Survey Question--even For Lurkers :)

[Cobie Fair]

How long have forum members been riding? To define this slightly: needs to be a real motorcycle, and not just "I rode my friends XR-100 around his back yard when I was 10."

 

I wasn't really thinking of a "I've been riding longer than you have" but to see what kind of riding experience is up here, and what (if any) theme there is.

 

Chime in, don't be a wimp.

 

CF

 

(PS--I've got some other survey questions after this too, a series of them).

[Kevin Kane]

I'll go first.

I returned to riding in 1997 when my son asked me if I would ride home a motorcycle he just bought because he didn't know how to ride it yet. To this day his mother is convinced that he and I conspired to do this to circumvent her parental authority.

Anyway he found out that it was kinda dangerous so he parked it but leaving an unattended motorcycle in front of someone like me is a mistake. I realized that the hook was still deeply embedded in me from my youth.

Bought a classic British bike that fall and restored it but after riding it for a season or two became mesmerized by the allure of contemporary sportbikes. I bought a new Ducati the following season. I attended my first California Superbike School at Watkins Glen in 2001 and have never looked back.

Bought my first dedicated track bike (another Ducati) in 2003 and got my racing license in 2005. Can't say how many Schools I've attended since 2001 but I told Cobie once that he would need a restraining order to keep me away.

 

...so what about the rest of you guys and gals?

 

Rainman

[ozfireblade]

Hey Guys,

 

I first got on a bike around 1999 (CBR 250 then 2000 ERION racing Fireblade)and rode track days and that sort of thing Crashed the 250 @ eastern creek and bouught the fireblade, then I went overseas for work in 02 and sold the bike, The riding bug hit again so got a dirt bike in 03 and after getting a little bit cocky doing jumps and stuff I had a massive off in 04 and busted my knee arm ribs and lungsix months rehab...so I sold that bike for wrecking parts. I didnt buy another road bike until 2006 a GSXR 600 and just recently upgraded to my blade (march 09). Little less cocky now!!

 

So not a hell of a lot of experience (except crashing) but thanks to the TOTW books Im getting my understanding of how things work and why in my head all nice and clear.

 

Dylan

[Fajita Dave]

I started riding dirtbikes when I was 9. My first bike was a 1996 Yamaha RT100 for one year and quickly graduated to a 1998 Honda CR80. When I was 16 (a little late ) I got a 2001 Honda CR250R and had the suspension fitted to my weight. All of them used but in great shape. I rode at Englishtown Raceway Park N.J. almost every weekend for 9 years until I moved.

 

A few years after I moved here and no race track to ride my dirtbike on I decided to get a street bike. I've had a friend sense I moved here thats been going to CSS for quite and while and corner works for them twice a year. So that put me over the edge on getting a full out sportbike instead of something more for street riding and comuting. So I got a brand new 08' GSXR600 . Still haven't had a chance to take it to the track but thanks to the guidence of my friend I think I'll be well prepaired when I do get to a track day.

[lwarner]

I'm pretty sure I got my bike sometime in '05 so that would be around 5 years for me. I started out with the occasional commute and rare canyon ride, then ended up commuting quite often. Then I quit that, rode canyons for a couple months before making it to the track in July and I haven't ridden on the street since.

 

Bring on the surveys!

[sslowmo]

I bought my first bike in 2001, KLR 650. I rode it around until 2006 when I bought a XB12R and a couple of months later I took level 1. That's when the magic happend. After getting all four levels, I feel like I'm Riding now. Before I was just trying to get from point A to B.

Aaron

[Sof]

Great thread Cobie!

 

My parents were crazy enough to buy me a scooter back in 1990. I rode the wheels off that thing for a year until I got a car, but my parents somehow thought a real motorcycle was out of the question and too dangerous. If only they knew how I rode that scooter! So I waited a long time later, 10 years actually until in 2000 I got a Kawi ZZR250 in Melbourne, Australia. I remember that while doing my test, I was scraping pegs and the instructor was laughing! I had a lot of experience on that bike until it was stolen and decided to get an Aprilia RS250 that I rode on the street and did my first track day at Phillip Island. That was when I met Steve Brouggy for the first time. Before the track day, I had been practicing on the xbox playing motogp (i had the lap record at phillip island on xbox live for a long time) and blew my friends away on R1s! They couldn't understand how I could do a 1:55 on a 250 at the island the first time I'd ever been to any track. It was a blast and I managed to get my times down into the 40's before I ended up getting an R1 in 2004. Since then, I've had 4 R1s of which I ride now. The reason I love the R1s is that I'm continually intrigued by them and there is so much room for improvement. I have to be very disciplined in my riding/throttle control. That may be the same for most superbikes, but I do love the shape of the 04-06 R1s which is what I've stuck with for a while.

