View Full Version : Classic motorcycle
Haselsh1
05-10-2017, 13:13
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4492/37512189631_4eb590258c_b.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/Z9PM5c)H2C 750 Triple (https://flic.kr/p/Z9PM5c) by Shaun Haselden (https://www.flickr.com/photos/156648964@N02/), on Flickr
Here is a shot of what was probably the luckiest I have ever been. During the mid nineties I owned this classic Kawasaki H2C 750cc two stroke triple and saw some fabulous summer motorcycling around Lincolnshire. The torque of this thing was bloody astonishing especially zooming around the local hills in the Wolds. I consider myself seriously lucky to have experienced this bike.
As is usual it was a case of right place, right time. I saw it and bought it. At the same time I owned a Yamaha FJ1200 and this H2C was so much more fun and accelerated so much stronger. Crazy damn machine.
Lovely thing, Shaun. For me, the styling of those bikes is much more preferable to anything modern :)
Marco.
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4492/37512189631_4eb590258c_b.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/Z9PM5c)H2C 750 Triple (https://flic.kr/p/Z9PM5c) by Shaun Haselden (https://www.flickr.com/photos/156648964@N02/), on Flickr
Here is a shot of what was probably the luckiest I have ever been. During the mid nineties I owned this classic Kawasaki H2C 750cc two stroke triple and saw some fabulous summer motorcycling around Lincolnshire. The torque of this thing was bloody astonishing especially zooming around the local hills in the Wolds. I consider myself seriously lucky to have experienced this bike.
As is usual it was a case of right place, right time. I saw it and bought it. At the same time I owned a Yamaha FJ1200 and this H2C was so much more fun and accelerated so much stronger. Crazy damn machine.
Years ago I had the H1 500, you really needed to take your brave pills if you fancied a bit of spirited riding. Coming into a bend at speed and dropping down a gear you'd hit the power band and it would buck and weave while trying to spit you off, frame made from drinking straws, 20 to the gallon and a raging thirst for 2 stroke oil......it was bloody brilliant. Oh and one other thing, that exhaust note was amazing.
No doubt, that just like in comparison with modern cars, the handling will be abysmal with old bikes like that, but the 'feel' and look of them (just LOVE spoked wheels and chrome ANYTHING), is something special...
The ride with modern cars and bikes, in comparison, is just too 'sanitised', and subsequently not as much FUN!
Marco.
No doubt, that just like in comparison with modern cars, the handling will be abysmal with old bikes like that, but the 'feel' and look of them (just LOVE spoked wheels and chrome ANYTHING), is something special...
The ride with modern cars and bikes, in comparison, is just too 'sanitised', and subsequently not as much FUN!
Marco.
Well that really depends on what you are calling fun
Of course, it's all subjective. In my experience, and based on what I call "fun', the BEST classic motorbikes and cars simply 'connect' you more with the riding or driving experience - and they LOOK sexier, too! :)
Stuff today, in comparison, is just too 'homogenised'... So, that's homogenised, in terms of looks, and sanitised, in terms of the drive or ride. What the last bit does is make them eminently safer and more reliable, but IMO, at the expense of 'fun factor', whilst the former impacts on individuality.
Sometimes technology has a lot to answer for ;)
Marco.
Haselsh1
06-10-2017, 06:44
Yes Ian your comments are extremely accurate. On anything like a sweeping bend this thing would weave and wriggle around. The sound though was outrageous and the torque delivery equally as outrageous. It was an astonishing bike to ride and to own and brought a lot of attention to itself.
Marco, yes, a lot of modern motorcycles are very sanitised in comparison and don't do very much with any kind of inspired fun. Over the 1990's I owned quite a few Ducati's and they are a very good example of a sanitised motorcycle. Extremely quick but highly predictable. Exactly the same with a large number of Japanese fours. Mega fast but unbelievably predictable.
I am so grateful I got to own and ride a lot of these bikes and indeed got to ride quite a few that I didn't even own. It has been an incredible pleasure over the years.
Electric bikes...! WTF...!!
Marco, yes, a lot of modern motorcycles are very sanitised in comparison and don't do very much with any kind of inspired fun. Over the 1990's I owned quite a few Ducati's and they are a very good example of a sanitised motorcycle. Extremely quick but highly predictable. Exactly the same with a large number of Japanese fours. Mega fast but unbelievably predictable.
I am so grateful I got to own and ride a lot of these bikes and indeed got to ride quite a few that I didn't even own. It has been an incredible pleasure over the years.
The emboldened text says it all, mate!
Electric bikes...! WTF...!!
The same as cars - a fooking ABOMINATION... They simply suck all the FUN out of motoring, as we're not supposed to have any at all these days!! :rolleyes:
Marco [a fun-loving 'petrol head', until the day he dies].
Zoidburg
06-10-2017, 08:57
I've had a few bikes over the years, my latest bought at the start of this year is an 2015 R1200RS BMW. Its by far and away the best riding & handling bike I've ever had. The quality of the ride is near perfect for me and that in tern means im happier / more confident on the bike and can throw it about a bit more when the conditions and location allow.
Its very easy to get rose tinted about yesterdays machines but lets face it technology in general and certainly when it comes to bikes and their tyres has moved on a lot over the years and personally though my BMW may not have the "soul / noise / looks" of some of those older bikes I'm pretty certain that Id take it over a lot of them (possible exception to a mint RC45 / Duke 916 / the odd bimoto) .
Lovely bike that Kwaka by the way, what do you rise these days Shaun?
I've had a few bikes over the years, my latest bought at the start of this year is an 2015 R1200RS BMW. Its by far and away the best riding & handling bike I've ever had. The quality of the ride is near perfect for me and that in tern means im happier / more confident on the bike and can throw it about a bit more when the conditions and location allow.
Its very easy to get rose tinted about yesterdays machines but lets face it technology in general and certainly when it comes to bikes and their tyres has moved on a lot over the years and personally though my BMW may not have the "soul / noise / looks" of some of those older bikes I'm pretty certain that Id take it over a lot of them (possible exception to a mint RC45 / Duke 916 / the odd bimoto) .
I completely agree, Ben, including (especially) the bit in bold. For me, there's no "may" about it - and that "soul", for some of us, is quite important :)
Marco.
walpurgis
06-10-2017, 09:23
Ahem.
http://i64.tinypic.com/m5v2v.jpg
Shown this before. My tuned H1/KH500 hybrid from the eighties. It didn't hang about. And, despite the stories, it handled just fine!
Yes. Those are genuine Denco road/racing pipes. The bars were flat Norton pattern.
Ahem.
http://i64.tinypic.com/m5v2v.jpg
Shown this before. My tuned H1/KH500 hybrid from the eighties. It didn't hang about. And, despite the stories, it handled just fine!
Yes. Those are genuine Denco road/racing pipes. The bars were flat Norton pattern.
That is pornography. I had a set of Allspeeds on mine and K&N filters, it used to howl like a banshee. Very true about the rose tinted glasses but I'd love to have it back, if only to ogle at these days.
Ahem.
http://i64.tinypic.com/m5v2v.jpg
Shown this before. My tuned H1/KH500 hybrid from the eighties. It didn't hang about. And, despite the stories, it handled just fine!
Yes. Those are genuine Denco road/racing pipes. The bars were flat Norton pattern.
I know, and it's ABSOLUTELY GORGEOUS!! :stalks::drool::stalks::drool:
Now *THAT* is a bike! :respect:
Marco.
walpurgis
06-10-2017, 09:48
Had one of these for a while, an absolute hoot to ride. Honda CB-1. Same engine as the 'Baby Blade' CBR-400.
http://i65.tinypic.com/2ahh9uw.jpg
There were three versions. Mine was the full power example, it was faster than my trusty old GSX-600F and it handled amazingly well. Made interesting sounds once over 12,000 rpm. Nearly as quick as the Kwaka 500.
Very true about the rose tinted glasses but I'd love to have it back, if only to ogle at these days.
So not so "rose-tinted" then, Ian, if it's nicer to ogle at than modern bikes? ;)
LOOKS is an area for me, which today's motorcycle technology hasn't improved!
Marco.
Had one of these for a while, an absolute hoot to ride. Honda CB-1. Same engine as the 'Baby Blade' CBR-400.
http://i65.tinypic.com/2ahh9uw.jpg
There were three versions. Mine was the full power example, it was faster than my trusty old GSX-600F and it handled amazingly well. Made interesting sounds once over 12,000 rpm. Nearly as quick as the Kwaka 500.
Nah, not in the same league, for me, (looks wise) as the Kawa....
Marco.
walpurgis
06-10-2017, 10:02
Two of my favourites. Egli Vincent and Velocette Thruxton. Wish I had the money!
Note the 'Goldie' silencer on the Egli. Bet that sounds great!
http://i66.tinypic.com/24cgjs3.jpg
http://i63.tinypic.com/107mgd5.jpg
Zoidburg
06-10-2017, 10:09
http://motorcycle.com.vsassets.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/070715-2015-bmw-r1200rs-KWP_5790.jpg
So this is my current ride, which I think actually looks pretty good.
Some of the modern "classic" range of BMWs are actually pretty cool, id certainly ride one if funds and space allowed.
http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/02808/BMW-RnineT-3_2808437c.jpg
Two of my favourites. Egli Vincent and Velocette Thruxton. Wish I had the money!
Note the 'Goldie' silencer on the Egli. Bet that sounds great!
http://i66.tinypic.com/24cgjs3.jpg
http://i63.tinypic.com/107mgd5.jpg
I like the top one, which is super-sexy! Not so keen on the bottom one, which for me looks somewhat old-fashioned and 'clumsy', compared with the other bike. It doesn't have the same elegant 'lines'... :)
However, for me, the Jap bikes from the 70s had 'something' about them, much like some cars did from the 60s (and to an extent early to mid 70s)... It's an era thing. In some eras, designers got it right more than in others.
What year was the Kawa? I'm guessing mid 70s?
Marco.
walpurgis
06-10-2017, 10:15
Bet it has ABS, traction control, fuel injection and a seventeen speed gearbox! ;)
walpurgis
06-10-2017, 10:17
What year was the Kawa? I'm guessing mid 70s?
Marco.
A '75 or '76, can't recall for sure! :)
It was a scruffy heap when I bought it, so I rebulit it and resprayed it. Came up nice!
It certainly did, mate. I'd thought around 1975... :)
What was the bike that Marlon Brando rode again in The Wild One? If I remember, that looked pretty cool, too :)
Marco.
My last bike, and a long time ago lol
http://www.carandclassic.co.uk/uploads/cars/suzuki/2548408.jpg
was a lot of fun if a bit vibratey after more than 1/2 hr
Zoidburg
06-10-2017, 10:22
Bet it has ABS, traction control, fuel injection and a seventeen speed gearbox! ;)
selectable ABS, traction control, semi auto gearbox, but alas its only 6 speed!
Zoidburg
06-10-2017, 10:23
It certainly did, mate. I'd thought around 1975... :)
What was the bike that Marlon Brando rode again in The Wild One? If I remember, that looked pretty cool, too :)
Marco.
A triumph of some sort, a tiger or a bonnie maybe?
