What got you into bikes?

[IanAl]

I was just wondering what inspired others to get into two wheels, it was two things for me, my mate Stuart. He had a gorgeous bright yellow Kwacker thou when I was about 8 and I remember it sounded evil.
The other thing was my late Father. He had a new Kwacker Ke175 in metallic blue in 78 followed by a new black Honda CB250RS in 1984. The chain went on the CB so Stuart popped round to fix it. That night, my Dad ended up being called out to a fatal smash involving a yellow Kwacker. I had never seen my old man cry before or since. Bikers are like a family and losing a mate is hard but between them, they have inspired me to build bikes tho I don't ride them. Plan is after Christmas to build a motox bike from NOS parts.
____________________
“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again; because there is not effort without error and shortcomings; but who does actually strive to do the deed; who knows the great enthusiasm, the great devotion, who spends himself in a worthy cause, who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement and who at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly. So that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat.”

[bikertomm]

My mate 2 years ago when we were both 16.

Got a 2 stroke geared 50... took me on the back one night, mind = blown.

Did this regularly till he let me have a go and that!

Followed by about a year of WANT!


____________________
07' Honda Hornet now full powaah! My guide on performing an oil change!

[Wafer_Thin_Ham]

Ever since I can really remember. Don't know why. Dad never had one until I got one. Maybe down to watching the Slight/Chili in WSBK, and Doohan in 500cc back in the day.
____________________
My Flickr

[pinkyfloyd]

I was born loving bikes if you believe what my mother used to say.

Mother Pinky would tell me that even as a baby I would be looking at bikes as they passed when we were out and about. It went from there to being a year or 2 old pointing and saying "mummy bike, bike."

The oddest thing about it is my mother and father do not like bikes. Granny used to ride a bike way back in the days.
____________________
illuminateTHEmind wrote: I am just more evolved than most of you guys... this allows me to pick of things quickly which would have normally taken the common man years to master
Hockeystorm65:.well there are childish arguments...there are very childish arguments.....there are really stupid childish arguments and now there are......Pinkfloyd arguments!
Teflon-Mike:I think I agree with just about all Pinky has said.

[anthony_r6]

I was considering it for a while, but everyone told me to get a car because a bike would get me killed. So I did, went for my car license only to find I was priced well out of the game. So I sat on my Driving License for a few months before biting the bullet and taking my CBT.

It's also worth noting, I started noticing biking instructors everywhere around the time I passed my car test. Whenever I was walking, they'd be going past - the temptation was too much for me, so I did it, to much protest by my familia.
____________________
Ted : "Maybe he's agoraphobic."
Dougal : "Jack scared of fighting? I don't think so, Ted."

[Gazz]

I used to be really into my cars and when going to shows and cruises, etc you would always see the occassional guy on a bike, and I found myself yearning after the bikes rather than the cars after a while.

Also, those pair; Ewan and Charlie didnt help matters either, as I absolutely love travelling and seeing new places - and what better way to do it, than by going by 2 wheels.

[Snorty]

From an early age of thinking "motorbikes are dangerous, you'll definitely die", I didn't expect I'd be riding them at all!

Was sat in traffic one day when one zoomed past and thought "that looks cool" looked into how easy it is to get one and get on the road (CBT) and how nice a looking bike you can get on a CBT, I looked into getting one. Frustrated with failing my driving test twice (twat examiner).

Saw a CB125TDC on gumtree for £350, bought it, rode around on it. "I'll never want anything bigger than a 125 it'll be too fast" - "Maybe a 250cc would be ok, that's my limit" - "I want a 2-stroke!!!" - "This is too slow and unreliable, I want a 500/600!" - "Ah this is quite rapid... but I wouldn't mind a CBR600 or maybe a TL1000R in the future "

Passed all parts of my bike test first time, so f.u. car test, F.U!!!

I was only really doing my car test because it was the "done thing". Don't believe I should have failed the second time, examiner had dubious judgment and was known for enjoying the power trip of failing people.
____________________
Current: Yamaha FZ1 '07 | GSXR 750 SRAD

Past: CB125TDC | TZR125 | GPZ500 | CBR600F3 | ZX9-R | GSXR1000 K4

[Clanger]

Born into a family of bikers.

My great grandfather rode, my Uncles ride, my Dad rode. I'm a petrol-head/vehicle junkie...I like cars, trucks, bikes, aeroplanes, helicopters, boats, etc.

It's in my blood.

