How long you been riding?

[brockhaus]

I did my car licence 8 years ago and thought---motorcycles that's dangerous and only a mixture between bicycle and car. My father said: do the licence maybe you will think different in the future---and he was right....
Travelled with a friend on the back of his MC just for a one hour trip and :spudbooge .

Bought my first bike in March 2003
HONDA CB400 1983 model in South Africa
for 3500km to get the licence there
converted the South African licence to an Austrian licence
borrowed a
YAMAHA XT500Z 1986 model in Austria
to tour around for 3000km
started with a world trip and after nearly three months without a motorcycle (hitch hiking in Australia) I arrived in Auckland and bought a
YAMAHA TDM850 1992 model in New Zealand
and did 4500km so far---more to be done

Hope to meet more Kiwibikers for a ride.
Kiwibikers that I met so far: Wari, SpankMe, celticno6, Kickaha, Lynda and there are others on my list
cya, Marcus

[Holy Roller]

First bike I rode was mt uncles farm bike, rode it into the hedge I had no idea what I was doing.
Farm work saw me on a 90 step through with high and low ratio that bike was slow but heaps of fun.
Mates XR 250, TT250 were great to hoon around on off road.
Got my licence in 81 Cage first my first car was a Hillman Imp ten a morris 1100, then a MK4 ford Zepher with a capri V6 enough of cages.
brought my only brand new bike 1981 GSX 250EZ all the gear full set of leathers. (not that I'd fit them now though). Fell of that several times big learning curve nearly got squashed by a HQ stationwagon, being engaged I sold the bike.
Couldn't stay off the bikes brought a XR500 my theory was it goes slower or so I said, got bowled by a drunk......
A Kawazaki GPZ550 with air horns followed and was my daily commute for several years, I had to use those horns in anger several times, sure got their (cage drivers) attention real fast.
next was a Yammy XZ400 great shaft drive bike hooned around Auckland on that for a couple of years until moving to the BOP
Back to work on a farm brought an AG100 thrashed it wheelied it, jumped it, took it swimming in the lake, chased cows out of the local forrest where they were grazing. Run over wild pigs, fell of it heaps, and it just kept going.
Now I have the XV500 and try to ride it every day
I know nothing really big but good things come to those who wait

[Batcerb]

When I turned 15, my dad phoned me up and said ... "its about time you got some transport"
He suggested I look at getting a bike - well actually that was basicly my only option (thanks dad!!). He also had bikes all through his life so I suppose it was almost like carrying on a tradition.

First bike I had was a 1995 Yamaha TTR250. Rode that around mostly off road for a while. Now for some reason, I decided to get rid of it. I wish now that I could go back in time and kick myself in the nuts for even thinking about it because that was actually a really awesome bike!

Well anyway, a couple years later I was bitten by the bug again - pretty much overnight. Went out looking for a bike, decided this time I wanted a roadbike, looked at alot of 250s, a lovely RGV250 to be exact. The morning I went down to buy that beast, it was sitting out on the coutyard with no price tag! someone had gotten in a few minutes before me and already done the damage. Probably a good thing though, that was too much bike for me back then. My search carried on and I couldnt find a reasonable 250, so I ended up with my RG150.
Riding since then

[Grumpy]

Been riding 26 years now, on to my 14th bike, with the exception of 1 have all been Suzuki's.

Have had few cars through the years but none have really got the juices going like the bikes do. The cars certainly have served their purpose but the bikes are really what lifes about.

[Des Truction]

got a basket case kwaka Z1000 (after seeing mad max) about 1984
got it going and rode it till 95 traded to a bm k100 a year later traded again to the R1100RS, cars are a necesity for transporting familys and other large objects around Id like to see how you xenophoebic car haters would live with out them

[Indiana_Jones]

I've been riding for about 3 months now
On "The McQueen Machine" AKA my FXR150

-Indy

[White trash]

got a basket case kwaka Z1000 (after seeing mad max) about 1984
got it going and rode it till 95 traded to a bm k100 a year later traded again to the R1100RS, cars are a necesity for transporting familys and other large objects around Id like to see how you xenophoebic car haters would live with out them

A friend of my fathers was 30ish when he got his first car 10 years ago. Never had a car licence, always rode bikes. He found a Morris Oxford at the tip and chucked a battery in it and attempted to drive it home.

