1970 – My interest in motorcycles goes back to the mid 60s. My parents, like most, were against motorcycles, but a bit of persistent nagging from me resulted in my first bike – a modified scooter frame with a Villiers 125cc two-stroke engine with a 3-speed gearbox

1972 – My first “real” motorcycle came when I was old enough to ride legally. It was a secondhand Suzuki T200 road bike. 200cc two-stroke 5-speed. Not fast, but great for learning

1973 – At that time Yamaha had just brought out their RD350. It was THE bike to have, and somehow I found the money to get one. It was fast, nimble, great brakes. Everything a boy-racer wanted.

I had the RD for about 13 years.

1977 – Not sure what motivated me, but at one stage I decided to try out a sidecar. This is my trusty RD with a DJP chair

1978 – I’d always been interested in road racing, and, spurred on by Graeme Laing’s super-scooter, I got a Suzuki U70 step-thru with a A100 engine. Inter-university race meetings were fun!

1980 – More racing, this time with a MotoGuzzi 50cc Dingo GT frame with a Suzuki A100 engine with race kit. Close ratio box, bridged exhaust ports, lightweight magneto, expansion chamber, plus a few home-built extras: reed valve induction (as well as the standard disk valve), cantilever suspension.

1997 – I’d had a break from motorcycle ownership for a while as my family grew up, and then I started my Harley phase. An 883 Sportster. I’d always wanted one after seeing the cover of a Two-Wheels magazine years earlier. A nice all-round motorcycle.

2002 – More HD, this time a Dyna LowRider (I’m short). 88cu-in engine, 5 speed gearbox. Low, comfortable ride, but not so good on cornering. Crap rear suspension – why can’t HD make good shocks?

2006 – HD Road King Classic. When you’ve run out of things to buy, get one of these! What a great motorcycle! 96cuin engine, fuel injection, 6-speed box, cruise control. Excellent for cruising, and looked magnificent. I thought that this would be my “forever” bike, but after doing lots of km I decided it was just too heavy. A few wrong-footing tip-overs in carparks convinced me to sell it.

2009 – Gilera Fuoco. Well this was a change! A 3-wheeled single cylinder 500cc scooter with variable transmission. It was fun, but under-powered for its weight. The fuel tank was too small for any decent touring. It was useless on dirt roads (small wheels). It’s really designed to be a city bike. Being able to lock the front end at lights with your feet up was priceless!

2012 – Time to get back on a Suzuki. A C50T – 800cc twin with shaft drive. Nice cruising bike. Beautifully finished. I fitted an electronic cruise control to it and did a lot of km.

2014 – My first Honda. 700cc twin with 6-speed box. Don’t know why I bought this, but it was incredibly smooth, low seat, not terribly powerful, had ABS and was really cheap. The dealer went out of business a week after I bought it! It got the best fuel consumption of any bike I’ve owned. I grafted the electronic cruise control to it. I played around with OBD.

2019 – One of my friends alerted me this bike on sale in Melbourne for AUD5000, with 2000km on the clock. A 2013 MotoGuzzi Breva 750 twin, shaft drive. I had to get it! I moved the cruise control and saddlebags to it. Lighter than any of my recent bikes, with nice torque and good handling, it’s a joy to ride.