Bikes have changed my life....

[heavenly.talker]

Biking has certainly changed my life. I used to be a bike widow. My husband would be gone at least one day a weekend all day and some of the night riding. I didn't go with him that often (I actually do not like the sensation of being on the back of a bike all that much).

The guys at my work (who all ride) started hassling me about being in the middle ages and told me to get my own bike. They have all taught their wives to ride and were having a blast.

Not being one to let a good challenge/opportunity to go past...

I thought to myself...hey...why the h*ll not...what's more this is something we could do together. So I convinced him to let me start learning and then buy me a bike.

Since then he has had a major injury to his back that meant when he went back to work that he needed to take the car.

My bike has become my primary form of transport come rain, shine or even hail.

I Love it...can't rave about riding enough...it is my favourite form of stress relief, I love the challenge and the peace and I especially love riding with him all day, having quality time together but also having enough time to think and mull things over while getting my thrills.

It is simply grand...addicted...you bet. I hope that we will be riding into our nineties.

Bring on the holidays is all I can say...we're off to the South Island on our bikes.

The only glitch was the day he took my newest (yeah I now have a couple) bike for a ride and got knocked off. Luckily his back came out fine and he wasn't hurt...yes I did ask that first too...not so lucky was my new bike...bugger...the little toad that did the damage has still yet to pay and my now no so beautiful bike is still at the shop waiting to be fixed!!! grggghh!

I guess that he will have to buy me a new one now;-)

Take care all you die hards and fine weather dudettes and dudes and keep up the great writing :-)

[Hitcher]

Bikes are worse than an addiction. There is no known cure. Enjoy.

[heavenly.talker]

What a great post Ixion :-)

Not into sports bikes myself so totally relate to "It's the riding, the epiphanic contact with the road and the wind , the procession of scenary, the experience of being an integral part of a complex system of man, earth, sky and steel, the nice balancing of conflicting forces, that matters to me. At such times, God is very close to us."

You summed it up beautifully.

Many thanks

[Sniper]

Im with Mr Hitcher here. Its a fantastic addiction and as long as you stay safe, its a fun one too.

[heavenly.talker]

Funny things those addicitions...
some are vital to living...i.e. I'm addicted to breathing
while some are just vital to life ;-)

[SPman]

a Silver Pidgeon scooter (now *stop* laughing, and I bet no-one else has even *seen* a Silver Pidgeon, let alone ridden one).

me me me - the first two wheeled machine I ever rode was a Silver Pidgeon - its what got me on my 2 wheeled way.
So - who was this "mate", that bought the SP

[limbimtimwim]

Well, since this thread has revitalised, I think I'll post the hows and whys I got into motorcycles.

I am not from a motorcycling family, none of my friends had motorcycles, and as some have pointed out (including myself) motorcycles are not the done thing these days with the yoof.

Anyway, my experience started when my mother went to a charity auction when I was about 16 (So that's nearly 8 years ago.. wow). She won the auction for the learning of riding a motorcycle, and the use of the bike for the learner practical test.

So I rode around Onslow Col on a Suzuki TS185ER, and sat my test. I crashed the schools bike for long and stupid reasons, but I was there a month later after my wrist had healed and passed it then. I wasn't going to let that crash put me off, I was hooked.

Anyway, I purchased bike mags since then, I have a massive collection of Performance Bikes magazines :-) . In the interim, I got myself a great neo-classic japanese car (Don't argue with me, it was/is), so there was no bike. It was not until August 2003 that I got my bike, the only time since my test back when I was 16 that I had rode a bike.

In Feburary 2004 I got a tank bag and toured around most of NZ by myself, which was fantastic. I now know heaps of spots I wish to return to in the future.

I really like my VTR, I can just about keep up with most on a ride, and it (And I, since that is in fact the most important factor) go fast enough around corners to keep my heart pumping.

After watching the KB/KR trackday at Manfield a month ago, my interest in my VTR stirred stronger, no longer did I view it as a weekend tool (I only live 25 mins walk from work) for a buzz on a warm Sunday. Oh hell no. The devil on my shoulder was pointing at some bikes on the track and saying to me "if we tried, we could shit all over some of those guys". Nasty thought I know, but I won't deny having it. Probably not true too, but that's what the devil is for.

I've done the muffler thing (Fuck yeah is all I can say), I've got the carby pieces, and I've got some silly ideas about what next. I'm never selling it, it'll probably end it's life being smashed to bits against some barrier, but that's a death with honour. Being sold to someone else and eventually being broken for parts is no way to go.

The feelings of unison, control and simplicity and what make me itch on weekend to get on the bike and go for a spin, even if it is only around the bays or to say hi to a friend. A bike has a purity few things can match, wheels, engine, frame, suspension. It only does one thing for me; makes me smile. You can't see it in my helmet, but I'm grinning the entire time.

Everything else in my life loses it's shine after a while, loses it's excitement, but for some reason, I keep coming back to the bike.

I can thank Matt and Geoff Cuthell (Wherever they are) for that initial taste back when I was at school, and my mum for getting me into bikes.

[SlowHand]

I may as well put in my piece, otherwise I would have to wait a year or something till this thread comes back. Currently 20, got my licence 4weeks ago, had my bike for ohh 12days now, done a little over 1000kms, tried not to degrade my baby by commuting to tec, work is 10mins walk- not that I walk.

I've always been into cars, got my car licence on the 15th b-day, and drove and drove all I could, went through a boy-racer thing, but never had the money to get into it. Went through 5 cars in 9months, 1 small off in my first car, 1 lemon rx7, 2 cars I overheated due to lack of maintenance, and some bitch wrote my last car off after a month of owning it, I thought feck it, I'll get a bike, not having much luck with cars.
Ofcourse that wasnt the only thing, my uncle had a yellow bike when I was young, and I remember the first time I saw him leaning it hard round a corner, that was imprinted in young Albin's mind, and I'd secretly wanted one since. Went out and bought me R ingadin G 150, and I hope I never get off a bike.
If I ever lose interest, i want someone to kick my arse, strap me to a rocket, put wheels on it, and send me down anywhere till I start begging for a bike.

[heavenly.talker]

Mad...all delightfully and stupendously mad! hahhahahahahahahahhahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha haha!

[Macktheknife]

Mad...all delightfully and stupendously mad! hahhahahahahahahahhahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha haha!

You say that like its a BAD thing?~!
My wife and I have an understanding folks....
the bike was here first!
Fortunately she accepted me anyway and now loves them too.
Dunno what I did to get that lucky but there you are.
I want no hearse but an escort of motorcycles ridden by crusty grey haired old die-hard bikers.
Ride safe and forever

[heavenly.talker]

"I want no hearse but an escort of motorcycles ridden by crusty grey haired old die-hard bikers"


Can we have some crusty grey haired old die-hard bikers volunteers please...
That way I can pass the list on to his wife