Can you recall how it was when you started riding?

[Terminated]

Having posted up the weekly Saturday Morning Riding Practise thread

http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/calendar.php?do=getinfo&e=1366&day=2007-9-8

I have gone back to look at my first attempts at getting out on the road:


Dateline 12 May 2006


The new GN250 was delivered in Stokes Vegas tonight at 1721hrs by Wellington Motor Cycle Centre.

Houston, Tranquility Base here. The Eagle has landed.

That's one small step for BuckBuck but one giant leap for a whole lot of pleasure.

Look forward to catching up with you all when I build up my skills and confidence.


And four days later - Here is an extract of an email I sent to my brother-in-law:



Dateline:
16 May 2006

30km Up Today

Well I managed 12.30pm – 2.00pm and 3.00pm to 4.00pm. Stayed in Manuka and Zeala Grove and was able to manage U turns in Manuka and very slow turns at the dead end of Zeala. Also went half way up from our house to the top of the street in the first session and in the second session practiced getting right to the top then coming down slowly in low gear.

Had one ooopsy practiced coming to a complete stop at the end of Zeala at the intersection with Manuka, was a slight down hill and went to put my foot down lost balance and couldn’t hold the weight no scratches and picked up easily.

Gearing a lot better today up to 4000 - 4500rpm and into 3rd fine then 4th back to 3rd then 2nd up the tight left curve at very top of street way up around from our place.

I am confident that the Saturday Morning Riding Practice here in Stokes Valley will be very useful for riders just starting out (and experienced riders that may want to revisit some of the slow bike control challenges), after all I did 1000km in Stokes Valley before I ventured further a field.

http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/calendar.php?do=getinfo&e=1366&day=2007-9-8

Heads Up and Enjoy

[peasea]

I have a pic somewhere of my first trip on a motorcycle on my own. Long hair, no lid, circa 1974/75. It was a Suzuki 350 two stroke thing; what a day!
I'll see if I can find/scan it. Talk about old school.:clap:

[Katman]

I'd had only one short ride on my mates SL125 when I went in to Laurie Summers to pick up my brand new Z250C. It was only then that I fully realised that I still had to get it back to Manurewa. That was one exhilarating and nerve-racking ride back down the Great South Road.

[Krusti]

1976, first roadbike, Suzuki GT250. Old man made me sell it due to him telling me it was too powerful. Got a CB175 with megaphones!

[Bullitt]

First experince on an adult sized two wheeler (ie not a trike/quad/50cc kids bike) was a mates DT125 on a beach with no kickstart. Id ride it very gingerly around and half the time taking off Id stall it and have to push it along the beach till I got it going again. Was a complete pain in the arse but still alot of fun.

I feel like Im learning again after having 3 years off, though I think Im picking it up quicker this time around

[Steam]

...after all I did 1000km in Stokes Valley before I ventured further afield.

I just don't get that. I mean, I admire it, kinda, but the implacable methodical nature of it scares me a bit.

When I started riding it was very very scary. I picked up the bike then rode across Auckland in traffic, but survived. (the people I bought the bike from showed me how to change gears. I honestly had no idea, I'd never been on a bike before.)

Then in the morning I Hardened The Fuck Up and rode 660 kilometers to Wellington over two beautiful clear winter days, wearing a yellow PVC raincoat and overtrousers and every item of clothing I had.

I believe that's what's called Polar Opposites.

[McJim]

I spent a fortnight on a 50cc 2 stroke moped on newly harvested potato fields in Ayrshire in the muddy summer of in 1982. We found it in an old shed (not working) and me and my dad dismantled the engine, cleaned it, reassembled it and I would spend all day every day riding at 50mph across wet mud.

Then never touched a bike again until 2006.

[Holy Roller]

First bike I rode was my step sisters van van and I promptly put into a hedge. Took a bit to get it out I dont recall being offered another ride.

