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Motorcycle Lovers Thread

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Tom K.

Tom K.

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Dead Sexy Norton!

Warning: Not expected to be inexpensive!

4CCS6HZPY5H7JJZT5UMUDQXDYM.jpg


 

Dakine

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Oh great....:golfclap:
Something with a Norton badge on the tank that looks like a design rejected by Suzuki.
You want a sexy 1200 cc superbike that will kill you in a heartbeat get an Aprilia.
 

geepers

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Oh great....:golfclap:
Something with a Norton badge on the tank that looks like a design rejected by Suzuki.
You want a sexy 1200 cc superbike that will kill you in a heartbeat get an Aprilia.

Ah... but the name Norton invokes mental images of featherbed frames, famous Isle of Man TT wins by Geoff Duke and many famous riders (even the legendary Mike Hailwood had victories on them), the Manx Norton the Norton Commando, oil leaks and everything that was both right and wrong with British motorcycle manufactures before decimation by the Japanese. In other words history!

Aprilia? Images of mopeds and scooters. Ok, this century there's Laverda and Moto Guzzi images that can be added to the mix. Is it enough...?
 
Thread Starter
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Tom K.

Tom K.

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Aprilia? Images of mopeds and scooters. Ok, this century there's Laverda and Moto Guzzi images that can be added to the mix. Is it enough...?

In no way do I need, or even have very good use for, another motorcycle, but the new Guzzi's call to me.

And wouldn't (quite) bleed my wallet dry!

WTTRSWUOHFEYVMBIZRYYMC7XSY.jpg
 

Dakine

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Ah... but the name Norton invokes mental images of featherbed frames, famous Isle of Man TT wins by Geoff Duke and many famous riders (even the legendary Mike Hailwood had victories on them), the Manx Norton the Norton Commando, oil leaks and everything that was both right and wrong with British motorcycle manufactures before decimation by the Japanese. In other words history!

Aprilia? Images of mopeds and scooters. Ok, this century there's Laverda and Moto Guzzi images that can be added to the mix. Is it enough...?
Some Brit bikes were and are very special.
A 1965 Triumph TT Special like this one is why I now have a metal knee.
Resurrecting the Norton name as a modern sportbike just ain't right.
Modern Triumphs are true to form and have found a good market.
Triumph-T120C-TT-Special-Front-Right.jpg
 

UGASkiDawg

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Started riding in 1980 on a 79 Suzuki TS100 dual sport because I was such an irresponsible shithead my parents wouldn't let me get a drivers license cuz they were afraid I'd kill somebody. So they let me get a motorcycle license and I bought the cheapest street legal bike I could find. Told me it was okay to kill myself but they weren't going to be part of my killing my friends in a car. Turns out they were right. Totaled that bike getting hit by a an 18 wheeler in just over a year right before my 18th birthday and spent a week in hospital .

Got my car drivers license as soon as I turned 18 and bought a car.

Missed riding so I bought another dual sport Yam xt200 which i mostly used on dirt.
Then I bought a 1983 Suzuki GS 450 and started riding street and learning to race
Sold that and got a 88 CBR600
I also got a 1984 Yamaha RZ350 around the same time and mostly raced that bike till around 90 right before I moved to Colorado when i sold it and the CBR.

Didn't ride or really even think about motorcycles again for almost 30 years until 3 years ago when I started drooling over a Ducati Multistrada that my friend had....

Got the jones and finally bought 2014 Vstrom 650 right after Covid hit and got my wife who had never even been on a motorcycle in her life to take a learn to ride course and bought her a Honda NC700 DCT. In the middle of last ski season I then bought a Husky TE300 and starting riding it in the spring. 3 rides in I had a small crash on that and tore my acl so it sits in the garage all summer and till next spring when I can get it out for riding during early spring then head to Baja in late May for 2 weeks to help a buddy out with logistics, pre-ride scouting and some pit help for his Baja 500 race attempt.

So 30 years with no bikes and now 3 in the family and looking to buy some acreage somewhere NOT in CO to build my own little private dirt bike track on that is rideable to forest service trails.

I'd kill to have that RZ350 back today:(
 

geepers

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Some Brit bikes were and are very special.
A 1965 Triumph TT Special like this one is why I now have a metal knee.
Resurrecting the Norton name as a modern sportbike just ain't right.
Modern Triumphs are true to form and have found a good market.
View attachment 147199

Of course they also now make bikes like this...

1635907276758.png


I'm sure for some old folk the only true Norton would be a Goldstar

1635907412296.png


And there there was the hybrid Triton.... Maybe an acquired taste...

1635907516998.png



Nostalgia is not what it used to be...
 

UGASkiDawg

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Got to take a Triumph speed triple for spin in early Sept. I'm not huge fan of the naked bike but that thing sure would be fun for quick hour long rides....after that the wind gets annoying.
 

geepers

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I'd kill to have that RZ350 back today

Ever have a ride on a Yamaha TZ350? Now that was quick. Not exactly a wide power band...

I'm quite happy hitting the starter and having the bike actually start and idle nicely with fuel injection... :ogbiggrin:

Most of my time in racing it was push starts.

That wasn't a problem with the small capacity two strokes (250/350). They only needed a half-hearted bump - get it rolling, lean upper body on seat and drop clutch. But was a bit of an issue with the larger capacity 4 strokes. So the trick was to put on a good show of pushing but wait until the 1st bike fired up to hide the noise of the starter before pushing that little button.

Sensibly they decided to abandon those daft push starts. Much better to have a drag race for the 1st corner. ;)

As for fuel injection... that would have been sweet! Trying to synch 4 carburetors with a vacuum gauge was one frustrating way to spend an afternoon.
 

geepers

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Eh, the Gold Star was a BSA not a Norton.

Oh, and Norton are in administration again.

Technically BSA yes. Folk put BSA Goldstar motors/box in Norton featherbed frames and called them Norton Gold Stars. Apparently the featherbed was considered the best at the time and was spacious enough to accept many motors.

Thought Norton had been sold to Indian company TVS and production was resuming. That didn't go ahead?
 

Rod MacDonald

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Yeah, that's correct. It's difficult to keep up with the shenanigans sometimes.
 

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