Is it in the blood?

[webbyc]

I've talked about this to Dibble and a couple of friends and I reckon that to be a biker its in your blood. What do I mean by that?

Well, three examples to illustrate the point:-

1. Myself. My Dad had bikes because he couldn't afford a car, and whilst into bikes, he mostly laterlly rebuilt them. I got my first one at 17 and was forced to give it up at 28. Big gap and restarted 6 years ago after 12 years. Last August had a major off, after which i initially wanted nothing more to do with bikes. I've also had a friend killed, know of friends who have had severe accidents, and know of someone recently who's lost his leg and looks like more as well. Yet, much to people's astonishment I still do it? Why?

2. Friend of mine - very recently took up biking passed his test and bought a GSXR400 plus all the gear. He came across the guy mentioned above who lost his leg, who is his brother-in-law, and has now given up after three months max. He has sold his bike back to the shop at an £800 loss and is now looking to get rid of some new leathers and helmet. Why?

3. Psychlist - Paul I hope you don't mind me using you to illustrate my point. Paul had a major off on his way to Popham last year. His recovery was somewhat hampered by the hospitals that he has frequented over the last six months. However he has maintained his enthusiasm and has even put a date together for his innaugral ride. Why?

We all know of people who either been killed or injured, yet we still do it. We all know the risks and that is part of the reason why "outsiders" don'tlike us, because they cannot comprehend how we are willingto take the risk, whilst they sit securely in their metal boxes.

We all know why we ride bikes, yet its difficult to explain. It certainly isn't to pose - get a Harley to do that. It's in the blood and once you've got it, you can't escape it.

[Fordie]

Interesting post Chris, I do think that being brought up in a biking inviroment does help,but when you think about it, as children we saw our parent take to the roads with out mishap (most of the time) so to us its Safe, our parents would'nt put us at risk ( would they)I was brought up with a 1000cc Arial Square Four attached to a home made side car that accomadated all four kids and all the camping kit. I can remember my old man running after a bus that had cut him up thumbing on the side of the bus trying to get the driver to stop so he could slap him one. :lol: No I would.nt do that:lol:
As for the pain of biking we must ask why do women go through child birth or the pain of tooth ache do we really remember pain, I dont think so, if we did then surely we would'nt go back to it.
They are some people that go through life not risking it either because there hav'nt got the same confidence or asteme that we may have. I think that's one of the factors why we all get on well together on a ride out and the buzz we all radiate on a track day, I got the same thing when I was chucking myself out of aircraft in the middle of the night twenty years ago, the risk is'nt there when you no what you are doing to some degree, that does'n mean the fears not there though.I had one incident that happened one night ,we we're dispatched from the aircraft together instead of one at a time from both sides of the plane we collided in the vortex of the aircraft and tangle up making our earthwards journey to fast for comfort,experiance told me not to pull the reserve shute for fear of colapsing what material was flying above us,we hit the ground twice I remember. I was glad of that cause it meant I was alive . A month later two lads experianced the same thing but one of then pulled the reserve and both were killed . It did'nt stop me from doing it many more times I think if it on the cards then its on the cards Maybe the risk is the key factor to biking after all . But the pleasure sure out weighs the risk and as we all no its what we do with the right wrist (trying to keep a straight face)that counts as to whether we survive or not. Regards 4D

[Red-leader]

REBELLION
Its not in my family ! But rebellion is.
I was told at an early age that bikes were dangerous, and that I would not be getting one.
GUESS WHAT I BOUGHT FOR MYSELF ?
That was 27 years ago.
So that sort of doesnt work with your line of thought.
But what does is the fact that after a lay off I have come back to the one sport/past time that realy is part of me.
What ever the reasons is good to belong !
Kev (sober !)


[Edited on 9-3-2004 by Red-leader]

[Dibble]

Firstly, based on my maths Webby, you are 46 ..??? crikey .... does your missus know ..??? or did you lie ..???

Secondly ... i think you either "get it" or "you dont" with bikes. I grew up in a household where they were frowned upon, in fact after my uncle had a huge off in Switzerland they were forbidden, the basic rule was "buy a bike, find somewhere else to live" ... well I wriggled out of that, for the 1st year I had a bike I kept it in my uncles garage 5 miles from home, along with all my kit, and my parents only found out after i did finally move out of home, when my dad appeared unecpectadly at my new house and I was cleaning it ... i'm not sure what amused the neighbours more .... my dad turning up in the ice cream van, or the blazing row I was having in italian on my drive ... closely followed by having to placate two crying kids on my drive who wanted to know why "the ice cream man" had driven off before they had a chance to buy one .... but it hasnt stopped me ... my 996 is my 3rd bike and although i get frustrated with the whole thing at times, quite publicy, sorry, it only takes about 10 minutes in the saddle to realise what it all means .. from track days, to rideouts , to mountain passes in France ... its the isolation, togertherness, speed, sound and smell ....

and all the poeple you meet on the way ....