He is one scary boy to drive with and is probably better off without the "cage"

[Ms Piggy]

Been driving since I was 15 ( so that was a few years ago - ah hem) but have been riding for 6 months and lovin' it! I can go for my restricted on the 19th June 2004 but I'll have ti wait until budget allows to actually sit it, and then I can get my full six months later and then a bigger bike! Yay!!!

[NordieBoy]

Started riding when I was 6 or 7 on grandads TS125.

Couldn't reach the ground properly but had good gloves so I was set

Thought nothing about towing my little bro around on his sled in the paddock.

Just wish I'd kept it up through my teens.

Now I've got 2 Gilera Nordwests and a VT 250 that's being swapped for a 1980 XL250 so I can get into the dirt and learn some handling skills and how to fall off properly (classic MX here I come)

[PeteThePom]

First experience of bikes was when I was 8, one of the labourers on the farm I used to live on would take me for a blat up the valley and back on payday!

First rode a bike when I was 13, a Yamaha FS1E...oh yes indeedy. My mate told me to put it in gear, open the throttle and let go of the clutch, so I did...and wheelied it into his garden fence, bought the same bike 2 yrs later, was great, all my mates had posh new and 'restricted' mopeds, mine was good for 60mph..when it wasn't busy eating pistons...and when I wasn't busy avoiding old bill regarding the little matter of no insurance, MOT or Tax, or 'L' plates!

Next I had an early Yamaha DT125, then a GP100, then a Suzuki TS100, which I passed my test on, 2 weeks later I bought a Honda CB250n(who came up with the name super dream??!!) which I bought on the strength of another biker waving to me whilst road testing it...

This bike served me well for 5 years during which time it got a CB400 engine, and varied in style from 70's style chopper(complete with flame paint job, hi-bars and forward controls) through to 'speed scratcher' and used as a despatch hack in London inbetween times (i managed to upset people on bigger and faster bikes on a semi regular basis....but thats back when I knew I was immortal) I also had an XS250 and a GT400, then I had a Kawasaki GT500(whats wrong with shaft drives?) followed by a Z1000R which saw a lot of work on the engine includiing Wiseco big bore kit, the rest of the bike got 'necessarry maintenance, which probably explains why the frame snapped! Then followed by a ZRX1100 which I replaced with my current bike...another ZRX1100(same colour as well)
So there you go almost 19 years of bike riding(counting from MY 1st bike) in just a few short paragraphs...you can wake up now and read someone elses thread!!:spudwave:

[Satan]

Since about 1110-1111 if I remember rightly

[Badcat]

built my first bike while in high school (1981)- working at atomic wreckers in AK - getting paid in parts. it was a PE175 in an RM125 chassis. pushed it up to westlake high school and taught myself to ride in the middle of the lower field.
have owned LOT of bikes (i'm 37 now) including:
Various RMs and PEs
KLX250
XR500s (never broke my ankle either)
GPX500 (first brand new bike)
gsx1100
gsx700ESD
gsxr1100 (a couple of these bad girls)
xj750 cop bike (sweet in black - but still pulled some people over for a laugh))
DR350
FZR400
SRX600 (Sold it to my best friend - he still has it)
TZR2503ma
honda BROS 650 (brilliant bike - so trick and under-rated)
TZR2503xv (best handing bike i've ever ridden)
street magic
Ducati 750 sporty
cagiva raptor
KTM 640 Supermoto Presige - a VERY bad influence

now - a new rv200 vanvan suzuki and a new GS1200SS

probably a few more - that's what i can remember..
ken