 

So if you count that first year on the scooter, it's been about 10 years of solid riding.

[AQAJR]

I started riding my cousin's dual purpose every chance I got at about 14. I bought my own bike in '88 (Ninja 750R). All told, about 25 years.

[Cobie Fair]

Good stuff to hear.

 

A very little dirt riding mini-bikes 73-76? No helmet (probably no gloves either). First street bike in '78, first CSS class (as a student) in '82 (first race same year, on a go-kart track, never got out of 2nd gear).

 

Anyone riding less than 2 years up on this site?

 

CF

[JOHNNYD]

My first real bike was a Harley Davidson 90 cc Enduro, rode that until the motor blew on a 13 acre lot behing my fathers business. Next bike was a used 1971 Norton Commando in college - that was around 1976. I then had a 750 Suzuki something or other in 1979 - that finally died after a year or two. I moved to San Diego in 1982 and bought a brand new 1982 Honda Nighthawk CB450 - rode that for 4 years and sold it. Stopped riding for a while, then bought a new Sportster 8 years ago - bought a new DRZ 400s shortly after the HD - the HD didn't last long - Dumped it for a Buell 9S, then got a Kawi 600, got rid of the Buell for a 2004 Tuono. Trade the Kawi 600 for a 636... The 636 was eventually traded for a new 750 GSXR. The list goes.

 

Today I have 5 bikes: 04 YZ450, 04 Tuono, 06 DRZ 400SM, 07 FJR and a 09 R1.

[dbtriple]

8 years. to think of the wasted years......sniff.......

[Jasonzilla]

11 years now.

'98 Suzuki Marauder. I didn't know anything about bikes, and thought the 800 cc engine was going to make me faster than my friends 600cc Suzuki Katana.

 

'99 Triumph Legend. I was just telling my wife that I should have kept this bike. It was on this that I realized how stupid I am on the things, and sold it to an old woman who needed a mode of transportation for her son who was getting out of prison.

 

'05 Kawasaki ZX6R. I'm going to ride this thing into the dirt. I love this bike. Besides the MV F4CC, I still could never find a bike that I wanted more than mine until I rode the '09 R1. It's ugly, but is like progressing beyond motorcycles, if you could do that.

[comptonchinee]

Anyone riding less than 2 years up on this site?

 

CF

 

I rode once or twice as a kid (about 20 years ago) on a YZ80, and then rode a friends 250 dirt bike in an open field about 7 years ago... Had a god awful time trying to turn the thing!!!

 

THen about 4 years ago a friend let me have a go on his GSX600... Still had problems turning and only rode for about half hour on some mostly deserted roads... But that ride got to me... I loved it!!! and I wanted to know more about steering a bike...

 

So when I moved to UK 3 years ago, I started reading up on countersteering, bought the Twist books, but I needed to practice and experiment with the knowledge I was getting, so I bought a CBR600F fuel injected, and have ridden to work everyday since... So I am going on 2 years right now.

 

Funny thing is after 4 months having the bike, and ridden it about 4 times, I rode to Germany with friends and rode on the Nurburgring (the big one!!) I was really slow but I wanted to get better and more confident, so every day I learn something new about my bike and about riding...

 

Yes alot of wasted years, but I know if I had a bike in Trinidad, I would have probably killed myself!!!

[Cobie Fair]

Hey CBR,

 

How many miles do you ride, on average now? Riding every day can add up, and 2 years daily for sure adds up.

 

CF

[RonniB]

Going on ten years now, started out as mostly street riding, now it's track only. Don't do many miles a year, but the ones i do are very intense : )

But I think, breathe and fettle with my bike or others almost every day, had it in my blood all my life because of my uncle and father.

 

Ronni

[Cobie Fair]

Going on ten years now, started out as mostly street riding, now it's track only. Don't do many miles a year, but the ones i do are very intense : )

But I think, breathe and fettle with my bike or others almost every day, had it in my blood all my life because of my uncle and father.

 

Ronni

 

For sure track riding is better for the skills than road riding...now this whole fettle thing, not sure I want to know about that.

