Author Topic: Just a bike. (Read 2864 times)

Buffo · « **on:** October 02, 2005, 03:43:02 PM »

I have ridden a lot of different motorcycles over the last 24 years...I have owned quite a few as well and with exception of a couple I wish I had kept them all.

I got my 1978 CB750K8 just a short time ago but I can say that it is not just a bike...say like the CBR600f2 that I had in 1994. that was...just a bike. The K8 is a bike that I know I will keep. (unless I go broke and need to eat) And will pass down to offspring or other family members when the time is right.

Another bike that I have now is a 1982 Yamaha Vision...but I have yet to decide if it is just another bike or worthy to be "kept".

I had a 1982 GS550E Suziki that I wish I still had. that was a great bike as well.

A friend of mine has a BMW 650 funduro. Although it is a great riding bike and looks good, I have ridden it many times and it is just a bike...it is lacing that ...something that makes some bike truly great...it is a bike to be ridden while you are on the hunt for a great motorcycle.

Yamaha Rd and RZ model bikes are great bikes as well...I wish I kept mine at least. I had 350cc in both 2 strokes...worthy of being "kept". They are both missed.

I never realized how much I would miss the great bikes of my past.

Buffo The Magnificent

ofreen · « **Reply #1 on:** October 02, 2005, 07:44:45 PM »

I bought an '87 GSX-R1100 new and kept it for 10 years. I did the typical mods of the day to it and it was quite a machine. At the time I sold it, I had 10 street bikes. I had to move them around one day and I decided it was ridiculous to have so many and sold a bunch of them off.
The GSX-R is the one I still miss. sniff.

Greg
75 CB750F

Terry in Australia · « **Reply #2 on:** October 02, 2005, 08:09:23 PM »

Quote from: ofreen on October 02, 2005, 07:44:45 PM

I bought an '87 GSX-R1100 new and kept it for 10 years. I did the typical mods of the day to it and it was quite a machine. At the time I sold it, I had 10 street bikes. I had to move them around one day and I decided it was ridiculous to have so many and sold a bunch of them off.
The GSX-R is the one I still miss. sniff.Greg 75 CB750F

I know the feeling Greg, pretty soon I have to off-load my F2 (just a bike) and my K3 (great bike) plus a Suzuki GS1000G, (possibly a great bike) and a GS750E (great bike) just because i'm running out of room, and just tire and chain replacements alone are sending me to the poor house.

I'll still have my CB750K1 "Kruiser", (great bike) my much-modified CB750 based "Racer" project, (dunno yet, but it's gotta be good as I'm building it to suit me with all the best bits, ha ha!) and my ever-reliable Suzuki GS1000S "daily rider". (brilliant bike) Once I get the "fleet" down to a reasonable (read affordable) level, I'll have to keep telling myself to steer clear of wrecking yards and Ebay, ha ha! Cheers, Terry.

GeoffT · « **Reply #3 on:** October 02, 2005, 08:19:43 PM »

I notice that the Suzuki GS (various cc's) get a mention here. A bike I've always admired the look of, liked the sound of and not yet ridden. Maybe one day. I did have a 400 GSX (katana) which i thouroughly enjoyed and wish I still had, which draws me to the same conclusion as you guys. I'll not be selling the 550F1!

chrometank · « **Reply #4 on:** October 02, 2005, 09:13:23 PM »

One bike ild love would be a kwaka Z900...........oohhhh that would be nice

Uncle Ernie · « **Reply #5 on:** October 02, 2005, 09:13:45 PM »

Well, this is a closing the bar comiseration. 'Only thing missing is the C&W and blue haze along the ceiling.
I've bought and sold enough to know what my core bikes are now. As far as this forum goes, I'm on my 3rd and last 400- I've learned my lesson. The only big mistake I made was selling a bike that was restored by a genious who did the engine, the paint, AND the pin stripes to 100 % correct condition. The young man died at 28 of a brain tumour. The bike was a '52 BMW R67/2. It's in Japan now, and another like it will never come along again.

ofreen · « **Reply #6 on:** October 02, 2005, 10:19:05 PM »

Quote from: Terry in Australia on October 02, 2005, 08:09:23 PM

Quote from: ofreen on October 02, 2005, 07:44:45 PM
I Once I get the "fleet" down to a reasonable (read affordable) level, I'll have to keep telling myself to steer clear of wrecking yards and Ebay, ha ha! Cheers, Terry.

Yup, so many bikes, so little time (and money.)

Greg

mick750F · « **Reply #7 on:** October 03, 2005, 05:41:53 AM »

Quote from: Uncle Ernie on October 02, 2005, 09:13:45 PM

The bike was a '52 BMW R67/2. It's in Japan now, and another like it will never come along again.

I can almost share your pain Uncle Ernie. For two years I owned a '54 BMW R67/S. It was a Vermont barn bike and was complete, but it needed a total restoration when I bought it for $500 in '75. It sat untouched for those two years due to a lack of time and space to work. I ended up selling it, with the correct BMW shop manual...written in French, for $500. The guy who bought it promised to contact me when it was restored so I could have a look at it. I never saw it again...

Mike

6pkrunner · « **Reply #8 on:** October 03, 2005, 08:24:45 AM »

I had a 1979 red CBX I wish I had kept. And of course my 1973 K3 I wished I had kept also. I traced her recently and should never had done it. She's not the pristine girl I remember from 30 years ago.
I've got a 1984 FJ110 and a 1975 GT750 Water Buffalo that I will more than likely retain.
I think I have a CB750 plant in the backyard somewhere as I've amassed 7 within the last 8 months or so. I've always had a soft spot for the CB750 since viewing a turquoise one on a pedistal in a bike shop in 1969. I had a Super Hawk at that time and the feeling of seeing that magnificent specimen has never left. The other bikes will always be nice, but will never reach where the CB750 can.