I wouldn't want it to be any other way. I am happy at shows where vehicles are on display...I have more photographs of transportation from my travels than the cliche sunset photos.
____________________
Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter, and those who matter won't mind - Dr. Seuss

[Sam_Y_93]

When I was little I went passed a bike shop everyday on the way to school, I remember drooling and just seeing the words ninja and fireblade and lusting after them!

My old man was always into bikes and had quite a few but had to sell them to fund me and my sister

I sort of forgot about them until I was 16 and wanted a moped, then the love started again, ok it was only a moped but as soon as I got that I realised I wanted to get my bike licence
____________________
Bikes Past: Yamaha Aerox (sold) Yamaha R125 (written off)
Bikes Current: Honda VFR 400 (awaiting restoration) Honda CB600f F-4
Theory passed July 21st Mod1 passed August 3rd Mod 2 passed 26th August

[waffles]

The ex boyfriend took me for a ride on the back of his bandit, then I got fed up with staring at the back of his lid so I did my CBT. Wanted something bigger and faster so I did my tests a year later. Now I have my gixer (which was I bike that I wanted for a long time) and my xr dirty bike but have the hankering for another sumo. It just never stops!
____________________
Theory test - 19/8/09, CBT - 11/10/09, MOD 1 - 16/8/10, MOD 2 - 27/10/10
Past rides Yamaha XT125X, Triumph TT600, Honda XR250
Current rides Suzuki GSXR 600, Honda MSX125

[Serendipity]

The Hillingdon bypass.

Sat in queuing traffic every day in late 1992 while the Swakeleys Underpass was built and the A40 was being diverted around Hillingdon. I watched the same collection of GT550s and old BMWs filter past and thought “I want some of that”.

Purely a practical, head not heart decision. My dad was a biker, but had given up long before I was born and there were no biking family or friends to influence me.
____________________
2016 CBF1000F - Commuter heaven | 1994 CBR600FR - Awaiting defibrillation

[MarJay]

I just remember seeing bikes when I was very young (between 5 and 10) and thinking that looks cool. Then when I was about 12 I had a discussion with my dad, and I was telling him that motorbikes were faster than cars (as you do) and he says, "Motorbikes aren't faster than cars (*yes they are*), no they aren't they are more FUN than cars...

Ever since then I HAD to get a bike.
____________________
British beauty: Triumph Street Triple R; Loony stroker: KR1S; Track fun: GSXR750 L1; Commuter Missile: GSX-S1000F
Remember kids, bikes aren't like lego. You can't easily take a part from one bike and then fit it to another.

[Reid]

Like a lot of youngers getting into biking, it was because I couldn't afford the car option. Drove for a couple of years, never even considered a bike until I went a few months without a car because I couldn't afford living on my own and the insurance even on a 1.0L. Looked into biking on a whim one day, thought '£100 CBT to get on the road ain't bad' and from the second I got onto the school's EN125 I was hooked. Two days later I bought a CG125 and that was that.

Can't believe it took so many years for me to even try biking out and it was the allure of cheap transport more than anything else (not that I've kept it cheap anymore:lol:). The 'wait til you're 17, buy a car, that's it' mentality is so prevelant thesedays (and for good reason, there's no denying it's safer) but I'm glad I got out of it.

[AlexW]

Always been interested in the speed and thrill of bikes, Family was never a fan though (Even though my dad used to be a biker, long before I was born), due to their pressure I never bothered with following it.

Took my car tests and never really thought much of it, Struggled with insurance renewal and the car doing 25mpg a year later, looked into how cheap biking was and quickly booked my CBT and bought a bike.

Now looking to take my tests early next year, Can't wait.

[Rogerborg]

Found an old Brando jacket in the attic, thought I should get a bike to go with it.

True story, bro.
____________________
Biking is 1/20th as dangerous as horse riding.
GONE: HN125-8, LF-250B, GPz 305, GPZ 500S, Burgman 400 // RIDING: F650GS (800 twin), Royal Enfield Bullet Electra 500 AVL, Ninja 250R because racebike

[Al]

Wanted transport at 16 would have probably rather had a car but didn't want to wait a year and couldn't be bothered with the test.

Went to local dodgy bike trader, Mum was lending me some of the money (big mistake). Went in with dreams of riding out on a pimped up AR50, but Mum made me take the sensible option.
So I limped out on a Yamaha Passola
https://shop.yamahafs1.dk/images/Yamaha_modeller/b-passola-red-6-3-675.jpg
Rode that for a year before trading it in for a knackered matt black 125 superdream with a blowing exhaust which I loved.
Started reading bike mags and started to follow bike racing and the interest grew.
Have taken my car test and owned some nice (to me) cars and even had a bit of a 4 wheeled interest for a while but I've always been drawn back to bikes so took my bike test in the end.
____________________
Yamaha FZR400RR 3tj
My Instagram Thingy

[EazyDuz]

Ive always liked bikes, always just thought of them as rebellious lol.