Pietro;)

[Mike Davis]

All of the above is so true, I watched a programe on the goggle box several months back and It basically stated that there are two main groups of people those that sit at home and do only "safe things" and do there damdest to bugger up everybody elses life because they are a bit sad and the ones who go seeking adrenaline rushes ie: motorcycling snowboarding skydiving hangliding climbing etc, you get the picture, aparantly this activity releases some natural drug in the brain (can`t remember what it is) but this gives you a natural high and generaly doesnt turn you into a saddo because you enjoy life so much you don`t give a tosh about what anybody else is doing.

I think that makes sense.:sing::sing::sing::roll::roll::lol::D;):sain t::saint::saint:

[webbyc]

Yeah Mike that does make sense - perhaps it is a drug that bike manufacturers secretly build in. I must admit to being fascinated as to why we do it. Mainly because when you go to a bike meet there are so many different types there. You cannot point to anyone and say they are deffo a biker.

Dibble - let's say my 50th will be in 2007!!!! Whereas Hennners will be in a couple of weeks - partytime!!!!:lol:

[dave w]

Mike, I am reliably informed by Helen, that the drug released in us is an endorphin.... ( a feel good chemical ) and also adrenaline..... We must all be adrenaline junkies... I was brought up around bikes, first rode one when I was 15, owned one at 16, am now pushing 38 and the 999 is my 20th bike !!! I have had 5 accidents ( last one in 1991, best I touch loads of wood for that comment !!! ) Worst injury sustained was two broken legs !! Have only lost 1 friend on bikes ( one too many if you ask me ) My missus has been into bikes since she was 13 and used to see a guy pass her by on a TZR 250 when she was waiting for a bus.Her Dad was into bikes ( albeit only a BSA bantam ) She was mainly pillion despite having her own license as she prefers to put her life in the hands of people with more experience than her ( ???? ) She has had one little accident when she got the speed wobbles on my mini-moto and fell off in fantastic style ( and she was 30 weeks pregnant ! ) She has lost two friends to bikes, One of whom she was supposed to have been with the day he died, she changed her mind about going out with him 24 hours before he went out, a decision which saved her life !!!! She is still happy to get on a bike !! ( although having the 1 year old is a wee bit restrictive to her biking now ! )

We feel it really is in our blood and despite all the near misses we have had, we still come back for more:)

[Edited on 10-3-2004 by dave w]

[DC]

:lol:

I think it is in the blood too.

Good point.

My father was a motorcycle engineer, drag racer, speedway, grasstrack and motorcross rider back in the late/60s early 70s. All in the name of developement for the firm that he used to work at in London. So i was brought up on it. All i can say is that i will never forget the smell and sound of a supercharged V twin Vincent running on Methonol with no silencers at Santa pod about to run up the drag strip!!:devil:Or the 500 JAP engined speedway bike. Again, with no silencer. those were the days and i was only 4 or 5 years old.:devil:

I was raised on bikes and have nearly always had one. I just can not let them go. And believe me i have tried several times. Thing is i have always wanted a Ducati from the first time i laid eyes on the 916. Now i have one i think its the best bike i have ever owned. And im not just saying that!!!:cool:

Aint life great!!!!!:devil::cool::D

[Glyn]

when i turned 16 i lived that far out in the sticks that if you wanted to go anywhere or get a job you had to get a bike.
one pub and a postbox in the village.
so on me 16th birthday i got an ap 50 and the thrill and freedom of that bike started the blood thing there and then.

me dad did have an mz 250 when i was little though
used to take me on the back in a field when i was about 6 or 7 it might have started then.
i'll never forget that little ap50 though

[BDG]

Is it in the blood?

Well my dad was mad on bikes before i was born but sold them when my elder brother came along.

My dad died when i was 4 so no direct influence. When big brother got his first bike and all his mates were into bikes i just couldn't wait to get one as well.

It just seemed so exciting and after travelling everywhere by bus as i grew up, the sense of freedom was brilliant. Any excuse to ride anywhere.

My mum was horrified that both sons had bikes, especially as 2 close friends were killed in quick succession (both on the pillion of the same rider!!!!!!!!!!!)

