2 Wheels Posted January 15, 2011 Share Posted January 15, 2011 Just for the craic ! What made you become a biker ? And why after all the years do you still love it ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vez Posted January 15, 2011 Share Posted January 15, 2011 I was about 4-5 and a mates dad let me try a little rev and go 50cc, he wouldn't let go of me though, so i only went about 10'. Gave me the bike bug After years of hassling my Mum she finally gave in and bought me a DT50 for my 12th birthday 18 years ago . Lots of reasons keep my biking, the freedom, the rush i still get from a good ride-out, the factor ,the filtering (hate traffic jams), the other bikers you meet and their attitude/camaraderie towards one another. And thats just without thinking about it too much. How about you Pat? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2 Wheels Posted January 15, 2011 Author Share Posted January 15, 2011 Well my aul fella had a bike when we were kids,,,,,,loved them from the first time he sat me up on the tank and went for a spin. As for still liking the bikes,,,,,,,,dam its a hard one,,,,,i dont really know,,,,i just know i'd never give it up,,,,,and the same reasons as you have just said. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator Airhead Posted January 15, 2011 Moderator Share Posted January 15, 2011 For me it was a natural progression from pushbikes at the age of around 13 I had just about done everything I could with them and so I wanted to learn about engines. I got books from the school library and began to study the suck squeeze bang blow of the ICE. Got my first bike a mobylette moped for 50p with no carb or exhaust. Managed to source a carb and even found an old frame that looked better, made an exhaust from part of a chrome racer style pushbike handlebar. had heaps of fun on that thing and sold it for around £8.00. Many other field bikes followed and the best of them all was my works triumph trials cub which sadly got abused and by the time it needed doing up i never seemed to find the time, thats my biggest regret. The points made by Vez are true to all of us, as a commuter they cant be beaten and the cammeraderie between true bikers is fantastic. Look we are still making friends even now all those years later. Hope I'm still doing it in another ten years Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wild foamy Posted January 16, 2011 Share Posted January 16, 2011 My dad always had bikes, and cars, and lots of things with engines and whirlybits, got a DT50 when i was 16 as a way of getting around, got an XJ600 at 17, been doing it ever since, cheaper on fuel, tax and insurance than the car not to mention faster, plus its so much more fun, your not stuck behind a windscreen with radio 1 on in the background, if you ride through cow sh*t you can smell it and feel it through the handlebars, if its raining you feel it soaking your gear, it brings you so much closer to your environment Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
christofeser Posted January 16, 2011 Share Posted January 16, 2011 For me it was leaving school and realising that i needed some form of travel. Being 17, a car was £3000 insurance, let alone lessons, test costs, etc. Then I saw the dragstar, wow. £1000 for it, £200 insurance, £15 tax, and cheap petrol. Could ride it with just a CBT and plates. BUT the moment i sat on that bike, and took it round the 'block', i knew it was for me. Taking it on rideouts with a friends parents (on his dads trike and his mum's hog), in the hot summer, taking it to ipswich, down to brighton, round the twisties, etc etc. It was for me. When I was off the bike, every second i wanted to be back on it. It got the point where i would ride somewhere, and not enjoy being there because i wanted to ride my bike home!!! Mad. Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator drewpy Posted January 16, 2011 Moderator Share Posted January 16, 2011 my "moment" was when my uncle had an ex police triumph and said if I wanted to go pillion. I can still remember that journey even now 30years later! and why i always have a soft spot for brit iron. I also love engines, and a motorcycle is an engine with wheels on and that's why I dont particulary like faired bikes coz it covers up the best bit! of course there's the freedom and the concentration needed to make progress which takes you away from everyday worries and strife. then there's the camaraderie of other bikers and that's why i got into the classic show scene the YOC and the world club that is the motorcycle owner! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator Cynic Posted January 16, 2011 Moderator Share Posted January 16, 2011 Much the same for me, my old man has always had a bike of some form, as soon as he could walk he could ride according to my nan. Bonnies, a rocket gold star and he would love another one of those but ker ching busted that plan. He finally took a proper test to get his licence in the early eighties and my first bike memories are trips into town on a Honda cb100n. Had a variety of 'off road bikes' the most notable a plastic chicken that took me most of the way through a hedge and a TS175 that decided it wanted full throttle at an inoppotune time and we went our separate airborne ways. Funny how we wonder why we have aches and pains . Anyway thats it, got my first proper bike at 15 and had one in some form or other running or not ever since. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paulwhite Posted January 16, 2011 Share Posted January 16, 2011 i was never interested in bikes or cars when i was little, i was just interested in taking things apart to see how they worked then tried to put them back together (and failed) . then when i hit 16 i realized how much my mum did my head in (at the time) and cause i lived in the middle of nowhere and had some inheritance money coming when i was 18 i asked my parents for a loan, to get a 50cc ped, just so i could get out of the house for a bit. and its a lot cheaper than getting a car. plus my cool factor at school went up when i turned up on it lol it wasnt till i was 17 that i properly appreciated my bike when it got nicked outside my mates house. after a few weeks of moping about my parents felt sorry for me an decided to give me another loan (plus they wanted to do up the house) so i started searching, and found a nice looking bike that i wanted (xvs125 dragstar) i went for a lesson to learn how to do gears properly then picked up my shiny new dragstar up to this point it was just a form of transport, that gave me the freedom that i needed. till i met a bloke called mike, he was always into bikes since he was 5 and went every ware. so we started goin out for rides and thats when i fell in love with biking! just looking at nice bikes, meeting new people, and getting the bikers nod we used to go to matlock bath on a sunday, then crack a map out and go to random places, like the cat and fiddle, then on a thursday we went to the anchor (used to be a proper bike night on a thursday but isnt anymore ) then when we started going to M.F.N i got interested in the custom scene and thought to myself i want to build my own bike one day. so 6 years, 3 kids and a misses later here i am building my own pride and joy and loving every minute of it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leatherat Posted January 16, 2011 Share Posted January 16, 2011 When I grew up you were either a Mod or a Rocker. All my mates were Rockers, the Rocker chicks, bikes and music were better than the Mods equivilents, a no brainer and here we are today, still a greasy long haired leather clad tearaway, but called a Biker now instead of a Rocker. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LiamDTR Posted January 17, 2011 Share Posted January 17, 2011 I got into bikes due to my parents, Old man was a long haired hippy type that lost his bounce many years ago and my mum used to cart me around everywhere in an old BWM RT800 with side-car (yes her arms are still like popeyes!). First time I myself touched a bike was the really old PW's planted it into a Hay bale and then tried a quad... hated the quad so much I just persisted crashing and enjoyed it!! My first bike was actually a Honda CG 125 that I had bought from a mate for £20 or so as a project when I was about 11 or 12, spent my pocket money saved for some time on the bike itself and a can of metallic green hammerite paint lol! what a machine Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gas up - Let's Go! Posted January 17, 2011 Share Posted January 17, 2011 I come from a long line of bikers...... My great Grandad was a cavaly rider in the 'Great War', then progressed to bikes, My grandfather had bikes (and a Bren Carrier!) My old man was a '60s biker (I was carried around on a mixture of BSA's and Bonny's before I was born), as was my uncle, How could I not follow ? I learn't to ride a 125mx bike, following my step brother around Moto-X meets at weekends, had dirt in my face ever since. On my 16th birthday, I rode to school on my first crappy 50cc, at 17 I progressed to my 'first' bike a Honda MTX125R,,,, lots of bikes, miles, £££££'s and years later and I'm still on a trailie !! