MotorCycles

Riding fast (or even slow) motorbikes is a sensation which, once experienced, is never forgotten. It all started quite a while ago for me, but I still really can't imagine not having a bike waiting in the garage.

I meet up and ride with a lot of people from the usenet news group uk.rec.motorcycles.  People here talk about everything, occasionally including bikes.  Dip in and see what's going on, but make sure you've read the FAQ first.

One article I posted on ukrm which has been quite popular is Getting your knee down 101. So popular has it been that I've put it up here too.

I passed my test on 7th February 1980.  So, on (or near) the 7th February 2000, I threw a party to celebrate 20 Years on the Road

Bikes I've owned

It all began at the age of 16 in 1979, and one thing just led to another

• 1979 - Honda SS50 moped - first bike
• 1980 - Kawasaki Z200 - first 'proper' bike
• 1981 - Kawasaki Z400D (twin) - pretty cool for the sixth form
• 1982 - Kawasaki Z650B2 - just arrived at University
• 1983 - Kawasaki Z750E1 - Z650 died after dispatch riding all summer
• 1984 - Kawasaki GPZ750 turbo - first job, first pay packet - yee haw!. See my End to End Run article.
• 1986 - Harris Magnum 3 (with Kawasaki 750 turbo engine) - I fancied a special. Pictures here.
• 1987 - Kawasaki GT750 - as well as the Harris, for holidays and two-up trips
• 1988 - Kawsaki GPX750 - I fancied a bit of racing. Some (rather poor) racing photos are here
• 1989 - Kawasaki ZXR750 (first in the UK) - try racing on something competitive
• 1989 - Kawasaki ZX10 - ooh, this racing is a bit expensive, so back to road bikes
• 1989 - Yamaha FJ1100 - 6 months riding round Australia
• 1990 - Kawasaki ZX10 - for when I got back to the UK
• 1991 - Kawasaki ZZR1100 (C2) - faster than a ZX10. Picture from the Bol d'Or here
• 1994 - Kawasaki ZZR1100 (D1) - and now it's got a fuel gauge
• 1999 - Kawasaki ZX9R (c2) - enough of practicality - let's go crazy! (Here's a picture)
• 2001 - Suzuki GSX-R 1000 - early mid-life crisis made me do it. A mad, bad machine.  And, even when two years old and with over 20k miles on the clock, good enough to win the street class at Ramsey Sprint
• 2002 - Kawasaki ZX7R - racing again.  We raced in the KRC Endurance series for 4 years, and had some great times.  And only a few lousy ones.
• 2005 - Kawasaki ZX10R.  The Suzuki was a little long in the tooth, and I've always been a Kawasaki man at heart.  And this thing is a monster.

Other Stuff

• Went to the TT in 2002 after a ten year break (I first went in 1984 - eh, them were't days...), and then again in 2003, where I won my class in Ramsey Sprint, as did my mate Keith on his Jota.  See the grinning fools here, and a rather dull picture of me leaving the line here.   Oh, and Keith let me do a lap on his Jota - a boyhood dream come true.
• In 2004, 20 years after first visiting the Isle of Man, I raced at the Manx Grand Prix.  Read my Manx diary here.
• In 2006 and 2007, I raced at the Manx again, on better machinery each year, and getting faster each time.  Diaries for both years are here.