Firstly I'm old .. I started riding bikes back in the early 70s here in Australia at the age of 14 when my dad a keen motorcyclist who cut his teeth riding old British iron got me interested in bikes . I started on a Honda XL70 ( Lots of cuts and bruises learning how to ride ) and had the XL125 , 175 , 250 , 350 and an 81 CR 250 MX bike with that awful left side kick start... Yamaha CT3 175, DT 175 A and DT 250 A and D mono shock . IT 250 H , two XT 500s and a TT 500 . 76,77 and 78 models. Suzuki DR250 and DR600 .
A ride on my brother inlaws Kawasaki MK 3 500 2 stroke triple ( The widow maker ) got me hooked on blasting around mountain roads so I bought my first road bike back in 83 a 1981 Honda CB 900 F2 Boldor . Then came a Kawasaki GPZ 1100 B2 , XJ 650 Yamaha which was a great little bike with shaft drive . I liked my old CB 900 so I bought a fixer upper naked Honda CB 900 Boldor for $400 in 84.. . I then got a passion for Italian bikes after riding a Ducati 900 SS bevel drive so I bought a Ducati Pantah 500 .. Loved that bike.. so light and nimble on winding mountain roads.. Then along came a Moto Guzzi MK 4 Lemans to which I fitted and 18 inch front wheel replacing the fashion statement 16 inch pain in the ass restoring the handling.. Sounded fab with Conti mufflers as fitted to Ducatis back then.. I wish I never sold that Lemans but I fell into the marriage , house and kids trap .. 20 years later after having a ride on a Suzuki DRZ 400 and a DR 350 the bug bit again and I ended up bidding on a 1995 Honda XR600R with 12000 miles on the clock and winning it on ebay.. I always wanted a XR600 after my XT-TT 500 days.. Which brings me to today when I own my 24th motorcycle the mighty GSX 750 F Katana. I still have the XR600 . In my time riding bikes I have seen dirt and road bikes evolve from air cooled engines to water-oil cooled , Cable operated drum brakes replaced by hydraulic discs , The advances in suspension on dirt and road bikes . My early 70s trail bikes had 3 inches travel in the rear shocks and by 81 my IT 250 had 11 inches travel .. Bad handling early jap road bikes IE CB 750/4 , Kawasaki 900s - 2 stroke triples and the old Suzuki triples -water bottle etc ( Which I had the pleasure to ride ) become the best handling bikes in the world .I can only imagine what the next 40+ years will bring in motorcycle development .. Harleys will still be the same .. stuck in a time warp.. I hope to be riding bikes for many more years before I end up in a pine box.. Cheers..
A ride on my brother inlaws Kawasaki MK 3 500 2 stroke triple ( The widow maker ) got me hooked on blasting around mountain roads so I bought my first road bike back in 83 a 1981 Honda CB 900 F2 Boldor . Then came a Kawasaki GPZ 1100 B2 , XJ 650 Yamaha which was a great little bike with shaft drive . I liked my old CB 900 so I bought a fixer upper naked Honda CB 900 Boldor for $400 in 84.. . I then got a passion for Italian bikes after riding a Ducati 900 SS bevel drive so I bought a Ducati Pantah 500 .. Loved that bike.. so light and nimble on winding mountain roads.. Then along came a Moto Guzzi MK 4 Lemans to which I fitted and 18 inch front wheel replacing the fashion statement 16 inch pain in the ass restoring the handling.. Sounded fab with Conti mufflers as fitted to Ducatis back then.. I wish I never sold that Lemans but I fell into the marriage , house and kids trap .. 20 years later after having a ride on a Suzuki DRZ 400 and a DR 350 the bug bit again and I ended up bidding on a 1995 Honda XR600R with 12000 miles on the clock and winning it on ebay.. I always wanted a XR600 after my XT-TT 500 days.. Which brings me to today when I own my 24th motorcycle the mighty GSX 750 F Katana. I still have the XR600 . In my time riding bikes I have seen dirt and road bikes evolve from air cooled engines to water-oil cooled , Cable operated drum brakes replaced by hydraulic discs , The advances in suspension on dirt and road bikes . My early 70s trail bikes had 3 inches travel in the rear shocks and by 81 my IT 250 had 11 inches travel .. Bad handling early jap road bikes IE CB 750/4 , Kawasaki 900s - 2 stroke triples and the old Suzuki triples -water bottle etc ( Which I had the pleasure to ride ) become the best handling bikes in the world .I can only imagine what the next 40+ years will bring in motorcycle development .. Harleys will still be the same .. stuck in a time warp.. I hope to be riding bikes for many more years before I end up in a pine box.. Cheers..
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