So how did you get into this lovely sport?

[clmintie]

My mum and Dad helped me buy my first bike (Suzuki TS 100 '73) near the end of 5th form, purely as a means of getting to school and then to work. Several of my class mates did the same and as we had access to heaps of good offroad riding areas, it soon developed into "races". Within a year I'd bought a TM125 and was totally addicted. While they never really approved of racing, they did help a bit. I, as a parent however, may be going over the top with my girls, the inside of my garage is beginning to look like Mr Motorcycles...

[oldskool]

Lived in Malaysia when I was 14 and had nothing to do so bought myself an old suzy A100 and learnt how to ride and pull apart bikes on that. Moved up to an RM125 2 shocker, then to a XL250 motorsport then a PE175 then saw the light and moved back over to 4 strokes with a XLS250, XR250, TT500, XR500 then a big break while I did the marriage thing and had tiddlywinks. Now enjoying the novelty of tinkering with a 22 yr old bike and just maybe this may evolve into getting a CRF250 or something of the sort...or maybe even a 300 2-stroker seeing as I hear they have good low end grunt.

[noobi]

Dad makes sure that everytime we go riding that I know that "he never did this as a kid and hid dad would never approve, and something with a motor was just a way of getting from A to B", anyway
We got a 90something xr100 from counties honda 2 years ago, for my brother and I. I moved onto a CRF150 and my brother sort of stopped which is a shame, ahwell, dad got a XR200 after not riding for x number of years because of not having any money. When we had both outriden the farm bikes, dad bought himself a 2005 250exc with a 350 kit, and this year he bought me a ec125 gasgas, and we still angue over which type of engine is better
I just hope that I can continue to ride through university in a few years
Thats my storey up to now

[warewolf]

Grew up riding pushbikes in the dirt, then came the bmx craze (which I couldn't afford). Finally late high school managed to blag a few rides on various mates' farm bikes. Didn't take long to convert the skills.

One long-time school mate and neighbour -Anthony- bought himself a Yammie DT100 new, I thought that was the coolest thing ever (to be able to buy yourself a bike!!), he was probably 12 at the time. Towards the end of high school he picked up a YZ250. Wagging school one day, we all headed out bush with the bikes. I had a very memorable first ride on the YZ, crossed up, front wheel floating, drifting on the power... man I loved that feeling! Awwwwwwesome!!

I'd have to credit Anthony for causing the seed to germinate. My dad rode scooters and road bikes (trumpies) as transport but gave it up before I can remember. My maternal grandfather rode bikes in his youth, which I was told after he passed away, he never talked about it because he gave it up when his best mate died in a bike crash. One of my dad's mates raced enduros and would occasionally ride his monstrous tall bike to our house, wheelie off down the street when he left. So although I wasn't surrounded by bikes, I was aware of them.

At uni I bought a road bike as cheap transport and thrills; a full 80L tank in the V8 was costing $50 and wouldn't last a week. Cars have only been secondary ever since, and my bikes have been getting dirtier and dirtier... mwahahahahaha!!!!

[kevfromcoro]

Got hold of a TS 125....Years ago ... met a bloke who was a worker on a farm out in East Tamaki.....
Took the bike .and went for a ride
was hooked
he had a DT 360, what a beast ... handled like a pig
another guy turned up on TM 125.
The one before the RM.
we rode many enduros after that
changed bikes every few months
my mate was one out of the box
i could never get near him
done a ride with him once , as usuall he was out in front
we stopped for a smoke , and i hid his crash helmet , started my bike , and fucked off , snigering to myself< finally got the old cunt>
haha.... 100 mtrs from the van 1 creek crossing.
half way through the creek he passed me on his back wheel.
pulled up . and he said to me
your going to have to ride faster than that Kev if you want to ride enduro
well 35 yrs latter , and many bikes
the offroad still comes back
i have an aventure bike now
no more enduros.
but i think every biker should ride off.
Just for the eXperiance
KEV

[4stroke]

grew up on a dairy farm, so it was gona happen really, the olds arent that keen on me riding, sothing about broken bone n all....
apart from the farm quads, my first bike was a honda superfarmer 185, that was after it had been sitting in the shed for a few years after dad got his quads, i dug it out pulled it apart, got it going and yeah that was it, i was set.

