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Motorcycle Lovers Thread

Tom K.

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Seems like a fair number of us ride and own motorcycles, so I thought I'd start a general thread about bikes, stuff for bikes, why you like bikes, how you came to them, ad nauseum -- no powder yet, so......

I've been riding since I was 9 in 1969. Primarily dirt bikes, but a smattering of street bikes, too.

Bookending things:

Current bike: Brand new Yamaha Tenere 700. Plan to use primarily to explore back roads in my new back yard.

First bike: Sears Allstate (Steyr-Daimler-Puch) 60 cc scooter. Bought for $50 and learned about clutches, two-stroke engines, and ordering parts from a Sears Catalog Store!
 

scott43

So much better than a pro
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I started when I was 17 and couldn't afford a fast car and had to commute to university. I've had:
- 1985 Yamaha RZ 500
- 1988 Suzuki RM250
- 1989 Suzuki GSXR-750 Superbike race bike
- 1998 Honda CBR-600 F3
- 2003 Yamaha R6

I've also been lucky to ride a bunch of bikes from friends. RZ-350, ZX7-R, GSXR-1000, Hayabusa, Katana, CBX-550, etc etc And have a great community of racing friends.

I sold everything once the kids came along but I'm watching to see if I can get some kids bikes..Z50's or CR80s or something.
 
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Tom K.

Tom K.

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@scott43 I'm jealous of the RZ500! I came so close to buying a lightly used RD400....bygones!

Let's see if I can do a full list, but I'm bad with years:

Sears Allstate 60
Suzuki TS 125
Suzuki TS 250
Suzuki RM 250
RM250C
RM250C2
Kawasaki KX420 -- what a beast!
Suzuki GT550

19 year pause

KTM 300 2T
KTM 250 2T
KTM 200 2T
KTM 400 4T
KTM 250 2T
Suzuki V-Strom 1000
Yamaha FZ-1
 

scott43

So much better than a pro
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The RZ was cool in some ways...but...not much of a bike in others. The engine obviously was quite a thing. The pipes were very heavy and I almost got a set of pipes from the great Jonathan Cornwell but sold the bike first for faster things. The frame was steel and heavy, the forks were spindly, the brakes were wooden..the rear under-engine shock was hard to get aftermarket. It was an aspiring GP bike but really just a street bike. I often hit the pipes on the deck while cornering, especially on the track. And to lift the back was tough with the unique shock arrangement. And the engine rebuild kit for the RZ was like $2k. It had 4 barrels, pistons, crankcase seals...was a tough rebuild. I was terrified of squeaking it on the track. Terrified. The Suzuki Gamma RG500 was a better bike. It had a square (!!) 4 as opposed to the RZ's V-4. Interestingly the RZ had 2 cranks that were geared together to an output shaft for the tranny. I mean, the thing was a marvel. My buddy had a Gamma and it sounded better, braked better, turned better..he binned the Gamma while doing a stand-up wheelie on the 401... Great bike. :ogbiggrin: And as you know probably, there is very little engine braking on the two-strokes because the compression ratio is usually pretty low. So you could carry speed into corners..it rewarded a more smooth style. But the Gamma was more the future. It had a (weak) aluminum frame, bigger fork tubes, better brakes. A lot of that tech was also in the original GSX-R 750. By 1988 when the Slingshot GSXR came out, the RZ and Gamma were little more than curiosities. I could endo the GSXR with 1 finger whereas the RZ required a mitt-ful of brake. Really the 1986 GSXR-750 changed the bike world in a huge way. And more interestingly, the CBR600-F3 was even faster than the GSXR-750.

But the 2-stroke sound! Nuff said... :ogbiggrin:
 

pais alto

me encanta el país alto
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3AA72CC2-481C-4325-ADC2-24BE6EFCD27E.jpeg


My ‘14 mag-wheel Bonnie. I lean toward classic street bikes…especially British ones.
 

geepers

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Been a while since I've slung a leg over a 2 wheeler....

