I'm a very young looking 54....I've been riding bikes since 12 years old on Farm roads and public roads since 16...my enthusiasm then was high...my enthusiasm now is on par...am I unique or are there others out there feel the same.
My enthusiasm has waned slightly in the last few days mainly because it's becoming a massive pain in the bahookie trying to import a 21 year old bike to Vienna. Austrian bureaucracy is tedious. :undecided:
Easier to buy a local machine?
Very much like you Alzo. Used to bike every day, went a bit stale a late ZX6R/Street Triple Phase, now love it more than ever. Especially Adventure style bikes.
Quote from: Alzo on May 18, 2018, 09:42:30 AM
Easier to buy a local machine?
Undoubtedly. But not an option at this point. Plus I've done so much to this bike I'm unwilling to get rid of it. Were I to sell it, I would either need to complete the importation process or take it back to Britain.
Rode my first bike when I was 10 but knew I wanted one long before then.
It is my happy place, my church, my therapy and I wish I could do more of it.
Given the time and funds I could just ride and ride. The times I have been less into it have been when I got stuck in riding the same places due to not having the opportunity to ride elsewhere.
Would love to tour especially with the Trans Euro Trail now being published.
Plenty of interest in all things bike for me.
i came late to the game at 30 years of age, but made up with it with my unrelenting enthusiasim
couldnt imagine ever not owning a bike now
Could ride at 15. Taught my best mate to ride his TS50X by riding it out of his garage up god drive (20yds) and then back again whilst he was waiting for his 16th. Then, might have done a short ride out on his NS125 after he passed his test and inherited his Dad's GPX250. My parents wouldn't let me have a bike so I got my licence whilst on a reading week at uni (my instructor was a fox - Tamsin in Wimbledon) had to wait until after I'd joined work to buy a CBR600. Wrote if off 10 days later. I'll never learn.
Late starter here too - mid twenties when I first straddled a motorbike
CBT and a CG125 quickly followed and bobbed about on that for three years before doing my test
Popped into the local shop to get some gloves, came out with a ZX6R-F3
Went brilliantly for a good three years until some mirrorless ditherer took me out nicely one morning, on the way to work, so, after everyone's sensible advice and discouragement, an '03 ZX10R was sourced
Not ridden much over the last few years, being run off the road in the car knocked my confidence a bit, but the '10 is lurking in the garage still feels great - need to get out a bit more tho'... ;)
Done my test in the early 90`s, couldn't afford a proper bike (Other than the KDX125SR) until I was a lot older... met up with the Beaconsfield mob and learnt all my road riding spending it with them... Good times :moto:
Evolved to just track-day riding (Euro trips as its less hassle than UK days, well still do the odd UK day) try to get two or three trips in a year...
been skint ever since :rofl:
Hooked from the days when my uncle had his, used to get to go pillion now an then, Suzuki Katana was the dream bike back in those days...
Never looked back since doing my test and bloody good job as I'm back working in the trade and using bikes daily although not always on my own.. Would still happily have a garage full so I guess even winning the lottery would see me broke :rofl:
Never had any interest in bikes till my neighbour turned up one day on a ZX7, then seeing him getting home with such a big grin on his face after a day out on the bike, I thought "I want some of that!" so did it within a few months.
Although not ridden more than 300 miles in the last 2 years my head says to sell the ZX6, but something else prevents me from spending a whole day digging it out of the garage to even see it.
Tempted to sell it and do some green laning for a few years.
Quote from: MajicKwak on May 18, 2018, 10:40:39 PM
Never had any interest in bikes till my neighbour turned up one day on a ZX7, then seeing him getting home with such a big grin on his face after a day out on the bike, I thought "I want some of that!" so did it within a few months.
Although not ridden more than 300 miles in the last 2 years my head says to sell the ZX6, but something else prevents me from spending a whole day digging it out of the garage to even see it.
Tempted to sell it and do some green laning for a few years.
I regret selling my C2H , especially snow they are worth more than i sold it for 6 years ago.
A bike costs nothing to keep in a garage.
I intend to learn to learn how to ride a bike soon
Sent from my SM-G935F using Tapatalk
Got a moped at 16, swapped for a MZ150TS at 17 passed my test a couple of months later in September 1977 (yes I'm an old git), rode bikes, 3 MZ's, Royal Enfield 250, Triumph T100T Daytona, Honda 400/4 F1, Kawaski Z650 B1, exclusively until I was 21 when I bought a cheap car and passed my test. 1983 swapped the Z650 for a Fiat Miafiori (regretted it ever since, got married, rebiult the 400/4 with later Super Dream wheels and brakes, red frame White tank and panels - it got nicked :(.
No bike for a few years due to lack of money etc, got Z500 in banana yellow, was a bag of shit. Kids cam along 1989 so no bikes then until 2001 when I also discovered the previous incarnation of this place after buying a 400/4 F2 - it lasted 6 weeks and was swapped for a zx6r G1 - my first sports bike, discovered track days - Thank you Gary and Ali Benson for that - kept the G1 4 1/2 years, choppe dit in for a 2006 ZX6R C6F brand new, bought a second hand Zx6R C6f in Dec of the same year which became my track bike.
For a few years from 2002 to 2010 was doing 8 - 10 track days a year and loving it.
