Specification: Engine: 49cc Air-cooled 2-stroke single. Power: 5 bhp @ 8500 rpm. Torque: 3 lb-ft @ 8000 rpm. Dry Weight: 88 kg. Top speed: 35mph.

This Suzuki TS50ER was my first motorbike. Bought as a non-runner in 1987 when I was 15, I disassembled it, got the seized engine re-bored, repainted the bodywork and re-assembled the lot on a very meager pocket money budget. There's no getting away from the fact that this motorbike was slow with a 35 mph top-end. Knocking out restrictors in the exhaust and adding a K&N filter with bigger main jet made a lot more noise that made it feel faster and do about 40mph.

It was good fun and quite capable off road though and let me learn my road-skills without risk of being caught out by speed or excess power. Still wish I had it !

Specification: Engine: 247cc Air-cooled 2-stroke parallel twin. Power: 29 bhp @ 8000 rpm. Torque: 18.9 lb-ft @ 7500 rpm. Dry Weight: 128 kg (282 lbs). Top Speed: 95 mph. Standing 1/4-mile: 14.8 seconds.

This was my first Suzuki X7, the motorbike that really got me hooked. I passed my motorbike test on a riding school Suzuki GP125 after just 4 lessons and this X7 was my personal reward. I was 17 and had never ridden anything faster than the 12 bhp GP125 so this X7 felt like an absolute rocket. It was evil. On full throttle it would power-wheelie in 1st and 2nd. I didn't do any work on this bike so don't know what may have been done to it's carbs, pistons or ports but it had free-breathing K&N filters and ran on pre-mix (having had the oil pump removed) and I am sure it must have been tuned.

This bike was definitely faster than the X7 I own now and unfortunately too fast for my lack of experience and invincible attitude combined with springy suspension and crap cross-ply tyres. Rounding a country bend at about 60 mph one fateful day in 1990 I failed to lean over far enough and ran into the grass verge at over 50 mph. All was well until the front wheel wen into a drainage ditch, throwing me over the bars and the bike upside down into a tree which it bounced off before somersaulting down the road.

I ended up with a broken arm, ribs and torn knee cartilage while the bike was written off with a broken frame head-stock, bent forks, exhausts etc. The carburetors were collected about 50 yards down the road. A friendly local motorcycle dealer took it off my hands for about £50 and apparently the motor was used in some kind of drag racer !

Specification: Engine: 398cc Air-cooled 4-stroke parallel twin. Power: 36 bhp @ 9,000 rpm. Dry Weight: 172 kg (380 lbs). Top speed: 105 mph.

Don't laugh !. Whilst not a sporty progression from the Suzuki X7, my confidence in my riding skills had taken a bit of a knock after my off-road excursion on the X7 and I still wanted a motorbike but something a little more tame was appealing. I was just 18 and my Dad thought 4-strokes were more sensible. We found this Suzuki GSX400 in the classifieds and I had a brief test run down the street. Having only ever ridden 2-strokes I couldn't believe the low and mid-range power and a deal was done.

This motorbike was my main transport for about 18-months and was a good solid and reliable machine, even managing to entertain on a Suzuki track day at Cadwell Park. However, my riding skills soon developed and exceeded the capabilities of this semi-custom twin to the point that rather than making the mistake of not leaning over enough (as on the X7) I leant over too far exceeding front grip on a cold day and sent it scraping down the road. The bike took this surprisingly well and suffered very little damage but a new more sporty machine was required......

Specification: Engine: 572cc Air-cooled 4-stroke inline 4. Power: 65 bhp @ 10,000 rpm. Torque: 36 lbft @ 8000 rpm. Dry Weight: 195 kg (429 lbs). Top speed: 125 mph.

Now we're talking ! This motorbike was something else for me, at the time. I was 19 years old and this felt like a real tool after the sedate GSX400. A tested 65 bhp and 125mph was not to be sniffed at even compared to modern Supersport 600's which were only pushing 140mph at the time. The Box-section frame (although only where visible and made of steel), twin front-discs and anti-dive forks might not have been cutting edge but were still cool to me.

The 18 inch rear and 16 inch front wheels on this bike were an outgoing fashion from the 80's and were widely criticised on such models for dropping into slow corners too fast but I never had any problems with the handling of this motorbike. A decent chassis and tyres combined with more experience, increased confidence and ability saw an end to my crashing days. I thought this motorbike was great and really learned how to ride on it.

