The meaning of Bike...

[Jbrebel]

Done lots of tinterweb trawling of recent (mainly on bike forums ) and some posts got me thinking...

Can you trace back your biking influences? What made you take up biking?

My earliest recollection was thrashing one of these (although not 2 wheels, granted...)



round some tyres...and promptly crashing it

Then seeing one of these



do the longest wheelie ever down the front at Bridlington whilst I was eating an ice cream next to my Dad

I've been hooked ever since I like cider lollys and screwballs best

What turned you to biking? Could have been bike related-then again might not?

Just wondered

[bazza696]

My dad always had bikes so I think it runs in our bloody, if he wasn't riding it he would be fixing it.
He bought me a 50cc scrambler at the age of 5, and used to run around on a 175 scrambler when larger, then on to my first road bike, never looked back.... My brother is the same, and he is 11 yrs younger than me.

[Jbrebel]

I think the "parent thing" might have some bearing on things

Apparently my Mum regulary got a lift to work off my Dad on the his 250 when she was pregnant with yours truely so maybe it does run in the blood?

My Dad's 1st bike was a 175 Bantam.

[VTRbob]

my dad allways had bikes,mostly panthers,must be in the blood bikes not panthers he's had to give up now cos he got a bit wobble on 2 wheels,so he's got himself a road legal quad & is terrorising the locals,he's 84 in june,hope im still riding at that age

[Jbrebel]

That is ace bob-love it Give your old man a pat on the back from me

[steveb]

My parents didn't have bikes - my mum wouldn't let me have a 50 when I was 16, begged and pleaded to no avail for a Honda NSR 125 when I was 17.

Then took my test at 25 and had bikes ever since.

Always used to bomb round on a bmx when I was a kid with strips of plastic pegged to the frame so it fouled the rear spokes to make a brrrrm noise!!

And of course Kickstart - loved that program

And Top Gun

And riding a tiny kids motorbike round some bales of hay at Ragley Hall, near Stratford upon Avon, ish. Health and safety wouldn't allow that nowadays!!

Seems funny thinking back, good question!

[firehawk]

Motorbikes were considered dangerous by everyone in my family, except an uncle on my mom's side who got a Suzy GS250 in the 70's.Reached the States in early '80's & was blown way by the Honda VF450 & Suzy Kat 750/1100. Then came the Kwak Gpz750 TURBO !
So learned to ride at the ripe age of 18/19 with the Suzy GS450 back in '83/'84.
After a few more bikes since,am sticking w/ the Storm/Hawk for now at least.

[Jonesey]

As a 17 year old my mother used to tear round the valleys of Wales on an ex army Norton commando.
Could be where I got it from....

[LotusSevenMan]

Back in 1975 a mate taught me to ride on his GT185 Suzuki. I loved it, but had no money so bought another friends Garelli Rekord 50cc as it was all I could afford (65 UKP Reg 'OHO 81 L'). This mate was trading up to a Honda CB175 as the poor old Garelli was suffering on the 70 mile round trips to his girlfriends!!
Mother has hated me riding bikes since I broke my neck on my GT250C Suzi. Dad not too keen either and neither were motorcyclists but my late grandfather rode a Sun 'Vitesse' many, many years ago so maybe it's his fault!!!!!

[blacknek]

Back in 1975 a mate taught me to ride on his GT185 Suzuki. I loved it, but had no money so bought another friends Garelli Rekord 50cc as it was all I could afford (65 UKP Reg 'OHO 81 L'). This mate was trading up to a Honda CB175 as the poor old Garelli was suffering on the 70 mile round trips to his girlfriends!!
Mother has hated me riding bikes since I broke my neck on my GT250C Suzi. Dad not too keen either and neither were motorcyclists but my late grandfather rode a Sun 'Vitesse' many, many years ago so maybe it's his fault!!!!!

i was motocrossin was i was 14, had a DT50 wen i was 16, crashed it, had diff types of bikes wen i passed the test, was ridin a gxr 750 wen i had a bad crash.....was workin abroard for 10 yrs after that..came back strarted riding and ended up with the VTR....had that for a yr now.........

[Beamish]

Well to throw a spanner in the works of the "parental influence" thing, I am the only biker in our family that I know of.
When Lightwater Valley theme park first opened up, before the rides and rollercoasters appeared, it was literally a farm that had a train track, an adventure playground in the shape of a fort, and best of all motorbikes for the kids. (long before the H+S brigade came along to spoil things)
I was about 7 or 8, had a go and was hooked forever.

+1 lightwater valley on italjets (I think they were) and lusting after this

[VTR Marmite]

<in his best Yorkshire accent......ahem..?>

I used to walk up t'hill without t'shoes on, to save t'leather on t'soles i did.

[VTR Marmite]

I started on a field on an XL125 that my dad used to go to work on, I was about 7ish and managed to hit the only tree within 5 miles Got me hooked that tree did

[sirch345]

I had an old Ford Anglia that Dad gave me to drive around the fields on the farm we lived on. Before that I had the chance to drive the tractor under Dad's supervision for light jobs.

A year later around 14-1/2 yrs old I bought my first motorcycle, an old BSA 250 C15. It had many new parts fitted to it I do remember that. I was very lucky to have the use of the farm fields.

Even though I had mastered using the clutch in the car, I found it difficult to get used to the hand clutch. I either did a wheelie and conked it out, or conked it out with out the wheelie Mind you it didn't help having my insistent mate at the time riding pillion while I was trying to master it.

So it must have been the BSA 250 that got me hooked.

Chris.

[tony.mon]

Apparently (for I do not remember it) I was thrown out of my dad's BSA or Enfield sidecar onto the road when he had an accident in which he broke his shoulder and my mother (in the sidecar) broke her leg. I was about six months old.
Although I only had a nappy on, I was found crawling in the road without a scratch.

Better than a funfair ride, it was........

So as soon as I was old enough to hang on to his belt I was taken to school (age four) on the back of the bike, with a helmet so big it kept flopping over my eyes. None of this nancy feet on the footpegs stuff, I just dangled

Had to wait 'til 16th birthday to get my first bike, though, although three months prior to that I'd bought a step-through for £30 from a bloke at the local college, rode it home in the rain with no crash helmet with no pre-mix in the tank (no-one had told me about oil as well) and p/ex'd it for a new Casal 50 as soon as I could ride legally.

Fully comp insurance- £4 a year.

Them were the days!