty special. The bike guys pounded them first time but a quick visit back to the pub saw a good turnout of the "bro's". Things got ugly with a bike on fire and flames in the gutter from spilt fuel.

Over here we just get together for a few drinks on New Years Eve,interesting to hear of other local customs

[k14]

Couldn't be bothered riding my bike to uni and had some money left over from my student loan, so I decided to buy a bike, for a bit of fun and some good and cheap transport. So much for that. Probably spent nearly 10 grand in a year on bikes and bike stuff, lol.

[aff-man]

Well my earliest ride was sitting in front of my uncle when he tore arse around the streets on his quite large off-roader. After that nothing much untill i moved to this country and met CK. He got me into bikes (my folks said they would kill him if i got a bike but he is still alive :Punk: ) and have never looked back. Driven a car a grand total of 5 times and it still scares the shit out of me much rather be in the safe embrace of my motorcyle :love:

[SPman]

Dont know what or why, really. Hopped on a mates scooter, thought, this is fun and seem to have been riding ever since. No philosophising about it at all!



Being 6 foot tall I'm probably the tallest woman to do 15,000 kms on the back of an R1 - what was I thinking. :eek: What were you thinking, indeed! That must have been an interesting sight! - eg Mr & Mrs Grumpy! (pic)
I always thought they were suitable for people 4'10 and 5 stone! :laugh:

[vifferman]

I was introduced to them by a close friend at school. He and his two brothers were all into bikes, and their dad used to race them back in the 50s. Other friends also had them. Once I was given a ride on the back of a bike, and then had a ride myself (in a paddock), I was hooked. Didn't help that my sister had a boyfriend with a CB350, which I used to borrow whenever he came to visit (which was frequently), even though I didn't have a license... oops. My bad.
So, after a short while, I just *had* to have a bike, and luckily my father had ridden a bit when he was younger, so my parents lent me part of the money I needed to buy a bike from a workmate of my father. She'd broken her leg in 6 places when some brain-dead old crone drove straight past a stop sign and crashed into her. The rebuilt CB175 was very tidy, and low miles.
When I'd finished with it, it was very sad. :weep:

[pete376403]

My dad rode speedway at Kilbirnie, and then he had an Indian Super Chief when he worked for the power board in pahiatua. My uncle jack also had bikes and although there were no bikes in the household while I was young, I just always wanted one. First bike was Royal Enfield 250 that I hid in the shed for about two weeks until mum discovered it, I had to take it back. She hated the idea of me getting a bike, dad "said" he agreed with her but I think he was ok with the idea of me having bikes. I know he was pretty pleased when I got my first JAP speedway bike after riding road and trail bikes for a few years.

[Coldkiwi]

got sick of busing and wasting two hours of my life everyday going to uni. only sensible solution was to get a bike and embrace an extra 1/2 hours sleep in the morning. Discovered it was lots of fun as well as convienient (anyone thinking that all the gear you need to wear to be protected should try a uni commute in the car/bus and see if you get over that little issue in a big hurry!).
here I am, 4 bikes and 350cc later loving it and plotting to buy a ZX-10 in a few years! "party on wayne..."

[Skunk]

My girlfriend at the time, now my wife, got me into them. Had always been into cars before that.

[Timber020]

First "rode" a TF125 mudbug farmbike solo when I was about 4 or 5 (dad just pushed me off and I rode around the front paddock until I fell or he finished lunch. I could only use the throttle as I couldnt reach the gears and it was a couple years before I could pull on either of the levers!
Hmmm addicted ever since. I was involved in my first motorbike accident when I was about 2 (dad was riding and went through a barbwire fence). I was unhurt but balling like hell, he was cut up pretty bad (he had wrapped me up in his arms and shielded me when we crashed.)

[NhuanH]

watching the Gardner/Lawson/Schwantz/Rainey stoushes in the late 80s, late at night on TV. Remember? Before there was SkyTV. Before those dickheads 'didn't manage' to secure the rights from Dorna.

Oh and Top Gun! I dream to ride alongside the landing strip at Akl Airport, brown fur lined leather jacket, no helmet and my Ray-Ban Aviators, racing the jet at take off! At least I have a Kawasaki now.... :2thumbsup

[spudchucka]

I simply couldn't afford any other form of transport so I bought a Suzuki T125 for about $300.00 and have ridden bikes on and off ever since.

[Joni]

My uncle, took me out on his Kawa 1200 when I was about 6 - my first and still the best pillion ride of my life... He is an amazing rider, did track racing for about 15 yrs, I grew up with the sound! Good memories.

[vifferman]

My uncle, took me out on his Kawa 1200 when I was about 6 - my first and still the best pillion ride of my life

Wow - given that Kawasaki 1200's haven't been around very long, you must be very young. ;)

I have three sons, and despite having occasional rides on the last 4 bikes I've owned, I doubt whether any of them will follow me into m/cycles. :(
The oldest is a laugh - he 'vibrates' when he's on the bike; says he's cold, but I think it probably just scares him too much, even though I ride very carefully. The youngest is a dream on the back - he weighs very little, and sits very still, so it's like having no pillion at all. And the middle one - having spent more time on the back than anyone else, the bike goes in autopilot mode, and steers itself when it comes up to corners. This was very disconcerting until I realised what was happening...

[dangerous]

The oldest is a laugh - he 'vibrates' when he's on the bike; says he's cold, but I think it probably just scares him too much, even though I ride very carefully. The youngest is a dream on the back - he weighs very little, and sits very still, so it's like having no pillion at all. And the middle one - having spent more time on the back than anyone else, the bike goes in autopilot mode, and steers itself when it comes up to corners. This was very disconcerting until I realised what was happening...

