Times past , and new

Dermott · Jan 1, 2007

Hi All, happy new year.
Great to have met so many like minded bikers in the year past, and more to meet :bounce1

In keeping with the day that it is, who would like to share what and when their first bike was :rob

For myself briefly, in the late 60's a Excelsior, Villiars 200cc, as a field bike, from Trevor Lyons for a fiver. First road bike was a Yamaha 100 twin in 72, from Ernie Callaghan, I think for 160 pounds. Many more field and road bikes followed almost uninterupted to now with my GSPD

Alte Wolf · Jan 1, 2007

Hi Dermott

First bike was a very used field bike. 250cc Greeves Griffon Trials

greeves%20scottish%206%20day%20trial%20bike.jpg

First road bike was this very used/abused Honda CB 200

Rode this for a year and bought the one below, R100CS.
Nice clean low mileage and gave me 2 years trouble free riding and touring.

This shot taken on the Scottish Island of Mull in 1983.

By now I was well and truly hooked

Davy F · Jan 1, 2007

Mine was a Suzuki TS100 bought for £50 for my 17th back in 1976. Sold it for £80 which almost went to put a deposit down on my next steed.

Davy F · Jan 1, 2007

So in 1977, I was the proud owner of a brand new Yamaha DT100.

You'll remember that one, D. The one I ended up in hospital after binning on the Green Road.

Bin Ridin · Jan 1, 2007

First one was a Bantam in a field, first on the road was a Yammy 50, with a leading link fork.

PD looks deadly, Dermott, health to enjoy!

Aidan1150 · Jan 1, 2007

My first bike was a Honda CD200 Benly (can't find a pic), which I stuffed into a XJ6 Jaguar. Whilst waiting for his insurance to pay out I had a GT185 Suzuki and an XS250 Yamaha. As soon as I had the insurance cheque I went and bought a GS750 Suzuki.

Alte Wolf · Jan 1, 2007

Smeggy said:
So in 1977, I was the proud owner of a brand new Yamaha DT100. You'll remember that one, D. The one I ended up in hospital after binning on the Green Road.

I remember it D, in fact I seldom drove down the 'old Green Road' towards the 6 road ends and not think about it.

Great bike, I remember your DTR 250 also which I really liked. It would be nice to have one now with low mileage tucked away in the garage :beerjug:

Alte Wolf · Jan 1, 2007

Aidan1150 said:
My first bike was a Honda CD200 Benly (can't find a pic), which I stuffed into a XJ6 Jaguar. Whilst waiting for his insurance to pay out I had a GT185 Suzuki and an XS250 Yamaha. As soon as I had the insurance cheque I went and bought a GS750 Suzuki.

Managed to dig up a photo, not sure how close this resembles your old gal

Happy New Year Aidan,

One of my bros, 'Batman' on here had a whole rash of Suzuki's ... if only he had taken more pics.

I don't think he had every model they produced but he certainly had many of the GT/GS models.

Maybe this thread will nudge him into a picture post

GerryC · Jan 1, 2007

The A list

Happy new year all, it's a James Bond 007 year.
As I recollect my biking CV is roughly as follows.
My Ma - who's still about but no longer has 2 wheels - had a Velo Solex and then a Honda 50 for getting into town. We lived in rural Co Meath - so of course were on the roads illegally at a young age. My Da - also still about - used to "give out" about this but was then addicted to fags; when he ran of them out he would ask us to go to the shop - 3 miles away - for more. We would be sure to have a punctured push bike or what ever it took for him to say "for feck sake take the Honda, I'm bustin for a fag".
Got my own Honda 50 in 1968. so now there were two and racing was possible mostly in the fields with my younger brothers 3 0f the 4 boys became "bikers" :clap

. The Da used to join in although he was never a "biker"; when the compeditive spirit emerged - that never took long - he would ride over you to get in front :clap

.
My 50 got me through college years in Dublin, you could not "kill" it. Eventually I graduated to a 90 that was quickly traded for a 125 SS (all Honda). The 125 opened up Ireland - my first "real" bike. In 1974 I traded it for a "realer" Honda 500 four. I had arrived but did not know any other "biker" but the 500 drew the attention of other "big" bike men and boy was I now hooked.
To be continued

GerryC · Jan 1, 2007

The B list

The 500 was traded for my first non Honda - a BMW 750/6 in 1976; got a lot of "pipe & slippers" remarks but it was a good bike. In 1979 a wife and son and a house and debt saw that pristine 750 become a ragged 900 BMW outfit along with sorely needed cash. The outfit changed sidecars as the "family" dictated and opened up new experiences - there's a book there somewhere. The outfit is still in the shed as is the Honda XR 200 purchased second hand in the mid 80s - an MZ 250 had got me back on the right (single) track in the early 80s.
The late 90s saw the kids grow up but not me as I restored a cheaply bought but neglected 1984 R 80 G/S PD.
A really great bike but it died and I was lucky not to do so also when an oncoming motorist lost control of a car and clouted us head on in late 2001.
Another 80 G/S was found and is still in the shed as was a Yamaha Serow to allow the XR a rest.
The summer of 2004 saw me with an insurance settlement and my first new bike for 28 years; a 1200 GS.
Thats the brief CV, the pictures you can paint in your own head.
The future, who knows; hope it's good for all of us.

