Project Belgarda Yamaha TDR125R part 1 - Saucy Seventeener!

If you were of a certain age, your 17th birthday meant you could finally get something 125cc sized to go ride on. Classic Motorcycle Mechanics welcomes Niall Brooking to talk about his exotic Yamaha TDR125R.

NIALL BROOKING

Hello to everyone at CMM and can I just say ‘Happy New Year’. I’m actually writing this on New Year’s Eve…

Firstly, I’ve been in CMM before, although it was some time back. My dad, Dave Brooking, knows editor Bertie of old – they’ve had the odd tussle on track days on Kawasaki ZX-7Rs. Dad said he always had the measure of Bertie anywhere they went, apart from Donington Park! Seems Bertie was a Donny ‘specialist’!

Anyways, dad has bought an old Kawasaki ZX-10 through the pages of this magazine as well as a Honda CBR1000F. He’s also boasted about his Suzuki GSX1100EFE which was going to be a massive project – he even asked CMM readers if he should do a special, but keeping in with the general theme.

That was way back in the April 2015 issue and he’s basically done… nothing.

Nada. Zilch! In his defence he’s a hard-working bloke (roofer) and he’s had a lot on his plate. Part of what’s been on his plate is me growing up (I’m now 17) and my sister being born back in 2015 too!

Clearly, with a dad who is mad keen on bikes (as well as a former Sound of Thunder racer on a trick Yamaha TRX850) and with my uncle Chris also loving the green Kawasaki ZX-7Rs, it was understandable that I’d go on to two wheels as well.

When I was younger, I had various little pit bikes and then, of course, I was also into push-bikes and the like to help me get around my village. With such a family background in biking, I’ve been on the back of my dad pretty much since I could fit on a bike. In recent years, I even starred in a CMM feature when dad took me back to the old country – Ireland – on the back of the ZX-10. It was a great time.

With such a solid grounding in bikes, it was a natural progression for me to get a scooter at 16 to commute to college and back. Bertie helped with some kit, too!

I was (and am) happy with the little 50cc scoot, but never thought I’d get myself anything bigger until I started work ‘properly’ so to speak. I’m a trainee Arborist, which is a posh name for tree surgeon…