My last bike, and a long time ago lol
http://www.carandclassic.co.uk/uploads/cars/suzuki/2548408.jpg
was a lot of fun if a bit vibratey after more than 1/2 hr
I also love that (for its looks). Was it from the mid-70s too, Grant? You can't beat spoked wheels and lots of nice chrome to polish!!
Marco.
A triumph of some sort, a tiger or a bonnie maybe?
Yup, but *which* one for defo? ;)
Perhaps someone could identify it and post a pic?
Marco.
I also love that (for its looks). Was it from the mid-70s too, Grant? You can't beat spoked wheels and lots of nice chrome to polish!!
Marco.
came out in Japan in 71, but a few years later for us and went of for a while. they updated the standard t to this GT with a Ram Air cylinder head and front disc. Could fairly move too considering it was just a standard production 250cc
walpurgis
06-10-2017, 10:35
What was the bike that Marlon Brando rode again in The Wild One? If I remember, that looked pretty cool, too :)
Marco.
Think it was a 'T' Bird. (Triumph Thunderbird 650)
They cocked up the film The Great Escape, by having Steve McQueen escaping from the Jerries on a similar sixties Triumph. Sort of ruined the film for me.
Zoidburg
06-10-2017, 10:35
Yup, but *which* one for defo? ;)
Perhaps someone could identify it and post a pic?
Marco.
'53 Triumph Thunderbird 6T according to google.
walpurgis
06-10-2017, 10:39
My last bike, and a long time ago lol
http://www.carandclassic.co.uk/uploads/cars/suzuki/2548408.jpg
was a lot of fun if a bit vibratey after more than 1/2 hr
I liked those old Suzuki twins. They were good bikes. I knew a bike mechanic who had one until recently as everyday transport. He may even still be using it.
walpurgis
06-10-2017, 10:48
Not sure I agree about the Velo Thruxton Marco. I think it's a gorgeous bike. Possibly the quickest all round production 500 single ever sold in the UK. And the best sounding!
And yes, I do know about the 500 BSA Gold Star, but they were often used with IOM gearing which made them useless off the mark. The Velo seemed more potent through the mid anyway. I saw them at Santa Pod on the drag strip against Goldies and the Velo would always win, beating some of the Bonnevilles too.
Another piccie:
http://i66.tinypic.com/34oxxli.jpg
'53 Triumph Thunderbird 6T according to google.
I see, so got a pic of one, to see what it looks like? :)
Marco.
S'ok, found one...
http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/xq90/923/gy3AtQ.jpg
Yup, cool as fuck! :cool:
Marco.
Not sure I agree about the Velo Thruxton Marco. I think it's a gorgeous bike.
It's a nice bike, Geoff, but for me not in the same class, style-wise, as the other one you showed above it. Hey, I guess looks are a personal thing. I'm Italian, so I appreciate (timeless) style/elegance and sexiness! ;)
Marco.
I liked those old Suzuki twins. They were good bikes. I knew a bike mechanic who had one until recently as everyday transport. He may even still be using it.
Used it as a runabout and to go to work. plus an occasional bit of fun. nearly came off at speed and decided a bit later that it might be wise to go to 4 wheels lol
walpurgis
06-10-2017, 11:09
Well, if it's Italian you like Marco. The original Ducati 900SS takes some beating for looks.
http://i67.tinypic.com/2z6b62p.png
KTM 1290 Super Adventure
https://blog.ktm.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/0003_FM_SuperAdventure_PP_YM15.jpg
https://2yrh403fk8vd1hz9ro2n46dd-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/2017-KTM-1290-Super-Aventure-T-First-Look-1.jpg
loverly
A few of the bikes I've had over the years. Kawasaki Z650B1, Suzuki GS1000S, Suzuki GSX1100, Yamaha RD250E, Honda VF750FD, Honda VFR750, Suzuki GT250X7 and finally Yamaha XJR1300 SP. Loads more as well but these were very memorable. https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20171006/9dd83669641e52be304be9a47ac836de.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20171006/79078232c4b6faf075c9af9a5b28ba64.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20171006/bc8356a2c339fbc353f4e612c7c3d993.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20171006/73bfb1f2fdfce9058cdd6a64c86ff240.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20171006/835c316f1a4935986ffc18790dc46b38.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20171006/576dc28c17671529b81bb38364c233c0.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20171006/9ab573a9dc5ddf9d845e78293e58a3ce.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20171006/580ba6a3ba8c2c715a008cfcec9ce929.jpg
Sent from my SM-G920F using Tapatalk
Zoidburg
06-10-2017, 11:55
If I was going to go down the route of something that had a "classic 60s café racer" look I think the new triumphs would be my starting point.
1200cc twin so plenty of grunt and modern suspension and tyres so decent handling and a lot in the way of extras so you can personalise it as well.
https://www.freespiritsparts.com/media/catalog/product/cache/2/thumbnail/f0e947b74c6baf3c634ee0f8fb94635a/3/0/308934_free_spirits_sottocoda_portatarga_lucas_e11 _per_triumph_thruxton_1200_3.jpg
If I was going to go down the route of something that had a "classic 60s café racer" look I think the new triumphs would be my starting point.
1200cc twin so plenty of grunt and modern suspension and tyres so decent handling and a lot in the way of extras so you can personalise it as well.
https://www.freespiritsparts.com/media/catalog/product/cache/2/thumbnail/f0e947b74c6baf3c634ee0f8fb94635a/3/0/308934_free_spirits_sottocoda_portatarga_lucas_e11 _per_triumph_thruxton_1200_3.jpg
Now yer talkin', Ben. *That*, for me, is what a REAL bike should look like, and what I'd buy now if I were in the market for one (minus the gold 'bling')! Didn't even know that they made bikes in that style anymore :)
It just looks more 'human' (and also 'butch/manly'), but stylish, rather than some soulless, overtly computer-designed looking/'futuristic', 'sculptured' aerodynamic, plastic girly thing, with zero class.
And yes, a classic [not necessarily 60s] café racer is defo my thing: something to cruise around town in (or the beach/countryside), which looks the part and SOUNDS great, especially in low gears. Not something to thrash around corners or go stupidly fast in :thumbsup:
Don't get me wrong, I totally agree about modern brakes and components being vastly superior to the stuff used 'back in the day', which is why if I wasn't buying something like that Triumph, I'd modify (the likes of Geoff's 1975 Kawasaki) with the best modern 'bits', so I'd have something that looked AND handled great - and most importantly stood out from the crowd!! :cool:
[As I hate having the same things as everyone else, in anything, cars, bikes, houses, hi-fi, you name it].
Marco.
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20171006/9dd83669641e52be304be9a47ac836de.jpg
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20171006/73bfb1f2fdfce9058cdd6a64c86ff240.jpg
Love those two Ian, particularly the Yamaha. Looks like an early 80s RD-250? Reminds me of my old LC-350, which had the exact same colours, and was a mentalist machine! :)
Marco.
Well, if it's Italian you like Marco. The original Ducati 900SS takes some beating for looks.
http://i67.tinypic.com/2z6b62p.png
Lol - not bad. But I said that *I* was Italian, not necessarily that I liked Italian bikes, although I do...sometimes. Find me one from an earlier era with spoked wheels, more chrome and no gold 'bling' ;)
Marco.
Haselsh1
06-10-2017, 13:31
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4478/23678762028_9d07f059b9_b.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/C5pQZJ)Charley the Harley Colour AOS (https://flic.kr/p/C5pQZJ) by Shaun Haselden (https://www.flickr.com/photos/156648964@N02/), on Flickr
This is what I currently ride with all of the finesse and grace of a '48 Fordson. It has that iconic Screaming Eagle exhaust sound and can corner tight corners in third. This is THE most charismatic motorcycle I have ever ridden. Stunning for myself and Sue it just attracts so much bloody attention everywhere we go. 30mph in fourth, no problem and then just thunder away when you feel like it. This bike was just made for these incredibly flat coast roads here in Lincolnshire.
Having spent so many years riding sterilised Jap bikes and Ducati's this is my current bike for getting away from reality. The most sterilised bike I have ever ridden...? Yamaha FJ1200. Absolutely devoid of any spirit at all. Must be the equivalent of a Mondeo. The most ridiculously fast...? Believe it or not a Kawasaki GPz1000RX. Thought I was doing 75 on a Lincolnshire motorway ? Not so but I don't want to heavily incriminate myself. Plod may be reading. It just about had the balls to pull itself out of your fingers in fourth at about 135. Power to weight, 500hp per tonne. Oh my, what a bloody privilege.
Most outrageous...? Ducati 900 Monster. It really was that bull in a china shop.
In 1977 I did get to ride a Kawasaki S1C 250 two stroke triple so that makes two classics although I didn't actually own the S1C.
Beauty of a bike. Everyone should ride one once
Haselsh1
06-10-2017, 13:58
Beauty of a bike. Everyone should ride one once
Grant, you may be right but at 400Kg dry weight, I'm not too sure.
Well as a passenger at least. It's a stylish way to go. Iconic
walpurgis
06-10-2017, 14:22
M V Agusta anybody? You'll need getting on for £100,000 though.
http://i63.tinypic.com/2hgg1w3.jpg
willbewill
06-10-2017, 15:17
A few of the bikes I've had over the years. Kawasaki Z650B1, Suzuki GS1000S, Suzuki GSX1100, Yamaha RD250E, Honda VF750FD, Honda VFR750, Suzuki GT250X7 and finally Yamaha XJR1300 SP. Loads more as well but these were very memorable. https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20171006/73bfb1f2fdfce9058cdd6a64c86ff240.jpg
I've got one leg 1 inch shorter than the other thanks to a RD250.
Haselsh1
06-10-2017, 15:32
Yes mate, my left leg is one and a half inches shorter than my right and I now have severe osteoarthritis in my left knee due to a KH250 in 1977.
The things we do for love
:eyebrows:
i went from a lambretta back in 86 to a yamaha rd350 ypvs,from then i went to a rd500 and tzr 250.
i had a long break and got back into biking with the first model r6.
i then got a 1998 r1 picture below.
https://s26.postimg.org/futp00xhl/img047.jpg
brands hatch track day! lol
https://s26.postimg.org/sv5fwgk21/img046.jpg
i then got a 2006 r6 and later on a 2005 r1,
https://s26.postimg.org/lgg442y6h/1909701_20672473288_4477_n.jpg
https://s26.postimg.org/ftjr6lvnt/018.jpg
as someone has already said,its easy to look back at the old bikes through rose tinted glasses,yes they may have power but the brakes were shit and so was the handling .
Yeah, but they looked much nicer/had character. You can always fit better brakes! ;)
And handling only comes into it if you thrash it around the place... If I had one of those Triumphs, Ben showed earlier, I'd doubt I'd go faster than 80mph on it. Just nice to putter around the place, in nice weather, on country roads and enjoy the scenery :)
Marco.
Just nice to putter around the place, in nice weather, on country roads and enjoy the scenery :)
Marco.
you'll be moving abroad then :D
yes i take your point re bikes,each to there own i guess,i always went out with about 6 other mates who had similar bikes so a potter around looking at the scenery was out of the question ha ha
walpurgis
06-10-2017, 16:25
its easy to look back at the old bikes through rose tinted glasses,yes they may have power but the brakes were shit and so was the handling .
