There is something really appealing with riding a bicycle.  The quietness and efficiency has something to do with it.  On a motorized two wheeler, the appeal is similar but more like driving a convertible car but more "to the basics"  You'll know what I mean if you have ever ridden.  I like to ride because it allows me to eat more without getting too fat.

The Beginnings
I have ridden two wheels for a long time.  Before riding a bicycle, I remember riding a tricycle on two wheels by pushing my weight to one side to tip it off one of the rears.   I first started riding regularly in highschool.  My paper delivery income was slim so I didn't want to waste it on bus fare.  I rode about 10km each day.  I started riding intensively when I first saw a 30 second clip of the Tour de France on the 6 o'clock news.  Back them,  I was overweight and had asthma. Each hill was a challenge.  If I pushed hard, I would get lightheaded, I would taste blood at the back of my throat and sometimes felt like throwing up.  It was really tough for the first half year. 

Racing
A few of us formed a bike club and entered a relay race at the local university.  We won.  Don't believe me?  Ask my teammates.  Somewhere, I've got photos of it.  Later, when I had a mountain bike,  I tried racing it too.  I came in 33rd out of over 200 people.  It was tougher than I thought.  Possibly because  I made the mistake of riding out to the race.

Fixing Stuff
Fixing two wheelers yourself seems like it should be part of the overall experience.  I have been fixing two wheelers almost as long as I have been riding them.  One of my first unique projects was to retrofit a 10-speed bike to have two caliper brakes on the rear (the idea was to have one plow the rain before the other).  I've worked at two bike shops for nearly 8 years.  One was a high-end road racing shop.  The other was the biggest bike shop in the city in the 1990's.  Bike shops pay poorly but generally they are fun places, especially if you are a mechanic.

Crazy riding
These can be described as epic rides or death rides.  Try these sometime.  They're fun.  Try no to get into trouble.  Don't blame me if you do.  Give me a shout if anyone wants to join me.  The original members of the "team" have diminished either by moving away or riding less.  It's getting kinda lonely on these one-person "team" rides.

• Vancouver to Bellingham.  Total distance is about 120km or 150km if  someone leads you astray.  Get a group of  three or more people for more fun.  We would ride rain or shine.  It's miserable in the rain.
• Ride out and around UBC after midnight.  Wake up at 2am and experience the quiet streets and fresh air.  I did quite a few of these back when the total distance was about 60km.  Not many people knew I snuck out because I was usually back by 4:30am.  I did one after prom night... someone <ahem> didn't show up because it was raining.
• All the way up Cypress, Grouse or Seymour.  All fun but Grouse used to requires a mountain bike because it is a rough gravel  access road.  Bring food and water.
• One of my favourite rides is up the backside of  Burnaby Mountain on the trails.  Do this on a road bike because it is more fun.  It's all in the shade so it's good for a hot sunny day.

Motoring
I'm on my fourth motorized cycle.  The first was a Honda Spree scooter.  It was slow and toylike but I used it to do a 60km a day commute to university for half a year.  I moved up to a Honda CBX250 motorbike.  This bike was really economical, the instruments and controls were well laid out, and maintenance was easy (It's a single and there's minimal plastic bodywork.)  The only problem is the single produces more vibration to the hands and the motor was only enough for 110km/h.  My last motorbike was a Kawasaki EX250.  This bike has a twin-cylinder motor.  It was smoother and could go up to 130km/h.  The best thing was its 14,000rpm redline.  Every run past 11,000rpm sends your hair on end.  My current motor is a 2002 (pre-bugeye) Yamaha BWS-R 50cc scooter.  See my Project BW page for more details. (I've sold this in Winter '04)

My current bicycle is a highly modified Specialized Crossroads.  I use it on and offroad.  The main features are 3 LED headlights, super durable but slug-like Panaracer UrbanMax tires, and 3x8 wide range gearing.

Honda Spree.  See, it even looks like a toy.  Max speed just over 50km/h. 80 pounds heavy.

Honda CBX250.  Imagine it without the chin spoiler (this pic was from Google).  A perfect beginners' bike.

Kawasaki EX250.  Imagine it in black with red highlights.  I'll dig up a real photo sometime. 14,000rpm...

Yamaha BWS-R.