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grey haired git Posted January 17, 2011 Share Posted January 17, 2011 My love of motorcycles started in 69 with the purchase of a Honda 50cc moped, great little commuter, unfortunately I had forgotten I lived up a large hill/small mountain, luckily a long straight road leading to the hill meant 32mph could be achieved at the base of the hill then half way up pedal assistance took over, never needed a warm jacket as I was always a bath of sweat by the time I got to the top. Exhaustion and sweat rashes then lead to the purchase of a Honda 90cc, great little machine but frequent punctures, change was brought about by a can of tyre seal going off in my bike jacket pocket (good stuff, never got the pocket open again) and an unplanned excursion through a petrol station forecourt after hitting an icy section of road. Then rode a Honda 250 for a few years and then cars took over but the love of bikes never faded, I was an avid supporter of Speedway, Drag racing and Vintage bike shows, this filled the void. Eventually children left for jobs and University, I had spare time, got a second job, saw a XVS 125, everything I wanted in a bike, bought it, had it delivered and then realised I needed to take my CBT and test (up side was I was now considered very cool by my kids). Through a large amount of luck and nothing getting in my way I passed my test. Had the 125 for a further year and then saw an XVS 650, well it had to be done, a trade in was sorted and then I was the proud owner of a cruiser, went to many biker rallies met lots of bikers and visited shows, out riding most of my free time. A visit to my local motorcycle dealers for a new pair of gloves resulted in part exchange of the 650 for a 1300 Midnight Star, (most expensive pair of gloves I have ever bought). What does biking mean to me, you meet great people, it clears the mind, the power, the open road, the satisfaction of getting the right line through a series of bends, stopping at a road junction, picking a direction and just riding and the sadness at getting to the destination. With a bit of luck the knees will hold out for a few more years and then a trike conversion will be needed, sorted. This saying might be considered cheesy but I think it says everything... 4 wheels move the body, 2 wheels move the soul. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
up.yours Posted January 17, 2011 Share Posted January 17, 2011 my mum , coz i do... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colombiano Posted January 21, 2011 Share Posted January 21, 2011 this is where my love as a biker started,as a child back home in south america,colombia, my mum used to take me with her everywhere on a motorbike , Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator Airhead Posted January 21, 2011 Moderator Share Posted January 21, 2011 Great pic Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator drewpy Posted January 22, 2011 Moderator Share Posted January 22, 2011 nice one, edited so its visible without clicking Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blackhat250 Posted January 22, 2011 Share Posted January 22, 2011 Well "Early 1970"s , we [ friens & i] ran old BSA,"s & Lambretta scooters in the field , any bike that was cheap, Then at the age of 16 , the sports moped, Garelli Tiger, we all had mopeds sometimes a gang of 20 odd peds screeming up the high street, Fs1e, casal, Gilera, hondaSS50s,Ktm, , Then upgraded to Dt175 , twinshock, then passed test on mates Dt250 twinshock ,& bought Dt400c, Then bought Dt400Mx. At that time yamaha"s biggest bike was the XS650, Thats why i am a yamaha O,club member, there in the blood, Even if i enjoy other makes now, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike1949 Posted January 23, 2011 Share Posted January 23, 2011 I haven't got a clue how I became a biker, my sister in law wanted me to get rid of her old moped so I hired a van, picked it up, done it up, rode it up,(to work), and went from there. 1989 - first bike Puch moped (age 40 years old) 1990 - 2005 various bikes from 100cc - 250cc 2005 - first big bike 600 diversion (age 50 years old) 2011 - still riding the 600 divvy. (age 53 years old) I can only compare the biker fraternity to the submariners camaraderie is that we are a very close knit community. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Townfan10 Posted January 23, 2011 Share Posted January 23, 2011 I started riding motorbikes because my dad bought me a ty80 when i was 6, and from riding that i fell in love with everything with two wheels i then went on to a sherco 250 trials bike and then onto a beta 125 trials bike which i traded in for my tzr 50, however im fast approaching 17 and not sure whether to get a car or a bike, a bike is so much cheaper and so much more fun, but a car is much more practical, i just cant decide :/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts