The Benelli Motorella

This little scooter was my mums transport to work. So when she got home it was up and down the section for hours for us kids. This was the bike that got me interested in motorcycles.
Top speed about 55km/hr, and super economy.

My first bike

was one of these, a mid sixties Suzuki 50 two stroke. This bike spoiled me, I remember it cost $100, and I rode it for several years. It was reliable, and cost very little to run. As a teenager, it gave me freedom to go where I wanted, when I wanted. All my mates had to beg mum for a ride somewhere, but not me, I could get there on my own.

My Brother

followed me into motorcycling, getting himself an RD50 Yamaha. More power than my Sukuki, better brakes, and a headlight that let you see where you were going, even in the dark. The power battle had begun !

Impressed

by the RD50, I purchased an RD250 - the largest bike I could get on my restricted driver licence. It was fast - a friend had a CB500, and I could keep up no problems, even on long straights. Eventually, it dropped a ring, destroying one cylinder and a piston. Money was in short supply, and I couldn't afford to fix it for ages, eventually using RD350 parts, so I actually had an RD350 - illegally on my restricted licence.

The Kawasaki A7 350 followed

This bike had a fearsome reputation for power and wheelstands.

I never found out, as I could never get mine to go for more than a few hours.

It would suck gearbox oil through the seals on the rotary valves, then splutter to a halt on the side of the road.
it truely qualifies as the worst bike I ever owned !

Well fed up with two strokes and walking everywhere, pushing my motorcycle,

I got a Honda CB360.

Reliable, economical, good electrics, even started without needing the kick starter.

But after a diet of two strokes it seemed so boring, so staid, so sloooow..

I had a perfectly good motorcycle, and it had to go....

The Yamaha RD400

This was a typical Yamaha, well made, fast and reliable.

I owned my RD400 for several years, it never broke down or caused me any problems.

I wish I still owned it, and if I find another at the right price, I'll buy it.

Another Yamaha followed

I thought I might enjoy a dual purpose bike, and jap-import XT400s arrived in New Zealand and were sold very cheaply, so I bought one. It was a good bike, I used it to go hunting, and loved it as a commuter, It was economical, and I could just drive up footpaths, over roundabouts or take a shortcut ! But it just did not cope on a long trip, my arse just got too sore, so I kept it for commuting, and got something else for the long runs.

The XJ650

This is the bike that I owned for the longest period of time ever, about 7 years.

It was just a great all-rounder.

Shaft drive, but capable of 200km/hr on a run. (private closed roads - yeah right !)

This bike did about 80,000 km without anything more than a regular (5000km) oil and filter changes, and new rear shocks.

Honda CBX750

My first new Honda. This was a good motorcycle, I owned it for several years, but never felt it was as good as my XJ650. It was a little narrow in the seat and not particularly comfy on a long trip. Also it used to develop a head shake at high speed unless tyres and shocks were carefully set up. I loved its appearance, and the fairing made my long trips that much more pleasant, so my next bike had a fairing too.

1989 - Suzuki GSX1100

What a great bike this was, another that I wish I had never sold.

This was a real superbike, showing 240km/hr before I ran out of sphincter.

I had a full set of hard luggage for this bike, and did tens of thousands of miles on it over about 3-4 years.

Triumph Trophy

This was the bike I owned the shortest time !

Purchased on Wednesday from Wellington Motorcycles, I crashed it on the Saturday, on the Rimutaka Hill. The back end stepped out, and down I went.

A poor old fella in a Peugeot drove over my bike as it spun along the road.

I missed all the action as I was spinning along the same road, in a slightly different direction.
After a short battle with the insurers the bike was written off.
Mum didn't know that I owned this bike, or crashed it until she saw my web page - Sorry Mum :-)

The Kawasakis

After the crash, insurance became a problem, so I purchased an old GPz750, with the intention of doing it up. I kept it on the road, but it was a shitter, ugly unreliable and slow.

I rapidly became impatient with the progress of the repairs, so bought a GPz600 as well. Of course once I had the 600, work stopped on the 750, and eventually I sold it for parts.

The 600 was not super fast, 200km/hr flat on the tank. But it was a good bike, and I was enjoying riding with larger groups, at slower speeds, and keeping my licence basically clear of demerit points.

2004 saw another motorcycle.

As you can tell, I'm slowing down !.

The Harley is underpowered, it has average handling and shocking brakes.