Meet the OzSTOC Members...

[Biggles]

Biggles: you do realise that a ruby is a precious STone?

And that's the name of a cult biker movie!

Good thoughts, Rod.  I'll claim associations with both.  I do have the Easy Rider poster on my office wall.

[Biggles]

An ST fan for about 10 years, I am vertically challenged and couldn't quite take up the 1100, so when word came out that mother Honda was to release the 1300, I immediately started doing serious homework.  I joined 4 US-based ST Forums, all as "John-DownUnder": ST1300.US (originally an old MSN site), ST-Riders (which became commercial and eventually disappeared), My-MC Touring, then ST-Owners (+ OxSTOC on Yahoo here in Oz).  All great sources of info and together learning lots about how to get the best out of our STs and accessories.   I still post to ST-Owners.com (great site) and occasionally to ST1300.US.com.
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ST Riders (The LiST)  is still operating, John:

http://www.st-riders.net/

There was some argy-bargy, but they seem to co-exist with ST Owners (http://www.st-owners.com/forums/) now.

Both well woth subscribing to.

[Jinxy]

We have enough members on the forum with Military service to start our own militia. I did 5 years in the SAS. (Saturdays and Sundays) carrying the GPMG - M60. Was attached to the "Queensland Ag College - First officer training unit". Only go the one hook up but had a ball.

[MickM]

I did one year with the Salvation Army!

We have enough members on the forum with Military service to start our own militia. I did 5 years in the SAS. (Saturdays and Sundays) carrying the GPMG - M60. Was attached to the "Queensland Ag College - First officer training unit". Only go the one hook up but had a ball.

[West Aussie Glen]

Biggles: you do realise that a ruby is a precious STone?

And that's the name of a cult biker movie!

I remember seeing Stone at uni when it was first released, who can forget that glint of the piano wire in the opening scene.
Almost put me off riding.

[Brock]

I did 22 Yrs Airforce, I eventualy learned which bit of a plane was the front

[West Aussie Glen]

I did a couple of years in No. 22 (Aux) Sqn at Richmond in the early seventies. The CAF, Air Force equivalent of the CMF.

[Had]

Hey, It wasn’t my fault I got into biking. My Dad rode when he was younger. My mate next door who, was a few years older rode as soon as he was able to, but it was mostly my sister’s fault. She was also a few years older than me and she bought a Honda 50cc scooter when I was just 14 years old.  I rode it around the bush near our house and was hooked for life.
My third bike, a Honda 350cc single cylinder thumper was a favorite of mine. Currently I ride a 2008 ST1300 and a 2006 Triumph Tiger, both great bikes.
Margy and I have two adult sons. One ride a Yamaha R1 and the other, a Triumph Street Triple 675.  Our grandson is only two yrs old and hasn’t got a motorized bike YET!
I was born in Bundy and am still here! I’ve only riden with OSToc once at the time of this post but will keep in touch and will join another ride when time and work commitments permit.

[Rodd]

Good to see a local!!
I'n sure that we're going to organise a ride to (at least) the Mapleton/Maleny area at some stage!

I think that with all the guys with Military, Police and Emergency services experience we could start our own small country!!
I'm a sparky by trade, so I may be of some use!

To insert photos first you need to sign up with photobucket! It makes it much easier nowadays.
Read here:
http://ozstoc.org/index.php?topic=8.0

[MickM]

Hey there Rodd,

we might be up your way (Maleny/Kenilworth) Next weekend.

Good to see a local!!
I'n sure that we're going to organise a ride to (at least) the Mapleton/Maleny area at some stage!

I think that with all the guys with Military, Police and Emergency services experience we could start our own small country!!
I'm a sparky by trade, so I may be of some use!

To insert photos first you need to sign up with photobucket! It makes it much easier nowadays.
Read here:
http://ozstoc.org/index.php?topic=8.0

[Brock]

OK, as already said, I was in the RAAF for 21 Yrs 10mths. Became an Elecfitter (Aero eleco), and some years later the trade changed to Avionics Technician.

I started riding i about 1980 with a Kwaka Z250, that I managed to crash into a car and caravan. Got another Z250, that was upgraded to a Katana GSX650G (650cc shaft drive Suzuki).

I was sent to Malaysia for three years, where I ended up getting married. That put an end to riding for about 15 years. After moving to WA after being made redundant (yep from the Airforce, who woulda thunk it), I built a house, was educating the kids, when I saw a bike that looked nice so I took it for a ride. Bad move, I bought it A ZZR1100



Had to fix the clutch on that at some stage.



Did I say I worked on Choppers??



Played with some big cats.



Met Graham Kenedy when he was making "The Killing Fields" in Phuket

[Brock]

Oh,

Now to modern times, My ST1100P



repainted topbox

[saaz]

Looks a lot like mine, except immaculate..we need to do some swapping of..well..everything!

[Brock]

Let me think about that for a while Saaz....

No!!!!!

[Diesel]

Hey Brock - why was the ZZR1100 a big mistake? This was probably the BEST bike I never owner. Geez I wanted one fora while - do tell.

