What was your very first ADV machine?

[Rosie]

I'm still not sure what possessed me to ride the KRR150 on gravel. It really wasn't the tool for the job, but I found myself doing increasingly long sections of gravel on it (and dodgy adventure-driveways to Clint's various residences).

[sidmac]

What a good thread to start Joe.Brings back some good times when were starting out on 2 wheels.This was my first. http://www.pukeariki.com/en/stories/.../callender.htm

[NordieBoy]

VT250F Integra.
80,000k when I got it.



Had to carve bits of the fairing out for my knees to fit

[junkmanjoe]

What a good thread to start Joe.Brings back some good times when were starting out on 2 wheels.This was my first. http://www.pukeariki.com/en/stories/.../callender.htm

thanks for your comment.

now we had a natt on the farm,
i cant find a photo of it, or on the web eather.
twaz a 3 wheel machine, motor at the back, bench seat, and a big loop bar to steer it with.
any one know what im on about.
big fat tires on it. be great to find a photo of one.

[PeteJ]

Hell, Joe, I learned to drive on a Gnat. 197 Villiers 2-stroke motor. You stopped it and re-started with the motor running backwards for reverse. 4 forward speeds, 4 reverse. No charging system, but electric start, so the thing had to go on the battery charger every few days. Bloody brilliant across swamps, with those huge floaty tyres and the flat pan of a chassis.

Learned to ride on a rigid Mountain Goat with a Suzuki 80 motor. Fibreglass tank, the whole thing was about the size bike of a kid's toy. Went most places, including over my shoulder up hills several times.

My first "adventure" bike was a '61 Triumph Thunderbird. Won my first competition event on that pile of crap, too - a gravel road hillclimb. It had a massive first gear, and I never needed to get higher than 2nd in that hillclimb.

Great thread.

[buggsubique]

Mate, it was some no-brand BMX when I was about 4. We lived at Tihoi and if anyone knows Tihoi...well, enough said. My mum used to take me riding along cattle tracks in the surrounding farms. Can't do too much on a BMX but the downhill bits were great. I used to ride everywhere till I's about 5 or so then we moved to Hamilton. Used to ride around half the city...moved to Katikati and there was this thing called a "mountain bike" that people were starting to ride. Tarini Alpine it was, with a massive 21 gears! Thrashed the bejesus out of that bike. Not much didn't get replaced on it.

Then in my teenage years I had other bikes and would often just get on and ride it...ride from Kati to the Mount or Whangamata to go for a swim, ride over Thompsons Track to the Waikato for a look. Come back fucken starving, fall into bed, sleep.

Joined the army - they give you guns and 4WD's and armoured vehicles to go adventuring in. Mostly out the back of Waiouru and through the central plateau. Sometimes over in Afghanistan we would end up exploring kabul city by 4WD, sidearms at the ready and GPS tracking our route.

Adventure kinda dried up a bit after getting married so whilst sitting in my business suit on the Wellington waterfront eating freshly shot goat curry with an ex-army mate we decided we'd get motorbikes. DR250.

Life is an adventure. Always been on 2 wheels.

[dino3310]

use to ride a DS80 around the farm when i was a young fella, bought my first ADV bike with my first job after leaving school at 15, Honda XL250 i think she was a 79-80 twin shocker, it was a great warm up to my next bike 82 DR500, seen alot of action with that bike(no commitments back then) rode everywhere. hopefully get some of that back when the kids bugger of

[Bass]

1958 Morris Minor 1000 rego AC7247
Took it everywhere, usually full of mates - Lake Sumner, Le Bons Bay to Little Akaloa without using any roads - the list goes on.
Where the car wouldn't carry us, we carried the car. Didn't like deep water much though.
Poor little thing - what a hiding it took. I broke the crankshaft one morning and drove it about 45 km with a broken crank.
I think it was on its third gearbox when I finally sold it in Christchurch. I spotted the same car 6 years later in Papatoetoe, still bloody going.

[junkmanjoe]

yip thats the one,
ill found a pic, was on kb of all places.
ours was a little different to this, we could stack hay on the back, to feed the bulls...scarry job that one....

keep them stories coming boys and girls..
i still think my pony wins..
around 8-10yrs i traped possoms, my pony had 50 claw traps on here back, bat, me and my guns. if i was lucky early morns a small captin porker.
i had a total of 200 claw traps around our farm and nabours farms.

first job.. $6 for a clean skin at market.

that money help pay for my brand new 125 mudbug....ohh xmas was good back then...

[ManDownUnder]

The neighbours PW50... bloody brilliant that thing... and free fuel too!

[Waihou Thumper]

Dad rode an old James Motorcycle, once that was unfit for the road it became the farm bike and went quite well.
I learnt to ride on that, I was also a late bloomer. I didn't get my licence until three years ago.
The GN250 took me everywhere until I could get the bigger ponies....

[junkmanjoe]

hope im not makeing every one feel a young at heart.
i didnt relise but ive given my age away.
DOH...

[Eddieb]

hope im not makeing every one feel a young at heart.
i didnt relise but ive given my age away.
DOH...

You did that, 2 years older than me old fella.

[junkmanjoe]

not as old as dave.....
hay where is dave..

[Box'a'bits]

Learned to ride a Honda CT125.

First bike was a 1972 CB125, purchased 1981. Took that beast trail riding through a forestry, & climbing sand dunes at Foxton Beach. Sold it shortly after I blew the exhaust header off mucking around in sand. Didn't seem to impact on performance, but was LOUD. The next owner commented that it did its gearbox shortly after I sold it.

Graduated to a 1974 GT125. Sounded like a vaccum cleaner on song, & a bag full of nails when I sold it. That bike didn't like trail riding at all.

First real trail bike was an '84 XR350 (dual carb).

Steve