 

CF

[pete]

6 months.

[Jaybird180]

I'm fairly new. I'd never been at the controls of a motorcycle until 2003 when I took MSF. First bike in 06. That first year, I rode all day and night until my eyes were bloodshot. I crammed in a few hours of sleep before work then came home, slammed a Red Bull to do it all over again. I also did my first trackday that year. I've managed to get in a few each year.

 

The street isn't as much fun anymore, consequently I geek less.

[comptonchinee]

Hey CBR,

 

How many miles do you ride, on average now? Riding every day can add up, and 2 years daily for sure adds up.

 

CF

 

 

Hahaha, you gonna laugh mate!!! I only ride 7 miles to work and 7 miles back home... But in the middle of London so alot of tight squeezes, Cagers that do not see you, cyclists all over the place... Quite crazy really!!! Takes 25 minutes just to go that 7 miles!!!

 

But yeah it has added up as I have had my bike for 2 years I think and have made over 10,000 miles so far...

 

The longhauls are what make up my mileage... London to Germany Return, London to Cadwell Park return, London to Silverstone return, London to Bath return...

 

Still working on relaxing on rights!!! And loving riding even in the cold!!! Much better than the underground !!!

[Vegasboy]

How long have forum members been riding?

 

back in 1974 on a Kawasaki S3 400 (bored to 500cc) a chainsaw with wheels... guess that was 35 years ago for the streets... 1969 for the desert...honda trail 70cc

[Progression]

7 mx races age 9

 

Passed road test July 07

 

5000 miles road riding commuting to work on cbr 600

 

July 08 did ½ trackday Cadwell park on cbr 600 (caught trackday bug)

 

Road bike sold, track bike purchased November 08

 

1 wet trackday oulton park Dec 08 – first time on full wets

 

1 dry trackday oulton park feb 09

 

CSS level 1 July 09 Silverstone stowe

 

1 wet trackday Silverstone gp July 09 – Crashed

 

1 trackday Anglesey October 09 – working on 2 step and throttle control

 

 

 

Would happily be on track every week if finances allowed!

 

[AJHP]

Passed my bike test at the earliest opportunity (16yrs old) which is now 19 years ago.......

 

I started riding when I was about 6 on a farm bike around a grass open field (my helmet had leather ear flaps!!)

 

Been riding on the road intermittently ever since I passed my test. First road bike was a Honda 50cc Melody 2 moped!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Progressed onto a YB 100 and then a KLX 125. First PROPER bike was a ZXR 400 Japanese import and then I went straight onto an Aprilia RSVR 1000 Mille which was awesome!!

 

I had a brief mid-life crisis when I bought a BMW F800GS but soon realised I missed the sports scene and now have an R6 track bike and a CBR 600RR for the road. Only started riding trackdays this year and now TOTALLY hooked. I attended the Ron Haslam Race School in the UK at Donington Park and have done a few other local trackdays.

 

Booked in to Vegas with the CSS in a couple of weeks and cannot wait.

[Cobie Fair]

How long have forum members been riding?

 

back in 1974 on a Kawasaki S3 400 (bored to 500cc) a chainsaw with wheels... guess that was 35 years ago for the streets... 1969 for the desert...honda trail 70cc

 

A trail 70, the first bike I ever rode!

[shalihe74]

How long have forum members been riding?

 

Ummmm... *counts on fingers* 12-13 years? First time ever on a bike was 1996, riding behind my then-bf on his Honda Shadow and having the p*ss scared out of me. Next bf wanted me to ride with him on his 96 CBR600F3; I told him there wasn't a chance in this lifetime I'd be fluff, but he could teach me to ride it myself.

 

Spent the next 10-11 years riding all the different I4s (poorly), then got my 675, FINALLY took an MSF class to get legal and, through the nefarious influence of the other instructors at the riding school, got sucked into the addiction that is trackdays last December. I'm on track (pun only slightly intended) to complete at least 11 trackdays this year... maybe as many as 13.

 

So... been on a bike for 12 years, but only started really riding 10.5 months ago.

[pbrown]

A couple of years when 16 on DT50 then 250 Beamish Suzuki then sold bikes. Started riding road bikes at 26 which was 20 years ago. Always on the road untill middle of last year when I did my first track day. I no longer ride on the road but do track days as often as possible. Have had TOTW for about 15 years but only did L1 & 2 earlier this year. Looking to get in at least L3 next year & probably L4 as well.