Have you ridden one?
A good Norton or Velocette might have you rethinking that. Later examples even had decent enough brakes.
you'll be moving abroad then :D
yes i take your point re bikes,each to there own i guess,i always went out with about 6 other mates who had similar bikes so a potter around looking at the scenery was out of the question ha ha
Lol - no need to move anywhere. I know what you mean about a convoy. Been there, done that. Life is now more chilled. Outside of deep winter, the weather's great round here too, and there are some AWESOME (largely empty) roads for bikes, quite different from Brighton... ;)
Marco.
Have you ridden one?
A good Norton or Velocette might have you rethinking that. Later examples even had decent enough brakes.
no,its not my cup of tea geoff,
i did ride a 1985 Suzuki rg500 when i had my r1,back in the day they were awesome,but compared to how bikes have moved on since it felt awful,tiny forks,small tyres. its only saving grace was the smell and sound coming out of the four tail pipes :)
Lol - no need to move anywhere. I know what you mean about a convoy. Been there, done that. Life is now more chilled. Outside of deep winter, the weather's great round here too, and there are some AWESOME (largely empty) roads for bikes, quite different from Brighton... ;)
Marco.
i dont have it in me now to ride like that anymore,i started to think about what might happen :(
these days i find myself more lusting over lambrettas believe it or not.the social side of scootering is great and most of my very old scootering buddies are still doing it. trouble is the prices these days are massive.
...but compared to how bikes have moved on since it felt awful,tiny forks,small tyres...
I know exactly what you mean... All things, I'd imagine though, which could be tastefully 'pimped'... I'm a great believer in mixing the best of both new and old, and not just with hi-fi! :D
Marco.
Zoidburg
06-10-2017, 16:42
i went from a lambretta back in 86 to a yamaha rd350 ypvs,from then i went to a rd500 and tzr 250.
i had a long break and got back into biking with the first model r6.
i then got a 1998 r1 picture below.
https://s26.postimg.org/futp00xhl/img047.jpg
brands hatch track day! lol
https://s26.postimg.org/sv5fwgk21/img046.jpg
i then got a 2006 r6 and later on a 2005 r1,
https://s26.postimg.org/lgg442y6h/1909701_20672473288_4477_n.jpg
https://s26.postimg.org/ftjr6lvnt/018.jpg
as someone has already said,its easy to look back at the old bikes through rose tinted glasses,yes they may have power but the brakes were shit and so was the handling .
That early R1 is very nice Jamie, my brother had one in the same colour. at the time I had an 600 fazer and the R1 just felt like a rocket ship in comparision lol.
To me those early R1's and blades and such are modern classics. They just look "right" and are still way faster then most will ever need for day to day riding.
i dont have it in me now to ride like that anymore,i started to think about what might happen :(
these days i find myself more lusting over lambrettas believe it or not.the social side of scootering is great and most of my very old scootering buddies are still doing it. trouble is the prices these days are massive.
I know where you're coming from there, too. I was never into scooters, as I hated the whole mods image thing (I was a diehard biker). If you're into scooters, however, Google Moto Rumi (if you don't know of it already). My old man used to have one of these, which are now worth a pretty penny:
http://motorcycles-for-sale.biz/sale.php?id=30784
Marco.
I know where you're coming from there, too. I was never into scooters, as I hated the whole mods image thing (I was a diehard biker). If you're into scooters, however, Google Moto Rumi (if you don't know of it already). My old man used to have one of these, which are now worth a pretty penny:
http://motorcycles-for-sale.biz/sale.php?id=30784
Marco.
quite smart that... expensive but nice.
walpurgis
06-10-2017, 16:58
If you're into scooters, however, Google Moto Rumi
Marco.
I remember those, even though they were pretty rare. 125cc two stroke twin, with a very distinctive whine to them. They sounded really nice. Also one of the quicker scooters around back then.
Yup, according to my old man (was before my time), it went like a bomb! His was also the 'Bol d'Or' (with fancy carbs, which he painstakingly tuned), but in cream:
kE__Ijutifw
Marco.
Haselsh1
06-10-2017, 18:12
Yeah personally speaking of course I'd rather walk than be seen riding a scooter but one machine I never did get to ride which I feel rather sad about was the 350 Moto Morini. I guess now it'll never happen but I would have loved to have ridden one. Thanks to an old mate of mine back around 1980 I did get to ride a Moto Guzzi Le Mans out around the hills close to RAF Binbrook. Bloody good machine but very much like a Harley V Twin in that it performed like a tractor. The Guzzi had a shaft drive though and unlike the Honda CX500 which had a contra rotating clutch, the Guzzi would dive for the ground every time you grabbed a gobful of throttle. Strange little bugger.
walpurgis
06-10-2017, 18:34
one machine I never did get to ride which I feel rather sad about was the 350 Moto Morini.
I remember having a good go against one of those when I had my Kwaka S3a. He was quick, but not quick enough! (like quite a few RD400's, the Kwaka eat those too :D) It was a fast little bike, nearly as quick as the 500.
http://i68.tinypic.com/wbrj9j.jpg
Haselsh1
07-10-2017, 07:44
Yeah but the Moto Morini was purely about handling and nothing to do with speed. In fact, rumour had it that the 350 Morini was so nimble it could easily steer around stones in the road rather than plough over them like a typical Jap bike would. I have only really experienced the handling of Ducati's long term of those from Italy and Ducati's are very strange when it comes to handling. There is very little that will upset them when they are at speed.
Of the bikes I have owned that were typically bland were the Kawasaki GPz's. Their handling was so straight and boring. The one only thing that stood them apart was their acceleration. One other notable that I owned for a while was a Yamaha FZR600. I remember being two up on this way in excess of 120mph (track of course ;) ).
I also remember borrowing a Triumph Daytona many years back. The most painful ride I ever had.
I think these two pictures illustrate just how different some approaches are today in motorbike design, and the sacrifices in looks that are necessary, in order to achieve ultimate performance:
https://www.freespiritsparts.com/media/catalog/product/cache/2/thumbnail/f0e947b74c6baf3c634ee0f8fb94635a/3/0/308934_free_spirits_sottocoda_portatarga_lucas_e11 _per_triumph_thruxton_1200_3.jpg
https://s26.postimg.org/ftjr6lvnt/018.jpg
Looks wise, the bottom one does absolutely nothing for me, but I guess if I was racing round a track, or prioritised speed and agility over looks, it would be the only one to have. I'm just pleased that Triumph have keep the traditional flag flying, thus preventing motorbike design becoming as soulless and 'homogenised' as its commercially produced automobile counterpart...
Marco.
Haselsh1
07-10-2017, 10:02
That bloody Thruxton Triumph looks amazing. Sadly the Yamaha leaves me wondering why ?
I know.... But then both serve entirely different purposes! :)
Marco.
walpurgis
07-10-2017, 10:20
Personally, I'd sooner have a real Triumph. This classic 500cc Tiger 100 Daytona would do nicely.
http://i64.tinypic.com/2dv8i68.jpg
Haselsh1
07-10-2017, 10:20
Hell yes and thirty years ago I would be begging for ownership of the Yamaha. I guess it's an age thing LOL
Personally, I'd sooner have a real Triumph. This classic 500cc Tiger 100 Daytona would do nicely.
http://i64.tinypic.com/2dv8i68.jpg
Yes, I prefer the look of that (mostly), but I'd have to ride both old and new versions, to decide on which one I wanted! ;)
Marco.
Hell yes and thirty years ago I would be begging for ownership of the Yamaha. I guess it's an age thing LOL
Not for me. It's simply a looks preference thing, and the fact that I'm not a 'serious' biker, in the way I am a car driver, which is why I drive a car for a proper enthusiast.
If I ever got another motorbike, it would be one of those Triumphs, and used purely for puttering around the Welsh countryside, during nice weather (and also polishing and ogling at), so as with anything else in life, you simply pick the right 'tool' for the job! :cool:
Marco.
walpurgis
07-10-2017, 13:14
Nice looking cafe racer Norton here. Quite likely a 650SS.
http://i65.tinypic.com/sfwi9e.jpg
Haselsh1
07-10-2017, 14:09
Oh Jesus Geoff. A Norton featherbed no doubt crafted from Reynolds 531. And then they put that bloody motor in it. Damn and bloody blast, I was just slightly too late to really appreciate one of those by riding one. I also adore the Interstate. You see that's it for me. It all lost its shine when Yamaha invented the Deltabox sub frame and the rest followed into motorcycle drearydom. That would be around the time everything became shrouded in plastic shit. I always wanted an Eddie Lawson replica to be truthful. That was as much of a fairing as I ever needed.
Haselsh1
07-10-2017, 14:14
Not for me. It's simply a looks preference thing, and the fact that I'm not a 'serious' biker, in the way I am a car driver, which is why I drive a car for a proper enthusiast.
If I ever got another motorbike, it would be one of those Triumphs, and used purely for puttering around the Welsh countryside, during nice weather (and also polishing and ogling at), so as with anything else in life, you simply pick the right 'tool' for the job! :cool:
Marco.
Yes Marco I so understand. Sue and I have the Harley for exactly that kind of use on blue sky days. Each to their own but I love those new type Triumphs especially the Speed Triple R.
Very cool, Geoff, but perhaps not in that rather garish blue! Keep it simple, and in black :)
Marco.
I rather like this Laverda, which for me ticks the right boxes for a classic racing-type bike, with Italian style and chicness:
http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/xq90/924/5GaxaE.jpg
If it were in the right shade of red [maybe 1960s 'Alfa Romeo Spider'], or perhaps even 'Lamborghini yellow', it'd be uber-cool! The '1970s orange' has a certain something about it, though.
Marco.
Marco should like this
https://i.pinimg.com/originals/b8/79/d9/b879d915f9394809b167b71c12f229a4.jpg
Nice but I like this better
https://i.pinimg.com/originals/7d/5c/37/7d5c3761985d5bf63ac9e91e97d3585d.jpg
and
http://pop.h-cdn.co/assets/cm/15/05/54ca5e8241ae1_-_2013-best-bikes-04-1012-de.jpg
Nice, Grant. The first two are my favs, but for entirely different reasons. I love the rather 'brutal', but purposeful look of the first one, which would be my 'street bike', and the second is just STUNNING looking, in terms of what a racing bike [with soul] should look like!
Now, if that Laverda had been in the same red as the Ducati....
The last one (Harley) is ok, but I don't like the wheels, especially that rather odd, skinny looking thing at the front....
Marco.
Yeah but the Moto Morini was purely about handling and nothing to do with speed. In fact, rumour had it that the 350 Morini was so nimble it could easily steer around stones in the road rather than plough over them like a typical Jap bike would. I have only really experienced the handling of Ducati's long term of those from Italy and Ducati's are very strange when it comes to handling. There is very little that will upset them when they are at speed.
Of the bikes I have owned that were typically bland were the Kawasaki GPz's. Their handling was so straight and boring. The one only thing that stood them apart was their acceleration. One other notable that I owned for a while was a Yamaha FZR600. I remember being two up on this way in excess of 120mph (track of course ;) ).
