coming back to biking

[agentpineapple]

is it me, or do we get a lot of new members who have been away from biking for an extended period of time, is the storm one of the best bikes to own after time away from two wheels.
I bought my first storm after a two wheeled break of ten years, I found it to be CHEAP, comfy and quick, not to mention the insurance grouping is the lowest of any 1000cc bike.
did anyone else have a similar introduction to firestorm ownership?

[Varastorm]

I have had a bike since I was 14, First one was an MZ 150 woohoo A Christmas prezzie from my parents.

Then through the ranks of purchasing nearly every 250cc ever made for pennies, because of the new 125cc learner limit making them unusable on the road with out a licence.

Back then, off road/scrambling & glue sniffing was the thing in old disused quarries

But my hero at the time was British MX champ Dave Thorpe & I bought myself a "Fire engined" Honda Red Rocket CR250cc of which the starting of it still haunts me today.

Then I bought another CR125cc & quickly swapped it for a TY175. Which is the bike which I cut my teeth on.

First road bike after passing my test was a GSX550, I've fond memories of that bike

Then two 1980's CB900's. I can vouch that the cam chains do try to cut the block in half Glitter in the oil anyone.

Next was a GPZ900. That was a fast bike.

Then a GSXR1100J, last of the slabbers, should never of sold it

Speed was now an addiction, so I bought a ZZR1100C3, but it ate back tyres. I managed to get under a 1000 miles out of a Pirelli Dragon & had two near death moments in one week.. For sale....

Then the last bike was an FZR1000RU. Brilliant bike, I toured Northern Ireland with that. But had a bad accident involving a learner car driver who didn't notice that the traffic lights where on red & you should stop....

10 years go by & a mate of mine offers me his Varadero. It's not a looker I thought, but we agree a price & I leave his place thinking about how much I can sell it for.

Once I (3 people to get it off the bike trailer) get home, I give it a good clean & charge the battery. Whilst circling it in the garden a bond grows & it starts to look not so fugly anymore

I took it for a spin around the island & here we are today 5 years later.

Best bike I have owned tbh, the engine is a peach now it's up to VTR specifications

Well done Honda

Sorry for banging on

[StuartWags]

I got back into biking about 2010 at 45 after a 20 (about) year gap. I I picked up where i left off with a 4 pot. 1987 yamaha Genisis FZR 750. I my brother suggest a v twin, he had a SV in canada.
So i got a storm. Took a bit of getting use the riding style.

In those 5 years I have
two very nice Genesis (750 and 1000), a Pan, 10 VTRs and a CG125.... Down to the 2 1/2 VTRs at the moment.

The pan was the most sensible and conveinient out of all of them to be honest. but.....

I dont know why exactly but the VTRs have stayed

[Stratman]

I had been out of biking for many years. I bought a cruiser, but realised I'd soon come to a nasty end on that as I kept grinding out the sidestand etc and it handled and braked like a pogo stick. I tried a CBR600 and hated its peaky engine, Then I tried a FireStorm and there was no going back.

I have the TDM for touring and have tried other bikes but for real world riding on the sort of roads I like (technical and twisty) the Storm works for me. With the Scorpion exhausts the soundtrack is always epic and I still smile like a teenager

[turbo_billy]

Took a break from biking for a few years due to family. Finally got back into it when a friend of a friend was selling his FZR1000 rat bike. Good fun but certainly no looker
Then another mate picked up a CBR600 F3 to make a profit on. I went with him to pick it up and ended up with it for the purchase price. Did everything it said on the tin.
Then the fever really started, with the addition of a CBX1000 (to replace the one I sold 20 odd years ago and regretted ever since) The CBR was sold which left room in the garage for a nice GS1000S (another blast from the past.) Followed by the rest of the "family" that I am lucky enough to still have. The only other bike I let go was a GSX1100F that I swapped for my Storm (one of the best decisions I ever made)
So, several years and 11 bikes later................
Really wouldnt know what to do without bikes in my life now in one way, shape or form.

[kev64]

I had a 10 year break, I only got the VTR coz I like vee twns (previous one was a TL1000 death trap)
I find the VTR very for giving !!!

[SmileyVTR]

I've riding since I was 7, on little Yam 50cc, then 80cc then Honda MTR125...passed test in NSR125 (white, such a gorgeous125)...then at 18 bought a CBR600 (jelly mould one) which I rode every day for 5 years, regardless, I honestly felt at one with that thing. Unfortunately a loose petrol hose (must have forgotten to tighten it when fitting) worked loose after a bomb to Matlock and ended up catching fire in middle of Hyson Green in Nottingham!
Waited a few years then got a ZX6. Amazing engine to the CBR but never felt "at one". Used it to commute and after writing it off twice in 3 months (cars doing u-turns without looking) I took they the insurance money and took up mountain biking, and then started a family.

So after 14 years this June, at 42, that biking itch just got stronger and stronger and I thought enough was enough...but I needed something that would slow me down from my old hooliganism days.

I have always loved Hondas, thought a Fireblade might be a bridge too far, then I remembered seeing a Firestorm and thinking how bloody amazing it looked and sounded.
And I like to be different - a v-twin ticked that box.

