What got you into bikes

[triton john]

Started round about age 8 watching the scrambling on Saturday afternoon on BBC. Then pestered dad for a bike ! Age 9 dad turns up with a bike for me only snag it is in 2 teachests and a sack. Dad said you want a bike son you can build this one up and gives me some old tools and a bench at the back of the garage. 5 months later and my James Cadet was ready for the fields. Dad stood behind me and instructed me how to build the engine get rid if all the paint on the frame re paint it etc etc - best lessons I ever learnt. The James was used and abused for a couple of years then got replaced by a Bantam with a Todd head which also got used and abused, this then went the same way as the James and was replaced by a Tiger cub which also got trashed - see a pattern here ? - As I was working before and after school by this time I saved up and my field bike at the age of 14 was a Triumph 500 with a trials sidecar !

By this time I was being taken to race meetings up and down the country with a bloke dad worked with who raced a Triton then a Rocket 3 and various other Brit iron. This I decided was the route I wanted to go down. Coming up to age 16 I wanted a ped but dad decided I needed putting off this idea and arranged for his mate to take me a serious blast on hi BSA Road Rocket to cure me. This realy backfired on dad cos I was realy hooked now. So a Fizzie was aquired for my 16th along with my ACU road race ticket. My race debut was at West Raynham - an American air base circuit - in some of the worse rain I can remember. I entered the the 500 vintage race on my T100 ridged and also the open 500 race ! Results were 3rd in the vintage race and 10th in the open. So by now I was even more hooked - watch out Barry Sheene !

Still tooling around on the Fizzie and collecting all sorts of stuff a race kitted YDS 7, Rickman Meittisse, couple of Bantams and a Manx. Coming up to the age of 17 I dug the Triumph 500 and sidecar out of the garage ( dads car now resided in the street ) and sorted it for the road with L plates. Also a RD 400 was purchased in the crate for the next season.

Now it all gets a bit hectic buying and selling to get the money to go racing and going to work and trying to get into the nickers of any girl I could ! I had a serious clear out of the garage and regret it to this day if you see what money some of the bikes I had fetch now. Anyway the road transport gets upgraded to a Guzzi Le Mans then a Jota then a 900ss then another Jota which I ended up racing and a Honda 900. As for the racing the RD 400 lasted a season - just - and was replaced with my first TZ a 350. Road bikes were still coming and going as were race bikes. Along the way a Mk 5 RG and a Mk 7, a Maxton TZ 750, P&M Honda, Rob North R3 etc. My road bikes were now becoming shitier and shitier such were the demands of racing big 2 strokes.

Fast forward to the new Millenium and the 2 strokes have gone apart from a DT 250 and I settled down a bit but still racing but classic racing now. The classic racing mostly on the continent is good fun and sort of affordable. My road stable has now been replenished with what I consider to be good stuff - it's all personal taste stuff and my race kit is affordable to run.

I have a few projects on the go so I doubt I will get bored over the winter.

So basically what got me into bikes is hard to put my finger on it sort of just crept up on me but my dads mate taking me out on his BSA certainly helped.

[RubySR]

After 10 years of having a car and associated spiralling costs I thought getting a bike could be a practical solution for my 20 mile commute. Never rode a bike before but booked my CBT in July and swatted up on the controls. CBT was a real eye opener, sod commuting, this is FUN! Bought my first bike (SR 125) just over a week ago and having a great laugh shifting around

Planning to commute as much as I can during the winter and do DAS around Easter time (teacher, so have to fit with holidays) and then it might have to be a MT-03, Fazer 600 or Kaw ER6f

Most of my mates don't get it until I explain:

My Renault Scenic 53 plate: Cost > £3000, Insurance > £250 with 7yncb, Tax > £180, petrol > £25-£30 pw

My Yamaha SR125 W plate Cost > £400, Insurance > £117 on a cbt with no experience, Tax > £16, petrol (so far) £8 pw

[Mallory1]

Good job RubySR ... did exactly the same thing. It still gives me pleasure as I pass the queues every morning and think ... "that was me" even through the wind & rain.

[m3-paul]

I had no real option but to get a bike when I began an apprenticeship after leaving school at 16. There were no buses or trains that could get me to work easily so i got my first bike, an RD50MX with an autisa 65cc kit - bloody brilliant. Got to 17 and sold it for an RD125LC. Started going on longer trips and enjoyed it all the more for having more power so took my test and bought an RZ250R, Japanese import.

A few months later I also passed my car test and bought a MK2 escort so the bike took a back seat for a while.

Crashed the car and dused the bike down and realised how much i had missed it and shortly after traded it against a proper hooligan bike, an RG500 in the pepsi colours. Absolutely un-bloody real. Still the best bike I have ever owned.

Decided to go for a GSXR1100 but realised within three months it was too quick and i would kill myself so i sold it and that was the end of the bikes for many years.

Fast forward to september 2008 and i am getting pissed with my mates at the pub. Having a conversation where we were reminiscing about our lost youth - you know how those conversations go!!

I mention I would love another bike but it would have to be a two stroke. My mate says his dad has one (a two stroke). I say I would love an original red and white TZR250. He says this is "exactly" what his dad has and he would sell it to me as he is too old to enjoy it!!!!!!!!!!!!

I offer a cheeky £450, his dad accepts and i bought it. Totally original bike and I will never sell it. Adore the thing .