I also remember borrowing a Triumph Daytona many years back. The most painful ride I ever had.
A mate had a Morini back in the day, I rode it a couple of times and I was smitten but was also loved up with my Z650 at the time and when he offered to swap the Morini I declined.....idiot!. The Morini was just so different and looked amazing, quirky to, even down to the 3 1/2 badge rather than 350 on the side panel.
Zoidburg
07-10-2017, 17:12
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20171007/13e6de4c7155f07ca538623175d9ee79.jpg
Not really a road suitable but for me this is very much one of those "wow" bikes. Laverda v6, they don't make bikes like this any more.
Sent from my SM-T330 using Tapatalk
walpurgis
07-10-2017, 17:15
Laverda v6, they don't make bikes like this any more
Probably just as well. They had endless trouble with it! :)
Zoidburg
07-10-2017, 17:22
Yeah but just look at it, its beautifully brutal.
walpurgis
07-10-2017, 17:24
Marco should like this
https://i.pinimg.com/originals/b8/79/d9/b879d915f9394809b167b71c12f229a4.jpg
It's a humble Honda CB550F, with mucked about mudguards, a bump seat, couple of fancy rear shocks and a ratty matt paint job.
When I had my Kwaka S3a 400, I went to a local dealer and took one of the CB550's out for a test spin. First impressions were "My God, where's all the power gone and why is it so quiet?" It didn't handle to great either. It was just a middleweight smoothy for pottering about on in my view. Getting back on the Kwaka 400 was a relief, it handled way better and felt twice as fast! :D
The Honda should look like this later F2. Pretty enough, but no great shakes to ride.
http://i67.tinypic.com/9u2mo4.jpg
Yeah but just look at it, its beautifully brutal.
I know where you're coming from, but I prefer the other Laverda I posted a pic of earlier, which for me is rather more stylish :)
Marco.
walpurgis
07-10-2017, 18:20
If you want a six cylinder bike. What about the original Honda Valkyrie? They sound wicked on a decent set of pipes! Like those on this example.
http://i65.tinypic.com/aebnz4.jpg
The latest Valkyrie is a 'dogs breakfast' as far as styling is concerned. Honda have totally messed it up!
It's a humble Honda CB550F, with mucked about mudguards, a bump seat, couple of fancy rear shocks and a ratty matt paint job.
Yesh, and that's what makes it look cool, with the "ratty" matt-black paint job [which I'm right into, also on cars], adding to the 'brutal' overall look :cool:
Marco.
If you want a six cylinder bike. What about the original Honda Valkyrie? They sound wicked on a decent set of pipes! Like those on this example.
http://i65.tinypic.com/aebnz4.jpg
The latest Valkyrie is a 'dogs breakfast' as far as styling is concerned. Honda have totally messed it up!
That's a TOTAL abomination, and EPIC FAIL! :spew::spew: :nono::nono:
Marco.
walpurgis
07-10-2017, 18:25
Yesh, and that's what makes it look cool, with the "ratty" matt-black paint job [which I'm right into, also on cars], adding to the 'brutal' overall look :cool:
Marco.
Still 'a sheep in wolf's clothing' though! :D
walpurgis
07-10-2017, 18:27
That's a TOTAL abomination, and EPIC FAIL! :spew::spew: :nono::nono:
Marco.
Yeah. Not my type of bike or bike styling, but they sound bloody awsome!
Here's the current version. It's ghastly!
http://i66.tinypic.com/317k611.jpg
Still 'a sheep in wolf's clothing' though! :D
Maybe, all depends if the engine has been tuned (and perhaps modded/uprated)...
I mean the basis of my car, for example, is simply a fairly mundane Mercedes C-350 Elegance, but add some nice Brabus bits, sports suspension, uprated brakes and shocks, quad sports exhaust system, 19" rims/low-profile tyres, and a sweet remap - and the animal is unleashed!! :D:eyebrows:
Marco.
Yeah. Not my type of bike or bike styling, but they sound bloody awsome!
Here's the current version. It's ghastly!
http://i66.tinypic.com/317k611.jpg
JEEZ, what DA FUCK is that??????????? :doh: :mental::mental:
Marco.
out of interest who did the remap?
My trusted mechanic (more than that really, as he's a real specialist in tuning modern engines), using a program developed by a friend of his who works for NASCAR. It almost completely eliminates turbo-lag and the power delivery is both seamless and immense! :eyebrows:
Marco.
I also rather like this - Yamaha Star Bolt Scrambler:
http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/xq90/922/Ub5Htv.jpg
Nice 'n' brutal! :eyebrows:
Marco.
Haselsh1
07-10-2017, 19:43
I also rather like this - Yamaha Star Bolt Scrambler:
http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/xq90/922/Ub5Htv.jpg
Nice 'n' brutal! :eyebrows:
Marco.
Oh my word, that is stunning. Compared to that Valkyrie rehash which is just an abomination.
walpurgis
07-10-2017, 19:59
I also rather like this - Yamaha Star Bolt Scrambler:
http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/xq90/922/Ub5Htv.jpg
Nice 'n' brutal! :eyebrows:
Marco.
I'm sure nobody would suggest for one minute that Yamaha pinched the styling from a Harley Davidson dirt racer:).
http://i67.tinypic.com/90xggi.jpg
Lol - maybe they did, but they made it look much nicer! :D
Marco.
love all these......
http://www.harley-davidson.com/content/h-d/en_US/home/motorcycles/2017-motorcycles/softail/softail-slim-s/download-wallpaper/softail-slim-s-1024/_jcr_content/desktopimage.img.jpg/1437550244201.jpg
https://auto.ndtvimg.com/bike-images/gallery/harley-davidson/fat-boy/exterior/1.jpg
or nice army livery maybe
https://i.ndtvimg.com/i/2017-02/2017-harley-davidson-road-king-special_827x510_81486882593.jpg
These days this will be more my style
http://cdn.images.express.co.uk/img/dynamic/1/590x/Harley-Davidson-hearse-Funeral-home-Wales-837124.jpg
walpurgis
07-10-2017, 20:15
Not keen on Harleys.
Another couple of beauties, both for very different reasons... First, the rather unfortunately named 'VD Classic':
http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/xq90/923/khzTV8.jpg
Very cool and stylish cafe racer.
And a 'big 1980s bruiser', but gorgeous with it. Suzi GS1000GX:
http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/xq90/923/YlNzhy.jpg
Just *LOOK* at that for a MUTHA of a bike!! :stalks::stalks::drool::drool:
Marco.
I'll pass on the vd thanks :eyebrows:
Yesh, I heard that's what you do! :eek: :ner: :D
Marco.
walpurgis
07-10-2017, 20:43
Bought one of these new about 1978.
http://i63.tinypic.com/2qcdow0.jpg
Had one of these afterwards.
http://i66.tinypic.com/14xi4p3.jpg
Both nice, Geoff, but the Suzi's sexier! :)
Marco.
walpurgis
07-10-2017, 20:47
Both nice, Geoff, but the Suzi's sexier! :)
Marco.
The Yam was the better bike.
walpurgis
07-10-2017, 20:49
Had one of these about the same time. Honda CB400F Nice bike. Better than the CB550.
http://i68.tinypic.com/2s7xilu.jpg
Fair enough, can't argue as I've owned neither. Just going purely on looks! :)
Marco.
walpurgis
07-10-2017, 20:54
And owned one of these. Ex-military Armstrong MT500 with Rotax engine.
http://i64.tinypic.com/11afmyu.jpg
Regarded as a classic by some. A complete bastard of a bike. You try starting a stubborn 500cc four stroke single with left kickstart. Horrible handling too. And slow!
this is a nice old bike too. think its a BSA 350
https://i.ebayimg.com/00/s/MzJYMzI=/z/jZgAAOSwKTBZc1k3/$_86.JPG
walpurgis
07-10-2017, 21:00
Looks like a B31. An older one judging by the plunger rear suspension.
and if you like riding a car...
http://www.motorcyclecruiser.com/sites/motorcyclecruiser.com/files/styles/medium_1x_/public/import/page_element_images/xl%2B2004_honda_valkyrie_rune%2Bride_left_view.jpg ?itok=PK827lUP
HONDA RUNE I THINK 1800CC 6 CYLINDER
Looks like a B31. An older one judging by the plunger rear suspension.
zb32 I think
And owned one of these. Ex-military Armstrong MT500 with Rotax engine.
http://i64.tinypic.com/11afmyu.jpg
Regarded as a classic by some. A complete bastard of a bike. You try starting a stubborn 500cc four stroke single with left kickstart. Horrible handling too. And slow!
they were german(rotax)
Had one of these about the same time. Honda CB400F Nice bike. Better than the CB550.
http://i68.tinypic.com/2s7xilu.jpg
Nice, but I always find Honda's to be somewhat staid compared to other Jap bikes... How about this gorgeous thing from the 70s, Yamaha YZR500:
http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/xq90/924/3YlG0l.jpg
Marco.
This is just BEYOND *gorgeous*... Customised Triumph Bonneville:
http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/xq90/923/09TZWX.jpg
OMG... Hang on, 'till I rinse out my pants!!! :wowzer: :wow: :wowzer:
Marco.
got a gas release pipe on back of seat for hairy moments :D
I believe it can also be tilted upwards, for female passengers to sit on and orgasm with... :eyebrows::eyebrows:
Marco.
I believe it can also be tilted upwards, for female passengers to sit on and orgasm with... :eyebrows::eyebrows:
Marco.
After burner or waste disposal
walpurgis
07-10-2017, 22:00
If it's "Classics" you want. This is a true classic and an appreciating one. A Honda ANF-125 Innova, the successor to the immortal C90 Cub and a far better bike. Clean, low mileage Innovas have double in value in the last year. They are becoming sought after and rightly so. It may not be big, fast or flash, but it's a great machine.
http://i67.tinypic.com/10nhtvl.jpg
Yes. I have one identical to the one pictured. Mint, with 4000 miles on the clock. It runs like a swiss watch and starts first kick even after being left for months.
walpurgis
07-10-2017, 22:48
Always wanted one of these. The rare Yamaha SDR-200. A mini 'rocketship'. Seriously quick for a tiddler. One reviewer described it as the only small bike he could call "brutal"! Looks gorgeous to me.
http://i65.tinypic.com/2di15kk.jpg
Haselsh1
08-10-2017, 07:46
Loving those new Harley Sportsters with the rusty brown and olive green paintwork and the all black metal work.
Always wanted one of these. The rare Yamaha SDR-200. A mini 'rocketship'. Seriously quick for a tiddler. One reviewer described it as the only small bike he could call "brutal"! Looks gorgeous to me.
http://i65.tinypic.com/2di15kk.jpg
Yes I like that, as it has some style to it and looks 'purposeful'! :thumbsup:
Marco.
If it's "Classics" you want. This is a true classic and an appreciating one. A Honda ANF-125 Innova, the successor to the immortal C90 Cub and a far better bike. Clean, low mileage Innovas have double in value in the last year. They are becoming sought after and rightly so. It may not be big, fast or flash, but it's a great machine.
http://i67.tinypic.com/10nhtvl.jpg
Yes. I have one identical to the one pictured. Mint, with 4000 miles on the clock. It runs like a swiss watch and starts first kick even after being left for months.