So I found an absolute minter of a bike, YELLOW even, for hardly any money, with cheap insurance, so I just went for it.
Have absolutely no regrets. I was happy plodding along listening to those (micron) exhausts...but after several months the speed and lean angles have increased, as are my smiles and the daily desire to get my leg over her (damn you winter!!!!).

[countrymick]

22 year break for me.always fancied a twin first time but ducatis were always over my budget,my storm is 15 year old and looks almost new.now ive got it setup how i like it its great.you can bimble along or wind the wick up and not much can leave you on a twisty road.job sorted alough i am looking for a new project as a second bike along side the storm.fz750 seriously updated.i had a couple years ago and know there faults,i find half the pleasure is getting the spanners out over the winter.best bit was going to sw scotland last year and discovering im not riding like a grannie after all.great fun

[fabiostar]

I used road bikes upto about 25 then went down the racing route. road racing then supermoto . about 6 years ago i decided i wanted a road bike and git a ZX7R. LOVED IT . but a total pain in the neck so a storm i suppose was my return to the roads proper

[alanfjones1411]

Never left it.See bike history

[StormingHonda]

Quite honestly couldn't not have a bike, as my mother in law says " its in your blood ".

Most people have children scrape for a bit of cash and then look at the motorcycle as an asset more, sell it and don't ride for twenty odd years.

Personally it does irritate me because when they reach an age where they can afford any bike they want most of them can't ride for toffee, buy popular models and then crash the crap out of them, in turn drives up my insurance, which happened a lot in the late 90's when there seemed to be a lot of reborn bikers coming back to bikes.

I bought a CBR600 which I absolutely cherished the hell out of, I had been after one for years then I finally got a pristine nearly new one, then a load of reborn bikers started buying CBR600s and crashing them, a year later my insurance doubled with ALL insurance companies when I asked they said that the reborns had driven up this models risk factor and in turn the premium and I had to sell the bike as I couldn't afford the insurance, I have 4 children and never saw my motorcycles as something to sell or an asset.

Maybe I am a bit bitter about it, which is why I don't have a lot of respect when it comes to reborn motorcycle enthusiasts.

There's just something the erks me when I see a load of fat middle aged reborn bikers in one piece leather romper suits, with the latest plastic rockets wobbling round corners and comparing dyno sheets, mind you saying that they do supply a steady stream of low mileage nearly new bikes into the second hand market.

Not saying everyone's like that but you do see a lot around bike meets that fit the bill.

Some people do have good reasons, like emigrating or illness or genuine cash problems.

[Pete.L]

I've never been on a break either.
Picked up my first VTR 14 years ago Wanted to try the twin thing and was pretty impressed with the mid range and the drive off the bends compared to an inline four.
I'm not so much about the speed any more but I still like a bike to handle even if I am old enough to sit around posin in leathers and drinking tea with my dyno sheet hanging out
It's not true about the lycra though, that was just a rumour and can't be proven

Pete.l

[stevegringo]

My first bike was a " T" reg (1977 I think ) Honda CG125 at the age of 17 bought from a bloke in the pub for a whopping £150 ! ...It was a bag of nails but I loved it ...it blew up on me 6 months later and I replaced the engine which cost me another £ 80 ...I could get 62mph on it with my ass on the pillion seat and my feet on the rear pegs chin on tank ! I thought I was Barry Sheene !!! lol
Never passed my test back then ...and after getting married in 87 left bikes alone as wifey didn't like them ...5 years later and my younger brother offered me a TS125X for next to nothing and I persuaded the Mrs that If I had the bike she could have the car all the time ! which worked !
I passed my test in "92" and upgraded the TS for a revere 600 shafty...My first proper bike ! Used that in all weathers all year round and learnt alot about diesel and drain covers wet leaves etc in the process.
In 97 I bought my first "brand new " bike ! ..unfortunately it was only a 600 diversion but it was new !! 5 years later and it was very tired and after a divorce I had a lil money in my pocket ..so I bought my first Storm ,
it was a 2001 plate yellow mint with only 1500 miles on it .
4 months down the line and I binned it on a sharp left hander ...oops ! . walked away with just concussion and a hole in me left knee...feeling lucky I bought a cheap TDM 850 which suited my 6 ft 6 frame very well and I would probably still have that now if I wasn't taken out on a 30mph road by a car doing a "U" turn smidsy ! Broke me leg in 2 places and that's the time when I thought ..ok someone's trying to tell me something here and I stopped riding for 8 years...
Every summer I would watch all the bikes out and about enjoying the sunshine and it would eat away at me ..meanwhile my two brothers had both passed their tests and were riding around on Blades , ZXR's GSXR's etc and
eventually I scraped together £700 to buy a 600 Bandit from ebay .

I liked it so much that I bought another then a 1200 Bandit ...but these were not as enjoyable as my storm was and one drunken night I was browsing ebay ( as you do ) and found myself looking at storms ..these are cheap now I thought and placed a cheeky bid on a couple ...which resulted in me taking ownership of a yellow one back in July! I'm pleased to say it's still in one piece and now my pride and joy!

oops sorry for the long post ..got a lil carried away there ! lol

[darkember]

Red Rocket 250 used to ride those and scared the sh1t out of me. The power band was brutal

[bigtwinthing]

Red Rocket 250 used to ride those and scared the sh1t out of me. The power band was brutal

Was that the 2 stroke trials bike/scrambler thing? I had one. wish i had it now.