ElCheapo · « **Reply #9 on:** October 11, 2005, 11:25:29 AM »

Just a bike? There are a lot of bikes that fall in that category for me. The 75' CB750 is problably my best bike. I just love the way it handles. Nice and light in the handle bars unlike some bikes (700 V-four Madura, Kawasaki KZ400). Of all the bikes I miss the most has to be either the 1975 Yahamaha 175 which I rode as a kid in the woods (I rode this bike like I stole it). Problably the best $50 I ever spent on a bike. The other WAS my Suzuki GSXR 7/11. This is the insanity of putting an 1100 engine in a 750 frame. Handled like nothing on this planet. So very fast it was scarry or stupid, don't remember which

. Sounded like a Formula F-1 race car. Fun but I think I miss the enduro more. Pounding a rat through the woods like you stole it can be exhillerating, you know... no roads, no rules... just go.

GoatBaSS · « **Reply #10 on:** October 11, 2005, 02:59:46 PM »

A 1973 Triumph 750 Bonneville Twin. Last of the right side shift. Midrange for years, narrow and nimble, sold it back to my friend who sold it to me after he rebuilt it. I got it running and learned Lucas' art of darkness. My riding buddies would have to ride behind me with catchers mitts to field the parts as they vibrated off the bike. Still love that bike.

74cb750 · « **Reply #11 on:** October 11, 2005, 09:08:33 PM »

Funny, but there is only one bike I really liked a lot: Yamaha XS650 with shorty pipes,
hand-built sidecovers and custom paint.
Easy to work on etc etc. All the other XS360/400/750/850's just didn't have the same quality/feel.
All the hondas I rode I always managed to blow up, sieze or crash,
the Suzuki's were all too fast
and the Kawasaki's only had the triples that I would want to keep,
distinctive for sure (that's why I still have 6 of them, for parts mostly).

Overall, I only plan to keep my CB550 and Kawasaki S2/350. The rest go on
ebay when I get them rebuilt.
michel

Terry in Australia · « **Reply #12 on:** October 11, 2005, 09:24:08 PM »

Hey Michel, what type of helmet are you wearing in your avatar pic? My eyes aren't too good, but it looks very shiny! Cheers, Terry.

mick750F · « **Reply #13 on:** October 11, 2005, 10:14:05 PM »

Quote from: Terry in Australia on October 11, 2005, 09:24:08 PM

Hey Michel, what type of helmet are you wearing in your avatar pic? My eyes aren't too good, but it looks very shiny! Cheers, Terry.

Oh Terry you are too much man! I'm laughing my ass off here. Damn near spilled my drink you bastard! You better hope you don't end up with one of those helmets yourself.

Mike

MikeDeB · « **Reply #14 on:** October 13, 2005, 12:40:13 AM »

This one isn't just a bike! She's an Italian godess and I just love her. I'll probably never get rid of her.

"You don't just start a Ducati, you bring a Ducati to life."

Terry in Australia · « **Reply #15 on:** October 13, 2005, 01:16:59 AM »

Well I have to admit that the later belt-driven Dukes are quite well engineered, but the older bevel drive suckers were the biggest heaps of #$%* that God ever shovelled guts into!

I owned a 1970's 900SS once, while it was possibly the sexiest looking bike ever made, it was just rubbish mechanically. Still, at the time the factory was Communist state owned, and "Quality Control" hadn't even made it into the Italian dictionary.

Apart from being bought and sold several times since then, the marque seems to be trading quite well now, particularly with the advent of the "Monster", a less "single minded" product compared to it's peers. It's always a pleasure to get off a Duke and be able to straighten your back right away! Cheers, Terry.

Bob Wessner · « **Reply #16 on:** October 13, 2005, 02:10:27 AM »

Quote

It's always a pleasure to get off a Duke and be able to straighten your back right away!

Sounds more like a rider age issue rather than a bike design issue.

Terry in Australia · « **Reply #17 on:** October 13, 2005, 02:23:57 AM »

Quote from: Bob Wessner on October 13, 2005, 02:10:27 AM

Quote
It's always a pleasure to get off a Duke and be able to straighten your back right away!

Sounds more like a rider age issue rather than a bike design issue.

I take it you've never ridden a Duke Bob? I owned mine when I was a very fit 29 year old, it's just a standard symptom of Ducati 900SS (bevel drive) ownership, ha ha! Cheers, Terry.

Bob Wessner · « **Reply #18 on:** October 13, 2005, 02:27:06 AM »

Just kidding, but no I haven't. Can tell by the picture in the above post though, it doesn't look like something to try riding from New York to L.A. on.

Terry in Australia · « **Reply #19 on:** October 13, 2005, 02:38:13 AM »

No worries Bob, but I'm not commenting on Mike's bike, as I said earlier, the later bikes are a hell of a lot better than the old ones, (in my opinion) and I haven't ridden that many modern ones to authoritively comment, one way or another. Cheers, Terry.

dusterdude · « **Reply #20 on:** October 13, 2005, 06:47:07 AM »

terry,that doesnt seem to stop eldar,the god of k8`s.

Mark M · « **Reply #21 on:** October 13, 2005, 08:46:19 AM »

I've never ridden from Newyork to LA, I only live on a little Island but have done over 500 miles in a day on the one at the back.

Strangly if I had to sell one it would be the Honda - Because I'd love to build another, I think I could do it so much better next time.

MikeDeB · « **Reply #22 on:** October 13, 2005, 12:00:52 PM »

Mark, Just love your MV! It's got to be a blast to ride.

Here's the other Italian that is the stablemate to the SS. She's also not "just a bike."

News:

Author Topic: Just a bike. (Read 2864 times)

Buffo

ElCheapo