Motorcycles & Me
Hello and welcome to Wheels of Freedom, my photography blog about motorcycles and the biker lifestyle aimed at the more mature rider! Pretty much like myself! Based in the Northwest of England come with me on my journey as I meet bike-crazy people and explore the UK biker culture scene in the Northwest of England.
Question: Are you out there? If you are a biker with several years of experience in motorcycling and would like to be part of my blog, then please get in touch. I would like to do a few rider profiles to add interest for other readers and show what a diverse lot of people we are!
My name is Mark Davies and I have had a few motorcycles down the years. My background workwise never involved vehicles. I worked in the Government for many years before ending up as an IT Trainer. It was during my early years that I undertook several courses to build computers and learn web design and I did graphic design to the HNC level. I also did a photography course to learn some basics of what was back then cameras with rolls of film. How things have changed! Anyway, having a blog is new to me but there is still plenty to learn.
Motorcycles – Today I have a Yamaha Tracer 9 GT. I had a Harley before that and a long time ago in my twenties, I had a Kawasaki and Suzuki bikes.
I like many before me got hooked from an early age and it’s hard to escape once you have the bug! I am not a true “petrolhead” as I know only a little about how they fit together and work. So if we ever meet, try not to talk about engines or fuel injection as I will probably nod off!
What excites me about motorcycles is the design and look of each bike. Something to do with the shape and materials used in its construction is fascinating. More so these days with so many different models on the roads. I find bikes from years ago are just as interesting as any new models of today. The older designs or “classic” bikes as they are known as are popular today as they have ever been!
My Motorcycle Journey
My journey started in the late 1970s when I was around 17 years of age. My older sister had a bike at the time, a Honda 185cc if my memory serves correctly. She used to use it around town and for commuting to work. However, It was my Dad that got her started. He had a bike or two in the 1960’s, one with a sidecar that I don’t remember being a baby but we have photos somewhere that I will post once found!
Back in the 1980s, you could have a bike up to 250cc as a learner driver and this is how I got my experience. I passed the test on this bike which was a Kawazaki Z250. It was a great little bike but I remember the exhaust pipes never seemed to last very long (the back bits I mean where the fumes come out!). Apart from those I don’t recall having any issues with the bike.
YouTube was not born!
You always learn things when you have a vehicle and it’s no different with a bike. You start to learn when things go wrong. Then how to put it right again! Back then there was less help, YouTube wasn’t born and the web was just getting going. So you either got advice from a friend, or relative or asked the local bike shop. It’s much better today of course.
