Can you recall how it was when you started riding?

[Terminated]

Having posted up the weekly Saturday Morning Riding Practise thread

http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/ca...6&day=2007-9-8

I have gone back to look at my first attempts at getting out on the road:


Dateline 12 May 2006

The new GN250 was delivered in Stokes Vegas tonight at 1721hrs by Wellington Motor Cycle Centre.

Houston, Tranquility Base here. The Eagle has landed.

That's one small step for BuckBuck but one giant leap for a whole lot of pleasure.

Look forward to catching up with you all when I build up my skills and confidence.

And four days later - Here is an extract of an email I sent to my brother-in-law:

Dateline:
16 May 2006

30km Up Today

Well I managed 12.30pm – 2.00pm and 3.00pm to 4.00pm. Stayed in Manuka and Zeala Grove and was able to manage U turns in Manuka and very slow turns at the dead end of Zeala. Also went half way up from our house to the top of the street in the first session and in the second session practiced getting right to the top then coming down slowly in low gear.

Had one ooopsy practiced coming to a complete stop at the end of Zeala at the intersection with Manuka, was a slight down hill and went to put my foot down lost balance and couldn’t hold the weight no scratches and picked up easily.

Gearing a lot better today up to 4000 - 4500rpm and into 3rd fine then 4th back to 3rd then 2nd up the tight left curve at very top of street way up around from our place.

I am confident that the Saturday Morning Riding Practice here in Stokes Valley will be very useful for riders just starting out (and experienced riders that may want to revisit some of the slow bike control challenges), after all I did 1000km in Stokes Valley before I ventured further a field.

http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/ca...6&day=2007-9-8

Heads Up and Enjoy

[peasea]

I have a pic somewhere of my first trip on a motorcycle on my own. Long hair, no lid, circa 1974/75. It was a Suzuki 350 two stroke thing; what a day!
I'll see if I can find/scan it. Talk about old school.

[Katman]

I'd had only one short ride on my mates SL125 when I went in to Laurie Summers to pick up my brand new Z250C. It was only then that I fully realised that I still had to get it back to Manurewa. That was one exhilarating and nerve-racking ride back down the Great South Road.

[Krusti]

1976, first roadbike, Suzuki GT250. Old man made me sell it due to him telling me it was too powerful. Got a CB175 with megaphones!

[Bullitt]

First experince on an adult sized two wheeler (ie not a trike/quad/50cc kids bike) was a mates DT125 on a beach with no kickstart. Id ride it very gingerly around and half the time taking off Id stall it and have to push it along the beach till I got it going again. Was a complete pain in the arse but still alot of fun.

I feel like Im learning again after having 3 years off, though I think Im picking it up quicker this time around

[Steam]

...after all I did 1000km in Stokes Valley before I ventured further afield.

I just don't get that. I mean, I admire it, kinda, but the implacable methodical nature of it scares me a bit.

When I started riding it was very very scary. I picked up the bike then rode across Auckland in traffic, but survived. (the people I bought the bike from showed me how to change gears. I honestly had no idea, I'd never been on a bike before.)

Then in the morning I Hardened The Fuck Up and rode 660 kilometers to Wellington over two beautiful clear winter days, wearing a yellow PVC raincoat and overtrousers and every item of clothing I had.

I believe that's what's called Polar Opposites.

[McJim]

I spent a fortnight on a 50cc 2 stroke moped on newly harvested potato fields in Ayrshire in the muddy summer of in 1982. We found it in an old shed (not working) and me and my dad dismantled the engine, cleaned it, reassembled it and I would spend all day every day riding at 50mph across wet mud.

Then never touched a bike again until 2006.

[Holy Roller]

First bike I rode was my step sisters van van and I promptly put into a hedge. Took a bit to get it out I dont recall being offered another ride.

Farm bikes after that, a step through 90 with high low ratio box gave hours of fun chasing cows. An XR 250 of a mate hooning around Auckland having a ball in the new developments riding over piles of dirt. Got my licence and brought a new GSX250EZ added a bikini fairing. By now I was quite confident and Auckland traffic was no problem, even did a defensive riding school at Manukau travelling from Devonport each Saturday so I would get my full quicker.
The instructor knew when I had run the bike in my riding style must have changed somewhat. Scraping the pegs going around the cones
I travelled all over the country (North Island) with that bike. I saw one the other day in the bike shop certainly brought back memories

[Tonka]

My first ride was back in 1991 around the streets of Kawerau on my mates brand new Yamaha FZR250 (I think it was that model) around 10-11pm....I remember hitting the power band on that sucker and almost sh#ting my pants......after that one ride, I knew motorbikes needed to play a part in my life.

As it turned ut my mother put a stop to that.......didnt stop me from riding my mates bike though!!

[janno]

In the carpark at Mill Point Road in Perth, next to the Swann river.

After a few minutes tootling on the mighty virago I grabbed a mightly handful of brakes and ended up on the ground. My husband was watching over me and had just turned away to look at something on the river.

At least that's what I thought, until he told me later he was laughing so hard he couldn't look anymore . . .

But oh the feeling of changing gears for the first time!

And getting up to 35km per hour!!

Little did I know it was the dreadful beginning of a serious and expensive addiction . . .

[fergie]

think it was 72 or there abouts, rocked into the cop shop, answered 25 questions, got a permit to "learn" for six weeks then strait to bike shop and bought a suzuki 50!. after six weeks went for full licence. cop sits on step outside cop shop (smoking)! i rode to end of street and back, whammo, full licence!, I think from memory you only needed a helmet when going over 30 miles per hour.
kept the suzi for a year then moved up to a yamaha rz 350, now that was a fun bike!

[TLDV8]

[Kinje]

I'd never ridden before so went and signed up for a lesson and did the BHS test. The instructor provided an SR250 which seemed to have so much power! Gingerly rode round the carpark and did all the drills slowly getting better, increasing speed and sometimes even reaching 3rd gear!

Went away stoked and got my license. Down to one of the local bike shops for a test ride- a ZZR250 followed by an FZR250 IIRC. Straight out to the rapa country roads including a quick (well probably not really) blast up and down the watertowers road.

After a few more testrides of various bikes in different places I settled on my CBR250RR which I bought in Lower Hutt. This meant that to get back to Masterton, my first ride on my own bike was over the Rimutakas

[MSTRS:Me]

Riding around a new housing development on the clay roads. On a Yamaha 80 or 90cc thingy (YS?? dunno model, but had 'Autolube' on the side cover). Was about 1970.

[delusionz]

haha i started riding a 50ccs then i was like fuck this i need more power and i got my 6L in May this year and started riding 250ccs 4 HP to 40 HP upgrades are always good .

scooter piss me off tho, makes u have to take dodgy routes, like on the bicycle path that goes along side the western motorway lol