Ha - all that needs is a basket at the front for your groceries, and some panniers at the back for your incontinence pads! :lol::D
Marco.
Back to 'wet dream' material.... A touch of 'Vincent' in this beautiful Yamaha XV1100 custom:
http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/xq90/923/N1CRqh.jpg
Marco.
well just like hifi,it appears to be one mans wet dream is another mans 'pile of crap'
isn't it great to have all tastes catered for.
walpurgis
08-10-2017, 09:27
You can still buy a real retro bike. The Royal Enfield Bullet. Directly derived from its 1930's roots. I'd not want one.
http://i65.tinypic.com/zxuu0x.jpg
well just like hifi,it appears to be one mans wet dream is another mans 'pile of crap'
isn't it great to have all tastes catered for.
Lol - indeed! You might not like it, and that's fine, but I don't see how it's a "pile of crap"... Care to explain?
Marco.
its just not my cup of tea,
im into jap sports bikes,the phrase 'pile of crap' is not meant to be taken literally. its just showing my distaste for bikes of that style, like your 'incontinence pads' comment......unless geoff actually wears them :rolleyes:
Hahaha... I doubt it! It's just a bit of an 'in joke' we've got in the mod room :D
Fair enough, I guess it would be like me saying that solid-state amps are a "pile of crap", as I'm into valves :)
I like Jap sports bikes too, just not the modern variety, which I find have too much of a look of being designed by a computer/machine, rather than a human being, and as such are 'soulless'.
Marco.
Here's mine.
The 'Bike That Tried To Kill Me' in Tennessee on my 50th Birthday trip to the States, and has left me with a seriously f***ed up right knee/leg/ankle/foot.
After my surgeries, got it shipped back, fixed it up, and I've now done about 1500 miles since the rebuild.
Just on 126,500 miles on the clock now - an absolutely stunning bike!https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20171008/c29133d85ef1164f10aabb28ca9dfc4a.jpg
Sent from my LG-H850 using Tapatalk
Haselsh1
08-10-2017, 15:49
Back to 'wet dream' material.... A touch of 'Vincent' in this beautiful Yamaha XV1100 custom:
http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/xq90/923/N1CRqh.jpg
Marco.
Oh yeah, that seriously does float my boat. Fabulous engine too with which I have some experience. Shaft drive so no damn useless chains to worry about constantly have to adjust. I just don't do sports bikes anymore. I had over twenty years of the damn things and I have moved on. Respect to those who still love them.
By the way, that exhaust looks remarkably like a Dunstall from around 1975. Anyone remember them...?
Haselsh1
08-10-2017, 15:51
To refer to a bike as a pile of crap is OK as for decades Japanese bikes were only ever referred to as Jap Crap.
Haselsh1
08-10-2017, 15:54
In fact, in the mid to late seventies, Jap hi-fi was not even considered 'real' hi-fi.
Smegger68
04-01-2018, 06:27
Finishing nightshift shortly and will be throwing a leg over this BMW R1150RT to get home:
http://images.mcn.bauercdn.com/upload/659/images/p0003186-01.jpg
Waiting in the garage are this pair - BMW K1200RS (for funsies) and a Honda 650 Deauville (which the RT was supposed to replace but for some reason it's still here. Quite like it!)
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3b/BMW_K1200RS_grey.JPG
http://auto-zer.com/uploads/honda/honda-ntv-650-deauville/honda-ntv-650-deauville-04.jpg
HackneyRF
04-01-2018, 18:51
Bought one of these new about 1978.
http://i63.tinypic.com/2qcdow0.jpg
Had one of these afterwards.
http://i66.tinypic.com/14xi4p3.jpg
I had an XS650 too. Mine was slightly chopped, and i loved it. I'd have the stock version nowadays however!
http://theartofsound.net/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=22362&d=1515091490
I would love to have the motor from an XS650! So many aftermarket parts for them now, I could build a small bobber out of it!
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
Haselsh1
05-01-2018, 09:14
Back in 1977 I worked with a guy who used to ride a GT550 and that was the bike I aspired to own when I passed my bike test. At that time I rode a KH250 and in October 1977 I had a massive smash resulting in three compound fractures in my left leg with my left leg being partially severed, four broken ribs, a broken collar bone and a smashed left hand. It took four years before I could physically ride again but as soon as I could I bought a Honda XL250S on which to pass my test. Of course I passed my test but things had moved on so much and the GT550 became a thing of the past. Yet another missed opportunity I guess. Life seems to be full of them. During the eighties I owned a GPz750 and hung on to that for six years before buying a GPz1000RX. Throughout the nineties I owned various Ducati's the best being a 907ie but then I gave up motorcycling for around sixteen years only returning last year. Absolutely loving the current bike but Hi-Fi is just so much safer.
walpurgis
05-01-2018, 09:50
The GT550 was a bit of a softie, plenty of torque and mid range oomph, but not really all that quick. Performance was on a par with the XS-650 I guess. My modified Kwaka H-1 hybrid was a different ball game, way faster and much better handling. The old tales about the Kawasaki having dodgy handling were exactly that, just tales. Mine handled great.
Haselsh1
05-01-2018, 13:03
The GT550 was a bit of a softie, plenty of torque and mid range oomph, but not really all that quick. Performance was on a par with the XS-650 I guess. My modified Kwaka H-1 hybrid was a different ball game, way faster and much better handling. The old tales about the Kawasaki having dodgy handling were exactly that, just tales. Mine handled great.
Well my H2 750 triple certainly didn't handle very well at all. I bought it during the 90's as a vintage classic and remember heading back home to Grimsby one gorgeous summers day on this big sweeping right hand bend. The H2 was doing it's usual wriggling and writhing when this Kawasaki GPz600 just swept past on the inside. I guess that was his way of letting me know how it actually should be done. I will never knock the H2 triple though because it was truly special having owned such a bike and the attention it brought to itself at bike nights was bloody amazing. I also remember a bike run with the lads to a real ale pub at a place called Donnington in Lincolnshire. Whilst we were there one of the guys that owned the local bike dealership made joke about me having enough fuel to get home. The thought then hit me that the pub was twenty miles from home and twenty back and that actually I may not have enough in the tank. I mean, come on, 20mpg FFS.
heres afew of my old classics.
its a shame digital cameras didnt come out in the late 70s-80s as i never used many film cameras before digital....so many of my early classics i never had pictures of,i sure wish i did now:steam:
heres afew more...
i had most of the yamaha air cooled and watercooled rds when i was a young un....no bloody photos...gutted:rolleyes:
perlogalism
05-01-2018, 14:38
I'm not a biker but I did stay in the Anstey Hall Hotel in Cambridge earlier this year. The owner "collects" things. This was in the breakfast room:
223762237722378
walpurgis
05-01-2018, 15:09
It's a Vincent Black Prince. Worth a fortune......literally. One sold in America for nearly £2.5 million four years ago.
perlogalism
05-01-2018, 16:05
It's a Vincent Black Prince. Worth a fortune......literally. One sold in America for nearly £2.5 million four years ago.
JEEZUS!!! I knew it was worth a bit but £2.5 mill??? Oh well, if you want to see and sit on it, you know where to go ;-)
... and the soundtrack is: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j0kJdrfzjAg
walpurgis
05-01-2018, 16:22
One of my brother's mates has a Vincent Black Shadow in his collection of bikes.
It's a Vincent Black Prince. Worth a fortune......literally. One sold in America for nearly £2.5 million four years ago.
Hmm - how come it has Black Knight wrote on the mudguard and various other places?
walpurgis
05-01-2018, 16:30
Hmm - how come it has Black Knight wrote on the mudguard and various other places?
Ah. Quite right. They are virtually identical models.
HackneyRF
05-01-2018, 16:40
I would love to have the motor from an XS650! So many aftermarket parts for them now, I could build a small bobber out of it!
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The XS650 is a lovely motor Russell, far superior to British unit twins of the time. Stupidly I swopped it for this monster. Talk about 'Tea Trolley Handling'. Might even rival those Kwaka triples!
http://theartofsound.net/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=22379&d=1515173332
HackneyRF
05-01-2018, 18:21
heres afew of my old classics.
its a shame digital cameras didnt come out in the late 70s-80s as i never used many film cameras before digital....so many of my early classics i never had pictures of,i sure wish i did now:steam:
Nice one Paul. Some classic 80's big Yams there.
The XS650 is a lovely motor Russell, far superior to British unit twins of the time. Stupidly I swopped it for this monster. Talk about 'Tea Trolley Handling'. Might even rival those Kwaka triples!
http://theartofsound.net/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=22379&d=1515173332
love it...,
always favoured the standard ballbous look of the xs1100 over the sport version,but i loved the all blackness and big round searchlight and handlebar fairing of the "s" ....which made the dodgey handling even dodgier :lol:,i remember buying the big 5.5 gallon tank to stick on,but i dont think i ever did,longest time i ever owned the same bike...12yrs .....great machines and great picture:cool:
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180105/a3bc89c763247c90f99569927e71682a.jpg
This is what I’m talking about. It’s dodgy to handle I’m sure, but a cool bike for bar hopping and a ton of fun!
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https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180105/6a6c107b5eb0f4a1f6b9fb0d6ad995bf.jpg
Same bike, different angle.
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https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180105/16d06fb3ed4917abd1c1a8e04e93460a.jpg
I owned this bike for nearly 20 years, my first road bike! And I performed a “Resto-Mod”, on it. A ‘79 Harley Low Rider, I literally rode it until it flew apart! And then spent a few years restoring it, all original numbers but lots of new parts, original paint! Souped up the engine and transmission, replaced every bearing and race, and replaced all wires! I turned every single screw myself with hand tools. And it broke my heart to sell it, like selling one of your children. But I got a damn fine price for it!
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Haselsh1
05-01-2018, 21:56
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180105/16d06fb3ed4917abd1c1a8e04e93460a.jpg
I owned this bike for nearly 20 years, my first road bike! And I performed a “Resto-Mod”, on it. A ‘79 Harley Low Rider, I literally rode it until it flew apart! And then spent a few years restoring it, all original numbers but lots of new parts, original paint! Souped up the engine and transmission, replaced every bearing and race, and replaced all wires! I turned every single screw myself with hand tools. And it broke my heart to sell it, like selling one of your children. But I got a damn fine price for it!
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Now we are talking...! My latest is a Twin Cam 88 Heritage Softail Classic and I bloody love it. Only bought by me in July last year and only done around 100 miles with me in control but hey, this is a new year and all willing I have a lot of miles still to do.
Haselsh1
05-01-2018, 21:59
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4478/23678762028_9d07f059b9_z.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/C5pQZJ)Harley FLSTC (https://flic.kr/p/C5pQZJ) by Shaun Haselden (https://www.flickr.com/photos/156648964@N02/), on Flickr
The very one last year at the coast here in Lincolnshire.
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4478/23678762028_9d07f059b9_z.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/C5pQZJ)Harley FLSTC (https://flic.kr/p/C5pQZJ) by Shaun Haselden (https://www.flickr.com/photos/156648964@N02/), on Flickr
The very one last year at the coast here in Lincolnshire.
