Big Mac's Former Bikes:

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Pre Test - The Learner Years

1978 Honda CB50

1979 Yamaha RS125

1989 Kawasaki KH100

1989 Honda CB125T Super Dream

Post test - When I grow up.....

2011 Suzuki GSX1250FA-ST, 'Chilton'

 My first 'big bike' and a massive amount of fun! However, the -ST in the designation stands for 'Sports Tourer', which this definitely is not. The luggage is great and suits the bike well but the seat is just too hard for doing any kind of distance. My buttocks were screaming for mercy after just 45 minutes!

2012 Kawasaki GTR1400, 'Koda'

A huge improvement on the Suzuki and eats up the miles effortlessly, using a detuned version of the ZZR1400 1352cc power plant. A great display with all the info you could ever need is very easy to read but the GTR falls into the ED Riders Bugbear trap of using the passing light switch to cycle through the various modes. However, I felt more at home on this after an hour than I did on the Suzuki after a year.

2003 Triumph Daytona 600, 'Moses I'

OK, this was bought as a second bike for 'a bit of fun' and it certainly lived up to expectations. The grunt at high revs was more than enough to satisfy the Sunday rider and the exhaust note was pant wettingly awesome. However, there comes a time in every fat, ageing biker's life, when you just want to open the throttle and cruise past the car/lorry/bus/bike in front, without dropping four gears first!

2005 Honda CB1300A-3, 'Haider I'

This was the answer to the 'open throttle and go' requirement. My first 'muscle bike' and a very satisfying experience it was! This will pull the skin off several rice puddings at once and come back for seconds! The only drawback was that it was also my first 'naked' bike and the trek up and down the A1 on a daily basis did little to soothe my dicky neck and back.

1991 Honda CBR1000F, 'Haiderling'

I bought Haiderling as I wanted a classic bike from my youth that I could never afford when I was actually a youth. A bike for the 'Dream Garage' you might say. The use of choke to start and the feel of coaxing four carburettors into life gives a brilliant feeling of nostalgia. The down side to this urge is, when you're used to a modern bike with fuel injection, ABS, traction control, etc, etc, the 'Classic' can become quite hard work.

2009 BMW R1200GSA, 'Bart'

I arrived at Webbs in Peterborough to test ride this just as Stumpy and Dr. Tigger were there looking at clothing and helmets. Although we had encountered each other through work on countless occasions, it had never transpired that we shared a passion for biking. Possibly a bit of an omen, this was also my first 'adventure' bike and the bike with which I 'cut my teeth' in ED Riders. A great piece of German engineering, although this one had a knack of falling apart at the most inopportune of moments, as the Wales Pt II photos demonstrate! Also, the GS seat is renowned for its similarity with a breezeblock and, after a weekend in Wales, my coccyx had pretty much disowned me. Incidentally, I was disappointed to find that the new LC version is no better on the comfort front, despite being an excellent, if rather expensive, piece of kit.

2010 Kawasaki ZZR1400, 'Kodaling'

Having parted with my GTR as I just wasn't using it enough for touring, I opted for its baby brother with the 'non-detuned' engine. When first launched, the ZZR1400 was the fastest production bike on the road; the only bike I've had where you have to keep two fingers around the left hand grip whilst using two fingers for the clutch, just to hold on!! However, two things ruined this bike for me; firstly, as I became older and more broken, the riding position was just too painful for any length of time, even with bar risers and a touring screen; secondly, Mrs. Tigger started to call it 'The Spice Girls Bike' (Zig a Zig aR). It was never quite the same after that! Didn't stop me buying it back from Webbs after I had part ex'd it for my Explorer though!.

2008 Yamaha FJR1300AS, 'Yoda I'

This was, and still is, an excellent piece of kit, not least because of the 'YCCS' 'clutchless' gearbox. It's not DCT and it's not a quickshifter; it just does what you tell it to do and is great for quick getaways at the lights. Gear change is via a traditional footshifter and/or handlebar controls, although neutral is below 1st, not between 1st and 2nd. This doesn't cause any problems and even the most seasoned rider can quickly adapt to the lack of a lever on the left handlebar. The panniers can be removed easily and the holes covered with plastic plates, supplied with the bike, to give a sleek, sports bike look for the Sunday afternoon ride to Hunstanton; a great feature..

2016 Triumph Speed Triple 1050, 'Wumbat'

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This was another great bit of fun but, with hindsight, a bit of a mistake for me. It has a great riding position for an old, fat, broken paramedic and the power and sound is awesome but the near slick tyres mean it needs to be bone dry outside to be used regularly, even with the rain mode. In the UK, this is very much a rarity! If you're going to buy one, definitely get the R version with Brembo brakes and Ohlins suspension.

2008 Honda CB1300SA-8, 'Haider II'

As part of the dream garage scenario, I added both the CB1300 (this time the faired 'SA' version) and the GPZ 900R below. Both are excellent bikes in their own right but I had the opportunity of a great deal on a brand new FJR1300 and simply wasn't using either bike to the extent they deserved.

1990 Kawasaki GPZ900R, 'TopGun'

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The infamous Top Gun bike has always been a dream of mine to own and this was a great example. However, as is often the case when you meet your heroes, it didn't quite live up to expectations, in the same way as the CBR1000F, when compared to my modern bikes. Having had the carbs professionally balanced at Verity's in St. Ives (excellent place to take an older bike by the way!), there is still no power below 4000 rpm, no ABS, no traction control, no brakes really! It was a legend in its time but is simply too much hard work for an old duffer like me and I found myself admiring it rather than riding it. It never quite sounded the same as Maverick's bike either! Still a legend though and, finances permitting, it would still have a place in the dream garage!

We don't know what Big Mac's next bike will be but we can be sure it won't take long to appear!