Share Your Bike History in Photos

[WALRUS]

Hi everyone, Tanken2 had a cool idea for his first thread/welcome post and I thought it might be cool to get a thread like this in here for everyone to add to.

I didn't start riding until 2008 but my first ride was this 2007 Kawasaki GPX250R (EX250F). I loved this thing! It used next to no fuel, was comfy, could go two up easily and also do our coast roads and twisties at an impressive rate of knots! I regret selling it as it'd be a great commuter, but I was young and just got off my restricted licence so more bonkers machines beckoned!



My next bike was this 2006 Yamaha R6.. It was amazing, almost killed myself multiple times jumping on (legally) after 6 months of riding, bought a heap of obnoxious bling for it (can't find any photos from then) and the first time I ever got my knee down was on this thing. Alas it didn't end well, one day while rushing to work (was late, young, dumb, etc etc) I went past a speed camera doing 98 in a 50 zone. Only person to blame was me, I was stupid and shouldn't have been riding like that in the suburbs. So that was a court summons, 1 month bike impound, $3k fine, 3 month licence suspension due to loss of points, and then a futher 6 month cancellation of my licence for the offense. I learned my lesson! The bike was sold to pay all that off!



In the next 9 months I had nothing to do, couldn't ride or drive anywhere and was pretty broke (again, quite young and only with a peanut paying shitty retail job) so I bought myself a repairable writeoff to spend 9 months putting back together. This was possibly the biggest motorcycling mistake I've ever made. Not only a rep w/o BUT a 2010 Hooflung GT650R efi... By the time I was done, everything except the frame and some of the engine was brand new. She was alright to ride, albeit fucking heavy AF, made some exciting sounds with the DanMoto cannon on it, etc etc.. Burnt out 2 stators while I owned it and 3 reg/recs, the clocks all died twice (fell out once), it had a tendency of overheating and pumping all its oil into its airbox.. And not starting when it was hot.. and once a clip-on came loose.. The local Hooflung dealer checked it out many times and had no idea what was wrong with it. Worked on it themselves multiple times but I thought I had to get rid of it and move on.. So eventually I flogged it for $3k (dealership reckoned it was still worth about $5k but I was sick of it).



That's when I moved on to my dream bike (and the one that will be crated and brought with me when I move to NZ). My 2000 Ducati 996S MY01! I bought it for a steal from a dealership in Melbourne and rode it home. I've wanted one of these (or a 916) since watching Foggy in 1994 and she's my pride and joy! She's got all the right letters and numbers, makes all the right noises, sets off all the car alarms in underground carparks and only breaks down some of the time.. I'm well and truly smitten!




The most recent "keeper" addition to the stable is my Ducati Desmosedici GP11 (Yammie Scoot'). The airbox is gone and replaced with a "high flow race air filter" and an utterly ghastly straight through exhaust "system". Good for 110kmph and hilarious fun at track days. It's my daily (and also hopefully coming with me to NZ when I move), 200km out of $5-6 of fuel (@ Tassie prices) and "skidz for dayz" when it's raining, it's possibly the most fun bike around the city that I've ever ridden!




There was a brief period where I owned a pair of Honda CBR250R MC19 track bikes. Not as big a failure as the Hooflung, they were still one problem after the other. Multiple headgaskets, rebuilds and problems. Such a shame, these little bikes are awesome but they've spent most of their lives being flogged about by teenagers, limiter bashing and never being serviced. I bought the first one already blown up and covered in cheap chinese levers and a headgasket literally made of cheap gasket goop for $500 and rebuilt it, got one track day out of it before it just conked out. Got a bit more life and fun out of them but they've moved on now as parts bikes for two other guys who race them over here.



SO there is my biking history.. Some people will undoubtedly have longer, more detailed, more expensive, and older ones.. But I'm happy with where I've been and what I've got.. Now show us yours!

[tanken2]

ha ha , love the hooflung story , many would have been there . yep 916 is the sexiest bike built . Ducatis must be v twins red and have twin mufflers under the tail imho.

[F5 Dave]

Or silver and blue if you're over 13.

[sugilite:Me]

Cool Idea for a thread, not all my photos, some are of my exact model, just not actually my bike because I did not bother taking photos in the Early days - Doh

My first - Suzuki TS185ER, Pretty much killed it in 6 months




Then it was a near new Suzuki RM125D - Peakiest motocross made - coincidentally taught me how to ride more than any other bike I owned!




Then I got a Honda ATC200X Trike - Yeee Ha!




First Road Bike - Suzuki RG250




Sold RM, RG and trike to buy the below YamahaRZ500 - the one I should never of sold. A 17year old me in the pic below.




Back to a Rg250 to try racing - a disaster as I'm 6.6' tall, everyone blasted by on the straights.




Ahhh, this is more like it - A Suzuki GSXR750H. Raced it once at Onekawa street circuit. No idea where I finished, somewhere top 10.




Got a RG400 as a road bike while racing the 4 strokes.