Mum payed for car lessions, i passed car test then didn't drive a car for 5 years.

Bikes always have been, and still are a real passion. I would take summers off from despatching and ride to Greece for a holiday. I've also been incredibly lucky that i could make my living for the last 24 years from being involved with bikes and have never been without a bike for the last 28 years.

So yes i think it can be in the blood although for many more people it is a transient stage.

For me its a combination of the freedom to explore and travel,along with the exhilaration of speed and performance, combined with the camaraderie. Even if i don't get out on the bike, i'll always spend a few minutes in the garage each day, and come to the same inescapable conclusion...thank god its not yellow:lol:

[John W]

definitely in the blood, for me anyway.

My dad has had bikes since he was old enough to afford one. He used to race them, again when he could afford to.

All of my mum's brothers also raced bikes, and that's how my mum & dad met (its how all my aunts & uncles met too).

I had my first bike when I was 10, and never been without one since, although for a lot of the time it was mainly off-roaders.
The parents even brought my first off-road bikes, and my first moped.

I decided after some time ago that the off-road crashes were getting more frequent and hurting too much (I was clearly not fit enough to be competitive any more), so brought a new road bike.

Managed to persuade the wife to have a go on the back, and now we spend a couple of weeks a year touring with other bikers. She has no interest in riding herself, but likes the social side, and she actually picks the trips we go on.

For me road riding allows me to take the wife so is less antisocial than racing, where she wouldn't go as it was 'boring' apparently ;)

I've known people killed both on & off road, and have witnessed some pretty nasty crashes, but it still doesn't put me off. I know it is a risk, but so is getting on a plane to go on holiday, or getting on the train. Simple fact is you assess the risk and decide if it is worth taking or not.

A friend of mine had a stroke a couple of years back at 39. The determination to get back on a bike is what drove him on to get better, and now, even though he is partially disabled, he is back on a trike.
His wife decided some time before that that she would no longer go on the back of his bike as to use her words 'one of them had to be sensible', meaning it limited the likelihood of both of them getting injured together.

I think bikes become a passion for whatever reason. Maybe its the company, or the thrill of the speed, or the freedom, or the sense of pride you ge from owning/riding a particular bike.

Who knows, cos I don't. I just enjoy them any way I can :D

Good topic though :roll:

[skidlids]

It may be in my blood, but it certainly isn't in my parents or my brothers. My parents didn't mind to much when in 1974 me and a mate pooled our pocket money to buy a old Honda S50 as a field bike, probably thought it was just a phase that I would grow out of, before long I was buying MCN, Motorcycle Weekly, Motorcycle Mechanics, I even purchased the edition 1 of New Motorcycleing Monthly. Dec 1976 I turned 16 and could get a moped Licence, there was no way I could afford a Moped and my parents were unwilling to help. By the time I had saved enough money to buy a moped and insure it, I was nearly 17 so I decide to buy a 125 and have never looked back, 27 years of continuous biking and over 40 bikes later dispite a few broken bones and hospital visits.
There have been a few unpleasent moments in those years but far out weighed by the good moments and the excellent friends I have made along the route.
and Fordie its not so much the right wrist as the Grey matter controling it.

[uncle porry]

when i was a kid i used to run like hell after school to meet my dad on his way home from work, he rode a bsa and i used to jump on the back (no helmets in them days) and he`d take me the rest of the way home......it was such a fantastic feeling to be whizzing along in the air..and that has stuck with me since...no matter how stressed out i get at work or whatever, as soon as i am on my bike it seems like i don`t have a care in the world.....as long as i am physically able to, i will allways have a bike..its a major part of my life.:)

[Henners]

There's is a wonderful synergie in what everyone is saying which also does it for me - once you have been seduced by a motorcycle you can never live without them.

Thanks for the reminder Chris :frog: - hope to celebrate with you all at the Surrey dyno run on 27th. My birthday present will be there with me :sing:

[psychlist]

Started when I was a teenager and wanted a bit of freedom. Growing up as a teenager in a small town miles away from anything meant I had to get transport of my own. Couldnt afford to buy a car (dad was never gonna buy one for me!) and having a Maths schoolteacher who rode an S3C (I'm sure the experts can tell me what the for-runner of the almighty Jota was called) and an English teacher who ran one of the first seventiess 900SS' got me on the way.
Sure i've lost biking friends but what really brought things "home" to me was when in the 6th form one Xmas some mates and I went to Asda'a and the car park was iced ovr. An old boy in a Maxi in front of us couldnt get the car going so we all got out to give him a push. When Simon fell flat on his face it was a great laugh, until we tried to drag the poor guy up onto hisd feet. Apparently he had a "hole in the heart " (dunno what the techie term is) and the strain of pushing this guys car did him in, at 19!
His mum nailed life for me by getting us to promise to enjoy life while you can, no matter what restrictions other people try to impose. So sorry mum, I will be back enjoying the bike this summer, and thank you Mrs Psy for understanding just how much biking, and all the people I've met through it, means to me.
Ride safe, keep it upright, but above all, RIDE!

