We really don't know who we are inspiring to ride

[Lissa]

My dad and step-mum hate it. Dad was the reason I never got a bike when I was younger. Only got one in the end cos Dave bought one for me and insisted I fulfil the lifelong dream!

Go the hubby!!

Funny how different people have different views on bikes - I love it that so many of you have support from your families and that you're inspiring the next generation

I know.... My mum was a bit freaked out at first, she thought... oh god, Melissa is going to kill herself. But now, shes really excited for me, and thinks its great I found my passion... as so many people live their whole lives not knowing what that is, or not fulfulling it.

I imagine the day when the high school parking lot is full of teenage girls taking off their helmets, flicking their long hair off their shoulders, putting on their lippy and walking to class. Even better will be the day when on their way out of the parking lot they all pull a wheelie to their adoring fans!

hehe I can so see my eldest daughter doing that... shes a girly girl, but Loves Motorbikes.

[Jimmy B]

I sometimes catch people looking at me, and I know they're thinking.. Wow thats a very big shiney black bike, he must have an incredibly small ..... actually never mind

[sunhuntin]

sometimes you can see the idea take root in the eyes of miss [or master] six or seven as they watch you prepare to ride off from a shopping centre carpark or whatever ..........

"i'm gonna do that" and that's magic!

we were all children once ........ and there are enough bikers in the world to prove that not EVERYONE believes the negatives they are bombarded with as they are growing up [WE didn't!!]

o yeh...im a member of an american group, and am the youngest by at least 20 years. all the guys were lamenting the loss of real bikers...ie, those that ride for the ride, not the image. i consider myself one who rides for the ride. i love the look as well, but the ride is the main attraction.
and old saying "old bikers pick a direction and go. young bikers pick a destination and go"
ill pick a destination and go, but where i go between here and there is anyones guess.

basically, my words to the old guys were that no matter what, there will always be a true biker out there somewhere. think they appreciated that.
so many people like my brother who ride just for the look and the fact people are often intimidated by it [he rides a purple sportster...how scary!]
thats all he bought it for. he uses it to get to work and back, and thats it. longest trip i think was taupo. cant see him ever going as far as invercargill on it... lol.

[Hanne]

Yeah, and particularly the girls. You'll hardly ever see a teenage female on a bike - the helmet mucks up the hair you know! I mean, I agree, helmets do muck up your hair and when image is so important it's a hard one to get around.

hair/ bike? hair/ nike? hmmm..... well, seeing as I gave up on the hair loing ago, I guess the choice for me is simple!

Still, we have to start somewhere and hopefully we are promoting sportsbike riding as a pretty sexy hobby for chicks (and blokes of course, but from a chicks perspective, any bloke on a sportsbike is sexy anyway).

Whenever I ride into uni on by beautiful purple sportsbike, I never have any issues finding people to give me a hand if I run into ANY trouble... usually surrounded by a whole group of first year engineering dudes eager to help out any way they can (whether I need it or not!)

[HDTboy]

I imagine the day when the high school parking lot is full of teenage girls taking off their helmets, flicking their long hair off their shoulders, putting on their lippy and walking to class. Even better will be the day when on their way out of the parking lot they all pull a wheelie to their adoring fans!

You have no idea how much money I would pay to attend such a school

[Pumba]

You have no idea how much money I would pay to attend such a school

Ill double it.

I Know about 25 odd years ago it was my mother, who already rode, that inspired and convinced my old man to start riding, much to his fathers horror. Well me and my sister got in the way and bikes got put on the back burner for a few years but 18-20 odd years later when I started riding (im sure its in the blood) both remembered how much they loved riding and whin a year had a bike each, they stillhave a bike each and have found a renewed passion in bikes since us kids left home and are currently cuisin back up from somwere in the south island with a few kms left ahead of them.

