Honda SS50 (Blue) - HLJ286N
April 1976 - November 1976
These were the days when mopeds were real mopeds, unlike the underpowered hair-driers that the youngsters have to put up with today. Four gears, a kickstart (real macho then) and a petrol tank that met the seat so it looked like a real motorcycle. It would do 40mph on the flat, and I even had it up to 49mph down an incline. WOW!!! It's just a shame that it was the same size as me (that type of hair was acceptable in the seventies).
Honda CG125 - PLJ162R
November 1976 - June 1978
My first real motorcycle, brand new and delivered the evening before my 17th birthday. Up and down the drive I went, the power seemed awesome (12bhp) and it was a 1-2-5!!! The top speed was 77mph (indicated), but the speedometer was well out so I reckon it was about 70mph. Despite that, it was responsible for my first license endorsement for 52mph in a 30mph zone. Again, it was a shame that it was about the same size as me, which I suppose is a disadvantage with being 6' 3".
Honda CB250G5 - NLJ???P
June 1978 - September 1979
My treat for passing my test at the third attempt (hmm!). I loved the look of the bike (the one in the picture was not mine, but it was the same colour) and at the time, was a hard bike to get hold of. I borrowed the money from my parents to get it and it took me the whole summer of working in a café to pay it back. The top speed was about 85mph, although this reduced as time progressed.
Honda CX500 - FEL333V
September 1979 - August 1980
The CX500 took a whole lot of criticism, but I loved it. No chain to worry about, very comfortable and served the purpose for which it was intended. It was good for about 110mph, although it developed quite a bit of wobble and weave at around 90mph. The photo shows me screaming my eyes out after its untimely end on August 18th 1980 at 10:15pm, when it was stuffed into the side of the road (which used to be straight, but wasn't that night) and written off.
Honda CX500 - GAA412W
November 1980 - April 1982
I loved the last one, so had to get another. It took three months for my insurance company to pay up which was a hell of a long time to be without a bike. Again, the one in the picture is not mine, although the colour scheme is the same. I think the wheels might have been different as well, but I cannot remember for sure.
Moto-Martin Suzuki GSX1100 - KPR555W
(re-registered as Q222FRU)
April 1982 (??) - March 1984
A friend of mine told me about this road racer that was for sale, so off we trundled into the New Forest to look at it. Instant orgasm. It had the turning circle the size of Hampshire and had to be leant into any turn, but it handled like a dream. It was a real head-turner, with a top speed of around 130mph and no major markings to indicate what it was. A serious ego boost for a 22 year old boy racer to be asked about it regularly. I'd love to know what my newly acquired girlfriend's parents thought when they first saw me put her on the back of it. Unfortunately, there were a number of niggling engine problems, which eventually made my decision to part with it, and to pursue my next dream.
Honda CX500 - Registration unknown
March 1984 - April 1984
Nope, this was not my next dream. I took this bike as part exchange so that I'd still have something to potter around on. No pictures of the actual bike were taken, but it was fitted with a Dunstall exhaust system, louder than Concorde. I sold the bike to a neighbour, who informed me three weeks later that the big ends had gone. I honestly had no idea that was going to happen - whoops!
Honda CB1100RD - A127GLD
April 1984 - August 1994
I first saw one of these (albeit the RB model) at the Birmingham Motorcycle show in 1982 and remember thinking at the time "one day ...". That day came when I travelled up to Wales to look at two of them, and picked this one up for £4,300 with 1,000 miles on the clock. Only 150 were imported into the UK, and there was only one new one available at the inflated price of £4,900 which was out of my reach. Due to its rarity, it was another head-turner and also responsible for a 3 month disqualification in 1986 for 110.5mph on the M27 (bad boy! * slaps wrists *).
Honda CBR600F - M430XPX
September 1994 - July 2006
Let's face it, I'm now 34, married and my boy racer days are over so let's drop an insurance bracket and get something smaller ... but faster!!! According to the book, this has a top speed of 153mph, but I've not tried it. Considerably smaller than the CB1100RD, on the day I picked it up, I sat on it and thought "Oh ... My ... God!!!". It felt so small, although when I first sat on one in a showroom, it fitted like a glove. I soon got used to her, loved her to bits and was a bit sad to see her go as she'd given me no trouble and has always been a reliable friend.
Honda CBR600RR
July 2006 - Current date
I wanted a change, but loved the CBR600F. So I tried out the new version of the 600F - very sensible and felt the same as my last one ... and then I tried one of these. It was the non-sensible option, tiring on the wrists and painful on the bum, but looks lovely, goes well and I had to have one. This colour scheme (graphite black) is a bugger to get hold of, but the good ol' boys of 'Honda Of Bournemouth' found me one.
