Topic: Has anybody given up on modern bikes?

[kajtek]

Not been riding for long, previous bike was a triumph street triple, cool bike but just crazy fast. Was worried I might kill myself!! N didn't feel I could modify or mess with it much, so got myself a 400 4 and never looked back!

[Really?]

Gave my opinion on sport bikes but a much newer cruiser, yeppers, I would love a new one.  I would like a new second generation Venture but the things that hold me back are that it still has carbs (I hate the carbs setup on both generations), the cassette player it still comes with and the $20,000 price tag.

[greenjeans]

The only new bike I ever had was an 94 CBR600.   Liked it, but I have always liked vintage bikes.

[LesterPiglet]

I have a friend with a Yam XJR1300 and when he visits and looks at my bike he just grins and says "I love shiny bits".    Me too.
Also my 20yo son was totally taken with the carb action. He never seen them before.

[heffay]

The only new bike I ever had was an 94 CBR600.   Liked it, but I have always liked vintage bikes.

that is the newest bike I've ever owned too.  cbr600f2.  was a great bike.  that was back in 95.  PO wheelied it and came down on an oil patch and chucked it underneath a car.  i bought it off of him and redid the body work and rode the piss out of it.

[eldar]

My fz has minor electronics. Is FI but only throttle body, it stills uses vacuum gauges to get a sync. How familiar is that. It does not have abs or traction control. it has a few sensors, of which they are easily replaceable. I am not tied to a dealer. It is much like the CB was in its day. A low cost basic bike that is reliable. It gets better mpg, much longer oil change intervals, thousands of miles before valve checks, and tires are barely more expensive.
Not all modern bikes are money pits of something breaks. I can do virtually all the same work on my fz that can be done on a cb before engine work such as boring but I can't do that on my CB either as I lack the tools.
As for character, well, I can do a lot to add character to my fz. It may not have as much as the CB does but then I doubt in 1984, a cb had that much character either. Character is partly based on age, imo.

I think my Magna is more of a pain in the ass to work on then my fz is. And it is only 6 years newer than my CB.

[azuredesign]

I should never have replied to this thread this morning. Went to start my "modern" touring bike ('99 BMW k1200rs) this afternoon, no juice.
I do wonder if I bought a new bike every 3 or 4 years if it would be always be reliable. I guess using a car analogy, one would have to be satisfied making a cross country trip in a new Toyota versus a well maintained, classic "X",  but having to troubleshoot a breakdown in the rain on a cold night blows.

[DH]

I have a 08 cbr600rr and a 75 k5. The cbr does what it is designed
to do very well. I like riding it when in a group with others who have modern bikes. Its easier to keep up with the group. The 750 mostly sees weekend "two up" duty with my wife on the back. Liesure riding on Sat/Sun afternoons, with the occasional Sat. night ride in town or on surrounding rural roads are a favorate.
The 600 is all business. Cutting edge in every area. change oil, check tires, adjust chain occasionally, hang on,ride and enjoy.
The 750 is a gentlemans ride, (mine is anyway) that has a timeless charm. There's no comparison between it and the cbr. And thats ok,
cause there doesn't need to be. Cool factor is timeless. Nothing can ever take that away from a cb750. They 'are what they are"
and do what they do very well. If there is a comparison to be made between the two, my last sentence would sum it up..
Give up on newer bikes? Nahh. I like the speed too much....jmo

[BeSeeingYou]

I guess the problem I have is so many of the bikes built after the mid 1980's are just to ucking fugly.

[dave500]

my only late bike and first road bike i kept for a year was a mid 80s honda vf750 v4 thing i owned in the mid 90s,it looked good but i never really loved it,i rode it from townsville to the goldcoast when i moved here and sold it almost straight away,its almost a classic in its own right now though?ive given up on modern bikes,,ive ridden a brand new r1,,id never have the reflexes to open anything like that up and ride it properly,id like to tinker with the last models of those yammie seca 600s though,,i like the 500/500s,,they make the right noise and have the right feel as if your going faster than you are and i think thats what i find satisfying now im a little older?they always get comments and seem welcome amoungst any group,,and i enjoy the tinker factor.

[dhall57]

Never had a modern bike. Just like new cars today, new bikes have to many gizmo's and items that aren't necessary. Just more stuff to go wrong and than you have to take it back to dealer to have it repaired.  I like simplicity and that's why I have 2 CB750's

[754]

 He who has a bike that will run circles around mine in any form or aspect but rides it less than I do, is not winning IMO..

 He who has a much quicker, much more reliable, better performing bike than mine, but dies on it before I do.. did not win ..IMO..

 They who have modern bike but dont have the fond memories decades later didnt win either...

 Got a buddy, most modern bike he ever had was a 52.. now his newset is a 36 EL.. but most of his bikes are pre 1930.. He really enjoys histeens bikes, but the ones he really loves are all over a hundred years old,  his pre10 bikes..  He doesnt road ride much anymore though. Riding definitly was a lkot different a few decades ago..

[eldar]

Just remember Frank, in 1969, older riders were saying the same thing about the cb. You can bet a lot of people thought a bike with electric start or disk brakes was too modern and too much crap to go out. Now it is a few decades later. The CB, modern in ITS time, is now antiquated. Bikes that are modern today, will also be antiquated. And some of these modern bikes will be just as collectable as almost any cb750. Besides, what does the type of bike matter when it comes to memories? Does the person who dies on his bike that is older than your, while being younger than you, win? Does the guy who is just unable to ride less than you because he has no choice, lose? In MY opinion, he who rides and enjoys it, wins. It doesn't matter WHAT he rides as long as he enjoys it. THAT is all that matters.

Dhall, read my last post. I have very little on my fz that can go out, very little extraneous items on it. Not all "modern" bikes are loaded with gizmos and other crap.

[754]

 Eldar How do you like the Magna, you seem to prefer the FZ..?

 The point I am making in previous posts is, I have found  the bikes that suit my needs and wants, and am comfortable, and have found my place in the vast bike world. Just saying, all the preaching of owners of better, newer faster ..is just wasted on me...

 Re memories, if the bike did not have a big impact on you later in life, then all  the bragging and telling people how great it was  did not matter

 If the bike you thought was so great ends up killing you, it wasnt that good for you..overall was it ?

[eldar]

If the bike you thought was so great ends up killing you, it wasnt that good for you..overall was it ?

So, if you die on your CB, it wasn't that good for you then right?

Just cause something might be wasted on you, doesn't invalidate what a person says. I would say that it means you are placing a limit on yourself based on whatever self-serving criteria.
Anyways, the magna is great. Feels a bit weird with shaft drive compared to a chain but it is actually quite comfortable. The angle of the bars is a bit odd compared to my CB or fz but it is liveable compared to some that make me feel like I am touching my elbows together.

[754]

 Any bike that takes you out wasnt good for you not even a cb. But I was thinking more of the guy getting a really scary fast bike, and people ask if they really need that, and they say they know it could be dangerous and overKILL ..

 As for the rest of what you said.... its not a matter of wasted on me, or invalidating someones opinion.. I just merely Answered the question asked in the thread title and gave my view on the topic...