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desmo
19-11-2009, 05:28 PM
Ok who is your biking hero or the person you most respect / admire?
It can be anyone to do with bikes, Riders / Commentators / Engineers etc.

Mine is this guy, the late, great John Britten.
A brilliant maveric engineer who when he wasn't satisfied with a product, he would make his own, this could be anything from the taps in his house to a complete motorcycle.
The guy was a complete genius & very sadly he died at a young age, who knows what he would have gone on to achieve.
If Ducati had employed him, what would be be riding around on now?
If you ever get the chance to read his book or watch the video do so, you will be amazed by his story.

http://i147.photobucket.com/albums/r297/desmo-s2r/JohnBritten1.jpg
Arbeia
19-11-2009, 06:03 PM
There can be only one
http://i992.photobucket.com/albums/af49/Arbeia76/Evel_KnievelScan.jpg
buzzbomb
19-11-2009, 06:20 PM
Come on guys theres only one hero that we on this forum should be in awe of and thats Mike (the bike) Hailwood, not only was he an awesome rider but he helped put the name of ducati on the map.
Trent
19-11-2009, 06:35 PM
Mine is this guy, the late, great John Britten.


+ 1

Funnily enough, I watched "One Man's Dream" (again) on You Tube this morning...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SaNgT5-yEdo
chris yeatman
19-11-2009, 06:36 PM
in the bike racing seen, it's got to be the one and only barry sheene.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=deAW7ET5Y8M
Julie
19-11-2009, 06:46 PM
http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/humm/images/mountains-lois-austin.jpg
Austin Vince

www.mondoenduro.com

and Lois Pryce

www.loisontheloose.com

Two of my friends and two of my heros.
Pancho
19-11-2009, 07:10 PM
Sorry guys, but there's only on king the late great joey Dunlop, followed closely by is brother Robert, who also lost his life to the sport he loved. If any 1 dosnt know them check them out! It's an amazin sad story, 2 days after Robert lost his life his son went on to to win his class at the nw200. very moving! You couldn't wright a script like it.
MotoNik
19-11-2009, 07:30 PM
http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/humm/images/mountains-lois-austin.jpg
Austin Vince

www.mondoenduro.com

and Lois Pryce

www.loisonthelose.com

Two of my friends and two of my heros.

That's very cool that you know them. Read Lois' books, and they're excellent. And love Mondo Enduro and Terra Circa. Very cool indeed!

Nik
MotoNik
19-11-2009, 07:31 PM
Paul Smart is one of mine. Lucky enough to meet him twice - what a lovely bloke!

Second would also be John Britten - utterly amazing talent, and huge loss.

Nik
kneedown
19-11-2009, 09:12 PM
Sorry guys, but there's only on king the late great joey Dunlop, followed closely by is brother Robert, who also lost his life to the sport he loved. If any 1 dosnt know them check them out! It's an amazin sad story, 2 days after Robert lost his life his son went on to to win his class at the nw200. very moving! You couldn't wright a script like it.

i agree was great to see him many times at the I.O.M
for g.p;s you cannot compare past and present but rossi has to be in top 3
NattyBoy
19-11-2009, 09:30 PM
That's my boy!
BluprintZ
19-11-2009, 09:43 PM
King Kenny.

http://i513.photobucket.com/albums/t336/BluprintZmusic/Kenny_Roberts.jpg

G ; )
Davy
19-11-2009, 09:49 PM
Sorry guys, but there's only on king the late great joey Dunlop, followed closely by is brother Robert, who also lost his life to the sport he loved. If any 1 dosnt know them check them out! It's an amazin sad story, 2 days after Robert lost his life his son went on to to win his class at the nw200. very moving! You couldn't wright a script like it.
I stopped Joey in the paddocs on race day a few years ago to sign a T shirt for my nephew in NY, The two minute horn blew and when joey tried to sign the shirt the bloody marker i gave him dissapered into it's self, Joey stuck it into his mouth and left his lips black trying to fetch it out with his teeth the next thing the one minute horn blew as he got it out signed it and ran off to win the race. They don't make them like that anymore.
JMo
19-11-2009, 10:56 PM
Stephane Peterhansel - quiet, unassuming - to meet the guy you'd never think he'd won the Dakar Rally 9 times!

