Remembering your first motorbike ride.

[HTFU]

After reading a thread where someone was saying biking shouldn't be the main form of transport because of the chaos it causes with all the bikes, I thought shit my first ever motorbike ride was in Rome when I was 26 with the Missus on the back of a 250cc scooter. Sure I had rode a quad and push bikes but not two wheels and a motor.

We were with some motorbike riding German friends. They rented the bikes (I had no license) then around the corner from the rental place I took over one of the bikes and off we went for two days tripping around Rome and the outlying areas. 100km/hr sometimes with just shorts, T shirt and helmet. Crazy but we never felt unsafe amongst the chaos!

Missus has no intention of riding now and was really anti me riding a bike, her response to why was it ok 4 years ago was she was in holiday mode and we were in Rome, so we were just doing as they were .

It was 40 degrees most days with no wind (hottest in 100 years) so the bike was the best place to be, was an awesome place to ride. Was the catalyst for me getting a bike although it took 3 years for it to happen.

Surprised it took that thread about commuter chaos to remind me it was my first ride and probably the main reason why I ride today. I was like a big kid with a new toy. We would get to a major landmark and I would be on about getting back on the scoots .

Attached photo is of us on the right and our friends on the left, we had just done part of the old Roman road. Can't wait to take them on a tour of NZ when they come out here.

Please share

[sunhuntin]

my bike is my sole form of transport, and therefore is taken out at least once a day. i am 296k away from 11,000k [in less than a year] and theres nothing wrong with her, aside from normal wear and tear.

i dont recall my first ride, but i do remember my first open road trip that actually got me somewhere... was to bulls. remember calling dad and hearing the huge sigh on the other end of the phone. next time, i went to palmy, then levin, and then there was no stopping me! LOL.

if it was easy to do [permits and such] i wouldnt hesitate at a world wide trip.

[98tls]

Dont actually remember my first time on a bike.....apparently it was an old Norton and the old man put some goggles over my face and tucked me down his swanny...nappies and all.First time i actually rode one it was on his Honda TL250 trials bikenever looked back since.Came home from boarding school when i was 9 and parked up in the driveway was a SL125 with my name on it.Worked my holidays for 2 years to pay him for it.

[car]

Please share

1981-12-25 08:00: Snow on the ground, ice in the puddles on the old railway track behind our house. I am seven, tomorrow I will be eight. I am dressed in a motley but servicable and sturdy array of motocrossing gear, looking like a harlequin, feeling somewhat self-conscious but so, so excited. Dad has already shown me how to kick the little Italjet 50 into life, and we've warmed it up in the garage. The glorious reek of premix and oil and two-stroke exhaust fills my nostrils. Now we're outside, on the old track, and it's time to do that magical thing -- to start my very first motorcycle for the very first time. Not first time, nor second. Third or fourth kick probably. But she starts, and she sits there burbling away. Then, that first crack of throttle, and we're away, with the ice in the puddles crunching under those knobbly little wheels.

I can think of only a handful of times when I've been more happy, less distracted, more involved with life. If my son keeps asking for that PW50, I'll gladly buy it for him, just to see a sliver of what it felt like back then.

[98tls]

1981-12-25 08:00: Snow on the ground, ice in the puddles on the old railway track behind our house. I am seven, tomorrow I will be eight. I am dressed in a motley but servicable and sturdy array of motocrossing gear, looking like a harlequin, feeling somewhat self-conscious but so, so excited. Dad has already shown me how to kick the little Italjet 50 into life, and we've warmed it up in the garage. The glorious reek of premix and oil and two-stroke exhaust fills my nostrils. Now we're outside, on the old track, and it's time to do that magical thing -- to start my very first motorcycle for the very first time. Not first time, nor second. Third or fourth kick probably. But she starts, and she sits there burbling away. Then, that first crack of throttle, and we're away, with the ice in the puddles crunching under those knobbly little wheels.

I can think of only a handful of times when I've been more happy, less distracted, more involved with life. If my son keeps asking for that PW50, I'll gladly buy it for him, just to see a sliver of what it felt like back then.

Very well put mate..........Had me smiling.

[Big Dog]

First ride was kind of scary, kind of funny.
It was an old Honda A100. The bike shop kindly delivered to my house (given that it was a 30 minute sprited drive from the bike shop a hell of a generous, thanks Neil at K-Force Kawasaki). Got home from work about 6pm in late october 1992.
I had about 2 hours before the sun set and the crap headlight would have failed to illuminate the lens.

Twin teenage boys who rode dirt came over to show me how it was done.
They took off down the road in a cloud of blue smoke one wheel lofted a couple of times each to check everything worked ok.
They told me where the gears where and how to use the clutch and the basic concept of countersteering.

So off I set head bubbling with too much information and wondering if this was such a bright idea after all. Well off I tried to set anyway. About three times I departed, but I only actually left once...... afraid to say not the last time I stalled either.

First 1km was definitely the most terrifying 2 minutes of my life.
Lucky nothing comes down the "main drag" in Urenui at that time of night, cos it took two lanes.

Not a natural, and not at all gifted.
Tried the counter steering thing at the next left only to discover that this road I had never been down before becomes gravel after about 10 metres.

