The very first ride.

**Jackrat** · 9th October 2005, 10:19

Do you remember it.
Tell us about it.
My old man had three bikes,a BSA Gold Flash,a BSA Bantam,and a Honda 50cc step through.
This was about 1965-66.
He was at work and I managed to get the Bantam running long enough to ride it across the back yard and into the hedge down the back.
Still reckon the hiding I got for that one was worth it.

**Goblin** · 9th October 2005, 10:31

Originally Posted by Jackrat

Do you remember it.
Tell us about it.
My old man had three bikes,a BSA Gold Flash,a BSA Bantam,and a Honda 50cc step through.
This was about 1965-66.
He was at work and I managed to get the Bantam running long enough to ride it across the back yard and into the hedge down the back.
Still reckon the hiding I got for that one was worth it.

Hehe...my cousin had a Honda 50 mini bike and being the youngest, they all told me 'you're too small...and grils dont ride motobikes'. Nobody would let me even try. So oneday I stole it....well the throttle jammed open and I flew into the fence and got tangled up in the blackberrys. Never regretted it though.

Years later my boyfriend had a TT500 and my sister and I decided to have a hoon on it while he was at work. My brave big sister tried to start it but didnt know how to use the decomp lever thingee and it booted back and nearly broke her foot. OUCH. We had to push it back up our steep gravel driveway.

**sunhuntin** · 9th October 2005, 12:35

not my very first ride, but one of the early ones...dad was teaching me to ride in a big open field. fresh cut grass, a sharp corner and too much speed equals one bent front fender, broken brake lever and mirror and bent foot brake, plus one hell of a hole in the ground and several bruises to my knees and courage.

**Riff Raff** · 9th October 2005, 12:48

My first ride was on my 1967 Suzuki B120 which my then boyfriend had decided I should have when he saw it at an auction. This was in 1992. After hitting me up for the $100 it cost, and then sending it to local bike shop to get it going (plus getting bits rechromed and tank painted), I was a great deal poorer but raring to go. First session on the bike was down at the local park, but all the tearing up of the grass, the ring ding ding ding noise and all the kickstarting (and cursing) every time I stalled the bloody thing got on peoples nerves. A very nice gentleman from the constabulary was summonsed by the locals and sent me on my way (with just a hint of a smirk). So after doing my basic handling course my first jaunt out on the roads with real traffic was a 3 hour cruise around the back roads of Hastings and Havelock North. And so began my love affair with riding....

**Sniper** · 9th October 2005, 13:02

I remember my first ride.
Kick start- nothing, kick start- Nothing. Turn key to ON, kick start, shit myself because the bike is quite loud. Clutch in, side stand up, let clutch out too quickly, bike jumps forward, I fall off, bike falls down.

After much curcing and laughter my dad showed me a bit to get me going. I havent stopped since

**Storm** · 9th October 2005, 13:45

Would have been on a little Mini Inail Honda Z 50 at age 5/6. Wasnt long before I was glued to it at the arse

**onearmedbandit** · 9th October 2005, 15:02

Bunked school one day, my brother had his C90 parked up with the keys at home. So I jumped on it on it's centre stand, kicked it into life and 'rode' it through its three-speed gearbox on the stand. After doing that for a while I started rocking it back and forth, letting the back wheel skim the ground. However after a rather strong 'rock' the rear tyre grabbed traction, and off I went. Didn't stop for the rest of the day, even when he finally came home. So a few weekends later he bought me my first bike, a Honda SL125. I must've been about 7 at the time.

**Hitcher** · 9th October 2005, 15:41

As a fifteen-year-old my first ride was on a Honda CT90 farm bike (complete with high/low ratio gear box).

In my "modern era" I remember vividly every millimetre of the journey riding my newly acquired Zeal home from Lower Hutt. Fantastic!