Specification: Engine: 249cc Water-cooled 4-stroke V-twin. Power: 35 bhp @ 11,00 rpm. Torque: 15.9 lb-ft @ 10,000 rpm. Dry Weight: 149 kg (328 lbs). Standing 1/4 mile: 15.3 seconds / 83 mph. Top speed: 100 mph.

This might seem like a step back from the GSX550 and my first Honda rather than a Suzuki ! But the GSX550 was my last motorbike at university and was sold straight after graduating and before moving to Australia for a year off. Whilst doing bar work in Sydney I was given this fairly sorry Honda VT250 which was free transport for a few months.

A bit wheezy over 80 mph this was still a good little bike with a smooth and lively motor.

Specification: Engine: 399cc Water-cooled 4-stroke V-Four. Power: 59 bhp @ 12,800 rpm. Torque: 28.8 lb-ft @ 10,000 rpm. Dry Weight: 164 kg (364 lbs). Standing 1/4 mile: 13.05 seconds. Top Speed: 130 mph.

It was 1996. I was back in the UK and grey-import Japanese 400's were all the rage. The 4 contenders were Yamaha's FZR400, Kawasaki's ZXR400, Suzuki's GSXR400 and Honda's VFR400. The Honda's V4 motor was a bit different from the rest and the bike was like a mini version of the legendary RC-30 which gave it plenty of appeal. The NC24 model preceded the more fashionable NC-30 differing only from the later model with its less fashionable single headlight and curiously routed exhaust with the can mounted on the right, obscuring the pleasures of the single-sided swing arm, compared to the left-sided exhaust routing on the RC-30. This was a great little bike with soft but competent handling and a willing and revy engine but ultimately it was too small for me with my average 5ft 9" frame.

Specification: Engine: 805cc Water-cooled 4-stroke V-twin. Power: 63 bhp @ 7500 rpm. Torque: 54 lbft @ 5500 rpm. Dry Weight: 214 kg (472 lbs). Top speed: 120 mph.

Back to the Suzuki flock and an apparently strange choice after the VFR400 but the VX came up as a very good low mileage deal from my dad after a couple of years off bikes due to finances. This was my first proper 'big' bike and while not sporty or particularly fast it was by no means slow, still capable of getting to 120mph quicker than most cars you meet on the roads. Really tractable low-down power even surprised me with a small unintentional 1st gear power wheelie on one occasion.

A nice, low maintenance (shaft drive) bike, great for commuting and two-up but not sporty enough for me.

Specification: Engine: 996cc Water-cooled 4-stroke V-twin. Power: 110 bhp @ 9,000 rpm. Torque: 64.4 lbft @ 6500 rpm. Dry Weight: 192 kg (423 lbs). Standing 1/4 mile: 11.8 seconds / 119 mph. Top speed: 145 mph. 0 - 60 mph: 3.55 seconds.

Finally with a bit of cash available I get my hands on something modern, sporty, powerful,capable and with 17 inch wheels fitted with modern sticky tyres. The Firestorm was and still is a great bike. A highly capable road machine on which I really learned how to ride fast. On my local roads I met few other bikes, GXSR10000, R1's, Fireblades etc included, that were faster than me on this. I'm not claiming to be a riding God, more complementing how easy this bike is to ride fast and in control.

The Firestorm has 100 bhp at the back wheel which is a very useable amount of power but not too much to overwhelm. On A-roads and fast B-roads while you can nail the throttle out of corners right up to the redline without fear, born again bikers on their 160 bhp missiles are feathering their throttles and clenching butt cheeks. The net effect is that on the Firestorm you are just using more of the available power and probably as much as the guys on more powerful machines as they hold back on the throttle..

Being a V-twin the power is delivered in a very unthreatening and manageable way, enabling you to make the most of it but this bike has genuine 150 mph speed and is hugely effective at rolling on and off the throttle in 4th and 5th overtaking lines of traffic.

Pictured here (me on the right) with some mates on a tour of Wales, the Firestorm was great at light touring. The much maligned fuel range of 100 - 120 miles is a bit of a pain but no big deal and allows you to stretch your legs from the fairly cramped footpeg-to-seat riding position. Having ridden the Aprillia Mille in the picture above I found the Mille to be noticeably taller, more roomy and with more leg room than the Firestorm and although the motor felt more punchy the Mille could not pull away from the Firestorm even at very high speeds.

