What made you want a motorbike ?

Transport, got a new job I needed transport for and my driving instructor at the time completely put me off car lessons so did a cbt and never looked back

14 years later I've still never bothered with any more car lessons

[Kenzie]

My ex's Dad had a Beamish Suzuki RL250 and I got to ride it. Racing across the field that first time I was hooked. Passed my test at 17 onto a TS125R, two years at 33hp then got an RGV250L then onto the SV after a few years without a bike. Suzuki man if you can't tell!

[Littlepeahead]

Originally Posted by Jayneflakes

Trust you! Pervert, but it is why I like you.

And no mention yet of the revs on a GSXR when riding pillion at 7500rpm!!!

Actually my dad had a BMW bike when I was a little kid and he used to take me up and down the road on it. Wish I knew where the photos were.

Dabbled with a few 125s and a Vespa classic scooter in my 20s.

Then I was watching Long Way Round over Christmas hols many years later, realised that I should get off my sofa and get back on a bike. It was the same week I got my bonus at work and got told I had to use up my holiday carried over by the end of January. So I booked my DAS and by 17th Jan had a full licence.

I haven't told Dad I got a BMW motorbike last week yet. But unlike his, mine isn't a horrid poo brown colour.

[dizzyblonde]

I wanted a purple Harley when I was a child. The first bike I ever rode was a 1340 Harley, with big flat bars and no back brake. Still got a pic of it somewhere.

I got a cruiser 125 when I was 24ish?* then got the SV a year later. I am now cured of my Harley shame, I frickin hate them!!!!!

*I'm old and can't remember my age, but it was somewhere near that age.

Watched the bike racing on the TV when I was young and wanted to be Barry Sheen. Never actually did anything about it though. Then a few years back, one of the directors at work bought a 350 Bullet, the a Velocette, tnen a Triumph 3TA. FIL had scrambled in his youth (and had an old Scott Squirrel rotting in a barn) decided to start collecting old bikes too. All of a sudden there was a load of bikes round the place and it rekindled the interest. Figured if I didn't do it before I was 40 I never would and MrsDJF asked if I would like her to pay for my CBT as a birthday present.

ABSOLUTELY LOVED IT! Bought the NSR straight away and did the "big bike" test. Then bought the SV once I was happy with pillions and the NSR wasn't man enough to carry two on the A roads.

[Sid Squid]

I've been around motorcycles all my life, my dad rode as did his brother and some of my parents friends too, and I suppose I somehow thought that I always would, but if I had to tie it down to one experience it would be this one:

Originally Posted by Sid Squid

My first ever trip on a bike on the road was when I was four, a Triumph with the luggage rack on the tank, (I think it was a T110 - it was a while ago), belonging to my Mum and Dad's friend Larry, being as I was very short, (I still am), I coudn't reach the footrests so I sat in front of Larry on the tank and held on to the rack, helmets were not compulsory then and no-one seemed particularly worried about such things.
I remember every inch of that short trip so vividly; from my house then turn right onto Mansfield Road, through the lights and past the Stag, across South End Green and up Donkeystand Hill, around the Whitestone Pond and along Spaniards Road through the old toll gate then onto Hampstead lane to Highgate, turn right at the Gatehouse and past The Flask, down Highgate West Hill and then right onto Gordon House Road, under the railway bridges at Gospel Oak, (ohhhh the noise!), onto Mansfield Road and then back into my street. I wished it wouldn't end so soon.

It's very difficult to put yourself in the shoes of a four year old, memories fade and the capacity for wide eyed wonder is something that age somehow breeds out of us. That brief memory from *cough-cough* years ago is so burnt upon my memory that I can close my eyes and, almost, take myself back there now to that wonderful moment when I was so speechlessly astonished by that fantastic experience. I think I grinned for a month, and I knew that this was something I wanted to do too - I so wanted a motorbike and I became utterly obsessed by them.

I wanted bike since was a teenager, but really couldn't afford it my folks weren't keen on me riding anyways so I did other things like travelling, did other hobbies, a few years ago I had the enough money so a bought my SV, got my licence as they say the rest is history!

[Luckypants]

The sound of squadrons of Honda 400-4s coming down the hill into Betws-y-Coed, then filling up in the petrol station where I worked as a lad. They seemed to have so much freedom....

Plus they ****ed off my boss, so I liked them(no matter how much fuel they bought)

Sent from my phone.

I never wanted a bike, still don't either. Hate the bloody things.

Originally Posted by DJFridge

FIL had scrambled in his youth (and had an old Scott Squirrel rotting in a barn)

One of my best mates is a very well respected Scott Squirrel and TT Replica restorer oop north.