**Motu** · 9th October 2005, 15:45

My brother and I got the Bantam onto the road and pointing down hill - I didn't stop until it ran out of gas and had to ring him up to come and get me.Obviously it didn't have much in it,but I was going for some time before it conked out - I was enjoying myself,I hadn't given a thought to going home again.....

**XTC** · 9th October 2005, 15:56

My first ride was on a blue honda XL125S around a hay paddock. Once I was used to it my brother in law got off the back and let me ride it for the rest of the day while the sun shone and they made hay... Was 13 I think at the time. Been riding ever since(24 years). Was allowed to ride his XR250A a while later if I coukd start it.... didn't take me long to get it going. Would go and help on the farm in school holidays just so I could ride the bikes and trikes. No quads in those days.

**ZorsT** · 9th October 2005, 16:08

My very first ride was on an RM80 (i think) on my dads friends farm.
It took me a good 5 minutes to get going because I kept on stalling. But I loved it when I finally got going.

I nagged and nagged to be allowed one for myself, 4 years later, dad finally caved and let me buy my RG150.

**zeRax** · 9th October 2005, 18:50

something about bikes, maybe inputed into my brain when i was a baby, didnt really know about dads side of the family and the racing etc till i was about 9.

dad used to hoon me round on a farm when i was a small child on a 73 RV50 which we still have, i want to restore it but ive been far to lazy to get some cables for the throttle and oil

nagged and nagged till years later dad bought me a brand new ds80 when i was 10-11 ( think it was a 95 or 96? ) and at the same time bought my little brother a new little LT50 Quad-which we still have covered in the garge

dad loaded em on the truck and we went out to the diversion and taught me how to ride out there, wish i could go back in time and do it all again

**TonyB** · 9th October 2005, 19:51

Can't remember my first ever ride, but I do remember my first ride on my first road bike- an RZ250. All my riding up till then had been done on sedate farm bikes and XR200's etc. Nothing fast. Nothing with a power band...

I bought the bike from Eric Woods in Chch. As I was in the process of getting my learners but didn't have it yet, they let me test ride up and down the alley at the back. There wasn't enough room to hit the power band, "hmmm, feels about like my old mans TF185- bit disapointing, but it'll do" thought I. So I was blissfully unaware of the actual potential of the thing when I handed over my dough a couple of days later. The bike sat burbling away at idle while I put my gear on. The salesman was explaining a few things "The red oil light on the dash is for the gearbox oil" said he (no it's FRICKEN NOT!!- but I digress).

Finally the moment arrived. After an eternity of waiting (maybe 3 days LOL) I threw my leg over MY motor bike, popped it into gear and pulled out onto Manchester Street heading north. With no cars in front I decided to give it death in first and see what happened when it got to the red line. The revs built up. The pipes were emmitting a low drone. Nothing much was happening.... then the needle swept past 5,000 (?) revs... suddenly the exhaust note completely changed, bike rocketed forward, the front wheel got light and the perhipheral scenery blurred "BWAAAAAARRRRRRRRRP!!!" went the exhaust, another gear and another. Shit! I'd never experienced such power, such acceleration!! It was life changing, because, dear reader, at that exact moment I lost my soul to motorcycling. At that moment I became hopelessly, totally and utterly addicted.

If I hadn't read about countersteering the night before I wouldn't have made it around the first corner! It was a left turn onto Tuam Street. I leaned, the bike didn't. I leaned so more. Still no result. I was about to run out of options, so I gritted my teeth and pushed the left grip foward... and the bike turned in! Quickly! "Holy crap, this is AWESOME!" So I rode as fast as my megre abilities would allow out to Canty Uni, to show the new toy to my mates. How I didn't die is beyond me. It was a very fast trip. As was every other trip I made for quite some time. Once at Uni, I hopped off the bike, my hands shaking from a massive shot of adreniline, and floated into the room where my mates were. "How's the new toy?" one of them asked, and with manic eye's the size of saucers I uttered one word "POWER!!!"