Aidan1150 · Jan 1, 2007

That's her Alte except for the wheelie bin on the back.

A great wee first bike 25 years ago.

The Jag I hit turned across in front of me and I hit the nearside rear panel. Tough yokes those old Jags. I seen to recall that the reg of the car was FIB5555 and was owned by Blakely from Hillsborough. Fecker never even came near me to see if I was alive or dead. :spitfire

Poor wee Honda was beyond repair.

Daithi · Jan 1, 2007

Alte Wolf said:
Managed to dig up a photo, not sure how close this resembles your old gal

Happy New Year Aidan,

One of my bros, 'Batman' on here had a whole rash of Suzuki's ... if only he had taken more pics.

I don't think he had every model they produced but he certainly had many of the GT/GS models.

Maybe this thread will nudge him into a picture post

It bears a damn good resemblance to mine

Did everyone own a Benley ?

First bike, Honda 50 with no saddle, riding around the half acre front garden
we had a jump and all !
At a push going downhill it used to get airbourne, that's where the no saddle bit came in

1st Bike Honda 50
2nd Honda 90 (had 6 of them)
3rd Benley 200 (Bent as an s-hook, wouldn't go round right-handers)
4th Honda 400/4 (had 5 of them)
5th Yammie FZ400R (I loved it)
there were loads more after, but it was a loan of a GSPD last year that
converted me :bow

.

Daithi

shuck raider · Jan 1, 2007

I found some old Sixties pix of our old bikes. Here's my first proper one (excluding dopey Vespas, which don't count as bikes

).
Norton Model 50 (350 cc single)

Followed a year later with a Norton 88 (500cc twin)

Chopped that in for a Norton 99 (600cc twin)

My mate Jimmy with his Ariel 500

And a wee run to Dundrod - two 88s and a Shooting Star outside Grand Prix House, before it disappeared

Lots more, but that'll do for now, I need me cocoa :rob

kyle · Jan 1, 2007

jays shuck,
didnt know you were famous

thousands of people walk past your pic every day in my place of employment

in the write up it is claimed you were origonally a mod as could be seen from your choice of footwear

Dermott · Jan 1, 2007

More

I see the lists have extended somewhat,
My next road bike and only new bike was a yamaha dt 125 orange tank and dyno/starter, only had it 6 days and got wiped out, honda cb250, ariel red hunter 350, kawasaki 400, r65, offroad, I had 5 bultacos in sucession starting with a rickman pursang? then sherpas. will post some photos when I can find them.
Cheers all
D

shuck raider · Jan 1, 2007

kyle said:
jays shuck,
didnt know you were famous
thousands of people walk past your pic every day in my place of employment

in the write up it is claimed you were origonally a mod as could be seen from your choice of footwear

Kyle, Blame Linda Ballard for that bollox

Like I said, I'm trying to play down the Vespa years :rob

the celt · Jan 2, 2007

Lads your making me feel very young

where those wind-up bikes or was there
petrol in those days :nenau

GerryC · Jan 2, 2007

Sod it

was there
petrol in those days :nenau

[/QUOTE]

Joe
Just like the future; no petrol. They were turf powered; keeping the float bowls clean was a curse. With fuel injection we will not have that to worry about when the turf comes back.

P.J. · Jan 2, 2007

THE EARLY YEARS

. . 250 Panther sloper girder forks,
. . 500 Triumph speed twin,
. . 350 Velocette MAC,
. . 350 BSA B31,
. . Heinkel 174
. . Trials Cotton Minarelli,
. . Norton ES2,
. . Norton Model 50 Featherbed,
. . note the British influence . .

the celt · Jan 2, 2007

GerryC said:
was there
petrol in those days

Joe
Just like the future; no petrol. They were turf powered; keeping the float bowls clean was a curse. With fuel injection we will not have that to worry about when the turf comes back.

[/QUOTE]

OK
Me true age

SS50
DT50
CB100N
X7 :bow

i love this moto

Times past , and new

Active member

Registered user

Registered user

Attachments

Registered user

Attachments

Well-known member

Nice but unfortunate husband.

Registered user

Registered user

Well-known member

Well-known member

Nice but unfortunate husband.

Registered user

Gone Fishin'

Registered user

Active member

Gone Fishin'

Registered user

Well-known member

Registered user

Registered user

Similar threads