Better late than never, I suppose!

[Beemer]

I've been checking out this site for over a year and when looking at some of the new member posts I figured I suppose I should give a warning about myself... even if it is probably too late!

I'm older than 30 (that's all I'll admit to!) and live with my husband just north of Levin. I'm a freelance journalist and photographer and work from home - meaning the garage and the bikes are just a hop, step and a jump away when the sun is shining!

I've only been riding bikes myself for about seven years but I had been a pillion many times before that. My husband has been riding for years, in fact we met at a WIMA Rally in 1999.

Mike Esdaile (former Kiwi Rider editor) was responsible for me getting my licence in the first place - I'd been doing some freelance writing and photography work for them for a couple of years when he rang to see if I could do a used bike test for him. Silence. "You do have a licence, don't you?" "Uh, no." "Never mind, it's a dirt bike, you can just take it off road." Silence again. "You DO ride, don't you?" Um, no." I hadn't realised you needed to ride to work for a motorcycle magazine - hell, I also do some work for the prisons and I'm not (yet!) a criminal! So I felt guilty and set about getting my licence and buying a bike.

I ended up with a brand new RG150 (now proudly owned by jimdaworm) and had a lot of fun on it for four years before upgrading to the BMW F650CS that I had fallen in love with at the Big Boys Toys Show in Auckland the year before. I loved the bike, but after a couple of years I was not enjoying the weight and seat width because it meant I was on tip-toes and I dreaded stopping on off-camber bits of road. So she's on the market, and I replaced her in my affections with a Goose! Great little bike, perfect size for a shorty like me, and I have rediscovered my love of riding.

That's about it, hope to meet some of you on rides at some point in the future. And if anyone tells you any tales about me - they're probably true!

[zadok]

Yeeks! over 30. Thought you were going to drop a bombshell!
Thanks for 'fessing up, but your normal (whatever your interpretation of that is).

[Beemer]

Over 30 was being very modest... Let's just say I have earned two 21st keys...

[zadok]

Over 30 was being very modest... Let's just say I have earned two 21st keys...

I'll be 47 in October. Still feel quite young at heart. You girls don't think us guys ever grow up anyway, eh!?

[sels1]

Let's just say I have earned two 21st keys...

You're not alone there!

Next time there is a dinner/ride/whatever in town you could ride down to Kapiti and tag along with whoever is going from here.

[vifferman]

I'll be 47 in October.

Ha Ha ! You old pharte, you!

Over 30 was being very modest... Let's just say I have earned two 21st keys...

I think you gave away too much there - "over 30" would've done.

[Ixion]

I'll be 47 in October. Still feel quite young at heart. You girls don't think us guys ever grow up anyway, eh!?

Babe in arms. I think Mr Oldrider was riding before you were born!

[yungatart]

I'll be 47 in October. Still feel quite young at heart. You girls don't think us guys ever grow up anyway, eh!?

Beat you! We girls know that you guys never grow up. The only difference between a man and a boy is the size (cost) of their toys!

[ManDownUnder]

ooo sounds like a meeting...

*ahem*... "Hi my name is "ManDownUnder" and I'm a motorcyclist aged more than 30 years"

Beemer - you have heaps of good company right here - welcome aboard!
MDU

[Beemer]

I could have lied and said I was 30, after all, it's not like any of you would be dumb enough to say "hell, you're 30? You must have led a hard life!" if we ever met up!

And considering I know of at least one guy still riding in his 70s, I'm still a whippersnapper and I should have many good years of riding ahead of me!