The list is:
Honda 50 step-through (bought it off my older sister for $10 for thrashing the paddock as a youngster)
Kawasaki 100 Ag bike (bigger paddocks and then road)
Suzuki T350R road bike
Honda 250 Elsinore dirt bike
Suzuki 750GS
Yamaha YZ250 motocross bike fitted out for short circuit racing (disc brake, smaller front wheel, clip-ons, lowered seat)
Yamaha 1100XS
Kawasaki 185 Ag bike
Kawasaki GPZ900

Got to ride a bunch of other bikes from friends and demo-ing. Notably:
Yamaha TZ350 road racer
Yamaha RZ500
Ducati 900SS Desmo


The 1970s Japanese bikes were pretty woeful in the handling department but they didn't leak oil, were reliable and of the motors were great. The European bikes were pretty good (for the time). The Japanese started to catch up in the 1980s but I was out of the game by 1985.

The modern bikes look stunning. However the asphalt looks harder than ever.
 

François Pugh

Skiing the powder
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I wish I could subscribe, but my wife has decided I don't need a motorcycle and has taken measures to ensure I never save up enough money for one. ogwink That and the fact that I still have a hole in my ski quiver to fill.

I'm also a little concerned over diabetes induced balance issues. It's no so bad that I can't stand on one foot, but it's bad enough for me to notice. The challenge used to be walking across bridges on the top edge of the armco barrier, which was about a mm in width. Maybe it will get better with practice. Anyone have a good set of balance exercises to work on?

I've driven a handful of old bikes, including a Honda CT 70, heavily modified 1970s Honda 750s, an '84 Interceptor, a Yamaha R6, brief test rides on a number of 250cc , 500cc and 600cc twin bikes. Never quite got around to a two-stroke, although the modified 1970s did have a very peaky power band.
 
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Tom K.

Tom K.

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Subscribed.


My ‘14 mag-wheel Bonnie. I lean toward classic street bikes…especially British ones.

Always wanted a Triumph! Being an ex-dirt bike guy, I just saw that Ricky Carmichael is working with them to build an off-road and MX bike?!

I wish I could subscribe, but my wife has decided I don't need a motorcycle and has taken measures to ensure I never save up enough money for one. ogwink That and the fact that I still have a hole in my ski quiver to fill.

We took a secret vote, and you're IN, regardless! :ogbiggrin:

Perhaps @Philpug could change the title of the thread to Motorcycle "Lovers" Thread?
 

Dakine

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I'm down to my last four bikes.
1965 BMW R69s
1970 Honda CB750
1994 Ducati 900e Elefant
2000 Suzuki Hayabusa
Just finished an oil change and coolant change on the Hayabusa.
Got to warm it up a couple of times to burp the radiator then go for a little spin.
This thing is as serious as a heart attack, and is near impossible to ride legally but, oh the hit when you shift it into third and give it the juice.
Geared so if you redline it in first you are going 84 mph......
 

Laurel Hill Crazie

AKA Rob Davis
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Here's some stock photos of the few bikes I've owned. The last is the only digital photo I have on file of the 1100. That's my niece who was foolish enough to go for a ride. I rode these machines well over 100,000 miles. I lived on my GS 750 then the 1100 until I spun the crank. My wife was prgenant with our first born and repairing the engine would be cost prohibitive. That's when I stopped riding, 1990.

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1631711245767.jpeg
 

Snowfan

aka Eric Nelson
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@Tom K. Thanks for starting this thread! (Pics off net...can't find my pics)

1st bike Honda SL 70---not as good as XR75 and rode with my brother who's bike was built by Ron Stockman motocross legend bud with Brad Lackey.
2nd Kawasaki S2 350 2 stroke triple. In high school rode illegal with no license and 0 tickets. :) Fast as snot but could not keep up with RD350's.
3rdish...My Dad's rare dual sport new Harley Davidson sx175. I blew up his engine on interstate and feel awful not fixing simple seize.
4th Kawasaki LTD 1000
5th Kawasaki KZ 1300 Water cooled 6 cylinder. I hit a rabbit at 120mph with only a tap on handlebars. What a great cruiser.
6th Yamaha YZ250
^^^
36 years with no bike. :(

7th 2 years ago bought neighbors 2000 Electra Glide 130K miler upgraded from 88inch to 95. WONDERFUL Potato Potato Potato Python pipes. 2 wheel love restored.
8th A few weeks ago bought 2020 650 V-Strom after much research. 790 mile great owner deal for 8800. With top bag and taller GIVI windshield.

