When/Where/What did you learn to ride on?

[Dave48]

Back in the early 60s in Kent when I was 15 I "borrowed"  a friends 2 or 3 speed twist grip gear change moped and tried to teach myself to ride it off road. Remember going into the bushes & brambles a few times before I got used to throttle & clutch. A year later in East Devon was trying to get the money together for a wreck of a Lambretta LD 150 scooter with shaft drive. I was buying from a mate @ school who was moving on to better things. Would "borrow" from him & learnt to ride it in a few attempts-no licence-nor anything else-fortunately i was living in a fairly remote place-there was only one local bike bobby. He used to ride a 3TA Triumph with old-fashioned phone on back or tank-cant remember which. Dont think he ever caught any of us but then again he probably didnt want to! He used to shake his fist at us! The day I bought the scooter & got my licence, L-plates on & insurance sorted, there was no stopping me. I frequently broke down & had to learn to get it going as there werent any garages for miles. If youve ever ridden with 6v lighting in the pitch dark you wouldnt complain about modern bikes!   Bikes/scooters I remember riding-not necessarily owning include Lambretta LD, Li 150, TV175, Norman 197cc, various mopeds, BSA C15-250cc, AJS500, Honda SS50, C50, C90,CZ 175, After long gap of cage driving came back to Honda CX500, NTV 650, Yamaha YBR 125 & 250 (commuters) FZ6 and my beloved FZS 1000. Oh yes Ive got a 25cc motor assisted bicycle(Cyclemaster 1951) for the days when I just want to potter round the local roads & give the youngsters a laugh!

[Lawrence]

I hadn't ridden a motorbike til March this year, had 15 minutes round a carpark on a CBF125 as part of a freebie thing one of the local places was doing.  Then signed up for my CBT which was done on a Suzuki Vanvan which had had a very hard life     Did my DAS on a CG125 first day, then a GS500.  Had a go on an ER6N but it was horrible so went back to the GS for my 3rd test which I passed.  The 1st test went ok just with a couple of serious faults  , the second one, which I did on the ER6, I managed to cock up in about 30 seconds (50 yards from the test centre) so thought Foc it, turned round and went back     3rd one was back on the GS and went brilliantly 

[JZS 600]

Lambretta Li 150, across the fields (great fun!) then a Suzuki TS 100, across some more fields, then a GS 125 on the road.

[Lazarus]

Hired a TZR 125 in Majorca - first time riding a bike (been pillion before)


fecking loved it. Shades, Shorts and a t-shirt


oh to be young and immortal again

[HarryHornby]

I've been riding for just over 3 years now.
 
Did my CBT and full licence at Kent Motorcycles training school at Manston.
 
CBT on a Honda CG125, I failed my first CBT, paniced at a junction, got my feet and hands all mixed up, cangerooed across the road, luckily up a dirt track and fell off, ripped my brand new bike trousers and jacket and felt a proper tit, thinking, F8ck me, I've just failed a CBT, the same test all those little scrotes on mopeds pass! 
 
Almost gave up there and there, I was so fearful that every journey would be filled with danger and near misses.
 
Got back on the bike the next day and did my CBT in torrential rain and passed.  Immediatly bought a CBF125 and spent the next year commuting the 17 miles to work, day in day out.
 
A year later took my Mod 1, failed it the first time, got a bit worried about the speed trap, gave it a handfull and went through the trap at 38 mph, clipped a cone with my left foot....gutted, if I hadn't have been riding "duck feet" I would have missed it and passed!
 
Took my 2nd Mod one (balls of feet firmly on the footpegs this time) and passed, no minors.
 
Couple of weeks later I took my Mod 2 and passed without a single minor    oooo get me!
 
Bought my FZS 600 about 2 weeks later and 2 years on I'm LOVING it!

[DryRob]

Did my first CBT when I was 16 on a Honda Sky (I think) then bought a MBK Mach G scooter and got most of my road-sense on that.

First geared bike I rode was a Honda CG125 on my second CBT. I'd mentioned wanting to do DAS to the instructor so he took me on a ride out on the battered 500 he used for big tests, he was trying to get me hooked and it worked.

Did my lessons and tests on a Kwak ER5 and I practiced for the test on my ancient Honda CG100.

[MadDogMcQ]

    OMG, I bought a Honda CB250 G5 from Rusty (forum member) in the winter of 1975. I rode it home with snow on the road with NO riding experience whatsoever! I fell off it about 3 times enroute. 

[keithfzs1000]

250 superdream 1980 cost me £6 if i remember lol   

[Grahamm]

When I did my Direct Access I spent a couple of days on a little 125 (YF-125 I think) doing CBT etc and then rode a CBR-500 IIRC until I took my Test.

[red98]

direct access,cbt.............whats all that about         
  passed my test on suzuki 250 x7,first production 250 to crack 100mph....rode around the block about 3 times.tester on foot 

[Baldiman]

Started (properly) when I was 16, first job was as a Telegram boy and took my moped test. Probably the only 16 year old Fizzie rider with a full licence!

[breadlord]

First bike I ever rode was a clutchless underbone in Cambodia - Honda Wave 125.
CBT on a CG125. Which was horrid. Far, far, far too small.
DAS bike was a 600 Divvy, which was dull as dishwater.

