Motorcycles

My Father promised me a motorcycle when I was ten, then twelve, then sixteen. I never did get one. In February 1998 I sold my parachute equipment to purchase my first bike: a Suzuki RG150 from Road & Sport Motorcycles. It was a great learner's bike and like most learners I fell off a couple of times, but never did much damage or got hurt. One time I flipped it doing a wheelie; unfortunately that one experience prevented me from ever being able to do wheelies on any bike; I would try, but then bottle out when the front wheel got any more than 12 inches off the floor. Shame that, and one of the few things I regret. I also got my first race track experience on this bike at Taupo Centennial Raceway on a Motorcycling New Zealand training course and thoroughly enjoyed it.

Soon, though I wanted more power and snapped up a Honda VFR400. It was plagued with electrical problems, and though a superb bike I was quickly frustrated. I did, however, get my knee down for the first time on that bike; it was a great corner machine!! I never did find out how fast it was. It would go off clock at 220km/hr on the back straight at Pukekohe Park Raceway. I don't think it went much faster though.

I also bought a Suzuki RGV-250 that was going cheap at a local bike shop. I wasn't sure why I wanted it, but I had plans to race it. I never did, but a good friend took it, did it up and raced it. It eventually got sold for not much less than I paid for it.

Life has a funny way of going around, and though he probably didn't plan it that way, when my Father died and left me a small amount of money I put down a deposit on a new Suzuki GSX-R600, again at Road and Sport. Dad was buying me the bike he always promised. The GSX-R was a superb machine, though I quickly added a steering damper and then a full Arrow race exhaust system. This gave the bike some more power, but also moved everything to the top end, which made road riding difficult.

I had a couple of accidents on the gixxer too, both at around 100km/hr and both causing minor, though lasting, injuries. Ironically enough, the second accident was on the way to the ACC protest rally at the increases in charges for motorcyclists. I lost the rear end in the wet on a very slippery back road going round a corner and high-sided into a ditch. The bike was written off by the insurers and I chose not to buy it back. Big mistake. I could go on and on with stories of things I got up to on this bike, but if I did I might be doing it from a prison cell, so I'll let your imagination do the work!!

After the second crash I swore I would never ride a bike again. I wasn't too keen on getting hurt, and frankly another bang to the head would probably spell 'curtains' for me. Well, that lasted just a few months! Another bank loan, another bike. This time, an ex-race 1999 Yamaha R6. It was an ok bike, but it race history showed. I ran it on the track but was never entirely comfortable with it. After a good tune up I gained 8 bhp and was getting a true 104bhp at the rear wheel! Nice! It went like a bat out of hell but the handling wasn't there. A full set of RaceTech suspension (front and rear), and a re-paint had the bike sorted and I immediately dropped 4 seconds off my lap times at Pukekohe.

Sadly, I just wasn't getting to the track that often, so I converted the bike back to road trim. However, it still spent most of the time in the shed, partly because I was busy doing other stuff, but also because with it's race heritage it was a bit of a bear on the roads and was only happy over 160km/hr. I wasn't happy riding at those speeds, so eventually it got reluctantly sold. I put a lot of money into this bike and when I sold it made a big loss. If I do get another bike, I'd probably just leave it near stock. Sure the bike looks and goes better, but at what cost?

Below are pictures of all the motorcycles I have owned and some brief notes about them.

Click thumbnail to see full size image
	Suzuki RG-150 Purchased: 18-Febrary-1998 Notes: This was my first bike and I would recommend one of these to anyone learning to ride a motorcycle Status: SOLD 17-Nov-1998
	Suzuki RG-150 This was me attending a Motorcycling New Zealand training day at Centennial Park Raceway, Taupo. Great fun!
	Honda VFR-400 Purchased: 02-October-1998 Notes: This is how I bought the bike, though with a full set of fibreglass fairings which I subsequently fitted and painted (badly, using a spray can!). This was also a great bike, but frustratingly plagued by electrical problems. Status: SOLD 05-Feb-2000
	Honda VFR400 This is how the bike looked after it was prepped for racing. I only raced it a few times in club races at the lowest level. I quickly realised I didn't have the racing 'killer instinct' and was way too polite on track. A friend of mine also raced it, but eventually this bike was also sold.
	Suzuki RGV-250 Purchased: 02-June-1999 Notes: I bought this specifically to race. Actually, I only rode it a couple of times on the road and once at Taupo on a track day. I never did ride it or race it. I intended too, but just never did. A friend used it for racing instead, and re-conditioned the power valves. Eventually it needed too much work doing to it so we let it go. Shame really, RGVs are generally superb bikes. Status: SOLD 31-Aug-2000
	Suzuki GSX-R600 Purchased: 30-February-1999 Notes: This was the best of all the bikes I owned. I had some great times on this bike and miss it dearly. If I ever get back into motorcycles (and I haven't ruled it out, after the plane is built, then another gixxer six could well be on the cards). Status: CRASHED 28-Oct-2001
	Suzuki GSX-R600 This is how the bike looked after I added some bits. Blue tinted screen, full Arrow race exhaust system, dynoket kit, crash protectors, steering damper. It went as good as it looked. God I loved that bike...
	Suzuki GSX-R600 This is me rounding the hairpin at Taupo during a track day. In the slow speed corners it always felt like the front was going to tuck under, but it never did. Sorry about the poor quality pic; it was captured from a poor quality camcorder!
	Yamaha R6 Purchased: 13-April-2002 Notes: I bought this ex-race R6 after realising that I didn't want to give up bikes after all. It was ok, but eventually I fitted RaceTech suspension, got it all re-painted. After that, it was superb. I got some good on-board 'helmet-cam' video at Pukekohe one time, but unfortunately it is too big to post here. Sorry. Status: SOLD 10-Jul-2004
	Yamaha R6 This is me going round the sweeper at Taupo during a track day.
	Yamaha R6 After the re-paint of the race fairings, re-painted wheels, polished swing arm, forks & levers, new screen, re-anodised rearsets to match (since they were gold, now red) and a new set of leathers (ex- Jarrod Love, well-known NZ racer).
	Yamaha R6 Back in road trim, though still with the rearsets, screen, suspension, etc.