Your first bike.

[Rocket]

ORC? 4 grand! JEEBUS

[Holy Roller]

Finally managed to dig out an old photo.
1981 GSX 250 EZ
Brand Spankers
Pack rack and mini fairing as extras brought it from Cycle Spot Barry's Point Rd for $3000
Top speed 140K

[Devil]

ORC? 4 grand! JEEBUS

ORC = On road costs, reg/wof etc. (imported bike, first NZ owner).
Only 20,000km's on the bike. Its in mint condition.
Doesnt bother me I wanted a mint tidy bike and I got one. Plus its got guts and I dont think I could get enough of the noise between 12,000rpm and 19,000rpm

[Motu]

Motu, I'm really sorry mate, but I laughed out loud when I read that.

I wasn't laughing the first time it happened - I was parked under a building and took off backwards into the framing and I fell off,I was getting some funny looks from other riders parked there.It happened a few more times but everyone insisted it was impossible,so I continued to live in my own world where this sort of thing was normal.One day it happened at work and I was able to ride into the workshop backwards,they were puzzled,but had to believe me now.

The Bantam didn't have a lot af spark advance but had a nasty kickback anyway - if you got the kickstater back quick enough on a kickback it would spin over backwards and start - I don't know how fast it would go like that,not a skill I was keen to develope.

But on a sidenote - when my boss saw that he told me about when he was a lad....they all used to hang out at the Civic Theater and everyone backed their bike into the curb - but one guy used to ride in front first.When he left he would put his ex sidecar Harley into reverse and backout,then take off forwards...feet up the whole time - oh... the riders name - Bryce Subritzky.

Can it happen on a 4 stroke? well,almost.One time we were trying to start an old BSA single that wouldn't start after we stopped for gas.It would almost run,but kept spitting shoots of flame out the carb,we kicked,pushed it,but all we got were a few bangs and a lot of flames - so I pulled the cover off the pushrod chest and found the exhaust pushrod had dropped off...it was inlet and exhausting through the inlet!

[pete376403]

Once I was helping a guy rebuild a JAP speedway bike motor. They were pretty crude motors, cam was gear driven off the crank and the magneto was chain driven off the end of the cam. Mag lived on a platform behind the cylinder. The parts for the rebuild had been sent down from Palmerston North, including a few spare items. Using new mag chain and sprockets, the thing was carefully timed (7/8" BTDC using a rod down the plughole, and a cigarette paper between the points to feel when they were opening. We must have pushed that bastard down the road fifty times, all it would do is chuff-chuff-chuff-chuff-BANG-chuff-chuff-chuff-chuff-BANG. The timing was checked, and checked, and checked again. Still no joy. Carb was pulled apart and blown out. The tank was drained and refilled (mmmm-methanol). Finally, about two in the morning, someone said "I wonder if the sprockets are the same?" A quick check showed a 10 tooth on the cam and a 11 tooth on the mag. Dive into the parts box and found the matching 10 tooth sprocket. Timing done yet again, push off down the road and we were rewarded with the might bellow of a 500 running a straight pipe. It was good. Never took anyones word for it again that "these are the parts you need" without checking.

[White trash]

I wasn't laughing the first time it happened - I was parked under a building and took off backwards into the framing and I fell off,I was getting some funny looks from other riders parked there.It happened a few more times but everyone insisted it was impossible,so I continued to live in my own world where this sort of thing was normal.One day it happened at work and I was able to ride into the workshop backwards,they were puzzled,but had to believe me now.

The Bantam didn't have a lot af spark advance but had a nasty kickback anyway - if you got the kickstater back quick enough on a kickback it would spin over backwards and start - I don't know how fast it would go like that,not a skill I was keen to develope.

But on a sidenote - when my boss saw that he told me about when he was a lad....they all used to hang out at the Civic Theater and everyone backed their bike into the curb - but one guy used to ride in front first.When he left he would put his ex sidecar Harley into reverse and backout,then take off forwards...feet up the whole time - oh... the riders name - Bryce Subritzky.

Can it happen on a 4 stroke? well,almost.One time we were trying to start an old BSA single that wouldn't start after we stopped for gas.It would almost run,but kept spitting shoots of flame out the carb,we kicked,pushed it,but all we got were a few bangs and a lot of flames - so I pulled the cover off the pushrod chest and found the exhaust pushrod had dropped off...it was inlet and exhausting through the inlet!

Me Suzuki A50 used to be able to be clutch started backwards. Never had the balls to try and ride the thing but had a hell of a laugh at my cousins expense after we'd started it (backwards) for him without his realising it.

The look on his face was PRICELESS when this thing lurched backwards as he went to take off.

[Big Dog]

The Bantam did a trick that really showed me it was from another world - sometimes,for no reason it would run backwards,put it in gear and take off backward and slam into the wall! It would then run normaly again,leaving me wondering if we had passed through some portal into another world.

The whole post seemed very familiar to my cb100. Until today I thought I was the only one! I used to park arse into the street so that I could Reverse out as soon as it reached operating temp it would stall. Kick start it again and it went forwards. If you were in a hurry you had to roll start it. If you kicked it over while it was still cold it would still be in reverse.