http://i492.photobucket.com/albums/rr289/JMoandpiglet/Heroes%202009/HeroesLegend2009271.jpg

Over his career he won 6 times riding for Yamaha, then swapped to four wheels and won 3 more times with Mitsubishi... and he might well make it 10 this year driving for BMW...

xxx
big pete
20-11-2009, 06:38 AM
Dougie Lampkin , arguably the greatest trials rider of all time and a genuinely nice guy. Then maybe Kevin Schwantz
Mand
20-11-2009, 06:58 AM
Joey Dunlop
David Jefferies

Anybody that has ridden around the Mountain Circuit too. :)



Julie - you're cool without knowing Lois and Austin :)

xx
giler
20-11-2009, 08:30 AM
Too many! But Sammy Miller has always been one of mine, trials, enduro road racing he did the lot and still is (now in early 80's I believe).
Pic is from last year at the TT Parade, the red mist still decends at his age:thumbsup:

Second pic is Steve Mcqueen - the ultimate cool:hail:
He11cat
20-11-2009, 08:50 AM
Barry Sheene was who I liked as a little girl....
I didn't know this but
A little-known piece of trivia is that Sheene invented the motorcycle back protector, with a prototype model he made himself out of old helmet visors, arranged so they could curve in one direction, but not the other. Sheene gave the prototype along with all rights to the Italian company Dainese - they and other companies have manufactured back protectors since then.
Humbucker
20-11-2009, 09:14 AM
Barry Sheene for me, confident, brave, cocky and charismatic-
jimbo696
20-11-2009, 09:17 AM
In the bike world, it has to be Phil Read as he is an 8 times world champ. Much underrated as a British legend....I know he has bad press, but then who hasn't!!
My avatar is Phil on the Kenny Roberts Yamaha OW54, at Brands this year.
www.philread.org
Pomp1
20-11-2009, 10:46 AM
Claudio Castiglioni and John Britten for me..
giler
20-11-2009, 12:54 PM
I nearly forgot the legendary George Shuttleworth!:)
Grumpy
20-11-2009, 06:07 PM
For me, my hero has to be Joey.
I watched him race at both the IOM and the NW200, amazing! He made racing on public roads look effortless.
His death was a major loss at the time for 'pure' road racing.
As to the comments on John Britten, having watched his amazing creations race on the IOM in '96, the yr Mark Farmer was killed if I remember corerctly, is a specticle I will never forget, the sound and sight of the purple/pink machines running round the island was incredable.
I was so impressed, I purchased the tee shirt( long gone:() and the offical poster of the Britten team which still hangs, framed, on my office wall.
Pancho
20-11-2009, 07:04 PM
was it also a Britten that robet Dunlop crashed off during the tt?
Grumpy
20-11-2009, 08:18 PM
Not in '94, he was riding a honda RC45 from a private team, I saw the bike afterwards, Robert was a very luck man to live.
grunter
26-11-2009, 06:15 AM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9NAi6feAMOs

legend
grunter
26-11-2009, 06:23 AM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uItYBvMwuN0
Stuart42
26-11-2009, 06:59 AM
As Mand said, ANYBODY, who races the Mountain, regardless of ability. From the likes of the top guys to the privateers who manly do it for the love of it, knowing that the podium is almost unachievable.

Also the marshals & especially the travelling marshals who know when they get called it's usually not going to be nice, and they do all this for free so us nutters can enjoy THE greatest race ever.

So you can see why I'm not a Jim Moodie fan, but thats another rant.

If you're ever over for the TT or Manx please sign up to be a marshal, without you it can't run.

To all those that have paid the ultimate price and the ones they've left behind, you're all heros to me.

Stuart