I got my first motorbike in the spring of 76. I had failed my car driving test for the 2nd time and was pissed off. My best mate had just got a CD175 and as I had just started a job in central London, working shifts, he persuaded me that a bike was just what I needed. I loved it straight away.
1976 Suzuki TS185. 2 stroke trials stylie.. Teflon tyres, but light and apart from the too wide bars easy to manoeuvre in traffic. Left knobbly tyre marks up a German tourist's leg after he looked the wrong way and stepped out in front of me..
1978 Kawasaki Z400. my mate got one of these when he passed his test and I liked it so did the same. Got me to the TT races with loads of camping gear on it. Had a top box on the back which caused a slight handlebar wobble at around 32 MPH...
1980 Kawasaki Z650 B2(?) bought 2nd hand and been fiddled with. Oversized carbs and flatter bars. Had a few issues with it and approx 33MPG so traded it in for..
1981 Honda Superdream 400N. Full Rickman fairing to keep some of the weather off. I was commuting everyday and it was a good sensible option..
1983 Kawasaki Z1000 J2. 2nd hand 81 model. Having had enough of sensible....although still commuting mostly by bike I had a car too. Big and heavy and had a weave on long motorway bends at 90....but I loved it. After market shocks and steering damper. Stepped seat and a Harris 4 into 1 zorst..only 95bhp or so but took off at 5000rpm and pissed on the jack-the-lads in their 2.8 Capris.
It was a lovely blue and I kept the alloy polished. Got a smile and a thumbs up from Francis Rossi at the lights in Purley one sunny afternoon.
1987 Honda Superdream 250N. I needed a deposit for a flat and the Kwaker
Was starting to develope gearbox problems, so sold it and the car and got a tatty 250 to get me to work. Sold it for what I paid for it. Good runabout.
1988 Kawasaki GPZ 550. They were selling these off cheap as the new racing style 600s were all the rage. It wasn't exactly exciting but it went fast enough and handled well enough to be enjoyable. Sold it in 1992 after my first child was born.
Decided that I had too many responsibilities to risk it any longer.
Over 15 years of fun and never more than a few grazes to show for it.