[robby boy]

Started my biking career on a battered old Honda C50 way back in 1986, ran it for 2 years cos I couldn't afford anything else.
Bought a CB100N from my brother, ran it for 6 months on and off, the feccing thing was in bits in the shed more than it was on the road. one of my mates lent me his CB125 twin for 6 months while he waited for his licence back from the DVLA (drink driving and trying to ram a cop car off the road. lol.)
Managed to save enough for a car and got married, SWMBO would not let me get a bike again cos one of her best mates was killed after falling off pillion.
Bro in law passed his big bike test in 2009 and bought a Bandit, (having never owned a bike in his life) wife bought me my CBT for my 40th birthday, (big surprise for me) did cbt on a 125 Suzuki, bought my FZ6 the following week and sat my mod1 and mod2 on a CBF500 a week apart, passed both with no minors.

[ade the blade]

ooooooooooooooooooooh let me see now. I was 15...Heather was 16. It was down the bay and ......oops just realised by all the above posts it refers to bikes and not ahem.....private encounters carry on !!

[caretaker]

bultaco frontera crosser/ enduro thingy. monster!!

[chilly]

first bike was a raleigh wisp then a c50 then a string of british singles 2 and 4 stroke then in 1979 i bought a brand new kh250. EJP I38V where are you now

[tex]

 
 Nsu quickley, 2 speed!! learnt clutch control though, then raleigh runabout, used to kick the flywheel to start it!, all on fields, we used to pick old peds up for coppers. Then on to a purple fizzy

[FuZzBoM]

My story sounds fairly boring in comparison to you lot.. when i was 17 i went and did my CBT. passed OK and all was well. (in 1997 i am not sure you could fail tbh) got myself a TZR125 from mate, it had a powervalve kit fitted with a few other mods like a 145cc kit and a sporty exhaust. i manged to see 100mph down a hill with the wind behind me. 
I unfortunately then had 2 crashes due to women pulling out on me.. one was an old biddy and her licence was taken away, the other was a school run mum... at this point i decided to get a car. Looking back now i really wish i hadn't....
I finally passed my test in February of this year. i did the whole thing (CBT, MOD1 and MOD2) on a Y plate FZS600. it was great felt like a rocket compared to my quick-ish car.
Only problem is i feel i have lost out a little. i am trying to make up for it having ridden round Ireland 2 months after i passed an a planned trip to Norway or Sweden next year.

here's to 2013 (and better weather)

[dock]

lost my virginity on a DT175MX when i was 14 in 1984 then first bike on the road was a Suzuki X1 zr50, brill, total freedom to go anywhere. then a GP100 and KH125 before a car, wife and kids came along, then back to biking two years ago, passed my test on a CG125 an now have an FZS 600 2003

[Grandma]

What is it about bikes, they are so addictive! [/size][/color] Started on a horrible Vespa which used to try and throw me off on corners as the footplates scraped along the ground and it was always breaking down, wanted an Arial Arrow but they were like hens teeth, so settled for a Leader which broke a chain struggling up Salt Box hill where there used to be a bikers cafe. Met a guy with a Triumph Sports cub, liked it (&him) so much I bought one and passed my test on it in 1962, went on to a Tiger 90 and Thruxton Bonneville with a break to have my son who is now 32 and has two bikes of his own plus 2 sons.[/font]
[/size][/color]Used to borrow my brothers bikes when being bikeless got too much to bear, then bought an ER5 which was quickly replaced by an R6, followed by two 5PW R1's, I still have the blue one, then Gen 1 Fazer 1000 for two years and finally Gen 2 Fazer 1000, which brought me here[/font]

[Robbie8666]

I started with a nail of a cub50 dad took me to get insurance that evening, rode it round to my mates n got nicked for going the wrong side of a traffic island!! copper let me off with a stern word when he saw my insurance reciept was only 2 hours old!!
then had a yamaha step thru 75 automatic then cars kids wife eventually in '92 persuaded her to let me have a bike for comutting was a Yam RXS100 took cbt & test within 3 days then got a super dream 250 for £100 got a BMW F650 for my 30th birthday rode until 2000 then job change forced me to leave biking last year finally got divorced  yea!!! and got my fazer 600 new mrs n kids love it but might have to sell next year due to expense   

[chaz]

Think I'd had a go on a bantam and a scooter for a total of 2 mins. started work at 15 saved up some money and went and bought a 250 francis barnett for £18 a months wage. Rode it home ready for my 16th birthday, In those days you could ride up to a 250 or if you put a sidecar (frame and a plank of wood) you could ride any size.
no training, no helmet, no idea what you was doing just get on and go, no wonder the death toll was so high.

[BBROWN1664]

Started with a moped my nan gave me when I was about 9 then went onto  Suzuki TS50ER when I was about 14 for in the local woods. this later went on the road when I was 16.
A Kawasaki KE125 followed when I was 17 and took my test skipping th part 1 and going strait to part 2 by borrowing my dads XS750 with a sidewinder.

first big bike followed a few days later and was an old 1973 CB500T

[Fatherbiker]

Started my bike riding in 1974 with a Raleigh Runabout but quickly went on to being a telegraph boy on the gpo and doing 34000 miles in  2.5 years on a Puch 2 geared thing capable of the amazing speed of 36mph down hill with the wind up yer arse!!...lol I passed my motorbike test on a Suzuki 125 twin Stinger in 1976 but passed my moped test (yes had to do that for the gpo) in 1975 on the post office Puch 50!...eugh!!. At least back then there was no cbt and the likes and just 2 parts to the test (written and practical).

[Khaotik]

Started on a KX125 in 1991... continued on a MTX50 after crashing the KX125... then on to a MBX50 when the MTX50 died... and then I got my licence.