Now that’s a real cruiser! I had a ‘96 Soft Tail Springer for many years. Such a low seat height, and relative comfort, and real power when you twist the wick! Very nice, looks great in black.
This is my present bike, it’s a ‘95, but was in such great, almost new, condition at such a great price I could not resist! It’s a Road King, built on the touring frame, which makes a difference in comfort. The previous owner installed a cam and re jetted the carb, so it’s got pep! I’ve had it for two years, and like you I can’t wait for Spring so I can put some miles on it.
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180106/b7ec3413734abda00714659f7e663510.jpg
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wee tee cee
06-01-2018, 08:14
For modern cool the ccm spitfire really floats my boat.
My good lady nearly bought me a laverda jota for my 40th!!! but 10k was just too much of an indulgence for a toy.....but my dream bike none the less.
Ive been riding for 30 years kwaks initially gt550/z1000mk2/zzr1100.
11 year poverty break with a young family then the last 14 on KTMs.
They aint pretty but are proper riders bikes and loads of fun.
My 990 Adventure turned 10 last May....havent yet test road anything I would replace it with.
The new super duke is however tempting me like wise the new 790 adventure on the horizon.
Rob Tube
06-01-2018, 10:15
Hi guys, I also ride bikes over 30 years I started with a Honda cb400f then I had a Honda cb550f, a suzuki gs550 a moto guzzi lario 650, a goldwing 1000 a suzuki 1100 katana and then for years a Honda cbr 600F, lately I have a Honda 650 silverwing but unforunately that bike stands redundant in the garage untill better times, I have two teenage kids and to many hobbies
walpurgis
06-01-2018, 10:23
I had a CB400F as well. Nice little bike. I liked it better than the CB550F.
Rob Tube
06-01-2018, 10:35
Yes the cb400F was a lot of fun, only in the end I found the bike lacking power, but it was light and really fun to ride.
walpurgis
06-01-2018, 10:44
Yes the cb400F was a lot of fun, only in the end I found the bike lacking power, but it was light and really fun to ride.
It certainly wasn't fast, but cruised along well enough and handled better than the 550. The Kwaka S3a 400 I'd own previously was in a different league. I used to leave the RD400 boys gasping on that! :)
Rob Tube
06-01-2018, 10:50
Ha ha I had a mate who raced an rd350 I was his mechanic for local racing in the Netherlands (hobby) I had to test drive the fully tuned rd 350 in the rain that was the shortest test drive of my life, I got of the bike nad pushed it back that had way to much power to drive on the normal road in the rain, plus it was a two troke so the power cam in suddenly.
walpurgis
06-01-2018, 10:56
Shame they don't make decent two strokes any more. I liked those I had. Most four strokes feel a bit sanitised in comparison. They can be quick, very quick. but that loony edge that the two strokes had isn't there.
wee tee cee
06-01-2018, 10:59
KTM has just launched a new injected 2 stroke fully emmisions compliant.
I reckon the 350 would make for a stonking supermoto conversion!
Rob Tube
06-01-2018, 11:01
That is right, but I found two strokes to nervous to drive long distances, it would be Ideal to have a cbr600 for touring and an rd 350 for fun.
walpurgis
06-01-2018, 11:07
KTM has just launched a new injected 2 stroke fully emmisions compliant.
I'd like to know how they've managed that. Bimota were, as far as I can recall, the last company to thow big money at trying to make a clean two stroke, with their 500 V twin and they gave up.
Haselsh1
06-01-2018, 11:55
Yeah, speaking of 550's as we were, I used to own a Kawasaki z550 A3 which was a nice attractive silver finish but as with your comments, unless you screwed the nuts off it it was way under powered by today's standards. Years later I had a Yamaha FZR600 and it was massively faster for very little extra cubic capacity. In fact the FZR was stupidly fast. The z550 would top out at around 115mph whereas the FZR would do way over 125mph.
Haselsh1
06-01-2018, 11:59
Just reminiscing over motorbikes I remember my first ever was a Honda CG125 bought brand new in 1976 for £325. My second was a year later and was the KH250 two stroke triple which cost £695 again brand new. I sound like my Dad ;)
walpurgis
06-01-2018, 12:08
KTM has just launched a new injected 2 stroke fully emmisions compliant.
I reckon the 350 would make for a stonking supermoto conversion!
Just been reading up on this. The TPi is a nice idea. The air velocity is high in the transfer ports, so I'd expect good fuel atomisation.
Rob Tube
07-01-2018, 10:29
Ha ha I had a mate who raced an rd350 I was his mechanic for local racing in the Netherlands (hobby) I had to test drive the fully tuned rd 350 in the rain that was the shortest test drive of my life, I got of the bike nad pushed it back that had way to much power to drive on the normal road in the rain, plus it was a two troke so the power cam in suddenly.
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180107/d96fc67507871e0d004192ce6ff8db2e.jpg
My gl650
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walpurgis
07-01-2018, 11:01
Not seen one of those for a long time.
I'd like to know how they've managed that. Bimota were, as far as I can recall, the last company to thow big money at trying to make a clean two stroke, with their 500 V twin and they gave up.
they got volkswagen to do there emissions testing...sorted:lol::D
yamaha rd500 and suzuki gamma 500.....i so looooved two strokes,zuk x7 was a blast to....fell to bits as you rode it,but fun all the same:D
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180107/d96fc67507871e0d004192ce6ff8db2e.jpg
My gl650
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blimey,i forgot about the good old honda cx...knock knock ,who's there? honda cx:D
olde but still a goldey:)
great bikes and that looks gorgeous
Rob Tube
07-01-2018, 11:58
blimey,i forgot about the good old honda cx...knock knock ,who's there? honda cx:D
olde but still a goldey:)
great bikes and that looks gorgeous
It’s now on none active in the garage, waiting for better times, hopefully I can service the bike in the spring and put her back on the road.
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It’s now on none active in the garage, waiting for better times, hopefully I can service the bike in the spring and put her back on the road.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
i only ever had the standard cx500,loved it although it did tend to feel alittle top heavy and dropped into corners,but i certainly covered some miles on it,after doing the camchain mod of course:D
as the 650 and turbo models came later im guessing all those glitches got sorted by then.
heres hoping the good times come to you soon,now service that beast and stick on "purple rain" on the olde turntable:)
walpurgis
07-01-2018, 13:25
i only ever had the standard cx500,loved it although it did tend to feel alittle top heavy and dropped into corners
They definitely were top heavy. I didn't like the feel of them, that's why I never bought one, despite the fact they were a decent enough bike. Bet you had the ever-rusting 'Comstar' wheels on yours. :)
walpurgis
07-01-2018, 13:47
Talking of bikes that 'drop into corners'. Anybody ever ride a Kwaka GPX600R? That's the one with the sixteen inch wheels.
http://i65.tinypic.com/2rertso.jpg
What a horror. I took one for a test ride, at every turn it just wanted to keep falling further as it leaned, really nasty. And it wasn't even usefully quick, no guts whatsoever apart from a short, mad, zing at the very top of the power band, useless. I walked away from that one quickly and bought a Honda CB-1 400 (naked 'Baby Blade') instead, which was a proper little cracker!!
They definitely were top heavy. I didn't like the feel of them, that's why I never bought one, despite the fact they were a decent enough bike. Bet you had the ever-rusting 'Comstar' wheels on yours. :)
i certainly did geoff,it,but they where a lot worse on my 1982 goldwing for some reason...damn you mr honda:lol::lol::lol:
Pieoftheday
07-01-2018, 14:18
Talking of bikes that 'drop into corners'. Anybody ever ride a Kwaka GPX600R? That's the one with the sixteen inch wheels.
http://i65.tinypic.com/2rertso.jpg
What a horror. I took one for a test ride, at every turn it just wanted to keep falling further as it leaned, really nasty. And it wasn't even usefully quick, no guts whatsoever apart from a short, mad, zing at the very top of the power band, useless. I walked away from that one quickly and bought a Honda CB-1 400 (naked 'Baby Blade') instead, which was a proper little cracker!!
Always thought the gpx was a step back from the gpz looks wise? I couldn't afford the insurance on the gpz600 so bought the gpz 500, nice handling with a cracking engine,though it was prone to carb icing, I don't think ice formed in the carbs ,more condensation which stopped one pot firing,
walpurgis
07-01-2018, 14:28
GPZ500 was a decent all rounder. Not too slow either.
My favourite comparatively recent bike was also a 500 twin, a Suzuki GS500F. Not fast, but compact and light and quick enough to be useful and a decent bit of mid torque. I also liked the predictable handling and gruff exhaust note. Easy to work on and good on juice too.
Always thought the gpx was a step back from the gpz looks wise? I couldn't afford the insurance on the gpz600 so bought the gpz 500, nice handling with a cracking engine,though it was prone to carb icing, I don't think ice formed in the carbs ,more condensation which stopped one pot firing,
had a zzr1100,that was bloody lethal with carb icing problems...would start fine,then when your out and about it would cut out and do all kinds of silliness...
went in for the official kwak mod which was routing some water pipes from the cooling system or something....whatever,it never solved the problem completely on my bike.
loved the look of the gpz600,always wanted one,but i always had a thing about bigger is best and always went litre plus for most of the time...baring a ap50,fs1e,st70,ss50,dt175-250 mx,rd200,250,350,400,500 etc.:lol::lol::lol:
I had a trx850 on the 90's that suffered with carb icing, put me off riding it in the cold..
I'm in the process of restoring a little honda c110d. It has an oil line that runs through the carb to stop icing. They knew about these problems and cured them back in the sixties..
Haselsh1
08-01-2018, 15:36
had a zzr1100,that was bloody lethal with carb icing problems...would start fine,then when your out and about it would cut out and do all kinds of silliness...
LOL all of my carb based Ducati's suffered really badly with carb icing whereas my GPz1000RX never did and that thing could drink petrol faster than I can drink Abbott Ale. I think that of my past experiences on motorcycles, the GPz1000RX was by far the best of mine.
Pieoftheday
08-01-2018, 16:31
had a zzr1100,that was bloody lethal with carb icing problems...would start fine,then when your out and about it would cut out and do all kinds of silliness...
went in for the official kwak mod which was routing some water pipes from the cooling system or something....whatever,it never solved the problem completely on my bike.
loved the look of the gpz600,always wanted one,but i always had a thing about bigger is best and always went litre plus for most of the time...baring a ap50,fs1e,st70,ss50,dt175-250 mx,rd200,250,350,400,500 etc.:lol::lol::lol:
No the mod didn't work on mine either and that was factory fitted:(
No the mod didn't work on mine either and that was factory fitted:(
kawasaki eh...who would have em:lol::lol::lol:
the zzr1100 had another killer trait up its sleeve to....cross winds....the shape of the bodywork seem to hate them,was never a dull ride that bike.....loved it for the motor and power band alone:D
LOL all of my carb based Ducati's suffered really badly with carb icing whereas my GPz1000RX never did and that thing could drink petrol faster than I can drink Abbott Ale. I think that of my past experiences on motorcycles, the GPz1000RX was by far the best of mine.
funny,i never had any problems with the duke monster on that score.
never had any issues with the gpz900 or zx10,always loved the look of the gpz1000rx,even more so when you see how ugly the zx10 was...
my favorites where the gpz 750 turbo and gpz1100 air cooled.....i havent seen any of those around for a very long time...love to get a 1100 project to do up.
