Does the music you listen to influence your riding

When we were kids growing up in the country flyboy and I were exposed to the music of our parents, some may call it music. I call it suffering. You see our parents didn't have a musical bone in their bodies. They wouldn't know the difference between Beethoven and Bon Jovi, Metallica and Madonna. You see we were forced to listen to their love of country music and in particular Slim Dusty who was an Australian Country Music legend if there is such a thing. On long trips in the car they would play the same tape over and over until they decided to put in the next one and play that over and over. Unlike now, Back in those days you were actually allowed to 'hit' your kids and torture them with insane country music. You see till this day I now can't stand country music, with it's 3 chords and twanging guitar. Urgh give me death please.........

Luckily my older brother exposed me to rock music early on from Kiss in the 70's to Bon Jovi, Def Leppard and Motley Crue in the 80's, to Pearl Jam, Extreme and Metallica in the 90's. I was instantly hooked on rock music and have been ever since. I'll never go back to any other sort of music, there are so many great rock bands new and old.

Late in high school I took up guitar and all I wanted to do was play heavy rock and speed guitar. With the guitar influences that I had at the time and still do to this day I some times wonder if the music I listen to influenced me in the bikes that I like and the way that I ride them. The faster the guitar player the better, which transitioned across to motorcycles. The faster bike the better.

If you like rock music then this post is for you. If you hate rock music then maybe you should close now and go listen to some Beiber. Each clip is only around the minute mark. My very first guitar hero in the late 80's was Edward Van Halen. Here is eddies most memorable solo that influenced generations of guitar players everywhere with ERUPTION. Around this time one of my favourite motorcycles was the ZZR-1100, at that time one of the fastest bikes around. Thanks to various websites for the bike pics - cheers.



In the early 90's my favourite guitar god was a Swedish guitar slinger named Yngwie Malmsteen. Around this era I was in love with the 1993 CBR900RR. The kick ass sportsbike of its time just as fast as this neo classical guitar god.

You don't remember I'll never forget solo

92 Blade



By the mid nineties I was in full swing doing tracks days with the goal of going as fast as possible and getting the knee down. Well isn't that every sportsbike riders goals. With several rider training days at Eastern Creek and Wakefield park raceways then it was into track days, to unleash. Theres no holds barred at the track, which is like the next bikes I was drooling over. 2 living legends the GSXR750 and ZX-7. Now they were pure sportsbikes. These bikes are every bit as fast as my next guitar hero, Steve Vai the master of the modern electric guitar. Some people say steve has seven fingers to play like this...

Steve Vai - Eugene's trick bag

96 Gixxer

97 ZX-7

By the late 90's the greatest sportsbike in history came along and blew everyone and everything away. Just like the next guys guitar playing. Smokin Joe Satriani.

Joe Satriani - Back to Shalla Bal

98 R1

The modern era of sportsbikes are upon us with all their electronic wizardry, slipper clutches, traction control, ABS brakes, fuel injection, active suspension system and other bits and pieces. One of my modern day guitar favourites Mr Mark Tremonti....



Alter Bridge - Open your eyes

BMW S1000RR

And yet another modern day classic bike destined to have a great history just like it's forebearer the 916, but faster and even sexier......and Randy Rhoads taken from us way too soon.

Ducati Panigale 1198

Randy Rhoads Crazy Train outro solo

So what does any of this have to do with riding? Well maybe nothing, maybe everything. It seems that the bikes that I like are sharp aggressive and fast and when they come out are ground breaking technology in some ways. When I listen to these guitar players I realised that many of these guys are the same in their field, fast, innovative, aggressive players just like their bike counterparts.