[CHOPPA]

My old lady used the power bill money to buy me a QR50 when i was 2, been broke every since!

[xen]

Used to ride mountain bikes 10 years ago and loved it, always wanted a dirt bike but thought they were too expensive. After awhile lost interest in pedaling (and got lazy) and then 8 months ago I got the craving and saw that bike prices weren't out of reach. Was surprised you could get an older dirt bike for the same price as a good mtn bike.

Love riding trails but never thought you had to be so fit to ride, at the end of the day knackered as but wanna keep riding . Now I'm slowly gaining speed & confidence, and its awesome to see progress! Always abit envious when I see kids on rides haha.

[Hemex]

Always followed off road and MX events... especially the AMA... Never had the dough to buy myself a bike and neither did the folks... unlike Choppa my folks were'nt as willing to spend money alloted for other stuff... lol... Rode a few friends bikes but when its not yours your never at peace... Finally bit the bullet 4 months ago and im still struggling to go out and ride often coz I have to sort myself out with a towbar!

Cheese dont even think of saying anything!!

[theblacksmith]

I grew up on a farm in North Wales,UK and a lot of the neighbouring farms had bikes so thats how I got into it. My father hated seeing me on a dirt bike - he saw me pull a wheelie up a hill once and threatened to put a sledge hammer through the cylinder of my TS250! I was 13 at the time. After leaving school I had very little contact with motorcycles for years until I came to this country and saw all the trail rides that we have here and decided i didnt want to miss any more rides.Now the damn things have taken over my life! I just bought a road bike as well.

[Ktmboy]

I saw Gaston Rahier,i caught the train into Auckland then a bus up to Colemans Suzuki $300 deposit in hand.

That is a beautiful bike!

[Ktmboy]

Well back in the old days..up north.. in the clay..in the shire
My first experience was riding my bros home made bike. A pugh water pump motor(started by winding a starting rope around a pully) in a home made frame with limited brakes. Needless to say it turned to custard, no helmet and 3 front teeth on the road.
So he then saved for a TS90, but this got left at home while he was sent to boarding school in Kaikohe of all places. Yeah ha, free bike to ride around the streets of Paihia and the surrounding forest. Not bad for a 10 yr old.
So we then ventured into the farming business and I worked my butt off to buy a SL100. My first bike.

Did a few races here and there and did well at the South Island MX champs while in the RNZAF back in the 80's on a YZ400. (Thanks Seddon M/cycles for the help). Then I found that sex, beer and rugby went well together

So for 20 years I didn't really ride a bike until Logan came around and we got him his first JR50.

Fuckin lovin it now though!!! greatest family sport out.

[DEATH_INC.]

I grew up on a farm, Had horses, and BMX bikes 'till I could borrow some cash to get a trailie. My mad cousins got me into it really, learnt to ride on a KL250, then it all went downhill from there....

[oldskool]

Well back in the old days..up north.. in the clay..in the shire
My first experience was riding my bros home made bike. A pugh water pump motor(started by winding a starting rope around a pully) in a home made frame with limited brakes. Needless to say it turned to custard, no helmet and 3 front teeth on the road.
So he then saved for a TS90, but this got left at home while he was sent to boarding school in Kaikohe of all places. Yeah ha, free bike to ride around the streets of Paihia and the surrounding forest. Not bad for a 10 yr old.
So we then ventured into the farming business and I worked my butt off to buy a SL100. My first bike.

Did a few races here and there and did well at the South Island MX champs while in the RNZAF back in the 80's on a YZ400. (Thanks Seddon M/cycles for the help). Then I found that sex, beer and rugby went well together

So for 20 years I didn't really ride a bike until Logan came around and we got him his first JR50.

Fuckin lovin it now though!!! greatest family sport out.

Fuck you sound old...older than me anyway!! If you were in the airforce in the 80's what does that make you now!?

[flyingcr250]

my mate had an old 1972 TS250 that we used to ride on the NEIGHBOURS property, we used to rip the shit out of his paddocks with it. i think we were 12 at the time. then came the XT200 4-stroke machine, cool bike but just too small for me , so then i bought my bosses old 1993 KDX250, that was a good bike, then bought the bike i have now from brand new my 2001 CR250.