Hi everyone. I'm not a seasoned "poster", I've been a computer nut for decades, but never saw the need to share with others. Silly me. I now see the error of my ways.
I'm an old bloke - not as old as some, but older than most. My first experiences on two wheels were as a pillion on my older brother's Lambretta 250 scooter, way back in 1967. Those were cold and exciting trips in England's snowy winters. After we moved to Oz, my brother bought a Norton 500 and I started to ride that, when he let me, but still didn't have a licence. Naughty. Just local trips - "around the block" - but it gave me a taste that has never left me.
As soon as I could legally ride, I bought a Honda CL90. I did many, many thousands of K's on that machine. They are collectors items now, I believe. This was followed by a succession of Japanese machines, two strokes, four strokes. I rode many more than I owned as I was the un-official mechanic for my friends and the labour component of any work I did was often taken as a few days temporary "ownership".
In the 80's, I ended up with a Yammy XS1.1 - this bike sold me on the idea of shaft drives, but the pressures of having young children took me away from bikes for a few years until having moved from Adelaide to Burleigh Heads, I thought - so many great roads - this is motorcycle heaven. I bought a Suzuki Burgman 400 - what a great machine, but this was just the start of the slippery slope back to my old addiction - then I bought a 1988 K100 Beemer, but the handlebar buzz was killing me, so I bought a new Suzuki DL650A. That was after a lot of research, a purchase I have not regretted (Istill have the bike, but it doesn't get ridden much at the moment). I put about 38K K's on the Strom in 2 1/2 years and loved every one of them, but the call of the shaft was still in me. I test rode an ST1300 and fell in love. Budget wouldn't allow a 13 with ABS, so looked around for an ST1100 with ABS (a must, in my mind). Bought it over the phone, rode it up from Sydney. I wouldn't be surprised if somebody on this forum knows the bike. It is a small world.
Enough of my rambling. I am looking forward to meeting new people. Since moving from down South, I've not met a lot of people other than those I work with and it will be good to meet some people with a common interest (other than work!).
My thanks go to those who have made this forum possible.
See you around.
