As it normally happens, my passion for the two wheel world started when I was 12 years old at the time my father offered me my first BSA bicycle.
Later, in 1970, when I was 16 years old, I had my first motorbike, a "Sachs Minor" with a two speed automatic gearbox 50 CC two stroke engine, capable of reaching 80 km/h of top speed. I learnt my first bike riding techniques with this "Sachs Minor". Soon I also found my love for bikes with this tiny but robust motorcycle, starting my first motorbike adventures, as it may be seen in the photo where I’m jumping about 1 meter high, testing my "motocross" skills.
In 1972 I changed the "Sachs Minor" for a more powerful "Masac Casal" bike, with a 5 speed gearbox, 50 CC two stroke engine. Thanks to the modifications I made myself in the bike’s engine, I was able to get some more horsepower, reaching the 130 km/h top speed. Because I used to ride very fast I had my first major accidents with this bike, with some engine seizures in between. At the time me and my friend Carlos Paz Ferreira, who also owned a Casal bike, made up a motorbike team named the "The Arrow Team". I think the name says everything about speeding ...
Because of the many "wheelies" I used to pull with this bike, I managed to break the bike’s frame five times. The first two frames were paid by the manufacturer under the bike’s warranty but the following ones I had to pay for them myself.
When I went to France and UK to study in 1975/76, I bought a Mobillete, a very small fully automatic gearbox bike just to run around in the cities I’ve been – Bordeaux and Eastbourne.
After returning to São Miguel island I married Elisa in 1976. Admitting to myself that I was not safe enough to ride bikes, I sold my "Masac Casal" when my first son André was born.
I spent about 20 years without riding bikes until one day, in 2000, I tested an off-road Honda 125 belonging to my old friend Carlos. I enjoyed this ride so much that in the same day I decided to buy a motorbike again. I bought a powerful Yamaha TT600R for "off-road" rides around the island. However, in a more violent accident I had in the neighboring island of , I broke my left shoulder blade and fractured four ribs, I realized that this kind of bike wasn’t for my age anymore. So, in 2001, I decided to buy a beautiful and also powerful Yamaha Fazer 1000. This bike still is my favorite one amongst all I have already ridden.
One week after returning back from my (Corfu) in 2001, I had a serious accident with the Fazer. In result of this crash I had the left shoulder blade broken as well other five fractured ribs. Elisa also fractured a foot in this stupid accident.
Despite this misfortune I was happy that Elisa did not gained any fear for bikes. She only asked me to buy a less powerful bike, that’s why I decided to buy the FJR 1300, a perfect sport-touring bike, extremely safe and comfortable, although powerful enough to get some adrenaline pumping from time to time, at least when I’m riding alone. Last year I went to with this FJR and, on last June 2003, I went to a fabulous .
Back home from our Austria Alps trip, on July 2006, I decided to exchange my good old by a brand new "silver storm" , (electronically controlled clutch-less shifting device), as far as I know the first A/S (AE) model sold in Portugal.
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