Diesel

[Brock]

The bad move was the test ride, I bought it and rode it for 100000Ks, the motor ended uo siezing. Its in the back yard waiting for me to find out why,

[JuST Peter]

I guess it's my turn now;
I started riding at the age of 17 on one of these:
and added saddle bags and a 'screen before I sold it and moved to Sydney for work as a stock controller with Dunlop in Silverwater.
That didn't work out as it should have so I joined the Army, posted to 42 Platoon Randwick with LARC amphibs, before changing to Air Dispatch at Richmond. It was here that I got back to bikes with a Honda CB100 like this:

In '77 got my discharge, and moved onto a Suzuki TS 400 similar to this one:
, but this was a tad slippery in country frost, so I moved back to road bikes with a Yammy 250:
.
This lasted about 3 years before I quit bikes for about 20 years.
By then I was single again, had a job driving buses  - still doing that :) - lived about 4 block from the bus depot so I went crazy and bought this thing!

Huge mistake!
I felt like an elephant riding a mini bike.
So that went away and along came my Hornet in 2005, which I had until June this year
. It was (and probably still is) a fantastic machine, but being a naked meant it was too cold in winter.
Then I saw the dream machine - an ST1300 - it's an '04 model with 56K on the clock, hardly a mark anywhere and a pure joy to ride

And here's the old bloke who owns it:


Employment: I now work for CDC Hillsbus out of Dural. Previously was a coal miner underground for 25 years in the Central West of NSW.
 

[Couch]

[/quote]

Hey Brock...............you met "Graham Kennedy"...............wow, you're famous!
Being born & raised in Melbourne I was brought up watching him on the Tele.

[Brock]

Couch,

I was on holiday in Phuket (again, I worked in malaysia at the time about 1983) and one of the Bar owners approached GraGra with an offer of free room and drink for the weekend, if he wanted to come down and chat with a bunch of RAAFies on holiday. He did, and it was a good afternoon with a fair bit of beer and lots of entertaining chat. I think he enjoyed it as well, as we werent trying to piss in his pocket, just having fun

[Mark]

Well, unlike many here, I did not get into riding a Motorcycle until I was in my late 20's. After arriving in Australia from the UK in 1990 (Actually lived in Wollongong in the 60's as my parents were migrants from the UK, that later decided that Aus was not for them. I had been here (Aus) for long enough to know I didn't want to go back to the land of coal and snow either)

I worked for SECWA on arriving in WA for about a year as a sparky then had to get out after we had our 3rd stop work/ strike at the depot that I worked at (I was trained as a "maintenance" electrician, repairing light to heavy industrial CNC and PLC machines, plus installation work in the same areas, arrived in Aus to find that there are millions of us maintenance sparkies here, in the UK you have your pick of jobs, but it is still the UK  ::)).

Anyway, got into another area of work altogether then, and needed to get a second vehicle to go with the trusty Nissan Bluebird wagon (1983 series 1) we had. I didn't really need another big vehicle just to truck my butt around, so had bike lessons and got myself a Suzuki GSX250 (POS, in the worst sense).

[Diesel]

Then on the Yammy XJ750 some years later, I got rear ended while waiting at a stop sign, a guy in a ute, came up behind me at speed, ramming my bike into oncoming traffic, I actually saw it coming in time to leap off to the left of my dear bike, missing going under his front wheels (Am I lucky or what?).

Geez Woody! I had to read this three times! This is ASTOUNDING!  Great foresight mate - would hate to think what would have happened if you weren't so vigilant. Great story. Thanks to everyone for the great posts - they are VERY entertaining.

Keep 'em coming.

Cheers, Diesel

[Brock]

Well this is an oldish one of me on the Bike.



I'm the one on the front of the bike.

[Bikebear]

G'day,

I live in Cairns, been here for about 13 years since moving across from Darwin. I've had my ST1100 since March last year when I took a Sunlander trip to Bundy to pick it up. (1st and last trip by train!) . My first ride was back to Cairns, Rocky - Cairns 14hrs.
My history as far as bikes .. CT125, XL250, XR250, YZ250, IT490, GN400, CB900, HD FXE, Trumpy Bonny, VT750, XF650 and of course ST1100AX. There were others but I don't really recall them.
My missus, Scooterbear, rides as well, she's currently on a DN01 that is rapidly becoming what I believe will be the most customised one in Oz. She's been riding for about 6 years starting on a 50cc scooter, then 150, 250, 400 and then the DN01.
Here's some pics...

[John Meara]

Bikebear, I've always loved the gold ST - so distinctive and uncommon.

[Biggles]

My missus, Scooterbear, rides as well, she's currently on a DN01 that is rapidly becoming what I believe will be the most customised one in Oz. She's been riding for about 6 years starting on a 50cc scooter, then 150, 250, 400 and then the DN01.

I'd never heard of the DN-01.  Looked it up- it's got an amazing transmission!!  There are 4 or 5 on Bikepoint, all under 5000 kms, and all around $10000!  Don't people take these things out of town?  Very interesting looking bike- like they say- a bit of everything.