Then onto the mighty GSXR1100. Raced this one three times, Podium finishes, just club racing though.




I liked this racing lark, so hocked myself into debt and purchased the unruly Suzuki GSXR100K. Won club race championships, did the nationals for the first time, got 2 podium finishes in the nats at tracks I had never seen before (Senior Production). Actually me in the photo.




Got a Kawasaki KX250 for road race training. Photo below was taken below the Newlands dump, Wellington, Called it the jump to nowhere as one could only see Wellington Harbor on the approach!



Then it was a brand new FZR1000 Exup. Not the best season, fucked up the fork oil levels from a old manual - grrrr. Don't judge the pink leathers, pink was the go in the early 90's




Then kids came along, so boom a Honda VFR400 NC24 commuter bike. A great bike, somehow won a hill climb on it when just entering for fun lol




Oh dear, got the racing bug again, hence the Kawasaki ZX9R. Photo is Taupo....




Got a Kawasaki ZXR750, as a cheap road bike, ended up putting numbers on it and winning the Vic Club Post Classic championship - modifications = 0, and motor was over 100,000 km's old lol. This is still my road ride, different motor now.




Honorable Mention, Went in on a Kawasaki ZX10R and raced that in 2006-7.




I loved the two strokes the best

[rok-the-boat]

I have been riding since 1978 and have gotten thru my fair share of bikes. Here are a few of them. The oldest pic is me next to my Suzuki GP100C in 1980, the only new vehicle I have ever owned. The others here are Kawasaki Eliminator in Japan, next to my VT250. My trusty CB900F, a DR500 I revinned here in NZ, and one of my all time favourites - the RD400F, which got a total rebuild by me in 1982 or so after it blew up.

[Vinz0r]

There sure are some interesting bikes and stories in this thread. I've only been riding for 10 or so years, so my bike history isn't quite as varied as some!

Here's what I have owned so far:

The bike I learned to ride on was the 1991 Kawasaki Balius 250. This was a great bike, and a lot of fun.


After that I bought a 94 Bandit 250V with the mechanical VVT, this felt very similar to the aforementioned Balius, and was also a good wee bike.

I felt like I needed something else though... with my full license on the horizon, my next bike was a 1991 Bandit 1200. I kept this for awhile, and tried to pretty it up a little, but it's a bit of a chonker, and I felt the itch to get back on something a tad lighter.

Next up was the 2005 ZX6R, just an incredible all around bike. I could spend days on this with barely a twinge in my back, an excellent all rounder.

After that it was time to go for something I'd been eyeing up for a few years: An NC30. I'd read all about them, loved the styling and interesting engine layout, and after my time on the Bandit 1200 I'd decided that smaller bikes were more my cup of tea.
I kept the NC30 for awhile, and would still own it if I didn't have to head off overseas. I'm due to return to NZ soon, and I am looking at buying another!

[tanken2]

first six classics shown in reverse order of ownership

[tanken2]

second lot of six, oops shown in reverse order of ownership

[tanken2]

oops forgot these oldies just for playing with , f81m was actually orange factory mxer , worth a fortune now , and 350 bighorn also sought after

[pete376403]

oops forgot these oldies just for playing with , f81m was actually orange factory mxer , worth a fortune now , and 350 bighorn also sought after

F9 was the first brand new bike I had, in 1972, prior to that were a few old Brits, Royal Enfield 250, Velocette/AJS hybrid and a Matchless G9 500 twin. No photos as all my money went into 1/ keeping the brits going, and 2/ paying off the F9.
Post F9 ere a Yamaha DT250, a few speedway bikes and a Honda CB750F1. Long non-riding period with family and house taking priority, the the current pair, an 82 GS1100GK which I'm hopeful of getting back on the road and a 2008 KLR650, the second new bike ever.
On current form my next new bike will be a 2044 model of whatever they ride in Hades.

[tanken2]

F9 was the first brand new bike I had, in 1972, prior to that were a few old Brits, Royal Enfield 250, Velocette/AJS hybrid and a Matchless G9 500 twin. No photos as all my money went into 1/ keeping the brits going, and 2/ paying off the F9.
Post F9 ere a Yamaha DT250, a few speedway bikes and a Honda CB750F1. Long non-riding period with family and house taking priority, the the current pair, an 82 GS1100GK which I'm hopeful of getting back on the road and a 2008 KLR650, the second new bike ever.
On current form my next new bike will be a 2044 model of whatever they ride in Hades.

haha with the F9 I could hear every bang in the combustion chamber when it idled, big twostroke single in its day.

[pete376403]

haha with the F9 I could hear every bang in the combustion chamber when it idled, big twostroke single in its day.

did you ever have a problem with the magneto rotor coming off? Mine did that a couple of times (always a long way from home), finally fixed it by lapping the rotor to the crank taper with fine valve grinding paste. I'd love another one now. On the two stroke tuning thread a guy (Flettner) has fuel injected an F9 and it makes quite serious power.