Farm bikes after that, a step through 90 with high low ratio box gave hours of fun chasing cows. An XR 250 of a mate hooning around Auckland having a ball in the new developments riding over piles of dirt. Got my licence and brought a new GSX250EZ added a bikini fairing. By now I was quite confident and Auckland traffic was no problem, even did a defensive riding school at Manukau travelling from Devonport each Saturday so I would get my full quicker.
The instructor knew when I had run the bike in my riding style must have changed somewhat. Scraping the pegs going around the cones:niceone:
I travelled all over the country (North Island) with that bike. I saw one the other day in the bike shop certainly brought back memories:msn-wink:

[Tonka]

My first ride was back in 1991 around the streets of Kawerau on my mates brand new Yamaha FZR250 (I think it was that model) around 10-11pm....I remember hitting the power band on that sucker and almost sh#ting my pants...:shit:...after that one ride, I knew motorbikes needed to play a part in my life.

As it turned ut my mother put a stop to that....:nono:...didnt stop me from riding my mates bike though!!

[janno]

In the carpark at Mill Point Road in Perth, next to the Swann river.

After a few minutes tootling on the mighty virago I grabbed a mightly handful of brakes and ended up on the ground. My husband was watching over me and had just turned away to look at something on the river.

At least that's what I thought, until he told me later he was laughing so hard he couldn't look anymore . . . :girlfight:

But oh the feeling of changing gears for the first time!

And getting up to 35km per hour!!

Little did I know it was the dreadful beginning of a serious and expensive addiction . . .

[fergie]

think it was 72 or there abouts, rocked into the cop shop, answered 25 questions, got a permit to "learn" for six weeks then strait to bike shop and bought a suzuki 50!. after six weeks went for full licence. cop sits on step outside cop shop (smoking)! i rode to end of street and back, whammo, full licence!, I think from memory you only needed a helmet when going over 30 miles per hour.
kept the suzi for a year then moved up to a yamaha rz 350, now that was a fun bike!

[TLDV8]

<img src=http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c345/manurewa/H2B.jpg>

[Kinje]

I'd never ridden before so went and signed up for a lesson and did the BHS test. The instructor provided an SR250 which seemed to have so much power! Gingerly rode round the carpark and did all the drills slowly getting better, increasing speed and sometimes even reaching 3rd gear!

Went away stoked and got my license. Down to one of the local bike shops for a test ride- a ZZR250 followed by an FZR250 IIRC. Straight out to the rapa country roads including a quick (well probably not really) blast up and down the watertowers road.

After a few more testrides of various bikes in different places I settled on my CBR250RR which I bought in Lower Hutt. This meant that to get back to Masterton, my first ride on my own bike was over the Rimutakas :) :) :)

[MSTRS]

Riding around a new housing development on the clay roads. On a Yamaha 80 or 90cc thingy (YS?? dunno model, but had 'Autolube' on the side cover). Was about 1970.

[delusionz]

haha i started riding a 50ccs then i was like fuck this i need more power and i got my 6L in May this year and started riding 250ccs 4 HP to 40 HP upgrades are always good :D :D :D.

scooter piss me off tho, makes u have to take dodgy routes, like on the bicycle path that goes along side the western motorway lol

[90s]

I'd been riding Dad's 50cc Yamaha Salient around the block for a while to get the hang of it before taking my test (in French, which as I really don't speak French very well, I was amazed to pass) in Belgium in '88.

The only thing I really remember from the very first days riding was getting to the front of a traffic queue at a cross-roads junction where both roads had three lanes. I can't remember what I did wrong (to slow; wrong position or following the wrong filter light) but having what seemed like hundreds of cars honking me seriously freaked me out. I remember thinking "you better understand the road perfectly or you will get yourself killed pretty fast out here ..."

I suppose I realised pretty early on that having technical control of a bike is the given not the end result of riding - understanding the road and being safe is what it is really about (are you reading skidmark?). That and then having fun when you can.
(that little scooter was small but took a 24-bottle crate of stella perfectly on the floor pan ... )

[Pwalo]

1975. Suzuki T125. My Dad thought I needed my own transport, and he was a keen biker himself.

[RentaTriumph]

1973 Suzuki Stinger 125cc. Those days I was acrazy young prick everywhere I rode was in jandals and T-shirt even in Winter sometimes.

[Bren]

First time for me on a bike was in a paddock on I think it was a honda90...the ones with the oversized wheels....That was when I was just a lad....on Ghost Bullets bike...or was it his old mans?


