Bikes are great. I spent a large part of my childhood on an old clunker of a pushbike with no gears and backpedal brakes, attempting to travel the length of every street in my home town of Toowoomba and marking them off on a master map as I went - almost made it.
I've been riding motorbikes for almost 20 years now, making a mockery of the occasional offhand reference as a "temporary Australian".
My first bike was an old blue Honda CB250. It was a gutless slug of a bike, but that was probably a good thing while I learnt the ropes during that exciting but difficult first year.
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Then came an ex-police XJ900 bought at auction for about $1,000. Apart from refusing to start on cold wet mornings, it lasted 10 years with no mechanical problems and cost next to nothing to run. I sold it for around the same amount I paid, and don't expect to find such value for money in a vehicle ever again. Some years ago I bought a red Blackbird (CBR1100XX) which at the time was heralded as the latest breakthrough in speed and performance. It was quite nimble once it got going despite its weight, and felt safe, comfortable and very stable at high speeds even with a backpack strapped across the back seat. It was well suited to the long highway run between Brisbane and Sydney which I used to make frequently. |
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My current bike is a 2002 model R1 in liquid metal called Roger. I simply had to get it after seeing the pre-release photos and going for a test ride. The R1 produces almost as much power as the Blackbird but weighs 50kg less (!) making it extremely responsive: 0-100km/h in less than 3 seconds if you're in a hurry. This bike was made for zipping around winding mountain roads, of which Brisbane has several, and is also excellent at getting through traffic around town. As a combination of performance, handling and looks, no other bike I'm aware of comes close. I love it!
Update: A lot of nice bikes have come out since I wrote the paragraph above. The 2004 model R1 looks sharper and delivers significantly more power than Roger, but the price you pay is a noisier and jerkier ride (the 2002 R1 pulls smoothly all the way, whereas the Blackbird used to lag for a moment as it got moving then compensate by giving your arms a good wrench). The 2006 R1 looks interesting but I'm yet to see any comprehensive reviews. The 2002 R1 is still my pick of the bunch.
Helen
has been riding for about 12 years. She owned a CBX250
for a long time and recently bought a VTR250
which she is very fond of. It's a nice bike, modelled on the Ducati Monster
and surprisingly comfortable for both rider and pillion when doubling.
Random Observations
The art of motorcycling is the art of creating danger where none previously existed.
Motorcyclists epitomise Darwin's theory of survival of the fittest; the bad ones tend to weed themselves out.
New: Fangmeister is a local (Australian) site for bike parts and accessories, please check them out: www.fangmeister.com.au.
Site designed by Cameron Browne © 2002-6. Last modified 18/7/2007.