Every rider remembers their first motorcycle. Mine was a humble Suzuki FR80. Looking back, it wasn’t fast, glamorous or particularly memorable in any objective sense. Yet for a sixteen-year-old lad, it represented something far more important than horsepower or top speed. It represented freedom.
Nearly fifty years later, I’ve owned seventeen motorcycles. Some stayed for only a short period. Others became trusted companions for years. A few took me on adventures I could never have imagined when I first climbed aboard that little Suzuki. Looking through old photographs recently, I realised that every motorcycle marks a chapter in my life.
The Honda CB125 and CB250N Superdream Deluxe carried me through those early years when simply getting out on the road was enough. The big Honda fours that followed, the CB750, VF400F and CBX750, introduced me to a different world of motorcycling. Faster, smoother and more sophisticated than anything I’d ridden before, they fuelled a growing passion that was becoming much more than simply a means of transport. Then came a change of direction.
The Suzuki SP370, Honda XBR500, Yamaha SRX600 and XT600 introduced me to motorcycles with character rather than outright performance. Looking back now, I suspect those bikes planted the seeds for what would eventually become a love of travel, exploration and adventure riding.
Some motorcycles impress you, Others leave a lasting mark.
For me, the BMW R1150GS Adventure belonged firmly in the second category. The first one was silver. The second was the distinctive Bumble Bee. There aren’t many motorcycles I’d buy twice, but the R1150GSA managed something special. It wasn’t the fastest bike I’d owned, nor the most modern, but it had a way of making every journey feel like the beginning of an adventure… The roads became smaller… The journeys became longer… The destination mattered less.
Somewhere along the way, motorcycling stopped being about the motorcycle itself and became more about where it could take me. That journey continued through the Honda CB1300, Yamaha XT660Z Ténéré, Honda CRF1000 Africa Twin, Moto Guzzi V85TT and, most recently, the Honda CRF300L.
Each motorcycle taught me something different.
- Some taught me patience
- Some taught me patience
- Some taught me mechanical sympathy
- Some taught me that lighter is often better.
- A few taught me expensive lessons.
All of them taught me that motorcycling has never really been about the machine.It’s about the experiences
- The early morning starts.
- The unexpected roads.
- The people you meet.
- The places you discover by accident.
- The moments that stay with you long after the engine has fallen silent.
The stories, photographs, journeys and friendships that fill these pages all began with a young lad climbing aboard a Suzuki FR80 and wondering what might be over the next hill.
It turns out there was quite a lot… and, if I’m honest, I’m still looking.
