Reply With QuoteI had the 400cc version of this, setup included Boysen Reeds and Allspeeds Zorst's, worth a small fortune nowadays.Originally Posted by Chris_in_the_UK
This was mine - 1978 ish.
Library photo but pretty accurate.
My first, in the early 1970's, was a Triumph Tiger Cub used for hacking around the village and fields.
I had the 400cc version of this, setup included Boysen Reeds and Allspeeds Zorst's, worth a small fortune nowadays.This was mine - 1978 ish.
Library photo but pretty accurate.
Before I even passed DAS in 2018, I had an R9T waiting for me in the garage.
Suzuki TS50ER.
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Vincent Comet 500 with Garrard sidecar, bought for £15 as a non-runner and sold for £55 when I was 17 as dad didn't want me to kill myself, so he said that he would swap it for a car (Wolseley 1500!). If only I had kept it. Strangely enough, it went to the US and I discovered it again a few years ago, residing near Thetford!!! (Just down the road from me!)
A 1971 Triumph Blazer SS
Got it in 77
About as reliable as a weather forecast. But it was mine, paid for and I loved it.
My father got fed up of helping me mend it and loaned me a few quid to but a new RD250E.
I took one of the last 'examiner on foot' tests in King's Lynn back in 1989, and bought a Honda CBR600F secondhand off a friend -- this colour scheme (can't think why it was called a 'jelly mould'!). It took me to Munich and back in 1991/1992, so I found out the front wheel got a bit light at its top speed of nearly 140mph on the Autobahn (plus you had a queue of Porsches behind you if you stayed in the outside lane for more than a couple of minutes!)
First bike was a Honda C50 age 11, my brother who is 5 years older than me had just been bought a Puch Maxi for his 16th birthday and I was a mega jealous, so I saved the princely sum of £15 and my father found the C50 for me as a non-runner. He was hoping it would keep me occupied for a bit getting it running but we got it started after a couple of hours and it lasted me a couple of years as a field bike!
First road going bike was a Suzuki AP50, good times on that...
One of those designs that is just right...what a lovely thing...This was mine - 1978 ish.
Library photo but pretty accurate.
Yamaha RXS100 with Micron exhaust and a larger carb jet...Happy days!
Yamaha recognise this and have brought back the “speedblock” colours on the XSR700. Not often a Japanese manufacturer gets it so right it endears 40 years after :)
Ducati 250 Desmo
What a way to start
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Strange isn’t it, that it’s the LC that is most sought after, yet the coffin tank RDs are just so cool. Personally, I’d prefer it with the original seat and tail but 2/4 seats were all the rage back then.
Suzuki 185GT. Electric start, lovely popping sound to exhaust. Great fun.
A Yamaha R6 (2000ish version), unless you count the Italjet Formula twin scooter I had for a year or two first. Probably not the smartest choice of first bike!
I had about a dozen field bikes before getting on the road.
First though was a James Captain with 197 Villiers engine. In the 60's you could pick a field bike up for nothing. Nobody wanted them, everyone was swapping over to cars, so there was a glut. One afternoon a mate of mine turned up on an Aerial Sq4, huge thing, but crap off road so he abandoned it at the bottom of the field, went off and came back with a smaller bike. They mostly got ridden to destruction, usually punctured buckled wheels, or siezed.
We did stupid things on them and as I remember, no one got (seriously) hurt. Happy days.
A 1986 Honda NS125f in 1994. Bought for 550 quid and ridden all year in all weathers as was my only transport. Loved that bike. Same as this one:
First powered 2 wheeler - 1974 Peugeot 104 HMW 769N
People laughed at my weird pedal-to-start French step through, but it was unrestricted and would do an indicated 45mph on the flat and go off the clock on a decent down hill run.
First proper motorbike - 1965 BSA Bantam D10 with a D7 engine.
3rd gear (top) didn't work particularly well so I had to hold it in gear with my foot. Great fun though.
Believe it or not my first bike was a Kawasaki ZZR1100, I had 2 in total, the first was black and the newer one was purple and orange, these at the time were the fastest road bike in production.
A 1965 250cc Honda CB72 . Reg number LMA 245C .. sold it in 1982 for £140.
GVB11N, Honda CB200, horrible thing.
BSA C15 250cc when I was 16 on a provisional licence.
Gave up on bikes when I realised all the girls preferred a scooter boy so went on to a couple of Li150's.
Never did take my test.
Cheers,
Neil.
I was 19, and swapped my Vespa 125 Primavera for a Honda CB350 four (plus all money I had). It was 1975 and it was red and gorgeous.
Just like this one
Last edited by Franco; 28th November 2021 at 17:12.
In 1968 I bought my 1st Bike, an ex GPO Bantam d7 with "ace" bars and ali mudguards! cost me £4, first years insurance was £4 10 shillingsWas the start of many Bikes passing through till I passed my test in 1972 and then did RAC/ACU training, soon to become an Instructor. happy days, I wonder if you still exist UYX 449? Cheers, John B4
I had a Fizzy (FS1E) when I was 16, didnt we all! First proper bike was a GT250 Suzuki Ram Air. I passed my test on that and then bought a new Suzuki GS550.
Stuart
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Suzuki AP50. To this day I am still convinced it was faster and better looking than all the fizzies !!
Followed by a Cb125t (unrestricted 16.5hp I will have you know!) and then an Xl185 once test was passed!
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D 14/4 Bantam brand new loved it to bits and every time I see one for sale I get that itchy feeling,
My ex wife was the first female police class 1 motorcyclist in the north of England and they bought her one of those as she was a Meer girl and they were concerned about giving her the full police bike she had done her training and test on. She refused to ride it so it was returned and she got her proper one back.
My first was an XJ650 in 81.
