How did you all start?

[steelestring]

I was about 13 years old, my friend and I got a old honda CT90 from the back of the neighbours farm that had been outside for about a 5 years in the grass. Motor would not run, so we put a CT110 motor in from the hay shed/rubish heap with a cleaned plug and car oil ... kicked it 5 times and it went! Ran it on a mix of avgas (after school job cleaning/bitch at the aerodrome) and methonol (model planes I played with ran on meth). Would ride everywhere... 2 up! Awesome fun! went really hard!
We passed it on to his little brother when we moved

[MarkH]

When I was a kid I wanted a bicycle, when my sister got one I learnt to ride it and used it more than her. Then I got a chopper (the bicycle), remember them? 3 Speed, T-Bar handle - mine was purple.

My friend/neighbour had a friend (Neil) that rode a bike - I also became friends with him and I rode pillion on his bike a few times.

When I was 15 or 16 my stepfather had a 50cc bike that he used to go to work & back - proper gears and everything. He let me ride that and it was fun - I already had a car license and loved to ride or drive anything. At 18 I got my truck license and also my bike license. I bought a bike as my first vehicle - it was a GT250X7 - 2 stroke 250. Top speed about 150-155, but acceleration made me laugh at cars - you know those things that are back at the lights just starting to move while you are already exceeding the speed limit. Oh shit - that red Falcon was a mufti - it wasn't always cheap to ride a bike!

Then shit changed - the bike wore out & failed and I bought a cheap car. Having a car was great - I never wanted to not own a car again. My friend Neil got hit by a drunk driver and lost the right leg just below the knee - bikes seemed not so necessary a thing to have. But ever since I got my first car I have always thought it would be so great to have both a bike & a car - the sheer luxury of having a choice.

Now shit is changing again. I now live & work in Auckland where the traffic sucks. Petrol costs more than $2 per litre. I am self employed and need to have a working vehicle to earn a living. When ever the weather is fine (especially summer time) I yearn for a bike to ride. Now my car is getting a bit old and makes some funny noises.

So now I am thinking about getting a 400cc scooter - obviously not to look cool or pick up the chicks, more to have a more fun means of transport. I would then have a back up vehicle if the car is not working (or have the car as a backup vehicle if the weather is shit or I need to transport some gear). I would have cheaper transport for whenever I want to use it. I could get out and see more of the country - in theory I could do the same in the car, but meh! I would like to go on a scooter trip to the South Island (I've never been there) either this summer or next - I think it would be a great experience.

So now I am looking at buying a brand new Suzuki Burgman 400 K7 or K8 and owning my very first brand new motor vehicle. It'll be spring in a few weeks and I would love to get one soon - even if it stretches my finances thin and leaves me with a bit of debt to pay off.

Some days you look outside and say "fuck the car, where's my helmet!"
Ooh - I like that, how do I make that my sig line? OK, found it.

So there - now you guys know my life story.

[yod]

took a spin on my mates '86 RZ250 and was instantly hooked, bought an NS250R a month later

[Paulo]

Being a kids in the 70's watching "Chips" and Evil Kineveil on T.V. Then a bit later going 'round' with a girl who had a gt125, I really only went out with her to ride her bike after that I got an RD250....... never looked back.

[skippa1]

Have ridden pushies, mostly mountain bikes, since i was old enough to walk.
had a couple of crappy little scooter things while i was at high school before i could afford a car.

The first one was an extremely dodgy little 2 stroke with no reg, wof, lights and indicators. It only had one brake and the fuel tank was off a lawnmower.
The exhaust broke off a few times so i tried to weld it back on with my dads mig half a dozen times or so before i gave up.
To this day that was the most fun i have ever had on a bike.

After i broke up with my missus of 3 or so years, i discovered i had a fair bit of spare coin floating around and my mate had been riding for a year or two so i thought i would give real bikes a go.
The ability to filter and save on fuel also helped a bit

Holy cow man.....thread dredge or what?

[SMOKEU]

Holy cow man.....thread dredge or what?

Nice one.

[Grashopper]

Holy cow man.....thread dredge or what?

Who cares, as long as it is an interesting thread.

[10bikekid]

How did everyone start riding, what made them want to ? what did the ride ?

Just under 2 years ago my mate josh let me ride his VT250 up his driveway, he was surprised as was I that I could ride it up not a problem. So he told me to go down the road and practice in the dead end turning around and coming back, I did. Came back up he told me to drive down the road 5min, I did came back.

Had the nack of it since then.

In hind-sight totally stupid way to learn, very dangerous. But I think it helped taking the "Jump right into it" challenge once I knew I could actually control the bike.

Well it was a long long time ago after gazing at a Honda brochure with all them pretty colours and I've never been Bikeless since

Got a list of bikes owned so far somewhere, at last count over 50 and regret selling at least 40 of them

[mossy1200]

I never posted on this thread. I think ill just leave it that way.

Wait it was 2 months before is was born.

[Grashopper]

Nice one.

Now I get it.

[10bikekid]

I never posted on this thread. I think ill just leave it that way.

Wait it was 2 months before is was born.

Its been said, if you go over 250kph to often you start to lose your mind, are you living proof ?

[skippa1]

Now I get it.

Haha lol

[Kawasakidude]

When I was 14 my dad died of cancer and one of his farming mates gave me a 87 suzuki tf185 mudbug dirt bike as kind of a sympathy present. Fixed it up and have had 14 bikes or so since then I have a good strong connection with my dad when I'm riding..

[BlackSheepLogic]

I started riding bikes because my elder brother rode bikes. Seems now days mama and the young crowd want cars not bikes.

[Blackbird]

Shows my age but in the 60's, we used to ride our pushbikes down to the local coffee bar to watch the lads on their British iron put a record on the juke box and try and do a lap of the town centre before it finished. Got my first motorcycle in 1964. Embarrassingly, it was a Suzuki 50 which my grandparents bought for passing my school exams but hell, it gave me independence and 50 years later, still loving it