Not knowing any better my instinct to this arse puckering vision was to open the throttle as wide as it goes and pull the clutch in. So what does one do with an already rattly bike starts howling like a wounded chiuaua? let the clutch back out of course.
So began my first wheelie...........
Back in with the clutch..... down she comes and up goes the volume.
So began my second wheelie and first rooster tail.
Fuck big sweeping right hander better get the front down and keep it down, lets try letting the throttle off. Shit stalled it. Back sliding, nope starting again.
So I made my first right hander with all the grace of Gazelle on Rohypnol.
This road had no major turns for some time, but did feature a deeply rutted and very steep uphill, and a steeper more deeply rutted downhill.
About this time, on viewing the rapidly approaching barbed wire fence I became accutely aware of a few things.
My gear consisted of chinos, heavy shoes, woolly gersey, half face helmet that was 2 sizes to small for me but the largest in town that the bikeshop leant me until my custom FFM arrived.
110kmph is pharking fast on this terrain.
Last but certainly not least the twins had not advised me where the brakes were or how best to apply them when engine braking in top gear with the throttle wide on a downhill with ruts that would have impressed many modern 4WD owners, well the ones in Remuera anyway.

Thinking lightning fast I recall there are two controls that were not explained. A pedal and a lever both on the right.
Try the lever first.... fuckfuckfuckfuck ok that ones no good shit that fence is close pedal shit not much better oh there it goes now this I know how to do, up on to the pegs and ride out the tail slide around the corner. Throttle still wide open that's silly, clutch in. Lurch to a holt on a locked drum brake. Mmmmm burnt brake pads.
Maybe that is enought for tonight.
Mess around with the drums and several stalls becuase of the jammed on drum, finally get it loose.
20 point turn followed by a more leisurely asscent and return to base.
Boy the twins thought they were smart.
Couldn't be angry though. Face, teeth, goggles and helmet absolutley smothered in bugs and the worlds widest grin plastered accross my face.
Difficult? You bet.
To hard? lifes no fun without a challenge.

260,000 kms (on my own bikes) later? Still a learner, still making noob mistakes and having a whale of a time.

Why do I love it? This is about the only thing I have really put my mind to and still not mastered. It is a new challenge every day.

Why did I persevere when things got rough? Because people told me I could not.

[Mikkel]

My first ride on a bike (pillion) was many years ago. Can't remember the bike, can't remember the guy - only remember that his name was Carsten and 90 km/h on a bike was a lot faster than anything I had ever tried before. It was fun though.

But like everything else - I enjoy it more when I make the calls...

[deanohit]

My first ride was pillion with my dad on his awesome old CT110 ex-postie bike, man that thing was fun, every time I see one, I think of buying one to have fun on. It paled in comparison to the CB750 he bought not long after, beautiful bike!!

[Baldyheed]

First bike was a Honda SS50, bought in 1976, as a 16 year old. Such happy memories. Bought it dirt cheap, then sold it at 17, when I was allowed to buy a 250 (Suzuki GT250 - f'in awesome bike for a 17 year old ).

[Mr Merde]

My first ride on bike.

I was 8 years old. The year was 1964.

Dad was a corporal in the NZ Army and had a wife and 4 kids. So not much money spare.

We didnt have a car and one day he came home with a scooter. He put me on the back, told me to hang on and took me to a cricket game.

I only remember it was cricket because of the bike.

I was so proud sitting there holding on to dad.

This was the days before helmets so I still remember the wind in my face. I would have said in my hair but as an army brat I didnt really have a lot of that.

The ride went from Birkenhead to Birkdale. A short ride one one of my treasured memories as it was with my dad.

7 years later I buy myself a Suzuki TS125J (plate number 252 AYA).

Been on bikes ever since.

[idleidolidyll]

My first rides were up and down our long driveway on my elder brothers suzuki 125 duster trail bike

or was that on my mates little NZ built minibike in the 70's? I forget

whichever it was it seems to have been a bloody addictive introduction 'cause here am i today STILL as excited by motorbikes as i was more than 30 years ago

[banditrider]

Dont actually remember my first time on a bike.....apparently it was an old Norton and the old man put some goggles over my face and tucked me down his swanny...nappies and all.First time i actually rode one it was on his Honda TL250 trials bikenever looked back since.Came home from boarding school when i was 9 and parked up in the driveway was a SL125 with my name on it.Worked my holidays for 2 years to pay him for it.

Sounds familiar - I can't really remember either but occasionally I was dropped off at kindy after being balanced on the fuel tank of Dad's Mach III. I do remeber a trip up into the snow sitting on the tank of an old motocrosser though.

Then it was a few wee rides on various farm and kids bikes (none of them mine ) before finally at about 13 getting a hold of an old TS185 - $120 and motor full of water. A set of rings ($35) and she was away and I was hooked.

[vifferman]

My first ride was on the back of a mate's BSA 250 - did many happy miles on that, but rode it only once by myself. My first motorbike ride was just like the first time I rode a bicycle - I just hopped on and rode. IIRC, it was a Yamaha 90 trail bike. Second was a Kawasaki F7, then a CB350 (sister's boyfriend) which I used to ride quite frequently before I got my licence.

[rainman]

Can't really remember, but it must have been... lemme see... 26 years ago or so.

I think it must have been on one of these, but I might have gone for a test ride on my brothers ER... like this one, but only 50cc.

Had a lot of fun on that little 50cc. Glad I got back into biking...

[idleidolidyll]

hmmm, i've been a bit errant it seems (looking at other posts)

i too recall my father taking me for a ride on his motorbike(s)

a scooter and a suzuki 90 wolf (big time gap between the two)

i can't remember the brand of scooter but it seems the brainwashing stated at a young age