Before you got a car, did you have a moped?
Discussion
I had a FS1E on my 16th birthday - bought with my own hard-earned money from someone at my school (my parents, unsurprisingly were dead against). I was desperate for some independence. I think it was a great experience.
I did all my own maintenance - decokes were regularly required. Then bought an RD250 at 17yo (still on L Plates). Then bike licence and a Honda 550/4. I had some scary moments and mates smashed up quite badly but none of it put me off. In hindsight, I was lucky not to have had any lasting damage to me.
What changed it was girls. I thought I was a babe-magnet on my super-quick bike, wearing my leather jacket and biker boots. Truth was that I got far more action when I borrowed my mum's sexy Datsun 120Y (a Coupe, no less). The girls were warmer in the car, could wear nice clothes and not get their hair messed up. And there was always a place for conducting Ugandan discussions at the end of the evening.
I tried a Ducati about 15 years ago - an old mate tossed me the keys and suggested I take his 900 for a spin. It terrified me, to be honest. I felt like I was clinging onto an angry tiger that very much had a mind of its own and didn't want to go where I wanted. I was very pleased to get it back in one piece and with all my limbs attached.
I did all my own maintenance - decokes were regularly required. Then bought an RD250 at 17yo (still on L Plates). Then bike licence and a Honda 550/4. I had some scary moments and mates smashed up quite badly but none of it put me off. In hindsight, I was lucky not to have had any lasting damage to me.
What changed it was girls. I thought I was a babe-magnet on my super-quick bike, wearing my leather jacket and biker boots. Truth was that I got far more action when I borrowed my mum's sexy Datsun 120Y (a Coupe, no less). The girls were warmer in the car, could wear nice clothes and not get their hair messed up. And there was always a place for conducting Ugandan discussions at the end of the evening.
I tried a Ducati about 15 years ago - an old mate tossed me the keys and suggested I take his 900 for a spin. It terrified me, to be honest. I felt like I was clinging onto an angry tiger that very much had a mind of its own and didn't want to go where I wanted. I was very pleased to get it back in one piece and with all my limbs attached.
How interesting Mr Tidy. A friend just sent a link to Comet Cross for sale… He remembered I had one! I was a few months behind you and got mine in Jan ‘76.
Better still, what was my first car…. A cortina mk2 1500gt. Which I could afford as it was LHD (back then a leper, but it didn’t stop me and £100 got me 4 cool wheels.
I loved the KTM and the cortina. Nostalgia might get the better of me and I’ll try to get one of each.
What a coincidence!!
Better still, what was my first car…. A cortina mk2 1500gt. Which I could afford as it was LHD (back then a leper, but it didn’t stop me and £100 got me 4 cool wheels.
I loved the KTM and the cortina. Nostalgia might get the better of me and I’ll try to get one of each.
What a coincidence!!
Mr Tidy said:
Mine started in 1975 with a KTM Comet Cross like this.
A school-mate had a Puch Grand Prix and it was way quicker than my KTM, my mate's Gilera or all the FS1Es. But my mate's younger brother had an AP50 that felt quicker than any of them!
Then in 1976 I got a Honda CB175 - and soon found out why everyone else was buying Yamaha 2 stroke twins - YC3SE, YC5SE, YDS7 or RDs.
But I only had it a couple of months before I got a clapped-out 1500cc MK2 Cortina!
A school-mate had a Puch Grand Prix and it was way quicker than my KTM, my mate's Gilera or all the FS1Es. But my mate's younger brother had an AP50 that felt quicker than any of them!
Then in 1976 I got a Honda CB175 - and soon found out why everyone else was buying Yamaha 2 stroke twins - YC3SE, YC5SE, YDS7 or RDs.
But I only had it a couple of months before I got a clapped-out 1500cc MK2 Cortina!
I had 4 wheels before I had 2.
I was brought up around cars rather than bikes and it took a few years till I started hanging around with mates who had bikes.
Besides my old man was nearly killed on a bike when he was young and I was well and truly steered away from them. I remember my mother going nuts when I told her I was buying one.
So I never did the moped or 50cc thing. I just went straight to a kh250.