Another cool thing is that not only is it a passion they share togehter it is a great family event when the three bikes cruise off somewhere with my sister on a pillion seat (not mine tho )

[Alice]

You know its true,
you never know who you inspire. I have just returned from 11 days touring the South Island. I struck some really bad weather as well as some really brilliant weather. One one occasion I pulled into a cafe/bar and went inside, dripping wet and frozen. It was the most unpleasant day for motorcycling but I was on a mission to reach my destination and determined to get there never mind the weather. After the first 50ks that day I had to have cafe stop no.1 to drink coffee and thaw and put on more clothes. 100km later, stop no.2, more coffee, and remaining clothes. The kind people in the bar lit the fire for me to warm up by, talk about appreciate the small things in life, that was absolutely brilliant. I sat there about an hour or so and chatted to a few people that struck up a conversation with me. When your that cold yu just feel like sitting and not talking, yu brain sort of can't be fagged operating and it just feels good to sit and enjoy the warmth. Anyway after awhile the lady working behind the bar who was about 48 came over and started quizzing me about things, she said she had always wanted to get a bike but everyone told her they are to dangerous, etc, etc, you know, usual bullshit. I told her I absolutely love it, even in bad weather. I hope that by seeing and talking to me she goes ahead and gets a bike, how could you not want someone else to have the pleasure in their life.

[nudemetalz]

Well I liked nothing better than seeing Bridgy ride off in the morning's on the Guzzi V11.
Make's me proud to know that I taught her how to properly ride only 2-3 years ago and here she is on this 1100cc V-Twin.
She says she gets lots of attention riding the Guzzi.
Great stuff !!

[Lucy]

I was at Ngaruawahia BP last week and an old lady came up to me and started chatting about the motorbike. She was in her 70s and said on her 80th she is going for a ride on a Harley. I suggested she not wait until then, but she didnt seem that keen, and had a walking stick. She was really positive though and knew that it was a fun thing to do, not dangerous. Felt good riding off.

[McJim]

I often get positive comments from drivers at traffic lights - they're not all anti-bike! Usually
"What size is your bike?"
"Two fiddy"
"looks bigger - does it go fast?"
"Nah, it craps out at 160kph"
"Never mind, nice weather for it."
"Thanks"

The bit I really like is kids on buses and kids in the back of cars that wave while I'm passing them on the motorway - if I'm not halfway through a gear change or something I always try and wave back/give 'em the thumbs up and if my hands are busy then a nod's as good as I'll do.

It's nice to be important, but it's more important to be nice.

[buellbabe]

Yeah... for me its the buzz of seeing a kids eyes light up and just knowing that I have inspired someone young to have a dream to reach for. My friends little girl LURVES my bike and I told her if she wants one badly enuf she WILL make it happen.

Then again at the other end of the scale I am inspired by the guy who owned my Buell before me. He was a rider in his younger days but during his years of marriage his wife wouldn't let him have a bike.

Well eventually she died and at the age of 82 he went and bought himself a Buell X1 Lightning and got a Buell tattoo... he traded my bike in shortly afterwards with only a couple of thousand kms on the clock... cos he wanted the Millenium model!
To my knowledge he is STILL riding and has a stable of bikes... the X1 Millenium, a Buell Firebolt and someone told me he had also gotten a Speed Triple!
By my calculations he must be pushing 90 now!
What a dude!

[KATWYN]

By my calculations he must be pushing 90 now!
What a dude!

Now THATS inspiring!

[Ixion]

Go that dude!

F' heavens sake, someone give him the KB URL ! We *nned* those sort of guys.

What happened to that 80 summit year old guy up norf who bought the GN250 and brought it back pissed off because it was gutless, to part exchange for a Hayabusa ? Was it Mr Dooley told us about him ?

[Deano]

Yeah, and particularly the girls. You'll hardly ever see a teenage female on a bike - the helmet mucks up the hair you know! I mean, I agree, helmets do muck up your hair and when image is so important it's a hard one to get around.

No problem from me image wise - most guys would be too busy checking out the arse in the leathers to worry about her hair.