Pieoftheday
08-01-2018, 18:17
funny,i never had any problems with the duke monster on that score.
never had any issues with the gpz900 or zx10,always loved the look of the gpz1000rx,even more so when you see how ugly the zx10 was...
my favorites where the gpz 750 turbo and gpz1100 air cooled.....i havent seen any of those around for a very long time...love to get a 1100 project to do up.
Saw a gpz900 in Kawasaki autorama 2/3 years ago, 0 miles:eek: I think they were asking 14k,.
Saw a gpz900 in Kawasaki autorama 2/3 years ago, 0 miles:eek: I think they were asking 14k,.
lol....hope you snapped it up:lol::lol::lol:
always fancied on of these
not asking crazy price but still wouldn't pay that:)
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Yamaha-XT550-1982-Spares-or-Repairs-Project/112697765072?hash=item1a3d4f6cd0:g:amcAAOSwCJxaOAP V
Haselsh1
08-01-2018, 20:43
funny,i never had any problems with the duke monster on that score.
never had any issues with the gpz900 or zx10,always loved the look of the gpz1000rx,even more so when you see how ugly the zx10 was...
my favorites where the gpz 750 turbo and gpz1100 air cooled.....i havent seen any of those around for a very long time...love to get a 1100 project to do up.
I had a 600 Monster before I had a 900 and the 600 was bloody hopeless in cold weather because of the carb icing. OK on really hot days but a piece of bloody junk in autumn or spring. The GPz1000RX had hot water pipes between the carbs so I guess there was never going to be a problem with that. My Ducati 907ie was fuel injected even back then so again, no problem.
Pieoftheday
08-01-2018, 21:16
lol....hope you snapped it up:lol::lol::lol:
It looked like a barge at the side of the modern bikes, how people threw them around the isle of man tt I don't know! They also had a fzr600r fox eye unregistered, very tempted as I had one for 9 years,doubt I'd get my feet on the pegs now
:lol:
I came across this little beauty some time ago. Looks like a classic but was actually brand new. Royal Enfield 350 four stroke single, very nicely put together and sound proper, like a real old thumper.
http://i66.tinypic.com/16c8ly8.jpg
walpurgis
16-01-2018, 16:37
Indian made copy of the British fifties bike. Assembled over here from crates of shipped in parts and given some tweaks and better paintwork, 350 and 500 sizes made, with various spec options. Reg Allen of Hanwell used to be a main importer, dunno if he still is. There are quite a few about. A mate of mine has a couple of the 350's. Dead easy to maintain, but need regular fettling and pretty slow. Not a bike for the motorway.
Reg Allen also sell Chinese AJS badged small bikes.
http://www.reg-allen-london.co.uk/
Pieoftheday
16-01-2018, 17:14
I came across this little beauty some time ago. Looks like a classic but was actually brand new. Royal Enfield 350 four stroke single, very nicely put together and sound proper, like a real old thumper.
http://i66.tinypic.com/16c8ly8.jpg
Looks like a fun way to get to work and get around locally, I quite like that
Looks like a fun way to get to work and get around locally, I quite like that
I agree, you wouldn't want to do a grand tour on it ( although I do know a chap who toured through France and into Spain and back on a Honda C90 Cub ).
walpurgis
16-01-2018, 17:22
I do know a chap who toured through France and into Spain and back on a Honda C90 Cub ).
Funny you should say that. I was about to post saying that a Honda 125 would be near enough as quick, much better on juice and ten times more reliable.
Funny you should say that. I was about to post saying that a Honda 125 would be near enough as quick, much better on juice and ten times more reliable.
Most definitely, I had a Honda CB100N when I was 17 and that poor little bike suffered massive abuse, miles and miles of thrashing it to within inches of it's life and it just kept going and going. It only let go twice, once when the cam chain slipped the sprocket and once with a broken piston ring. If I'd treated my bigger bikes that way they wouldn't have lasted 5 minutes.
Pieoftheday
16-01-2018, 18:37
There was a chap some years ago, saw him on TV,toured the world on a Yamaha r1, I bet that hurt his testicoyles
I rode my old Suzuki GSXR1100 slabside up to my brother's place in Birmingham from Brighton years ago, I honestly thought I would never walk without bow legs again lol
Pieoftheday
16-01-2018, 19:11
I rode my old Suzuki GSXR1100 slabside up to my brother's place in Birmingham from Brighton years ago, I honestly thought I would never walk without bow legs again lol
Ooh those and the later slingshot, gorgeous!!
walpurgis
16-01-2018, 19:14
Rode my Yamaha SZR660 300 miles to Cornwall and back a week later when I was in my mid fifties. I was OK with a few minutes rest at fuel stops. Did it again on a Suzuki GSX600F a year or two later in pouring rain all the way. Got a bit soggy here and there.
Pieoftheday
16-01-2018, 19:23
Rode my Yamaha SZR660 300 miles to Cornwall and back a week later when I was in my mid fifties. I was OK with a few minutes rest at fuel stops. Did it again on a Suzuki GSX600F a year or two later in pouring rain all the way. Got a bit soggy here and there.
Gsx6f tea pot:) much underrated,. Basically a bin parts machine that did really quite well in British super sports
I came across this old classic a while back, completely original except for consumables. The owner told me it had been stored in a dry, heated garage for over 30 years and he picked it up for peanuts in a house clearance sale. I wouldn't be surprised if it's the only complete original CX left.
http://i68.tinypic.com/2eoib9k.jpg
walpurgis
17-01-2018, 16:54
I wouldn't be surprised if it's the only complete original CX left
Bet it's not! :)
It's a later one, with the Comstar wheel spokes concave side outwards and detailed in black.
Quite right but it's still best part of 35 years old, those original CX silencers would have rotted through within a few years from new. It makes you wonder how many little gems lay hidden away in garages and sheds.
walpurgis
17-01-2018, 17:10
It makes you wonder how many little gems lay hidden away in garages and sheds.
Loads I reckon.
I'd like a low mileage unfaired post 2000 GS500 to stash in my garage alongside the Innova I have. Nice simple all rounder. I like 'em. The last one was a good tool.
Something like this.
http://i68.tinypic.com/2hol79w.jpg
HackneyRF
27-01-2018, 14:29
Found some of my old motorcycle photos whilst unpacking after moving. My very first bike/moped. An NSU Quickly!
It didnt last long before rapidly being moved on for a far more satisfying Suzuki GP125. Sadly no photos exist of that but I remember it being a massive step up at the time. Heaps of fun.
http://theartofsound.net/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=22576&d=1517061387
HackneyRF
04-02-2018, 17:12
A couple more photos. The Suzuki GT185 was one of the worst bikes I ever owned. Horrible handling with even worse reliability issues. However the GT500 was probably one of my favourite ever bikes. Ultra reliable, sounded great, quick but with lovely smooth power through the rev range. A great bike that was sadly written off by a careless car driver and left me with both legs broken plus a broken hand.
http://theartofsound.net/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=22578&d=1517061550
http://theartofsound.net/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=22580&d=1517061702
http://theartofsound.net/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=22581&d=1517061925
Found some of my old motorcycle photos whilst unpacking after moving. My very first bike/moped. An NSU Quickly!
It didnt last long before rapidly being moved on for a far more satisfying Suzuki GP125. Sadly no photos exist of that but I remember it being a massive step up at the time. Heaps of fun.
http://theartofsound.net/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=22576&d=1517061387
My very first powered two wheeler was a Puch S50, very much like your NSU and like you it got moved on pretty rapidly. It did get the motorcycle thing into my blood though.
http://i66.tinypic.com/k1574i.jpg
walpurgis
04-02-2018, 17:31
Ridden the GT185 and the GT500. I'd agree, the 185 was a bit grim and the 500 was a decent tool.
HackneyRF
04-02-2018, 18:41
My very first powered two wheeler was a Puch S50, very much like your NSU and like you it got moved on pretty rapidly. It did get the motorcycle thing into my blood though.
http://i66.tinypic.com/k1574i.jpg
It certainly is in the blood. I dread the day when I can't get my leg over any longer! 😉
HackneyRF
05-02-2018, 19:28
Had this GS750 whilst in California in the 80's. Quite a pretty bike but a bit dull performance wise. Maybe in part due to the strict Californian emissions controls? It always felt underpowered for a 750 inline four.
http://theartofsound.net/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=22583&d=1517062086
walpurgis
05-02-2018, 19:34
That's a GSX-750. I had the ES version with the fairing and yes it wasn't exactly brisk.
Felt about the same as the foregoing GS-750. You can tell the difference by the cam end covers. Round on GS, rectangular on GSX.
A mate had a GS-750 and thought it was the 'beez kneez'. I let him have a ride on my tweaked Kwak H1. He was speechless when he came back, apart from saying "Fucking Hell!" :lol:
HackneyRF
05-02-2018, 21:44
That's a GSX-750. I had the ES version with the fairing and yes it wasn't exactly brisk.
Felt about the same as the foregoing GS-750. You can tell the difference by the cam end covers. Round on GS, rectangular on GSX.
A mate had a GS-750 and thought it was the 'beez kneez'. I let him have a ride on my tweaked Kwak H1. He was speechless when he came back, apart from saying "Fucking Hell!" :lol:
:lol: :lol:
More an 80's thing but the 350LC and to some extent the 250LC had a similar effect on folks. Not much could stay with a tuned one. 'Shit off a shovel' comes to mind. They could handle too.
http://www.ollars.net/ar125.jpg
A nice Kawasaki AR125 bought for a nickle and not much more. Used for commuting and enjoying some two stroke smell! ;)
http://www.ollars.net/rgv250.jpg
My pride and joy, Suzuki RGV250 -92. Unfortunately it consumed pistons, rings and cylinder nicasil-treatments like crazy after a bad day when the exhaust valves fell into the forward cylinder.. :( But between the repairs it was a total blast to ride!
http://www.ollars.net/750ss.jpg
And finally my molto belissima Ducati 750SS. I loved it to pieces, never failed me sounded better than my stero and rode like a dream. Miss it dearly!
http://www.ollars.net/ar125.jpg
A nice Kawasaki AR125 bought for a nickle and not much more. Used for commuting and enjoying some two stroke smell! ;)
http://www.ollars.net/rgv250.jpg
My pride and joy, Suzuki RGV250 -92. Unfortunately it consumed pistons, rings and cylinder nicasil-treatments like crazy after a bad day when the exhaust valves fell into the forward cylinder.. :( But between the repairs it was a total blast to ride!
http://www.ollars.net/750ss.jpg
And finally my molto belissima Ducati 750SS. I loved it to pieces, never failed me sounded better than my stero and rode like a dream. Miss it dearly!
I lusted after an RGV250 but never did have one, just seeing your photo has set me off again. A friend had an Aprilia RS250 with the RGV engine, pure pornography.
