Bikes I have owned part 1...

Here is a trip down memory lane for me. Bikes I have owned. Well photos of the ones I have owned. Some I don’t have photos of.

Let’s roll back to 1978. My first bike. A Yamaha RX125 2 stroke. Love the yellow Bell helmet.

Off my ‘L’s and 'P's a big step up. ;-) 1981. A Suzuki GSX250. This bike took me to Queensland, at least 3 rallies in Victoria and many rallies in NSW. She started out blue. Then I had a bad accident. Replaced all the body work with a red tank etc from another GSX250. In the end she died when she threw a chain and smashed the crack case around the drive sprocket.

I wanted to go to the Cane Toad Rally in 1982. I knew the 250 would struggle going up to Mackay. So bought a brand new Yamaha XJ650. Helped the 2 guys I toured with both had these bikes too. I kept the 250. I have a habit of having at least 2 bikes at any one time. I did go to the Cane Toad. What a long trip. Did it all by myself too. This photo of the XJ was taken at Kosciusko Rally 1982.

After a tune up and service on the XJ and paying to have those shims replaced I thought I could do this myself. I used to do this with the GSX 250 even if did have 4 valves per cylinder. So I traded the XJ in on a Honda FT500. My first single. When I was a teenager at school I dreamed of owning a SR500. I couldn’t find one so bought the FT. She was not fast. But she show was great in traffic. And I could tour on her.

This photo was taken at the Alpine Rally Queens Birthday Long week end June 1983 or 1984.

I do remember riding past Lake George on the Saturday morning just after dawn. It was so cold. I lifted my visor and my eyes watered up and then froze open. It was -5 on the Sunday morning when this photo was taken. Fellow rally goers laughed when they saw I was on a FT500. But they didn’t laugh when I thumped past them in the mud and ice on the way out as they struggled to stay up right. Didn’t drop her on the way out.

The FT500 was written off when I had a head on with a car. By now I was sold on singles. I loved this bike so much.

Part 2 coming soon. More singles and sidecars.

Comments

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Wrench'n Ride'n

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