After I started to scan all my old negatives I discovered some images of my old cars and bikes which prompted me to list my vehicle history. I haven't finished scanning the negatives yet so some of these are what I can find on the internet - so I shall replace them as and when I come across the real thing.
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I didn't start riding motorbikes until 1989. These are all the ones I owned.
Suzuki DR 125
G248 JKY
25-Aug-89 to 29-Sep-93
4yr 1mth
My introduction to motorbikes. Bought it new not long after getting married as we couldn’t afford to run two cars, so Gill got the car and I learnt how to ride a bike. Bought it from Richardsons on Abbeydale Road and included a mornings training in the playground of Granville College. The high riding position was great for a first bike and I had a bit of fun riding it up to Stanage Pole a few times as well.
Eventually was stolen from the car park at work, which I’m still convinced involved a certain individual who worked there.
Honda CB 125
F817 BKY
08-Oct-93 to 14-Dec-94
1yr 2mth
A second hand replacement from Jeff Halls for the stolen DR125 this had twin cylinders and was a much smoother ride.
Kawasaki ZZR600 D1
H281 XAL
14-Dec-94 to 03-Oct-97
2yr 9mth
For something to do I took my motorbike test in 1994, of course that meant I could buy a bigger bike. I didn’t need a bigger bike but I found this at Charles Freeman Motorcycles in Eckington.
As 600cc machines went this was quite heavy but it looked good.
Kawasaki ZZR600 D5
R650 VAK
03-Oct-97 to 14-Jun-03
5yr 8mth
Another new purchase, this time from Jack Woods on Abbeydale Road.
Honda Deauville NT650V
YMo3 OHD
14-Jun-03 to 24-Sep-08
5yr 3mth
A neck injury from many years before started to cause problems due to the riding position of the sports bikes, so I bought this from Cusworths in Doncaster.
It had a more upright position and was a very smooth ride. Used it quite a bit to get to work in Leeds but never really liked motorway riding.
I sold this on eBay to a policeman in Galway, Ireland who had it collected and deleivered to Hollyhead where he collected it and took it back on the Ferry.
SYM GTS 250i
YN58 EPO
20-Sep-08 to 25-Jun-17
8yr 9mth
The Deauville was proving a bit big for my daily commute into Sheffield so I decided to go for a twist and go scooter.
Bought new from Shiregreen Service Station and I probably had more fun on this than any of the sports bikes as the centre of gravity was so low – probably why I kept it for so long.
Raleigh Motus
Crossbar Hub
May 17 - present
When the SYM reached that point of being less reliable it was time to look again at eBikes, and this one seemed to fit the bill.
After a bit of research I discovered this with Hub gears which you can change whilst stopped.
A perfect route back into using a push bike but which helped me back up the hill from town :)
Carrera Cross City Electric
Folding Bikes
Jul 18 to present
We bough a couple of these purely to leave in the caravan over the summer.
Proved to be extremely useful in Caernarfon and Whitby allowing us to explore the nearby country, and enjoy plenty of relaxing days out.