Other Bikes I've Owned

Yamaha RX125

125cc 2-stroke, single cylinder "commuter"

My first bike at age 18, bought for me by my father. I crashed it three times - the last time I bent the forks and wheel rim by riding it into the back of a car.
I remember:
My first crash - sliding along the road and watching the base of the tachometer rolling past me along the road.
Riding slowly along the Waingaro Road from Glen Massey, after my second crash, to my uncle's farm with the handlebars twisted to the right, right foot peg bent, clothes shredded, full face helmet gouged, and my right wrist broken.
Routinely riding the bike with my arm in plaster. (It didn't stop me abseiling, either...)

Suzuki TS125

125cc 2-stroke, single cylinder Road Trail

Despite its small engine, I frequently did long distances out on the open road - even riding as far as Tokoroa with a friend on the back. Most of my "exciting adventures" on this bike, however, involved semi-knobbly tyres and wet tarmac... Until I bought the XT225, I frequently regretted selling this bike. I missed the fun I had on it and its never-say-die reliability.
I remember:
Oh so very much...
Muffler bandages. LOTS of muffler bandages.
Being pulled over by a cop for excessive noise due to the holes in the exhaust pipe and being let off with a warning on the proviso I get it fixed... More muffler bandage...
My friends having a coffee ready for me when I arrived because they heard the bike approaching.
Dropping the bike coming back from down by the river and ripping the exhaust away from the manifold.
Running out of petrol coming back from Tokoroa.
Having to get a new side stand made.
Riding it up Tui Road to the top of Mount Te Aroha with my brother (who was riding my old RX125 at the time).
"Speed trials" down by the river bank - my friends and I trying to out-do each other, riding the TS from a set point to one of the pylons and back.
And so much more.

Yamaha RD350

350cc 2-stroke, twin cylinder "sports" bike

This was my first "full licence" bike when I was no longer restricted to less than 250cc capacity. I found it rather uncomfortable to ride long distances hunched over the tank.
I remember:
Being unable to stand up straight after riding it to Paeroa.
Insane acceleration and brakes that would lock at the slightest touch on the lever.
Having the back wheel lock up halfway around a corner as the engine seized briefly.

Honda CB360

360cc 4-stroke, twin cylinder classic tourer

This was much more comfortable to ride than the RD350 and I frequently rode to Wellington and back on it. Finally this was a bike on which I could set out on decent journeys. I found it a great touring bike - comfortable, light and manoeuvrable.
I remember:
Taking it up the hill south of Taihape in the days before they straightened out the road and ruined it for everyone... flicking the bike effortlessly from side to side and winding gracefully up the hill. I still get warm feelings thinking about that.
Being pulled over for speeding by a motorcycle cop who appeared, ghost-like, beside me and signalled me to pull over. The feelings when I recall this are not so warm...
The battery was dead so I never used the electric start but it used to kick-start reliably.

1966 Puch SR150

150cc pre-mix 2-stroke, single cylinder scooter

Once I fixed up a couple of things, this was a great little bike to run around on. I always intended to fully restore it but funds did not permit so I sold it to someone who would fix it up, along with my Zundapp Bella, sometime in 2000.
I remember:
Getting it started for the first time after it had sat unused for around five years in a friend's garage. There was no pipe between the exhaust manifold and the muffler and the roar startled one of my friends so much he nearly leapt over my fence.
Makeshift repairs involving installing the coil of a Mini to get it running when the coil died.

Suzuki GT50

50cc 2-stroke, single cylinder "commuter"

My Puch was not running and I needed something cheap. This was the only bike in my price range that was actually capable of making it across an intersection in an acceptable time.
I remember:
Having a patched gang member attempt to ram me off the road. I braked hard, he shot harmlessly past and I spun the bike around and took off, narrowly missing an on-coming car. Because it was not a fast bike I had to rely on its manoeuvrability to lose myself down a couple of side streets.

Suzuki GT125

125cc 2-stroke, twin cylinder "commuter"

Regrettably, I do not have a proper picture of this bike.

A fair bit more top speed than its "little sister" and I was at least able to get back out on the open road.
I remember:
Not a lot, actually - I must have slept through that bike.

1954 Zundapp Bella 154

150cc pre-mix 2-stroke, single cylinder scooter

This bike was pretty much a wreck when I got it. I patched it up to going, road-legal, standard and rode it for years. Finally, I stripped it and got the bits repainted, chromed or galvanised then reassembled it and rode it "two-up" from Hamilton to Whangarei and back, leaving Hamilton only two days after putting it together. This bike and that epic ride is the subject of one of my ride reports.
I remember:
Years of reliability.
The satisfaction of stripping and reassembling a motorcycle.
The confidence that comes with knowing nearly every bolt on the bike.
One of the greatest adventures I've ever had just riding to Whangarei and back.

Honda CB550F

550cc 4-stroke, four-cylinder classic tourer

Photo courtesy of my German friend, Axel - scanned from a photo he took while on holiday in New Zealand.

This bike had sat in a paddock so long the engine had seized up. I got it repaired and rode it for a while but it was never as reliable as it should have been. It eventually stopped working altogether.
It was an American model, imported by its previous owner, so it differed dramatically from the ones released on the local market - raised pillion area on the seat, "four-into-four" exhaust system and a few other changes. The previous owner had fitted it with crash bars around the engine, tail rack and a rocker lever to lock the throttle in position as a sort of crude "cruise control" (which I never found to be a lot of use on New Zealand's winding roads. Never found a long enough straight to take proper advantage of it).
I remember:
Riding it to Wellington to catch up with my friend, Axel, who was taking a bicycle tour of New Zealand at the time.

Suzuki LS400 "Savage"

400cc 4-stroke, single cylinder "cruiser"

Fairly tame, actually. It was great on fairly short journeys but the trip home from Palmerston North was literally a pain in the butt. Perhaps "Savage" refers to its treatment of your tail bone...
I remember:
The shortest emergency stop I've ever achieved.
The agony of sitting on my tail bone for extended periods.
It couldn't cope with the hills around the Central Plateau.

Suzuki GSX250

250cc 4-stroke, twin cylinder "tourer"

Regrettably, I do not have a proper picture of this bike.

It was given to me with a non-functioning engine as a project bike. I replaced the engine, and it ran for a very short while (about four trips to work and back) and the second engine died. I sold it, non-functional, for enough money to put a deposit on my Yamaha XT225.
I remember:
Taking 45 minutes to get the carburettors back in the bike after putting the new engine in - then removing them and replacing them so often I got the time down to under five minutes.
Riding it up and down Victoria Road trying to work out what was wrong with it.
Being towed home by my wife from wherever it happened to stop.

Looking back:

Of these earlier bikes, my two clear favourites were the TS125 and the CB360. I had lots of fun on all of the bikes except the GSX250 (which I never got running long enough to have much fun on) but the TS125 and the CB360 were by far and away the best of the bunch - the TS for sheer fun and the CB for touring.

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