It was 1980 when I first came across BMX. I was in Germany and with my classmates Uwe and Bülent we decided to start riding BMX. As our pocket money didn't allow me to buy a proper BMX, I bought a BMX-like frame and fork, rims and other stuff from the scrap yard and painted them in blue-even the tires.



It was a big thing when E.T . was in cinemas. The Kuwahara suddenly became a dream bike and we started buying BMX magazines to learn BMX tricks. I remember my first Endo and Wheelie. As the time passed I started saving my money to buy a Redline frame, Skyway Tuff II's Eline Seat and etc. and eventually built a proper BMX bike. In 1985 my family had decided to return to Turkey for good so I landed Istanbul airport in a plane together with my Redline.

At those years I thought nobody knew about BMX in Turkey. Even when I was doing a Wheelie everyone was  looking at me very strangely. One day when I was riding to home in Bakıröy with a bag with empty whisky bottles I met with two guys on their BMX'es in front of Ataköy police station. I was as surprised as they were. They were Enver and Kemal whom I have been still friends with. I put my bag on the ground and we started chatting, A few minutes later we were showing freestyle tricks to each other. WHile we were busy with this new friendship a car stopped and took my bag full of empty whisky bottles and drove away!

After that day everyday after school I threw the books to my bed and ran to the tennis court in Ataköy to meet with the guys to ride. We were doing shows in Bakırköy square to draw attention of the crowd. In the meantime we got to know other people who started riding after meeting with us and we made a riding team-RadDogs, The members of the team were Ahmet, Ediz Melih, Sinan, Cenk, Enver, Kemal and me. There was also Boğaç a skater boarder who also hung out with us. 
 



We had our Metin Abi who was fixing our bikes. He owned a bike shop in Bakırköy. His hands were always in grease up to his elbows. We used to buys some parts from him. When we needed pegs we were getting tem made in steel workshops. As the time passed working life and the army put a distance between me and the sport.



My Redline was carried from room to the balcony and then to the cellar. I returned back to Germany and I was completely disconnected from BMX but had brought my Redline to Munich with me. It spent a few years in the cellar in Munich. By the end of 2015 I went down the cellar and took out the box and started building it up again. Every part in my hand gave me excitement and took me back to those years. They were super fun times. 

I am still in contact with my oldschool BMX rider friends in Turkey and after many years we started spending good time at our 40'ies. Thanks to them and their support I now own my dream bike-1985 Redline RL20II. Now it is impossible for me to be away from BMX!