Have you always had bikes since you were a kid, born again, or late to the party?

[Taipan]

I often wonder if I didn't commute on a bike, would I even have one? As much as I love bikes I don't think I would?

[v8-powered]

I often wonder if I didn't commute on a bike, would I even have one? As much as I love bikes I don't think I would?

I don't know if I would either now. I only use my bike to commute to the railway station on but with my current contract I get free car parking at the railway station, so take the car. Last time I used the bike was 3 weeks ago to pop in to town for a haircut!

[dern]

I started riding at 24. When I was living at home they were absolutely forbidden and couldn't afford my first bike until I was 24. So that's 30 years, blimey.

[Whysub]

I often wonder if I didn't commute on a bike, would I even have one? As much as I love bikes I don't think I would?

I started the occasional commute to central London on a bike back in 1976 but only when it was nice and sunny.

In 1995 I started a job with an additional "we call you, you come in" policy. Public transport was impossible, so became a full time commuter.

Parents and family never been into bikes. My dad used to race pushbikes, including the pursuit stuff following motorised bikes on velodromes back in the 1950s.

Stopped using bikes for leisure in about 1999. Never had a girlfriend or wife that liked bikes, but never stopped me riding them, so I never saw that as a bad thing. None of my kids have any interest in bikes, which is a shame too.

Started leisure biking again in 2008, visiting a mate who had moved to France, and instantly got the leisure riding bug back, although most of that was ridden in Europe.

Now I am living in Spain, I can ride all year round. I think I do about 20,000 kms a year, split between my 4 bikes.

Weather and available time makes all the difference, and not the necessity to ride.

[Bigyin]

Aged 17 got a 125 and went Learner legal for a couple of years then got bored of the 125 and rode bigger bikes illegally till i went for a job as a courier and they said "Can i see your license"...... "Oh, you want one of them" says i

Passed my test the following week and been riding ever since

Most courier companies didn't even ask to see your license. I had 6 different Provisionals when I lived in London.

That was my thought as well, hence my surprise when they asked for a full license. They also asked for proof of insurance for business use so i showed a 28 day cover note and cancelled the policy as they insurance company wanted more money for 6 months TPO cover than i paid for the bike i was using.

To be fair they were a decent company (Falcon Despatch) and were fairly professional in appearance and all the riders were kitted out with matching good quality corporate riding gear

[mboy]

Don't leave us hanging, is the Ducati 748SP still in your Dads garage?

At the moment, yes...

A mate who has just done a full restoration on a 748E is having it soon though, he's planning on doing a complete nut and bolt restoration on it...

[Dickyboy]

Dad always had bits of bike around the place, one complete in his study & kids from school where he taught rode their scooters round our garden at weekends, seemed like a natural progression so got a ts100 at 18 & had bikes on & off for the past 40yrs, including a LeMans as a company bike in the 90s, getting paid to ride around the country doing site surveys here there & everywhere

[Rockburner]

What no photos of your first bikes?



My Dad raced bikes in the 50s, then got into cars, sailing, booze etc, but was the original 'born-again' in the early 80s when the train strikes prevented him getting to work. His uncle rode for the army during WW1, survived the entire war: Dad always joked that he went into the trenches on a horse, and came out on a Douglas!
When he restarted the bug re-bit him hard, so hard that he got all 3 of his kids into biking, and started collecting old British bikes. We received the Puch for Christmas when I was 9 (so - about '82). Even Mum took her test and joined in, and still rides occasionally: at 70+

We've all ridden bikes ever since. My first road bike was a Honda Karen! Took my tests on a Suzuki GP100 and a Yamaha 100, then progressed to a V50 Guzzi, Ducati TL600, ZXR400, a pair of Zephyrs, then a string of Rocksters. I don't think I've ever 'not' had a bike in the garage since I was 9, (it might not have been running, or in one piece.... ). I tend to keep bikes for a long time so haven't owned that many, but always happy to have a spin on anything that's offered, and have enjoyed a lot of different types of riding.

Don't do much riding now (since working from home kicked in big time), but still itch to get out every now and then.

[ZRX61]

What no photos of your first bikes?

Nope, it was a Garelli Rekord.... a '68 IIRC

Looked like this one:

[ChrisW]

What no photos of your first bikes?

Here's mine! It was an Italjet 50, I don't still have it though...

[Supermofo]

That first ever pillion ride at 12


Brother's 50 I learnt to ride with gears


My first bike, TZR 125 with smiley face


Apologies for the iffy pics of pics but Dad sent them via WhatsApp over lockdown.

[Demannu]

Got into bikes by accident.
Was given a non running puch maxi by my history teacher when I was 15. Took me about 5 mins to get it running again (I'd already rebuilt a mini traveller). It was a simpler time back then so whacked a lid on and put some miles on pretending I was Mamola. Parents went schitz when they came into the garage to hear a gently ticking bike!

[westers151]

I first sat on a bike at about age 5, but that was my Dad's AJS scrambler, back in1976, so doesn't really count.

First time riding was a mates scooter when I was 16, passed my test when I was 18, and had bikes ever since, but all of them as toys.

[SSS]

What no photos of your first bikes?



snip....

Don't do much riding now (since working from home kicked in big time), but still itch to get out every now and then.

Ah, Puch Magnum X. I had one of those for my first bike. Had no 9 on mine, cos that was my age when i got it (sister got a pony)

Always had bike apart from a brief period when i sold my bike for a house deposit!

Brother's 50 I learnt to ride with gears

Ah! My first road legal moped when i turned 16!! (mine was red)

Happy days.....