The Early Years.

My motorcycling history by Richard Dunn

Part one - 1980 it all starts with a DT100 Yamaha. 

I’ve had a few, as they say. (Around 60 in all).

 Although I have no racing history, not on a circuit anyway, I do have some tales to tell. An amusing start would be to detail the many road bikes I have had..

            At the age of 16 I bought my first bike, a Yamaha DT100. I had nowhere to ride and it stood there waiting for my 17th birthday (19xx). I bought it some brand new white plastic mudguards and tough plastic levers as the others had been used! I awaited the day…

            The day grew closer and whilst caressing it one night ! I noticed my new mudguard was scratched, and the levers as well, ooww my Gawd, it’s been crashed. Have you met my brother Tony?  !!!

            Anyway things changed just before my birthday, I swapped the DT100 for an RD250C. I cannot remember if it was before I owned it or after, but my brother ‘dropped’ it one night near Bromsgrove and then again the next night showing his mate where it had happened. Twenty years later have I just had my revenge??? No not yet. Not until you see the picture of his motorbike and the Donkey cart. No it is not being transported, but has got a little embedded. I hope I get the photos from him before he reads this.

            He taught me to ride whilst running along by my side, 1st, 2nd, 3rd, OK “your ready to ride”. At this point I must say that C.B.T. (Compulsory Basic Training) is a hell of a lot better than C.T.T. (Compulsory, because of the laws of Physics, Tarmac Training).

            28Bhp, TT100’s, being young, laws of physics = 3 new headlamps in my first week. Ouch, but luckily no permanent scars.

            A mix of things followed;

One was an XL250, quite solid and brutal with a vertical mind. ‘Mad Harry’ warned me its scary, not kind…I was young and a hero, I kind of listened but thought I could ride. The clutch used to bind and it ran awfully rich, it was still very quick though and could keep up with RD’s and things. I was waiting to pull out from my Mom and Dad’s house with my foot on the rear brake, because of the binding clutch, when it ran out of petrol (remember it used to run rich), 8000rpm + drum brake = vertical into middle of A road with wheel landing on a passing cars roof and leaving knobbly tyre marks in a pretty s pattern from its roof to the floor. The driver stopped his car (he had noticed a motorcyclist!) and called me a “******** mad ******* for wheeling on that road. I had just rolled up and over the back of his car and had landed on the XL’s handlebars. I couldn’t be bothered with the discussion and passed out instead. Anyway the XL wasn’t hurt.

Whilst on the XL subject a driver pulled out around an Island in Wollaston, Stourbridge. She hit me hard side on and then proceeded to drive off. I retained control, (I didn’t fall off), chased her and stopped her up the road. I was the victim and examined the damage, my legs were untouched and the XL not a scratch. The sheer state of her Peugeot a gave me a laugh (justice), both lights smashed, bumper, radiator grill, and bonnet all dented. Sometimes there is a God of accidents, but not often. We all die, sometimes people go too early, I miss some of them. We got our first cat in 1993 and named her Senna. Our Senna is still here, Ayrton Senna da Silva sadly is not.

            RS250s by Honda, the single cylinder XL250 engined, road bike were (are) one of my favourite motorbikes. I had black one with a blue stripe down the petrol tank. A Tank, yes this was one indestructible motorcycle (and I did try to kill it on purpose one day). Another subject for another day. We also owned 2 other Rs250s, one the classic red, and the other a Super Dream coloured thing. These bikes were in my dreams in my days as an engineering apprentice. The memories keep coming back; there are several silly tales of the RS250’s, their lives, and deaths. Remember I said that I tried to kill one? Well Georgia, the wife actually managed it. I will tell that in the next instalment.

There are about 50+ more bikes to go, and each has more than one tale. Shall I continue? Drop me an Email if you have anything to offer. Did you ever go on the back of my bike? I heard it was exciting. I could hear the screams, and feel the blows to my back. Strange, when I went faster the thumping used to stop.

Laugh out loud (LOL)

Richard Dunn

23rd August 2003

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