My first was an ex-WD BSA M20 with chair, quickly followed by my last, a Tiger Cub.

I soon understood I preferred 4 wheels, unlike my younger brother who probably still owns a multitude of Ariels, Sunbeams and the like - in bits . . .

Like everything, just about, the old days were better and I hold fond memories of the now exotics which used to populate the school bike shed.

I’ll ‘ave a think about what really floats me boat bike-wise and get back to you 😀

 

It really depends on the era? Being born in 65 in Australia I grew up seeing British bikes every where by the time I started riding the Japanese brands were the best . I raced Honda 2 strokes in motocross and short circuit and rode all brands on the road , I nocked around with a small club in my home town that only had Harley Davidson and British bikes and ended up with a old Matchless,that I still have to this day in various stages of restaration I also have some old Japanese bikes one of which is a Yamaha TT500 some say it was one of the best all rounders of its time! So I couldn't pick just one with the Japanese brands there was a standout just about every year! In my opinion!
John .

 

They are all great but I’m a big fan of 90’s Japanese small cc inline fours and the likes of Honda V4’s. On a different note the Yamaha PW50 mini bike is a legendary race bike that many world champions started on.

 

This was my first race bike! Honda CR80 I came third over all in points riding one of these! My best results in my racing after that I found girls, cars and partying! So racing was more just hobby!
This is probably my holy grail when it comes to race bikes!
Cheers,
John.

The RC 500 works model.

 

One of the greatest from days of yore....
Yamaha TZ750.
And all it’s derivatives

Don’t forget about the Norton Manx either, from an earlier era.

Another favourite was “Slippery Sam” but slightly later in the seventies.

 

There are many outstanding motorcycles throughout racing's history,Ago and his legendary MV Augusta,Mike Hailwood and Ducati,the mighty Vincent black shadow and the list gets longer the more I think about it.Suzuki RG500,Honda NSR500 not to mention Norton,Triumph,Benilli,take your pick as they are all brilliant in their own ways.oh yeah forgot to mention I am an old adrenalin junky hahaha

 

Yes, the way the technology moved from the 60s to today's bikes and the era that you grow up in, and disciplines! will infellence
The stand outs for all adrenaline junkies! What about the Japanese trials bikes, the Yamaha TY 175 spring's to mind , it was a game changer
In the world of trials compition! Compared to the old heavy old British bikes!
John.

 

the Yamaha TY 175 spring's to mind , it was a game changer

Yours truly posing for the camera... hardly a racing machine though.

 

 

Bike racing I can take or leave. However, bike tossing, particularly the heavyweight class, is far more exciting.

And, of course, freestyle motocross has always been a firm favourite.

 

Still a competition motor cycle!
John.

 

the Hodaka ace 90 ace 100 and super rat where quite the race bikes back in the day. my dad at his first race in 1971 with a hodaka ace 100

 

Burt Munro's 1920 Indian Scout. 'The world's fastest Indian'.

 

His Velocette was pretty well up there too.

 

I'm told that the 250-6 could be heard all the way around the Isle of Man.

 

I'm told that the 250-6 could be heard all the way around the Isle of Man. View attachment 358452

What memories this brought back! One of my enduring motorcycle raving memories was when Mike Hailwood toured South Africa in 1966 or 1967 with the RC166. The race track we used to go to (Killarney near Cape Town) had an avenue of big Eucalyptus trees down the back straight. The sound of the 6 cylinders screaming down the straight and echoing... nay, REVERBERATING!... off the trees is an enduring memory. Some pictorial memories:

Bikes at Killarney. This was a few years after the RC166 was there and the photographs are poor, but just to get an idea. This was taken at the double apex corner going into the back straight. Looks a bit unforgiving by modern day standards I suppose...

My first motorcycle: 1968 Bridgestone 50cc. I suspect not many people know that Bridgestone - yes, the tyre company! - made very good, very advanced motorcycles in the 60's.

My first REAL motorcycle: Suzuki T350-II. This was a fantastic bike for the time

Next up: Suzuki GT550 two stroke triple. Not the world's fastest bike but a nice ride nonetheless. My wife and I rode two up from Johannesburg to Cape Town: 1 400km in two days.

A number of years later: my daughter and I on my Honda CB1100F. This was a VERY nice bike!

After the 1100F there was a quite a break. Then I got my first real modern day sportbike: a Suzuki GSX-R750. What a revelation! Performance, braking, handling: a completely and utterly different world to what I was used to.

Replaced this with a 2006 GSX-R750: another big step up in overall performance. This at a track day:

Some nice quick riding: not too bad for a 50-something old fogey!

And BTW: my wife and I did a lot of two up touring on this bike. Here we are getting back home after a 10 day, 3 500km trip down to Ashland in Oregon for the Shakespeare festival. Our neighbour that took the picture was a bit unsteady so a bit blurry. My wife is a real trooper: all our "luggage" in a small backpack that she wore all the way there and back. And yes, it rained coming back...

Good times, good memories!

 

His Velocette was pretty well up there too.

On the right is the guy who fixed my Lambretta, the guy on the left is the owner of the shop, Ralf Seymour. He rode Velocettes in Manx GP in '47 amd '48

You can always trust a guy in a grubby "counter" coat.

 

There is a Velocette joke.
“ you know why no one can steal a Velocette?”
“Because no one can start them!”

This is in reference to the high compression and kick starting.

 

My first two wheeled love 45 years ago, the fastest around the Reigate one way system.
Wish I had kept it. (Stock photo)

 

I have a 2009 gsxr750. fantastic handling bike. out of all my sportbikes if I could have one it would the 750.

my other hobby. Yes Americans wear leathers and can corner.

 

I had one of those Suzuki GT550 triple 2 stroke and you just couldn't kill it !
John.

 

I had one of those Sasuke

 

I've only ever ridden one motorbike, my brother and I once co-owned a Triumph Bonneville with a sidecar, as neither of us had full licences. My right foot will NEVER go rusty as a result, the bike leaked oil like sieve!

 

There's a old saying about British bikes that if they weren't leaking oil they were about to blow up ! As I found was true when my old Matchless seized at 60mph back in the 80s!
John.

 

Speaking of Matchless

the compition models were numerous and so were the wins here's just one with many more to come!
John.

 

The Matchless G80 had quite a racing carreer being an OHV 500 single of the fifties.