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First one BSA Bantam 175cc
Last one BSA Gold Star 350cc
First one 1975 - Puch VZ50
Not as fashionable as the supermopeds becoming popular at the time but super high quality, built like a tank
Last one 1991 - BMW R65
Arrived at via many Jap bikes. Full circle to German quality - a nice way to wxit
Bought an old RD250 in 1985 which had lost its papers and ran around in our little village with it. I had no motorcycle license and the bike wasn't registered, so that wasn't really sustainable.This was mine - 1978 ish.
Library photo but pretty accurate.
Next year I did the license and bought a 1976 Yamaha XS650 twin, I got myself almost killed multiple times on it.
Someone who lies about the little things will lie about the big things too.
First two wheeler I owned was a Triumph Tina. Purchased in 1969. Dad talked me into it because it was a bargain at £20.
First motorbike was a Yamaha YDS5 250cc purchased used for £250 in a shop in South Harrow around 1971.
52 years later from that first two wheeler. I have owned 350 bikes of all shapes and sizes.
Currently own another Triumph. But this one is a Rocket 3 Roadster.
(1st two pictures stolen from internet. But I did have a helmet like that)
Suzuki GS500 when I passed my direct access in 2004. I wasn't keen on cold mornings!
In addition, I'd say wheels, forks and rear mudguard painted. Tank and side panel decals not original.
I only passed 10 years ago when i was in my 30s. My first bike was a very suitable 1200cc Buell Lightning Super TT.
Objectively not a very good bike but it made me smile.
With a retro-fit twin-disk Brembo conversion at the front by the look of it. Could do with one of those myself.
Last one 1991 - BMW R65
Arrived at via many Jap bikes. Full circle to German quality - a nice way to wxit
My first was a Yamaha FS1E in a rather unappealing shade of rattle can purple. Lasted about a week till it blew up and was "beyond economic repair". Replaced by a brand new red Suzuki TS50-ER (similar to those previously mentioned).
I then bought my first 'proper' bike, an extremely dodgy RD250E "White Lightning". Again very similar to the one posted. It came with a registration document that said BVW 765T. The plate on the bike was BVW 756T. The frame and engine numbers didn't match those on the Registration Document. And it had an RD400 engine.
I wrote a nice letter to the DVLA telling them all about it, and a few weeks later I had a registration document with Reg, frame and engine numbers that matched the bike, and registered as 2500cc. I'm still not sure how I got away with that.
1967 BSA D10 Bantam Bushman
I think it's quite telling of the TZ demographic that "Bantam" has turned up more than "ER6"
Yamaha Diversion 600, air cooled with fairing. Loved that picture even though it was slated in the press.
Honda C50 which I got when I was 16 and had a top speed of 25mph going down hill with a good tail wind. I also had to suffer the embarrassment of it not having enough power to get up a hill to go and see a young lady at her house for the first time, leaving me to walk the last 1/2 mile.
Moved to a TZR 125 when I was 17 which I thrashed to death (power valve turned upside down of course) for 2 years with zero maintenance, not even an oil change. It blew up about a month after I sold it to my younger brother.
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An old Honda CG125 that I won in a raffle. Some local guys had done it up and raffled it to raise funds for the Blood Bikes.
This was in late 2015. So at the ripe old age of 48 i embarked upon learning to ride.
Wish I'd done it years ago!! Passed the mod 2 in February 16 and bought a Harley Sportster 883. I've now got the
Fatbob 114.
maseman
My second bike, aged 14, was a D10 bantam that cost £50. Although I was fond of it, it did give me an insight into the causes of the demise of the British motorcycling industry! Whereas the C50 always just worked, it was a constant battle to keep the thing going and stop bits falling off it...
Last edited by SimonH; 29th November 2021 at 14:03.
Ah yes, I've still got some of my third gear in a drawer somewhere.
My daftest Bantam moment was using the fuel stopper - pull out for on, push in for off. The movement being limited by a small grub screw in the bottom of the housing.
One day when I sat on the bike, pulled at the fuel stopper in readiness for starting and, as the grub screw had fallen out, the stopper came straight out and the bike tried to empty the tank full of 2* and 2-stroke oil straight into my left Derriboot as I fumbled to get it back in against to fountain of fuel.
The kids of today have missed out on these joys.
honda c50. bought in 1976. for £25. then a cb125 , triumph 3ta. bsa a10 royal enfield 250 yamaha rd200 and 250. , recently bmw k100rs honda vfr800. diverion 900 , stil have bmw r45 and a 250 enfield in the garage
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I had the smaller XS500 still a twin with a four valve head. Have to say it was super reliable and did two European holidays two up tent included. I remember there was a complicated method to adjust the balancer shaft chain, if you got it wrong the bike vibrated so much it jumped off its main stand. Chopped it in for a Suzuki TS250 as I fancied a bit of green laning.Bought an old RD250 in 1985 which had lost its papers and ran around in our little village with it. I had no motorcycle license and the bike wasn't registered, so that wasn't really sustainable.
Next year I did the license and bought a 1976 Yamaha XS650 twin, I got myself almost killed multiple times on it.
If mopeds are allowed, a Suzuki AP50, then my first “real” bike was a Yamaha XS250.
If we are going back to mopeds, then it was a Zündapp (think a first in this thread?).
Someone who lies about the little things will lie about the big things too.
My 1st bike was off road when I was a kid, that was a Kawasaki KM90, when I hit the road at 16 it was a Suzuki TS50ER. A reasonable one came up for sale a few weeks back for £2500.
1973 Kawasaki 900 Z1, equipped with a 1015cc big bore kit, and a comp exhaust.
With my son, who is now 45!
Last edited by pacifichrono; 30th November 2021 at 06:13.
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