"The F.D.M", a Honda CB250RS ('84).
"The F.D.M", a Honda CB250RS ('84).
This bike took me about 9,000 km over five months of learner riding before I finally cracked the head fanging it up the side of Mt. Dandenong. I'm still very fond of this bike - it was an excellent learner bike with plenty of torque and that distinctive single-cylinder "thumpa-thumpa" sound :)
"Brunhilde", a Kawasaki ZZR 250 ('96 model).
I bought this new in April and rode it up to Sydney a couple of days later, after running it in. A very sweet bike - very revvy and handles like a charm. Plenty of power over 8,000 revs and it just keeps pouring it on until a screaming 13,000 or so.
Brunhilde met her end on the South Eastern freeway near the Punt Rd turnoff. Peak hour traffic, wet conditions and an idiot in a cage who suddenly changed lanes without looking or indicating left me roadsurfing and wrote Brunhilde off. The moral of the story - lanesplitting is never, ever safe, even when it's legal.
"Giselle", a Kawasaki ZZR 250 (blue instead of purple).
I then bought another new ZZR250, called 'Giselle'. This one served me well for a few months, and finally I got off my 250cc restriction so I was able to buy a larger bike.
"Aphrodite", a mighty VTR1000 ('97 model).
The VTR1000 "Firestorm" is a great bike. With massive torque all through the rev range and that rorty V-twin sound this bike is simply sex on wheels. I bought it in July `97 and immediately put on Staintune pipes to let out those V-twin vibes. I've also installed a bicycle computer and a scottoiler on "Aphrodite" and now I've moved to black Yoshimura pipes for a deeper sound. Check out my VTR FAQ!