My first real ride was going from Templeton down to Colombo st a day after I got my learners....and this old fogey stepped out in front of me....I took him out, and he took me and my bike out

[cold comfort]

A mate gave me his 400cc Suzi comp dirt bike to use after he broke his leg doing a Crusty Demon impersonation. Excellent fun, what with no helmet laws in those days. They wouldn't let me do my full test with it so had to borrow a scooter for the day. They did have SOME rules then you know!

[Terminated]

In the carpark at Mill Point Road in Perth, next to the Swann river.

After a few minutes tootling on the mighty virago I grabbed a mightly handful of brakes and ended up on the ground. My husband was watching over me and had just turned away to look at something on the river.

At least that's what I thought, until he told me later he was laughing so hard he couldn't look anymore . . . :girlfight:

But oh the feeling of changing gears for the first time!

And getting up to 35km per hour!!

Little did I know it was the dreadful beginning of a serious and expensive addiction . . .

My favourite city back home in Aussie.

I reckon the loop out to Kal down to Esperance and back around up to Perth would be a great ride.

Heads Up and Enjoy

[Usarka]

With an instructor - he stopped at red light and i flew passed him :doh:

[JMemonic]

I spent a bit of time racing around in the paddocks one which the suburb of Westlake stands now (for those who know ChCh) on various bikes A50's, PE175 XL250's that my mates and I cobbled together from parts including a trike made from dexion shelving, and an A50 motor.

Moved to Blenheim and bought my Uncles Suzuki T90 off him which he would not let me collect till I had my learners (fair enough but it felt like torture back then) , rode that thing from Blenheim to Christchurch in a horrendous storm I think by the time I got here I had spent about 10 hours on the bike took me 12 hours but I had a couple of stops along the way, the southerly was that strong at points of it I could have walked faster.

[Ghost_Bullet]

My first ride was paddock racing about on a honda ct90 When about 10yrs old. sHIT THAT THING WAS FUN. I had so many :Oops:'s on that one. Then also if I was lucky Dads work bike a Suzuki 125 farm bike. I learnt not to rely on front brake there, first time was in the snow, want to stop, thought I was using the clutch... :Oops: :argh: front brake :cold: that was cool.

Yeah linuxrunner, that was the machine... but hey!!! no fat tyres on there!!!!

[yungatart]

......like it was only yesterday!
Unbelievably tiring and mentally draining was how it was for me.
I had to consciously do everything, nothing was automatic.
I used to come home and have a nana nap!

[Xaria]

I remember it as though it was last week... Hang on it was last week.

Had a Honda 90 when I was a kid and a nifty at uni and after seeing all the fun my partner has on his bike, I have followed him back to two wheels.

[Sidewinder]

on sat on a bike and crashed

[scracha]

Then never touched a bike again until 2006.

That's cos the adverts aren't as enticing in Scotland due to the telly being in black and white eh Jim

[mbazza]

Very secondhand BSA Bantam, same colour as the museum one below. Quick lesson at the bike shop, which didn't include the need to close the choke once warm.
Stalled on Stuart St, Dunners. Steep! Managed to get it to fireup and found out how to do a wheel stand!
Couldn't start it again and freewheeld it down onto the flat and parked the !..*# thing up in an old ladies back yard because I was scared of it.
Rang Mum, she came and picked me up in the Prefect! Gutted!
Next morning, Sat. I got the bus back in to reclaim the bike. Met the old ladies son, a biker!
Saved!
A quick lesson, rode behind him around a few hills and with some words of advice I've never looked back!
Own a fuel injection system now, so don't leave the choke open any more.
Thanks for the memories thread! Cheers. :Punk:

[Headbanger]

I started on dirt bikes at 7, raced them in my early teens, had a couple honda XR's that were road legal at about 15 to 17.

My first road bike was a Harley Davidson 883 Sportster at about 18, I rode her like a dirt bike, Back wheel hanging out around corners, full throttle every where, over piles of dirt, down dirt tracks, Into the odd ditch, though a fence or two.

Blew the gearbox 3 times, The clutch was always knackered no matter how many times I had her rebuilt. At one stage it had no front guard, bent bars, a missing footpeg, pipes held on with wire, carb glued together with gunk, And I would jump on it and ride from Wanganui to Auckland without bothering to so much as check the oil.