Probably sounds totally nuts, but what made me get one, was a dream. I had a dream that i was in my local town walking along, and if i leaned right back, i'd start hovering forward quickly, the more i leaned back the faster i went, and i loved the feeling in the dream. Woke up the next day and from then on set about getting a bike and going for it.

Done and dusted in time for xmas. The dream was my calling.
____________________
To shreds you say? Tss tss tss

[Howling TerrorOutOfOffice]

Evel Knievel. In the playground we knew him as Evil Ken.
We all wanted to be him, or Ali.
https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Aubb7QmBY1s/Ta3p8jAwaCI/AAAAAAAABHY/5XfFrRbCobI/s1600/ceasers600.jpg

You couldn't escape motorcycles in the 70s and 80s. They weren't hidden away as much. It was pretty much expected that you'd have a motorcycle before a car.
____________________
Diabolical homemade music Bandcamp and Soundcloud
Singer songwriter, Artist and allround good bloke Listen to Andrew Susan Johnston here
The Harry Turner Project

[Suntan Sid]

Bikes skipped a generation in my family, my Grandad had them but my Dad didn't.
Showing my age here, but when I was four or five we went on a family holiday to the IOM, my parents didn't realise the TT was on!
Apparently I ran off screaming when Mike Hailwood was giving it the beans down Bray Hill, oh the shame of it!

It must have meant something though because I can always remember wanting one.
I used to watch the scrambling on grandstand, without fail, younger readers might like to look here:-

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jhuZk5q0qCs

It was very rare back then to see bikes on the telly, all we got was the British GP and the Transatlantic match races, if it wasn't raining!

My mate's dad had a CB750, a couple of trials bikes and a grass tracker, so we used to play around on them. My mate took his test at seventeen, so I rode pillion with him, while I was saving up for my first bike.
Never looked back really.
____________________
"Everybody needs money, that's why they call it money!"

[stonesie]

When I was 16 I didnt fancy 4 buses a day to get to work and back and my dad was a biker back in the 60's (Honda 305 superdream) so he was happy for me to get on 2 wheels, Mum was a different matter, but she went on a arts and crafts holiday to devon for a week leaving me and my dad with instructions not to think about getting me a bike

When she got back there was a Suzuki AE50 sat in the shed and my CBT was booked que me and dad shareing the doghouse for a few days.

https://www.classiaqui.com.br/imagens/1250030162239.jpg

It's a thing of beauty isnt it
But after a spot of de-restriction and carb tinkering it did 45 and still managed 60+ miles on its microscopic 3 litre fuel tank.. But after that I had a break from 2 wheels and got madly into cars, untill last year when I decided that awesom as my old beemer was with its 2.8 engine and fully track day ready suspenders, brakes ect, 20mpg was a bit silly so I re-did the CBT and bought a CG125, at first it was fast enough, now I have 10X the bhp

[Clanger]

[Walloper]

Learning to balance and ride faster than I could run on a pedal bike at 7 or 6 started this insatiable Need for Speed.

The rest is history.
____________________
W-ireless A-rtificial L-ifeform L-imited to O-bservation P-eacekeeping and E-fficient R-epair

[Jim Mc]

I was stuck in traffic going home about 2 years ago, and a bike going the opposite direction pulled a wheelie past the entire length of cars like a big then a little while after I saw a bright blue bike in Hexham and thought that looked pretty awesome, I had no idea what either of them were. Looked up a few on ebay and then off the cuff decided to buy a 125, after I agreed to buy, I booked in a CBT for the same day I was collecting. I then rode that feeling pretty disappointed for about 9 months, later went for the test and then bought myself a big bright red bike and ever since my face has been stuck in this position

[Moxey]

My dads had more bikes than hot dinners since the 60's so spent most of my youth gawping at the bikes in the garage.

And just as I did my CBT when I was 17 a few mates mine at my college perked up when I mentioned in conversation I had just done my CBT they had just done theres too so about 4 of us all started riding at the same time.
____________________
Current: 02 FZS 1000 & 51 Moto Guzzi California Some Bike Pics...
'I was too busy paying attention to pay attention'

[Dan_Davies]

the old mans always had one and the price of car insurance compared to bike insurance.
____________________
current ride: 07 suzuki sv650s
ex rides : lifan mirage 125