The Firestorm was so good and I gelled so well with it that I couldn't see any benefit other than desirability of having a newer/faster/better bike and so I kept it for 6 years, the longest I'd ever kept a bike. However, towards the end of 2007 I found myself tinkering with the air box and exhausts etc in the pursuit of power. I'd started to get a bit bored and wanted to perk up my ownership experience. I figured if I could have something just a bit special I could keep it indefinitely and it would always be a pleasure to own and never feel dated in the way the Firestorm was beginning to.

Honda's VTR1000 SP-2 (RC51) fitted the bill......

Specification: Engine: 999cc Water-cooled 4-stroke V-twin. Power: 133 bhp @ 10,000 rpm. Torque: 75 lbft @ 8000 rpm. Dry Weight: 194 kg (427 lbs). Standing 1/4 mile: 10.9 sec. Top speed: 170 mph (271 km/h)

I'll never need or want a better bike than this. A bit like the Firestorm but more power, more speed, more handling, more brakes and better looks. A genuine 127 bhp at the wheel with genuine 170 mph performance and 0 - 60 mph in 3 seconds. Huge, effective brakes and a chassis as solid as a road bridge. This was the bike Honda made to beat Ducati in the World Superbikes championship and it did so at its first and second attempt. A machine developed by/with the legendary HRC (Honda Racing Corporation) which puts it in a select family of machines, most notably Honda's legendary RC-30 and RC-45.

The SP-2 went away from Honda's favored V4 engine configuration to being a V-twin that would take advantage of the rules that favored twins in superbike racing at the time. Now that 4-cylinder bikes can run in Superbikes at 1000CC Honda are unlikely to develop another twin as much as this one and that helps make it special and unique.

With HRC cast into the crankcases, the huge and beautiful swing-arm, huge ram-air duct right through the head-stock directly into the air-box and an advanced (for the time) racing type fully LCD instrument cluster, this bike is special and is fast becoming a modern classic. Performance Bikes Magazine can't get enough of them !

I don't think I'm any faster on this than the Firestorm because I haven't yet fully gelled with it but it has devastating potential on the road. Initially power doesn't feel much different from the Firestorm but as the revs rise and get over 5 - 6 Mk the difference in power becomes quite apparent and I find myself using full throttle far less often than on the Firestorm. More immediately noticeable are the stronger brakes and stiffer suspension which I do not personally find too extreme on the road.

The bike readily wheelie's off crests and shakes its head in a very controlled and satisfying way provided you power-through the 'slapper'.

This bike is a keeper.

Specification: Engine: 247cc Air-cooled 2-stroke parallel twin. Power: 29 bhp @ 8000 rpm. Torque: 18.9 lb-ft @ 7500 rpm. Dry Weight: 128 kg (282 lbs). Top Speed: 95 mph. Standing 1/4-mile: 14.8 seconds.

This is my second X7 and the one I own now. It is also the bike I've owned the longest having bought it in 2002 and I have no intention of ever selling it.. This shares the garage with the SP-2 above and is the inspiration for this website.

Specification: Engine: 247cc Water-cooled 2-stroke parallel twin. Power: 45 bhp @ 8500 rpm. Torque: 3.6 kg-m @ 8500 rpm. Dry Weight: 130 kg (287 lbs).

This picture is the only one on this page that isn't or wasn't my actual bike but it is the same model as the one I am currently rebuilding.

I've never even ridden a Suzuki RG250 but it was the bike that I really wanted when I was 17 and had my first X7. At the time they were too expensive for me but years later in 2002 I bought one off e-bay for less than £ 600. I'm only just getting round to rebuilding it now after 2 house moves, marriage, two kids and completing the X7. While I can't wait to get this one going it's not proving as straightforward a rebuild as the X7 as parts are less readily available and more expensive.

For me this bike has always had big appeal. I always thought it was better looking than Yamaha's TZR250 and its relationship to its legendary bigger brother RG500 added to the desirability. It was also the first production bike in the world with an aluminium box section frame, had massive breaking power with twin four-piston caliper discs up-front and anti-dive forks. Perhaps I was/am alone as this bike never really sold in big numbers and has not (yet) attained a real classic status.

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