Bryans was born in Northern Ireland and discovered motorcycling as a teenager while working as an apprentice fitter. He took up road riding on a BSA Bantam and entered his first competitive event, the 1959 Tandragee 100, aboard a borrowed Ambassador 199cc. For 1960 he modified his Bantam by fitting a Triumph Terrier 150cc engine, winning the Irish 200cc Championship that season.
In 1961, Bryans progressed to a 1958-model 350cc Manx Norton provided by sponsor James Wilson, an insurance broker, learning his craft alongside established local riders including Tommy Robb, Dick Creith and George Purvis. He made his Isle of Man TT debut in 1962 and later that year appeared at the Ulster Grand Prix, finishing ninth in the 350cc class on the Wilson Norton and tenth in the 500cc class on a Manx Norton supplied by Reg Dearden.
For 1963, Bryans arranged to ride Joe Ryan Nortons. At the Ulster Grand Prix that year he was noticed by Jim Redman, the Honda works team star, a sighting that would prove pivotal. Bultaco subsequently signed Bryans after he guest-rode their machines in Spain, but the manufacturer released him when Honda made an offer to join the works team for 1964.
Bryans joined Honda's factory operation for 1964 and promptly demonstrated his potential, finishing second in the 50cc class and third in the 125cc class at the Isle of Man TT. The following year, 1965, he took his chance at championship level convincingly, winning three races and adding two second-place finishes across the season to claim the 50cc World Championship. The title made him Ireland's first and, to date, only Grand Prix motorcycle world champion.
Bryans continued to compete for Honda into the mid-1960s but the 50cc class was always highly competitive, particularly with the dominant machinery developed by the leading Japanese manufacturers. He retired from active competition and later lived in Scotland. After a short illness, Bryans died at his home in Scotland on 6 August 2014, aged 72.
Ralph Bryans occupies a singular place in Irish motorsport history as the country's only Grand Prix motorcycle world champion. His career trajectory — from a borrowed 199cc machine at a local Ulster road race in 1959 to a Honda factory world title in 1965 — traced a disciplined path through the British and Irish racing scene before reaching the top level of international competition. The 50cc class he mastered was among the most technically demanding in Grand Prix racing, requiring precise throttle control and an intimate understanding of small-bore machinery.