How did you all start?

[crash harry]

Had a little honda monkey bike thing as a kid. Didn't get to ride it all that much, because we didn't have room at home. Rode it up north at Baileys Beach when we went on holiday - I must have been about 7 or 8 at the time.

Always loved bikes, always intended to get my license. I was one of those guys who always says "Yeah I really want to get my bike license" and then didn't.

Fast forward to about 5 years ago, my sister and her boyfriend were both getting their basic handling certs, I tagged along. Since then I've had everything from a ZZR250 to a Hayabusa. Now on an R1. (Sister's still on her learners and has sold her bike, her (now ex) boyfriend never even got one... I win )

[koba]

Great thread...

Anyway, when I was born the old man had a CZ 175.
I grew [EDIT- and am still growing] up in Upper Hutt around alot of "NO JAP BIKES" and "what do you call a jap classic? - Nothing there aren't any!" That sorta stuff seems to have died down alot latley but i still see both sides of that, there really is somthing special about an old goldie being caned uphill or nortons on the track with super straightline speed and bugger all braking ability!

Speedway solos, old BSA's, Sidecar rides and bikes in the lounge counted for alot as I was growing up. Ever present, always noted and admired.
When my make got an '88 Steelframe GSXR250 I was truley hooked! Learnt to ride it with no front brake lever and have been into it ever since.
I later owned that bike, took it around the clock. Mikey has it now, still see him riding to work on her, the old blackbitch.
Got a another bike 2nite, between me and the better half that makes 8...

[MaxCannon]

Motorbikes were a big no in my house when I was growing up.

Dad had one years ago. Has some false teeth from falling off.
A couple of his mates were killed in their 20's as well.
Plus the only time he ever got Mum on the back she freaked out before he'd even left the car park and demanded he stop.

Fastforward till I'm out of home and have a job in the city and it's the only sensible way to get to work, too far to cycle, too expensive to drive, too slow and inconvienient to catch the bus.

So I booked a BHS test for the coming sunday, bought a bike on trademe on the Thursday, sat my scratch and win on Saturday, bought all the gear on Saturday. Rode the bike home on the Saturday (the second time EVER that I'd sat on a bike) from way out west to way out south.
Spent Sunday riding around sub-division
Rode to work on Monday.

[Rogue]

Was always interested in Motorcycles Then my sister started going out with a guy (later became her husband) who rode a Norton That was it brought my first bike at fourteen and have always had one since
Also bike's were cheaper and as I thought then better than the tin tops around in the early 70's. Come to think about it I still think bikes are better than tin tops now

[Vacarious]

About when i was 13yrs dad got me on the front of his 1989 GSX750R for the first time. got the hang of the clutch and gears easy, took it to his workshop and rid round there for a while, but when he sold it to buy the new 'busa I had to wait till I got my learners and a little 250.

Im now riding a zxr250

[Edbear]

..walked into a bar the other day..

Did it hurt..?

Just after the Romans left Britain, I got myself a paper round, do you have them here?...

Had one at 14, steepest street in Warkworth! It was a challenge to ride up it, we'd see who could get the furthest, and if you could ride to the top you were a hero! Didn't make it until I got a bike with the 3-sp. hub!

My mother had a beautiful, black BSA Bantam 125 and I loved it from the first time I saw it! (Actually, if it had wheels and an engine, I loved it!) When I was 12, she let me ride it around the section - I was hooked! My first bike was a B31 350 BSA which I loved/hated! Next was the T500 Suzuki which I loved/loved!

[skidMark]

Believe it or not, My Mother suggested it. I was moaning about two bus rides each way to my 1st job. She said "why don't you get a little motorbike". If she only knew what was to come, she would of kept her mouth shut

For me my mate had a little goped thing we used to rip around on and i had a couple of dunger old project scooters my mate sold me to tinker on. Then i got a job assemblind motorbikes for a chinese importer.

3 days later rode home on a little 50cc minibike road regoed all that.

Scared silly of big bikes. I looked at my mates ZXR250 and knew i could never ride one. He let me have a sit though, i was 18.

Then well, met loosebruce.

It quickly turned from "nice little minimoto can ya wheelie it bro?"

To... "get a 250 ya wuss"

I had had a TZR 250 i bought cheap sitting in the garage, but upon finding more info on it and how quick it was there was no way in hell i was going to ride it. Not then anyways.

So i bought a GN250. old one for $500. stripped her down repainted her from end to end alarm polished the motor etc etc.

Swapped that for a GPX 250.

now feeling a bit more confident and my mates ZXR250 having come up for sale. well how could i resist eh...

Now just sold my 3rd ZXR. Love them.

Bikes are my passion.

I don't know what keeps me on them, they are dangerous i'm always in trouble with the police, and i enter a corner hoping i will come out the other side, as i don't get much adrenalin off it anymore, only if i'm playing chaseys with a fast rider.

But then there is the cruisey ride with a mate that is always great.

Doesn't matter if they are fast or slow. Thats living.

Skid.

[RnB Fan]

The old man had little commuter bikes (Suzuki 50) when I was a kid and when he went out we taught ourselves how to start it without the key. Taught myself how to ride. Also used to do farm stays in the school holidays and rode farm bikes (XL185 complete with trailer and RV90). Came time to get my first vehicle and Mum wouldn't let me get a bike so she stumped up with the money to buy a car for me. Didn't ride for years until wife told me I was a lazy unmotivated git that needed to get off the couch. Went out next day and bought a DR250, got my licence etc and have now graduated to a 650. Absolutely love it.

[skilly035]

i got into sidecar racing november last year. after a horrible year my grandparents decided i needed something to keep my eye off of things..
because my grandfather is a well known name in sidecar racing (Gordon Skilton) ive always been interested in giving it a go. they found a woman who needed a female swinger and here we are!
norton commando 750 number 35....not so great but we are both still learning.
pukekohe festival was our first run

i loved it!!!
i still love it!!!

[NOMIS]

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.

I was very much the same but it was more stealing my uncles dirtbike. then snapping the chain on it while I was doing skids in the paddock :-) Some old school suzukie 600cc road/farm bike thing I was 12- 13 at the time picked it up in a flash

but had to climb on it holding the cluch in off the fence was hard and stopping was aswell. my feet could only just reach the gearshift :-)

[chubby]

1976 and a mate of mine had an A50 that he would blatt on the gravel yards behind his house. I learnt on that.

Brought my first bike a year later AC100 *sigh* as the only affordable way to get to and from sports training. Too far to cycle, to good to stop, to demanding on my mother to drive, couldn't afford anything else as too poor.

[chubby]

norton commando 750 number 35....not so great but we are both still learning.

A Norton Commando!!!!!! Wow, what a bike. I remember seeing them back in the 70's they were always my pick... especially the black ones with gold pinstripes. Then again you have it as side car so no doubt that thing is nothing like original.

Moment over.

[EJK]

One day I was bored. So I decided to read a book.
So I reached out my hand and grabbed the first book that I could see...

...it was 1999 edition Motorcycle Road Code that my mum used to get her car license..

No kidding

Then I saw the cover picture (A Yellow GSXF, Black gear and white Arai helmet, at a country side)

And so there I was

[Blossom]

I was about 5 when my sister got an older boyfriend who had the most stunning machine I had ever seen. (at 5 obviously I had loads of life experience) It was an Indian scout. He took me for a ride....
That sealed it. But there was no real hope of me not riding. Its genetic in my family. But it took me a long time to stop fluffing about on the back of bikes and finally get one of my own. Girl issues I think.

[Whynot]

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