2008 chooped the road ZX6R C6F for a new Speed triple 1050 - lovely bike, in 2011 chopped that in for a 2010 ZX10R - Animal - great bike but too much for the road.
In between had GPZ900R, ZX10 (original 1991), CB500 race bike (shit).
2013 chopped the ZX6R in for a Street Triple R, August 2016 chopped that in for a Tiger Sport 1050, chopped that in April 2017 for Street Triple RS which is Awesome. August 2017 bought back my 2013 Street R so now have the 2 Triumphs in the garage.
Bikes are definitely 'toys' nowadays not daily transport but I still love em :azn:
Did 1200 miles over 4 days on the RS a couple of weeks back so they do still get used.
Been riding bikes since 1976. 63 this year, still have the bug. But sometimes I have to dig deep to reignite it.
I've not ridden a bike for about 4 years, never expected this would ever happen. Thought riding was in my blood and something in me for life.
In the past I couldn't imagine me ever being ok with it having lived and breathed bikes for so long. I have been riding since I was a kid on field bikes, onto 125's on L's early 90's all the way through to litre bikes on the road and track. I've lost count of how many trackdays I must have done, I'm guessing at 80+. Over a 25 year period there was never I time when I didn't own at least one bike, often I had 3 or 4 in my garage and even kept a few inside the house!
My second house renovation forced a break from riding, this place was far more ambitious than I had done before so I wasn't expecting it to be easy. I also didn't expect it to tie in with a difficult period at work or break a valued long term friendship I was reliant on to help me with the project. As I wouldn't of had time or money to ride them, nor anywhere to store them securely all 3 of my bikes were sold and put their money into the project. I did the same with my treasured Lotus too. Plan was to replace them when the build was complete. This never happened as the house took far more time, money and energy than expected, I've only very recently got myself a replacement nice car which is more of a do it all daily than a sports car. House is mostly done and has been for some time now, its a great home for our family and after a lot of pain is now something I'm very proud of, especially given the many obstacles that had to be overcome.
After so long out I've realised that I don't really miss the riding any more, I really miss tinkering in my garage with the bikes, but most of all I miss the people, the friendships and the social side. I still have all of my kit, pretty much everything but a bike and the van to transport it. I've a nice big garage but nothing to play with in it. Maybe I should sell the kit I have left but it makes me feel better to have not let absolutely everything go just incase.
I don't see myself getting another road bike, I went track only in 2008 after being involved in a pretty horrific fatal accident and track riding is now quite a daunting thought after so many years away. I was also never really talented enough to ride as well as I would have liked. No matter how I tried, with a lack of talent, fear of injury, a job to do, bills to pay and a family to feed I just didn't have the required confidence to push any harder on track, meaning riding was maybe becoming a bit stale. With loads of experience and some very nice bikes, at best I hung toward the slower end of the fast group and these days had I of continued I'd probably struggle to even be there as I would expect the TD pace has gone up another notch by now.
A trackday or Euro trip was always a great excuse for a mancation with a group of great people, for me that fun and camaraderie was by far the most appealing thing. From the preparation, to the banter, to the trip itself. Over time the riding became secondary, I just loved playing with bikes and going on a bloody good jolly. I still have a huge interest in bikes and follow the biking media and some of the racing, although less obsessively than used I to. Bikes have given me some of the best times of my life so how could I not still have a love even without riding! I hope to get to some circuits and visit some trackdays or race meetings again very soon, I guess I'm still a biker, just one that no longer rides.
Always loved bikes (especially Kawasaki), had a shot on my big cousin's Honda 50, then pillion on my mate's dad's Z400 along a back road at 16 and that sealed it.
Took ages to get a bike, passed my test when around '90 when I was down south, but didn't get own bike till 1995; it was a Honda CB750F1, so much for just getting a 250 - car broke down, so had to sell bike to get it fixed. Got a cx500 for a wee while before it rusted away around '97, but both were only used for commuting.
Fast forward to 2005/6, bought an old GPZ750R1 (water cooled top gun style) and actually went out to play on it, rather then just commute and loved it - changed bikes quite a lot, admittedly not compared to some ;) other than the two Hondas I started with, there have been two Yamahas, but the rest, up to now, have, all be Kwaks - up to now, as I currently have a BMW F800ST - bought as I wanted a more powerful ER6; which it is and is a great bike, comfy, fast enough, good for touring....but.....hate the indicators and it's not a Kwak and just doesn't really do it for me; quandry as that I love the performance characteristics of the twin, but love the howl of a kwak IL4 :afro: :undecided:
Started as pillion on my Uncles XT500, around 10/11 years old, spent time riding quads on fields/roads until I was 16, by which time I had my DT50, which i run around the fields on until my provisional came through. Spent about a 18 months riding it every day, until I got my car licence. Had to pick car or bike as couldn't have both and a car was a must for work.
Ended up back to being a pillion on and off for many years but kept my hand in riding other people's bikes, on mostly dirt /stone roads, until I could afford both a car and bike. Done my Direct access in 2004 and have had bikes since. Don't get to ride anything like as much as i would like to, but don't plan to give it up anytime soon :moto:
Always had a thing for bikes from a really young age, looking through old photos with my dad, there is a picture of me sitting on my uncles bike at about 4 or 5 ...... interest was sparked way back then! Was always a Tom boy :rofl: