Car (or bike) Chat!

[CageyH]

Ah, I see, thanks. Not saying that particular one wasn't/isn't cool, but I've never been a Honda bike fan - always found them a bit staid/boring, certainly in the looks department. I was always more of a Yammie or Kawasaki boy, or something Italian, which oozed chicness and style!

Marco.

Want to stand out from the crowd?
Try one of these - https://bosshoss.com/bikes/

[CageyH]

[Marco]

Want to stand out from the crowd?
Try one of these - https://bosshoss.com/bikes/

Erm, that would be stand out in the wrong way!

Marco.

[CageyH]

Well, you can fit twin turbos to it, to make up for the lack of power.

[CageyH]

Brother in law recently picked up a Kawasaki W800. It’s about 8 years old, but another Retro model.
He quite likes it.

[Pigmy Pony]

Brother in law recently picked up a Kawasaki W800. It’s about 8 years old, but another Retro model.
He quite likes it.

I think I know the model, look a bit like an Enfield or old Triumph. But no doubt the more important parts of it will be pretty up yo date while appearing to be vintage. Much easier to live with than a genuinely old bike.

20 years ago I had one of these, even same colour. Very retro (Jap) bike, but very torquey, very comfortable and had some presence on the road. Shame I had to write it off


https://www.bing.com/images/search?v...lectedIndex=13

[walpurgis]

Brother in law recently picked up a Kawasaki W800. It’s about 8 years old, but another Retro model.
He quite likes it.

I wasn't aware of that model, but pictures show that it's clearly an evolution of the W650, which in itself is pretty reminiscent of the Yamaha XS-650 I had in the Eighties.

[Marco]

That's a gorgeous bike, Geoff - sex on wheels!

Marco.

[Pigmy Pony]

In about '78/79 Yamaha did a custom version of that XS650, called "Special". I really wanted one at the time but couldn't afford it. It later became the XS650 "US Custom" but didn't look quite as good. I think they did a 250 and 400cc version too.

But a year later I did get one of these

https://cdn1.mecum.com/auctions/lv01...?1389494225000

[Marco]

Nice, looks as if it would shift, too!

You can see the attraction of these bikes though, can't you, and get why (at least I) think they look good? I know that, in terms of pretty much everything else, modern bikes eat them alive, and would leave them standing in a race, but for me that's not the point.

There's a fun factor and certain 'charm' about them that is absent in modern bikes, as awesome as they are from an engineering/performance P.O.V. Plus, much like with, say, hi-fi, I bet you could 'pimp' them (sympathetically) with the best modern parts, to improve key aspects of their performance, and to an extent get the 'best of both worlds'?

If I had one, that's probably what I would do, but not to the extent of spoiling what the bike was meant to be in the first place

Marco.