Past Bikes

Ok so some of my past bikes, I started riding a buddies dirt bike at 15 years old. My parents would have killed me for that if they had known. It was in my defense ridden off road (really officer I never rode it on the street really!!! )

My first real bike that was bought and paid for by me. Was a Kawasaki KH250 two stroke triple when I was 18. I had to pay cash for the bike and since I was 18, there were no parental impediements. Back then the learners limit was 250 cc's in England and the bikes to get were either Suzuki or Yamaha Twins or the Kawasaki triple. It looked exactly like its big brother the infamous bad handling but oh so fast Kawasaki 500. Except it wasn't so overpowered and it handled just fine all the way up to its maximum speed of around a ton.

I remember going to the dealer and paying for it, then riding it home well I took a long detour wheelied it more than once and I'm surprised i survived intact that first ride, when I got home i hid the bike. (My Mom didn't find out for two weeks and I don't think she spoke to me for 6 months after that.
I rode the 250 for a few years and had a great time, put expansion chambers and ace bars on it. I even kept it after I passed my test. Lol not because I didn't want a new bike, but more because you try being a teen and running a vehicle and having any money left over.

Next up was a Honda CB400F. Nice bike but in reality if you have ridden a two stroke it wasn't much of a step up nor did it handle any better, no matter what anyone tells you. It was reliable though and looked kewl, mine was red which wasn't as common as the dark blue and it didn't oil up the plugs or sulk in the rain like my Kwakker did. I didn't keep the 400 for very long, as a youth I was a 2 stroke person all the way, I swapped it for a clapped out RD400, more smoke more guerrila riding, what a wonderfull bike.

Next up girls and well a gap in riding sigh...

So on to the next bike and a different country. I moved to Canada and because you can't exactly ride a bike in winter here and I didnt have huge amounts of spare cash, I had a few years of cars only. But I never lost my love of bikes. Although I went from the sublime to the ridiculous when I did get my next bike. I bought a Honda FT500 Single cylinder. Totally underpowered looked like a dirt track bike, but a hoot to ride just about anywhere on road or off. I had this for quite a few years and really loved it. I changed the pipe, carb and made various attempts at tuning it up for more power and found out singles are a bit of a dark art to get more power from.

Next up was a move back to the dark side and another two stroke. Now you would think I would remember the bad part of two strokes, the blue smoke, weather related sulks and oiled plugs - but no not me, all forgotten in my lust for the RZ500, so I bought a Yamaha RZ500 V4 yes it looked just like Kenny rode and though it was heavy and a bit of a pig it was damned fun to ride along zero avenue in White Rock to see how fast it would go on a Sunday morning, I swear the cops on both sides of the border could see the blue haze for miles. As a second bike this or the Suzuki Gamma 500 are about the funnest bikes of their generation, and compared to two strokes of earlier generations handled very well if a little heavily and i hated the Anti Dive Crud. They are however still two strokes and they are prone to be cantankerous, bad tempered and just plain fun all on the same day even, a bit like being with a Bipolar person, off there meds, you never know whats going to happen next.

Next up a Honda 750 NightHawk. You meet the nicest people on a Honda, I should have know and remembered form the 400... Hrmmm nice can be boring. Honda's just go and go and go and well I guess they eventually rot but they are just about unbreakable. Which was the logic I was using since I was done with 2 strokes and sulks and all the other things that go with them. Logic meant trying a big for me Honda... Bad choice for my style of riding so damn heavy and boring.........

Last bike a Norton Atlas 750 that came in pieces and well I learned that I'm not as technically capable as I thought. Nice dream though.

My current bike is a KTM Superduke, at this point in my life this is my mid life bike its as tricked out as I can make it and still be relaible, its also mostly hidden, not bling bling bike for me. On this bike its so easy to lose your license, its even easier to act like a crazed youth. If you see a Ducati on the road its almost like a red flag to a bull. It looks either urban applocolypse beautifull or all slab sided ugly depends on your viewpoint. As with all my bikes I named it, and going back to the heroes of my youth its named after TE Lawrences Brough. Boanerges as in twin gods of thunder, and my neighbours on Sunday mornings more than agree with that name....

So what next BMW, another KTM (Especially when the Venom comes out), Ducati????? Triumph or a bike I lusted after in my youth (Tridents, Laverda's BMW's) . Ahhhhh I wish I could own one of each but since last time I looked I was not independently wealthy I get to choose only one or two or at most three or........