The worst first bike?

[SVboy]

How about a Suzuki Tm 125 with radical porting and chamber-nothing nothing nothing powerband-wheelie-fall off the back! Repeat! Not the ideal first bike, especially with the freezing works gumboot and jeans safety gear combo!!!

[Dare]

Bandit 250. No, wait. Actually it's been pretty close to a perfect first bike

[SPman]

It was an RD200 that I bought off a mate.

Good ones are becoming very collectable, these days.......

Don't think I've ever had a bike that was totally useless and I didn't enjoy in some way or other.....other than a mates fucked 1969 CB350 Honda that died halfway across a very busy Brisbane main intersection and left me hurriedly contemplating about 10 million lines of rapidly looming traffic......

[jim.cox]

Bandit 250. No, wait. Actually it's been pretty close to a perfect first bike

Kawasaki KH 100 was really crap

But that paled into insignificance with my second bike - a Suzuki GT 550. What a bad tempered, bad handling pile of shite that was - flexi frame, bullshit brakes and powerband that did nothing till 7000rpm when the front got light, the frame flexed and the rear wheel lit up

I'm now strongly averse to two strokes - I wonder why

[Bren]

1986...Kawasaki Z200...got it in the days of the "buy sell and exchange" spent weeks looking for a bike to spend my hard earnt money on....

Was a great bike to learn on...very gentle and forgiving....and it had the kick Start AND Electric start...Woot Woot!

[Fluffy Cat]

1979 DT 50 m, everything that could fall off it did. The bike had also been "rewired" by the previous wrecker. The seat did not fall off, however it was snapped in half and I held it in place with bungies.
I loved it but it taught me a few things....and I now have a pathological hatred of points and condensers.

[dogsnbikes]

Would have to be the CT90 it would fly through the air like a brick and land like a anchor,if you landed front first the airfliter seemed to rush up and crush your nutz as you slide into it ,the exhaust burns were many,

so upgrading to a SL100 for $100 and a big ben mince pie seemed like the best thing next to slice bread,at the time

[slofox]

Just found this little piece of doggerel that I penned some time ago - all about learning to ride - and that first bike, the Ariel...


LEARNING TO RIDE

It started many years ago
When I moved south down by the snow
And found I had to get around the town
The buses, they were way too slow
A motorbike was the way to go
So through the bike ads I went looking round

My first was made of British steel
You started it up with a kick of the heel
My flatmates thought I was a bloody fool
It weighed a ton, was really slow
But the wheels went round and it did just go
And I thought I was pretty bloody cool

I hadn’t had this thing for long
When several things, they just went wrong
I learned about the dark side of machines
The cables broke, the brakes were poked
The zorst pipe poured out clouds of smoke
I had to do some work behind the scenes

But I did try and by and by
I thought this thing was ready to fly
I took it out for a fang along the road
It first went well, but then, with a clang
It shuddered to a stop and just went BANG!!
I had to push it home to my abode

Most things you can fix with a few little tricks
And a bunch of parts from out in the sticks
And soon I’m cruising down the city street
But my sense of fun was soon undone
I found myself right in the gun
When the motorbike cop and I, we chanced to meet

He chased me up and made me stop
This rotten nasty traffic cop
He got stuck in, his face turned kinda blue
He said I failed to keep to the left
And since of a licence I was bereft
I found myself up to the neck in poo

Eventually I went to court
The beak said “Yerr we know your sort!
If I’d my way I’d make you all do time!
But sadly, since your crimes are small
And you’ve turned up here to field the ball
I’ll hafta make do with a million dollar fine!” (the bastard)

I crawled off home back to my lair
And cursed the day that I did dare
To ride without a licence for the bike
I got out the book and took a good look
And decided that by hook or by crook
I’d get that licence soon as you could like.

But still my learning was not done
Despite the fact of having fun
Soon enough I met the dreaded cage
The man who was driving “didn’t see”
The motorcycle carrying me
And on the road I landed in a rage

Now even though it was his fault
(His head was thicker than a bolt)
I realised that it was up to me
To keep my eyes out good and sharp
And give the horn a real loud PARP
When the cager comes, well, you just gotta flee

From then on in the bike went good
I rode all round the neighbourhood
And even took some trips on down the line
I took it out onto the track
I even managed to ride it back
This biking thing was looking pretty fine

In time I bought a brand new bike
With shiny chrome and things ya like
A modern beast and really up to code
And so it’s gone on ever since
Me you don’t have to convince
I’ll see my days out, biking on the road

[Stylo]

A yamaha dt360, It handled like a small tavern.

Something like this mate ....?

[CRM]

TC100 - thrashed it but loved it. I rode it on the farm, to school, did road trips, tried to keep up with my mates in the forestry on their TM125's, and amazingly it kept going. One issue I did have was it kept fouling plugs, so on a trip of 80km or so I usually had to stop and clean the plug at least once. It was only after I sold it for an XL175 that I realised I had a metric feeler gauge that I thought was imperial - so I was setting the gap about half the proper distance. That explained a lot!

I stripped it down to make it lighter but didn't make much difference... pulled the head off to try to de-coke it and stripped a thread - a great learning experience for a young guy. I paid $500 for it and sold it to my brother in law as a farm bike after having it for what seemed like half a lifetime but was probably only from when I was 15 to 16! My other brother-in-law had one the same and we used to do crazy mountain-climbing on his farm. With the low ratio and low seat height you could take them anywhere. Good times...

[ynot slow]

First bike Suzi TS185 (1975)went good,sold it for a 1980 XR200(was in1982)swapped it for a Yamaha IT175 '79model,was freaky with pre mix 2 stroke,that was worst bike.

[mansell]

Started on a Suzuki A100 - had it for about 6 months, but it was too slow so I upgraded to a '74 RD200 which was one of the best bikes I have ever owned stangely enough. I rode it everywhere for about 4 years and eventually blew it up 200 yards from work one morning. If I could find another I would seriuosly contemplate buying it.

Interesting though when my wife wanted to learn I brought her a NS250R - she hated it, I fucking loved it, I guess there's still a soft spot for strokers in my blood

[tri boy]

Worst first bike.
Catholic girl, front bucket seat of a small car.
Handled my boys like she was playing conkers.
Nearly castrated me.
Can't remember her name, but the grip is burned into my nightmares.

[PeteJ]

Yes, but it equipped you to deal with the Scrambler's seat...heh heh heh...

[MarkH]

First bike was a Honda 50 scooter purchased in 1968 - forty years later (no biking in between) I bought a 650 Boulevard - I rate the two bikes equal for power and manoeuvrability

Blingworthy!

My first bike was a Suzuki GT250X7 - I really liked it, but being 2 stroke it wasn't all that cheap on fuel for a 250. Quick enough to get me a few speeding tickets.

One of the worst first bikes has to be the Hayabusa that some US footballer bought - put him in hospital with some very bad injuries. USA - land of the free (to kill themselves).