Future dream.... Tenere 700 like Tom, 2 TW200's to ride black bear pass with buddies and/or wife. I gifted wife with Spyder MSF school and she loved it....Spyder lady coming. GoldWing. I live in Texas panhandle. 1/2 mile dirt driveway, 1/2 mile dirt road....then 75mph ranch roads....That's why I got the 70/30 Street/dirt Suzi. TOTALLY stoked driving water cooled v-twin with traction control off. Low end rpm nuclear blastfun.
20210912_184829.jpg
 
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Tom K.

Tom K.

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@Laurel Hill Crazie, my dad had the slightly smaller GS1000 so I was pretty familiar with it. Many years later, I decided to get a new street bike, and figured that 1000 cc was the ticket.

Bought an FZ1 and discovered just how much faster a modern-day 1000 cc bike was.

Yikes!
 

Coach13

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I remember my first bike like it was yesterday but I had to ask my dad how old I was when he bought that for me. He says I got my Honda 50 mini trail bike for my 7th Christmas. After that it was a Honda 70 trail bike, then a Yamaha 100 and on to a Suzuki 125 after that. I had three or four of those that I went through. I also had Honda 250 and 450 dirt bike. In about 1977, I got my first street bike which was a Honda 750 and soon after I picked up a Yamaha 650 street bike. I really loved all of those bikes.

As an adult I’ve ridden mostly ATVs and a handful of various dirt bikes. Riding off of the asphalt is definitely my favorite.

I now have the road king special and will soon have either a road glide limited or an Ultra Limited as well. Once I get my new street bike, my plan is to get rid of the Road King special and get a new on/off-road bike to get back into the dirt again. My wife thinks I’m nuts. She’s probably right.
 

Coach13

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I can't believe you were lucky enough to get a dirt bike at 7!! Scores!! :ogbiggrin:
It’s kind of funny really when I think back about it. I grew up in the northern end of Appalachia. My grandparents had farms and my dad worked in a factory so we weren’t in too bad of shape although we didn’t have a lot of extra money. Many of the folks around us we’re not as lucky. The funny thing is though, everybody that I knew had a dirtbike at an early age and it seems like everybody up there rode. My dad did and of course introduced it to me.

My brother and I talk about it often. For an area that was relatively poor, everybody seem to have bikes and guns. Hunting was huge where I grew up because it was a source of food. The bike thing makes me scratch my head. I guess because we were in such a secluded area it became just a acceptable hobby for most of us. That said, we rode everywhere. I rode my minibike to baseball practice in town, the elementary school and to Sunday school on Sunday mornings. In the winter, folks on snow mobiles did the same.
 

Andy Mink

Everyone loves spring skiing but not in January
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-My first bike was what I believe was a late 60s Yamaha YL1 twin 100cc. I had that in the early 80s.
-Suzuki SP600 dual "sport". Equally not at home on dirt (way heavy) or street (uncomfortable)
-'87 Ninja 250. A hoot at 13K redline.
-'87 Hurricane 600. Got me a speeding ticket from CHP. "Clocked you at 75 but we both know you were going faster." "Yes, sir."
-'92 Goldwing GL1500. That engine was butter smooth
-'07 DRZ 250 that is street legal. Haven't ridden it in years and it's currently at my buddies house for his 16yo to ride. Dirt only

I seem to have lost interest in bikes and now have an '07 Polaris Sportsman 500 and a '17 Kawasaki Teryx.
 

Laurel Hill Crazie

AKA Rob Davis
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@Laurel Hill Crazie, my dad had the slightly smaller GS1000 so I was pretty familiar with it. Many years later, I decided to get a new street bike, and figured that 1000 cc was the ticket.

Bought an FZ1 and discovered just how much faster a modern-day 1000 cc bike was.

Yikes!

I was humbled by the difference between my 8 valved 750 and the 16 valved 1100. My buddy's 16 valved Honda CB750F was a tad quicker than my GS. He couldn't catch my 1100.
 

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