Still in three ways it was the greatest bike.
1 I never once thought it might get stolen.
2 If you were on a tight country road with opposing traffic or visiting mates you could just pick it up and step over the fence!
3 if it broke down all you needed to get it going again was a spanner, a flathead, a roll of insulation tape and a wire brush. And to save on buying a bike stand/ramp you could just pick it up and balance it on a fence strainer post!

It also sucked big time!
1 Any hope I had with women was quickly erased when they saw my transport.
2 It had no idiot lighs except a green light of indeterminate function that pulsed whenever the engine was running regardless of anything else you did. I would suspect a charge lamp if it had a battery or battery bay.
3 if you hit a big bup the side stand would come down and engage.
4 Drum slowers (brakes is to generous it engine braked faster)
5 A rusty tank meant cleaning the fuel filter after every ride.
6 A faulty fuel tap meant if you turned it while the engine was running it would spit the handle off and spew fuel everywhere.
7 no aircleaner, due to no-one making elements for them anymore which combined with the holes in the filter body meant it was really F#$%en fast (75kmph is fucken fast when you can acheive it at idle in 6th on a bike less than 100kgs and with less mechanical ability than a pushbike no brakes worth mentioning, not to mention a learner rider giving himself his first lesson, on a gravel road) with a tail wind and struggled to maintain a walking pace in a headwind.

:disapint: F*&^ knows why but I do hold a fond place for it in my heart. :disapint:

[shafty]

Mine was a brand new yamaha YL1 - 100 cc Twin cyl. 2 stroke. Got it from Whites in Newmarket and rode it for a month, commuting to town from Browns Bay, before I went and got my (full) license! Faster than me mates 150 Suzuki's - got it up to 70mph! Also my first (unintentional) wheelie. Cost £98/10/-

Great story Mate - well done and great history!!

[shafty]

The whole post seemed very familiar to my cb100. Until today I thought I was the only one! I used to park arse into the street so that I could Reverse out as soon as it reached operating temp it would stall. Kick start it again and it went forwards. If you were in a hurry you had to roll start it. If you kicked it over while it was still cold it would still be in reverse.

Still in three ways it was the greatest bike.
1 I never once thought it might get stolen.
2 If you were on a tight country road with opposing traffic or visiting mates you could just pick it up and step over the fence!
3 if it broke down all you needed to get it going again was a spanner, a flathead, a roll of insulation tape and a wire brush. And to save on buying a bike stand/ramp you could just pick it up and balance it on a fence strainer post!

It also sucked big time!
1 Any hope I had with women was quickly erased when they saw my transport.
2 It had no idiot lighs except a green light of indeterminate function that pulsed whenever the engine was running regardless of anything else you did. I would suspect a charge lamp if it had a battery or battery bay.
3 if you hit a big bup the side stand would come down and engage.
4 Drum slowers (brakes is to generous it engine braked faster)
5 A rusty tank meant cleaning the fuel filter after every ride.
6 A faulty fuel tap meant if you turned it while the engine was running it would spit the handle off and spew fuel everywhere.
7 no aircleaner, due to no-one making elements for them anymore which combined with the holes in the filter body meant it was really F#$%en fast (75kmph is fucken fast when you can acheive it at idle in 6th on a bike less than 100kgs and with less mechanical ability than a pushbike no brakes worth mentioning, not to mention a learner rider giving himself his first lesson, on a gravel road) with a tail wind and struggled to maintain a walking pace in a headwind.

:disapint: F*&^ knows why but I do hold a fond place for it in my heart. :disapint:

Thanks for the laugh Big Dog; no chance the idiot light was linked to someone sitting on it ? lol - sorry mate; a great story;

[Big Dog]

Thanks for the laugh Big Dog; no chance the idiot light was linked to someone sitting on it ? lol - sorry mate; a great story;

At the time I felt sure it measured the remaining life force of the designer!

On reflection I think it more likely that it measured the life force of anyone dumb enough to own or try to ride it.


Or perhaps it told you whether the engine was running or not as it was the quietest idle I have ever heard and it had no battery so it only went when the bike did. Though I would have thought the god almighty vibrations in the crotch area might have given it away quicker. Whenever I stopped at intersections it was stand or risk blue balls.

Felt something like

[krisby]

a 1988 TZR 125 with a YPVS. It was good for 100kmh at a push, but handled really well, it was expensive to maintain. Being only 19 and living in London, my mechanical knowledge did not go beyond fixing my pushbike, so I always had to pay out. Had the battery go flat on me coming home (alternator died) so I had no headlights and coming through Londons busy Strand, was a nightmare, and my brake lights weren't working either, so nearly had a few people up the back of me, finally made it home though, in one piece. Had the chain snap pulling away from lights too, fortunately, only damaged the sprockets, so not too expensive.

But I always wanted something with a FAT tyre, so moved from a 125 section to a bike with a 150, I thought it was fat until I started noticing 180 sections, then when the R1 came out with its massive 190 (that looked more than 1cm wider than a 180) I had to change up again, to a 160, finally moved on to a 180. Funny, how until the biking bug really bit that I was basing my choices partly on the width of the rear tyre.