Cost me thousands.

Worth every penny.

Some of the greatest years of my life to be truthful.

[Bonez]

Needed cheap transport so bought a CJ250T with the recent backpay. First decent ride was from Woodbourne, across the ferry to Wellington, Wairapa, Havelock North then up to Hobsonville. Had all my worldly goods in a loaned pack tied by rope to the pillion seat.

Learnt a lot of valuable lessons on that trip. Forgotten a few too.

[Lissa]

Seeing as I started on KB before I had ever riden a bike in my life, its documented somewhere in a thread.

But I do remember my GN Arriving... and how shiney and new it was, and how big it looked. How I had never owned my OWN vehicle in my life by myself.. and it was all mine and no one elses! But I was friggin scared to even start her up. My first ride was around the back yard then I ventured the 5 minutes down the road to my parents house.. was really nervous has I had never had a bike out of second gear before... :eek:

That was about 10 months ago, and have since brought my second bike.

[T.W.R]

Remember being plonked on a D1 bantam at the Vintage car club grounds at McLeans Island (ChCh) in the late 70s and spending hours ripping around the tracks there. Was a great exhilarating experience.
Then in 1980 the oldman brought me a YZ80 & arranged for me to be taught MX by the son of a family friend who raced under the banner of Norjo's Kawasaki, spent a couple of seasons racing until wrecking my knee during a meeting at Sefton.
Then in 85' got my licences and with money from selling one of my racing bikes (pushie) I brought a GT125 Suzuki, first ride was taking it home :shit: them cars seemed so intimidating :shutup: but over the next few weeks it was out every chance possible beating up the roads out beyond Lincoln & Springston :woohoo:

All was going sweet until one day heading back through Prebbleton the GT died & I had to push it home :laugh: (bloody long way from there to Riccarton) took the GT into Doug Creswell's Suzuki where mates of the oldman's worked, they took the head off & I had holed a piston :shutup: so that was fixed up and whilst the job was being completed over the next few days a 6mth old CB250rs was traded in :love: I wanted it bad, swung a deal and happily rode away on a mint wee thumper. The world was my oyster and I went everywhere on it :laugh:

[bull]

My first ride on my own bike was a 35km/h up the road to my parents house - about 700m LOL.

But the first ride into actual traffic was with the late great UncleB, he followed me from my house to a huge carpark and then taught me emergency braking techniques. My last ride with UncleB was up over Blue mountains through the back roads up to Te Marua and then home. Pex Adams joined us on this ride and it was great talking with them both during the ride stops. Ill never forget these early rides as they meant so much to me to have the support of an experienced rider to guide me.

[Oldfulla]

This 1989 RGV250 slingshot was my 1st road bike, got it in 1999 and it was my 1st ever time on a road bike. It was somewhat different to dirt bikes that I had ridden during my childhood. Remember taking it out on a test ride out past the Hamilton airport with the sales guy from Boyd Honda. Had an awful time on it in the corners, I was trying to steer it through the corners like a car which just wasn’t working. I was battling with the handle bars trying point them in opposite direction that they naturally wanted to go, the effect was it felt like the bike was trying to stand up and do little bunny hops through the corners. After a quick stop and chat with the sales guy I learnt about counter steering. (He must have had a wee chuckle at me). Anyway the bike was a lot nicer to ride from that point on. That’s just my 1st time on a road bike. Sadly that bike and I parted company 6 months later as I some punk liked it more then me and decided to nick it!!

[avgas]

We had been working on the TS185 for about 2 years, and finally it was finished. First kick felt good, good pressure, dad kicked it over again and she fired. After a quick blat round the shed dad picked me up again. He told me what to do - and i was away.
However comming back to him he then gave me the instrucitons in reverse.
"Clutch Ease on the front brake ease on the back break take the bike out of gear, Slow down..." i went into information overload, the bike stalled to a stop and fell to the side and burnt my leg with the exhuast.
I had failed to put my legs down
i didnt take up riding again for a few years - then i sat myself in the shed a taught myself - it was easier.

[Bren]

Yeah linuxrunner, that was the machine... but hey!!! no fat tyres on there!!!!

Bugger...looks like my memory is going....well shit it was 27 years ago!!!