'the middle one ' He's going to be a biker...... why cos he obvisly dosent agree with your riding lines and wants to ride of in the other direction on his own :rolleyes:

[Joni]

Thats the wird thing, I am not that young, but I clearly remember the Kawa and its specs.... dont know where the 1200 came from!!! Wierd.

[James Deuce]

I got taken for a ride on GS550 when I was 8 by my Aunty's flatmate, and I started riding a DT100 at 10 at Boy's Brigade camps.

Forgot about bikes after I left school until I started working with a bloke with a GS1000S, and then another bloke who had had an RG250F. Bought the CSR250 and the rest is history.

[bungbung]

I rode a 50cc kids dirt bike when I was about 7 years old, then about 15 years old I went for a ride on a mates old XR200 on the road one night at a party. That was it until a flatmate borrowed a FZR250, and I re-borrowed it. I liked it enough to buy a Suzook GSX400X insult.

[riffer]

I got taken for a ride on GS550.
My dad had a GS550 when I was a kid - I guess I started going on the back of it when I was around 8 too... If you had have grown up in the Hutt Valley I could even have waved at you at one point!

It was DEFINITELY my dad got my into bikes ... and guitars and cameras too now I think of it.

[festus]

Used to work for my old man (bricklayer) during school holidays since I was big enough to carry bricks. When I turned 15, he bought be a Honda CG125, that my friends, was the start of a very long fasination with anything with 2 wheels and a motor!. Needless to say I owe a lot to my old man...........

[pete376403]

Thats the wird thing, I am not that young, but I clearly remember the Kawa and its specs.... dont know where the 1200 came from!!! Wierd.
Wasn't a 1300 six? Large by huge in every direction?

[bungbung]

Joni, meet your dad, pete376403 :D

[riffer]

Wasn't a 1300 six? Large by huge in every direction?
Yeah. Kawasaki brought out the Z1300. A big watercooled beast of a bike.

Only thing bigger at the time was a Honda CBX1300.

Of course, now you have mad buggers like Alan Millyards modifying Z1300's to make monster 2300cc V12's, not to mention an H2-1250-5 cylinder (yeeha!!!).

Check this out:
http://uk.zn1300.com/

[pete376403]

Nah, the CBX was quite compact - just wide. The Z1300 was huge in every direction. And the V12 version is so cool. I want one.

[riffer]

Nah, the CBX was quite compact - just wide. The Z1300 was huge in every direction. And the V12 version is so cool. I want one.
Shit, Pete. They all looked pretty big to a skinny punk kid. I thought my dad's GT750 was massive.

[Big Dog]

I liked the way they looked as a kid but was baited by trike/quad racing in Rotorua, hooked good and proper by a ride on the back of a BMW 1150rs (I think like the MOT bikes of the time but bigger.) When he lofted the front wheel of the big boxer that was it I was going to buy one one day. Took me six years but when I wrote of the car I needed to get to work and I could have a mechanically sound 8 year old bike and gear and insurance or I could have a 12 year old car no insurance and questionable reliability. As if I needed another motivating factor gas was $60 just to get to work (only the first four cars each day were allowed to use the car park but there was a half park noone else could fit in) bike was only $15 (ended up spending sixty anyway but i got around a lot more for the same money :))

[Big Dog]

oh and back then it cost $80 less PA to register a bike not $80 more.

[Suzi Q]

I grew up on a farm in North Canterbury and my Dad had a Honda CT90 - now they are a CT110 - My Dad is not very big!!! I used to ride on the back round the farm with him - nothing fast!!! Then he taught me to ride - it was fairly easy as there was no clutch - 4 gears and a high or low setting? Then as I got older I started going out with guys who had bikes - loved being a pillion. I have been told I am a good pillion and they forget I am there. I am not like my husband who can not stand being a pillion, I still like it. My husband is a bike fanatic I think he is onto his 15th bike? Well he bought a bike that turned out to be nasty, the most uncomfortable thing ever, he bought it because the GSX750F was a little small two up on trips. He then traded for an RF900 that he liked and for some reason I decided to get my licence so I got an FXR150 - loved the digital dash and the fact you knew what gear you are in. Glen was worried that he was pushing me to get a bike and get me off the back of his, but he needent have worried, I love having a bike, but occasionally when not feeling up to it I ride on the back of his. I have to be on the ball - I am silly enough with out being a disaster waiting to happen!
:sunny:

[krisby]

I started riding little pw50s at Camp Williams in Gisborne when I was 5, and when we used to go on holiday (especially in Rotorua) I would ride the trikes and quads, but nothing really fired in me. When I was 15 I stayed at a mates place in Waitawheta (near Waihi) and we were blatting round the farm on some 100c thing, was great fun but still nothing really in me.

After being in London a few years I found myself in a position where I was commuting 2 hours each way every day. This soon became a drag, and expensive, so I got me bike licence and bought a TZR125. I enjoyed riding but it was slow, and I still was not excited, though I did like the look of the bigger bikes, but still knew jack about them. The jap importer around the corner from me had loads of Honda Bros (Hawk), so I succumbed and fell in love with motorcycling on my first ride.

I've had 3 more bikes since then (incl one that cost me over $10,000 to fix and eventually dump), but the force is still strong.

Upon returning to NZ my wife was not so keen for me to take up biking again. She said I could get an expensive car instead. However, having just lost about $60,000 with an ill fated Green Acres investment that is not likely. However, I am doing something about it and should soon be in a good position to buy a nice car, and it was my intention when I had a spare $10,000 or so to go and buy one with or without my wifes wishes.

Fortunately I will not have to now, out walking the other day she saw a lovely "red bike", I obvioulsy could not determine what it was from that, I asked if it had two exhausts, either side of the wheel or under the seat (she had no idea, only that it was nice), and she said that when we recoup our losses I can get a bike, so yippee!

T955i methinks.