:borg:

[paulmort]

My Dad had a BSA 250 scooter. I ran into the back of a parked car, didnt see it, no goggles blah dee blah
First REAL bike was a 350 long stroke AJS
One every lamp post...............
havent had m8s end their life on bikes, but maybe Ive just been very fortunate or had careful m8s????????
I dont take chances on roads, remember there's always a tractor round the next bend.
Now what keeps me into biking?
The comarderie of bikers the world over
The friendship of biking that has long endured the test of time
The adrenalin on the track
and best of all, all the people I continue to meet, thats what keeps me to biking
rgds
mort:roll::roll:

[uncle porry]

well said mort, the cameraderie between bikers is unsurpassed in the motoring world..i broke down a few years ago and a biker pulled up to ask what the problem was, he helped me for over an hour to get my bike started, but we could not get it going, so he rides home, borrows his mates van, comes back and we put my bike in the van and he took me the twenty miles home...he would not accept any money for fuel/time, all he wanted was a cup of tea! and i had never met the guy before in my life !!

[Dibble]

Mort you are the only member I can think of that has earlier memories than Fordie .. you werent so much the black n white TV generation, more Pre TV ....

lol, glad you can remember that far back though, bodes well for your mental state ...

;)

[nathanhu]

My dad had a RD 250, am i realy that young !!!:lol: Whats a Bsa ?

:lol::lol: i also lived in the sticks and just had to get out of the house and bought a RD 50 , i can still remember that feeling of riding away from the house for the first time with Large smile on my face, unforgetable...
i moved out to Germany in 1991 and bought my first big bike ( an jap 750!!) and rode on until i got married in 1996 BIG MISTAKE......... bike hater female......does this ring any bells-----
Your allways out on your bike.
i never see you at the weekends.
you think more of your bike than me.
how much for those tyres/brake hoses/insert as ness
etc etc etc
needless to say devorce followed, I must admit it was the worst time ive ever had ,every time i saw a bike i wished i hadnt sold mine to keep her indoors happy and i found myself stood still in the street looking at dog old gsx´s and Fzr´s and wondering if i was comming down with something ........
i bought a fireblade in 1997 and havent looked back i was fooled into having a go on a mate´s 996 and as he said ha wanted a go on my blade (im sure he was in kahoots with the Ducati dealer) and that was it i swapped it for a 2000 996 and promtly wrote it off after 2months on the Nurburgring and and put myself in hospital for 8 weeks with the resultant injurys of running into armco at 120mph ouch... broken pelvis, blood clots in leg loss of feelling below the waist etc. all i was thinking about was hmmm bike bike bike. new pipes errr carbon tank and and and so on . after 8 months on sick leave i finaly got my bike fixed and back on the road and life goes on , im married again now (twice married before 30 isnt bad going eh but we live n learn ) and my wife now also rides , a ducati , a 748 ,with loud pipes ,te he lifes good shes also got the bug she even comes on track days with me , shes not the fastest but not the slowest, and most of all our daughter sees mum n dad talking and reading bikes bikes bikes so there is hope for the future. what is funny is my dad is constantly telling me to grow up and sell those dangerious bike things as i shoule have grown out of it by now (im only 32 for gods sake) and he started it with the old RD , but the best is the wife has bought me a prezzy, a 2003 fila 999r ,so at least i know shes on my side !!
:frog:

[Redsps]

yep, have to agree.
It's in the blood, I got into bikes at around 7 years old, starting riding soon after and the bug has never left me.
used to go over the local coomon on a beat up old lambretta with my best mate, at 10 years old, great times were had.
My best mate was killed on his brand new RD LC250, but that did'nt really discourage me. Had a couple of serious prangs round 15 years ago, but still kept the faith.
Had a few small gaps along the way, but never lost that yearning for two wheels.
several of my relatives also had the biking bugs in years past.
I will still be riding when I am old and grey( not to long there then )

cheers
Red...

[Jewell]

no biking blood in my family:(

im the only one to have a road bike but my cousin had an off roader but after his fatal accident im the only one.:(:(

but love it to bits more than anything in the world.:D