Haselsh1
07-02-2018, 09:42
Back in maybe 1994 I had my first dalliance with Ducati in the form of this 750SS. It led to me owning around five Ducati's throughout the nineties. I had a 600 Monster then a 900 Monster then the best Ducati I ever had, a 907ie. I then had a 900SS that just worried me because of its deceptive speed. I used to think I was doing say 90 only to look down and realise that it was way over a ton. It didn't stay around long.
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4754/40131026581_20b534a0f3_b.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/249f14p)Ducati 750SS AOS (https://flic.kr/p/249f14p) by Shaun Haselden (https://www.flickr.com/photos/156648964@N02/), on Flickr
One of the most fun machines I ever owned was a 550 Kawasaki Zephyr. It would just zip around everywhere like a bloody hornet. One of my least favourite was a Yamaha FJ1200. So forgettable.
HackneyRF
07-02-2018, 12:37
http://www.ollars.net/ar125.jpg
A nice Kawasaki AR125 bought for a nickle and not much more. Used for commuting and enjoying some two stroke smell! ;)
That 125 and the AR80 were hugely popular with the teenage boy racers round my neck of the woods in the 80's. Tuned to the hilt and noisy as hell. Of course I never did any of that! ;-)
You clearly look after your bikes Mike, they all look mint.
Thank you, Ian, Shaun and Loz!
Interesting Shaun, my 750SS hade dual discs in the front? Country specific or different year?
Pieoftheday
07-02-2018, 19:40
That 125 and the AR80 were hugely popular with the teenage boy racers round my neck of the woods in the 80's. Tuned to the hilt and noisy as hell. Of course I never did any of that! ;-)
You clearly look after your bikes Mike, they all look mint.
I loved my ar 125, everyone else had rd125s, they all sneered
HackneyRF
08-02-2018, 21:27
I absolutely loved this Boxer. A true mile muncher. It was actually a straight R100 with an RS fairing that was the most aerodynamic fairing known to man! A joy to own.
http://theartofsound.net/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=22582&d=1517061991
walpurgis
08-02-2018, 21:34
And that's a GSX-550 ES in the background if I'm not mistaken. :)
HackneyRF
08-02-2018, 21:44
And that's a GSX-550 ES in the background if I'm not mistaken. :)
:lol:
Blimey Geoff, how can you tell that? To be honest I remembered it as a friends K100 brick but my brain has probably filled in the gaps for me.
My bike ownership went a bit like this:
Suzuki GT185
Yamaha RD200 (same time as the GT185)
Yamaha RD400 great bike, quick and handled well - better than the GT380.
Yamaha YR5 (same time as the RD400)
Yamaha YCS5E (same time as the RD400)
Honda 400/4 mkII yoshimura half race cam, Dunstal silencer and K&N filters
Yamaha XS750 big, lazy but comfortable.
Suzuki GT750 outrageous fuel consumption fitted with a 3 into 1 expansion pipe and enlarged jets.
BMW R100RS (twin shock). Comfiest bike I ever owned used to ride from Stevenage to Edinburgh just about every weekend for a year.
BMW K100
Kawasaki Z1000ST bit of a dog but long legs.
Kawasaki GPZ750R nice, a bit heavy though. (Edinburgh to Stevenage via M74/M6/M1 in just over 5 hours).
Kawasaki GPz500S (dog)
Kawasaki GPX600R very quick and superb handling.
Yamaha FZR250EXUP my favourite fun bike, 18000 red line, revs cut at 19200, nothing below 10000, but would do 100mph 2 up. Off the clock at 200kph solo. Handled supremely, wore out boots with this :)
:lol:
Blimey Geoff, how can you tell that? To be honest I remembered it as a friends K100 brick but my brain has probably filled in the gaps for me.
It is a K100 variant for sure.
It's brilliant seeing everyone's old bike photos but that horrid old Renault sent a cold shiver down my spine :D
HackneyRF
17-02-2018, 14:50
It's brilliant seeing everyone's old bike photos but that horrid old Renault sent a cold shiver down my spine :D
Bad memories of owning one Ian? :eyebrows:
Anyway, this Transalp is hands down the ugliest bike I have ever owned......
http://theartofsound.net/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=22577&d=1517061452
......my brother wrote it off and replaced it with this little pocket rocket. Great bike that i kept for a good 7/8 years. Only sold to help pay for university otherwise would have kept her.
http://theartofsound.net/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=22579&d=1517061654
walpurgis
17-02-2018, 15:03
That's not as ugly as my ex-army Armstrong MT500 was. Bastard of a bike, the renowned idling problems, weird handling and a front brake suited to a push bike. Wasn't impressed with the tall left kickstart, not that it usually wanted to start.
This isn't mine, but it was largely similar.
http://i68.tinypic.com/2hdck5c.png
HackneyRF
17-02-2018, 15:26
Oh I don't know Geoff, looks wise i like it. Didnt that engine go into a Matchless G80? They didnt go down so well either!
walpurgis
17-02-2018, 15:35
Didnt that engine go into a Matchless G80? They didnt go down so well either!
Yeah, it did. Also used by MZ and I think BMW employed a version.
Why did they give such a bag of shite to the army......oh no, wait a minute, they were cheap
high.spirits
18-02-2018, 19:21
M V Agusta anybody? You'll need getting on for £100,000 though.
http://i63.tinypic.com/2hgg1w3.jpg
Beautiful 😍
Haven't watched this thread for a while but just seen the Armstrong, right pain and being short in the leg had to start it ( try to start it) standing on the kerb. A chap at the local bike shop told me he was called out quite regularly to start them for the territorial army as they could never get them going. Sold it vowed not to have another one then another one very cheap came along with different carb but still a pig to start sold that one to a chap who came all the way down from Ayr , he couldn't start it so I had to for him then he set off ,never knew if he got home . Harley Davidson won the contract and the new bikes are 350 cc with electric start and discs. Much nicer.
high.spirits
19-03-2018, 10:01
One of my favourite bikes I had way back:
https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2754/4100563436_92df58da64_z.jpg?zz=1 (https://flic.kr/p/7fmsDA)Ducati 900SS 1993 (https://flic.kr/p/7fmsDA) by Martin (https://www.flickr.com/photos/martinzzzpics/), on Flickr
Another a Norton Atlas with Paul Dunstall domi racer parts.
https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2601/4099807029_db399a0a15_z.jpg?zz=1 (https://flic.kr/p/7fhzN6)Norton 750 Domi Racer 1982-3 (https://flic.kr/p/7fhzN6) by Martin (https://www.flickr.com/photos/martinzzzpics/), on Flickr
high.spirits
19-03-2018, 10:03
Getting a bit more modern, my Suzuki Katana:
https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2616/4100564354_01eb4c1ec3_z.jpg?zz=1 (https://flic.kr/p/7fmsVq)Suzuki Katana 1984 (https://flic.kr/p/7fmsVq) by Martin (https://www.flickr.com/photos/martinzzzpics/), on Flickr
high.spirits
19-03-2018, 10:06
Even tried trials riding for a bit: An old Greeves Scottish with Villiers 197cc 8E engine and a modern (was back then) Armstrong.
https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7290/9823281043_c69fa3c357_b.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/fY3Tdx)Armstrong & Greeves Scottish trails bikes 1985 (https://flic.kr/p/fY3Tdx) by Martin (https://www.flickr.com/photos/martinzzzpics/), on Flickr
Me competing on a Fantic 200.
https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2559/4100564828_537fe92ce9_z.jpg?zz=1 (https://flic.kr/p/7fmt4A)Fantic 200 - Bleak Hall 1986 2nd place (https://flic.kr/p/7fmt4A) by Martin (https://www.flickr.com/photos/martinzzzpics/), on Flickr
walpurgis
19-03-2018, 10:13
What was the engine in the Fantic? Looks like it could be a Montessa or Ossa unit (could also be Bultaco I guess).
high.spirits
19-03-2018, 10:31
I thought Fantic made them but it could be badged Fantic and made by A N Other. It was made late 1970s early 1980s.
They were only about 125cc even though called a Fantic 200. They had a carbon coated bore which meant if the bore was damaged it could not be re-bored.
http://www.fanticmotor.asso.fr/r02.htm this site gives a range of the models available.
It was a really good bike to ride for a twin shock and I won quite a few Clubmen events.
Stryder5
19-03-2018, 18:59
My Thruxton was quick, a bugger to start, regularly stripped timing gears ( which I think were Mica), driven hard you could almost burn your leg on the oil tank, mine had a mesh oil tank guard, don't know if this was std.
Added,, you can see the guard in the photo!
Not sure I agree about the Velo Thruxton Marco. I think it's a gorgeous bike. Possibly the quickest all round production 500 single ever sold in the UK. And the best sounding!
And yes, I do know about the 500 BSA Gold Star, but they were often used with IOM gearing which made them useless off the mark. The Velo seemed more potent through the mid anyway. I saw them at Santa Pod on the drag strip against Goldies and the Velo would always win, beating some of the Bonnevilles too.
Another piccie:
http://i66.tinypic.com/34oxxli.jpg
Seeing the lovely old trials bikes reminds me of my old Suzuki SP400, very capable trail bike built to rival Yamaha's XT500. It was much more " British " like than the slightly revy XT and had a lovely thump of bass. My one had seen better days and the engine seized regularly but left to cool down it would rattle back into life with a couple of hefty prods on the kick start. It had huge amounts of character and more grunt than a pig on steroids.
http://i68.tinypic.com/2cct05f.jpg
Lovely bikes had a sp370 ,never really understood the difference, sprayed it matt black and at the time thought I was very mad max like.
Haselsh1
16-06-2019, 12:26
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48072367526_932a6d9b8f_b.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/2geZs3S)Triumph Speed Triple Engine Shot (https://flic.kr/p/2geZs3S) by Shaun Haselden (https://www.flickr.com/photos/156648964@N02/), on Flickr
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48072415493_fd64c8ac38_b.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/2geZGiT)Triumph Speed Triple (https://flic.kr/p/2geZGiT) by Shaun Haselden (https://www.flickr.com/photos/156648964@N02/), on Flickr
OK so I've labelled these as a Triumph Speed Triple in the hope that it is correct. Seafront gathering in Cleethorpes Lincolnshire. 16th June 2019. Lovely collection of bikes. Some lightweights, some heavy machinery. All of them much appreciated.
Stryder5
16-06-2019, 19:22
Looking at the rear tyre someone's been riding this hard!
Gary
Yatsushiro
16-06-2019, 19:29
Looking at the rear tyre someone's been riding this hard!
Gary
In a relatively straight line perhaps, as witnessed by the width of the chicken strips:eyebrows:
Talking of bikes that 'drop into corners'. Anybody ever ride a Kwaka GPX600R? That's the one with the sixteen inch wheels.
http://i65.tinypic.com/2rertso.jpg
What a horror. I took one for a test ride, at every turn it just wanted to keep falling further as it leaned, really nasty. And it wasn't even usefully quick, no guts whatsoever apart from a short, mad, zing at the very top of the power band, useless. I walked away from that one quickly and bought a Honda CB-1 400 (naked 'Baby Blade') instead, which was a proper little cracker!!
The GPZ600R was the the one that wanted to drop into corners due to different sized wheels, I had the GPX600R for about 2 years, great handling machine, could just about stay with the FZR600R too.
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