As a kid with limited drawing capabilities I remember one of the first things I drew was a 2D drag racer. Funnily enough the fat rear wheeled car, in essence, was the beginning of the scooter dream. Having my first experience on two wheels at the age 5 on a BMX bike in the streets of Sydney, it wasn’t until the ripe age of 12 of a farm out the back of Yass I experienced powered two wheeling.
The Honda 100cc dirt bike was the coolest thing I had ever encountered, considering I'd grown up in Coogee. The hills were as tall as mountains and I spent the first day on the dirt bike driving up and down a hill not having to pedal! This was me hooked!
Some time had passed and in 2001 my sister had won a scooter on 'The Wheel of Fortune' - TV game show. It was a pull start 49cc two stroke that wasn’t even street legal... that didn’t stop me from cruising the local neighbourhood.
It wasn’t until 2003 that I first bought my first road legal scooter. I was having trouble parking at a girlfriend’s house, working on half days on Saturdays near the beach where parking was at a premium - I often spent more time looking for a spot to park, than actually on the sand and in the surf down at Coogee or Bronte Beach! It was these needs that pushed me to buy a scooter. It had to be something easy to park fun to ride and zippy enough to get around town quick! I bought a SCP 50cc which boasted 'ABS' and auto alarm with a top box for $1995. Needless to say that didn’t quite cut it around the hilly terrain of the coast, and after a year of cruising at a top speed of 70klms it was time for an upgrade.
I was too young to afford ride an Italian classic and too green to find old one and restore it.. the only other option was a sports style TGB 150cc had big 13 inch alloy wheels and sporty looks with performance to match. It was a great package: reliable, cheap to run and zippy enough for national park and Palm beach runs! The best part: With pillion pegs out and the most tucked position I could get into I could hit 110klms/hr on a slight downhill and the wind behind me!
Since then I've been dreaming up my perfect bike. Something cool, customisable, and powerful to boot. I found such a bike in the Hunter Scooter, and I've been hooked on this dream and on a quest to bring one here to Australia, the dream has now become reality!