My first motorised transport aged 16 was a Raleigh Moped , 50cc 2 stroke just enough power to progress along a flat road, show it a hill and furious peddling was required ,it has a form of clutch to enable to keep the engine running if you stopped , but to get moving again peddling was required to get up to speed .
http://www.users.globalnet.co.uk/~pattle/nacc/arc0...
followed by a Francis Barnett Plover , 150cc Villiers 2 stroke
http://www.users.globalnet.co.uk/~pattle/nacc/arc0...
followed by a Francis Barnett Plover , 150cc Villiers 2 stroke
Stuck with 2 wheels from 16 to 58 , only passed my car test at 20 with BT as i needed to drive , BT had there own driving instructors with a mini metro , i had 2 weeks driving around (paid) then a test which i failed , then another week driving with another test . Everything was paid for !
No. Not allowed, unfortunately. My motorcycling only started last year. My mum bought a Honda Camino (PA50) in 1978, against my dad’s wishes. I used to ride it around the back garden if they were out. It was a particularly tragic machine that had pedals used to start it, or propel it without starting the engine, but was restricted to 30mph as the rules changed in 78.
The cool kids in my 5th year had mopeds which they had to park outside the deputy headmaster’s office. That became THE place to hang out, especially if you wanted a moped but couldn’t have one. There was a FS1E, a Suzuki AP50 with an expansion exhaust that made a hell of a racket, and a Honda SS50 that I remember.
The cool kids in my 5th year had mopeds which they had to park outside the deputy headmaster’s office. That became THE place to hang out, especially if you wanted a moped but couldn’t have one. There was a FS1E, a Suzuki AP50 with an expansion exhaust that made a hell of a racket, and a Honda SS50 that I remember.
66mpg said:
No. Not allowed, unfortunately. My motorcycling only started last year. My mum bought a Honda Camino (PA50) in 1978, against my dad’s wishes. I used to ride it around the back garden if they were out. It was a particularly tragic machine that had pedals used to start it, or propel it without starting the engine, but was restricted to 30mph as the rules changed in 78.
The cool kids in my 5th year had mopeds which they had to park outside the deputy headmaster’s office. That became THE place to hang out, especially if you wanted a moped but couldn’t have one. There was a FS1E, a Suzuki AP50 with an expansion exhaust that made a hell of a racket, and a Honda SS50 that I remember.
Our school had a moped parking area as well which gradually grew as boys turned 16. Saying that though, being 16 wasn't an issue and some of us rode in on mopeds before that. A sea of mostly AR and DT50'sThe cool kids in my 5th year had mopeds which they had to park outside the deputy headmaster’s office. That became THE place to hang out, especially if you wanted a moped but couldn’t have one. There was a FS1E, a Suzuki AP50 with an expansion exhaust that made a hell of a racket, and a Honda SS50 that I remember.
I did 'upgrade' to a road legal ZR50S on my birthday, which was painfully slow compared to the C50 badged C70 I had been using before that.
Started with an early FS1E with drum brakes and Micron. It was basically crap. Mostly because it was far from mint. And I could never keep up with my mate on his 5 speed Suzuki AP50. But it had an element of cool as I went to school on it. Then I had a brief spell with a Honda C70 bog seat. Which was replaced by a Honda CB100N with a blown engine. My dad and I rebuilt it. I stuck on a mini fairing with K&N filter. And a larger main drive cog. Hey presto it went a bit faster.
Edited by macp on Sunday 16th January 22:14
Loving this thread, takes me back to 1976 when I started my biking times.
Dad decided he was going to buy me a moped, so he got me a Mobylette with pedals !!
After seizing that up by blue welding the crank somehow, I bought a Gilera 50 Trial, then went onto Kawasaki KH250 with a full fairing, and Allspeeds. When I passed my test the day before the 2 part test came in.
Regularly borrowed Friends bikes, Honda 400/4, Suzuki GT250, GS750,
Mates at the time had various bikes DR400 with a super trap exhuast (loud), Z900, GSX1100E,
Mach 1, XL185,
Then my first car was a MK1 1100 Escort followed by a yellow Chevette.
No bikes for me now due to knackered body but still love the bikes.
Dad decided he was going to buy me a moped, so he got me a Mobylette with pedals !!
After seizing that up by blue welding the crank somehow, I bought a Gilera 50 Trial, then went onto Kawasaki KH250 with a full fairing, and Allspeeds. When I passed my test the day before the 2 part test came in.
Regularly borrowed Friends bikes, Honda 400/4, Suzuki GT250, GS750,
Mates at the time had various bikes DR400 with a super trap exhuast (loud), Z900, GSX1100E,
Mach 1, XL185,
Then my first car was a MK1 1100 Escort followed by a yellow Chevette.
No bikes for me now due to knackered body but still love the bikes.
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