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Bikes you wish you still had


faffi

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I do not regret selling any of my motorcycles, but some made more fun than others. Like the 1978 Honda CX500. My view is no doubt teinted by the fact that it was my first big motorcycle, because functionally it was horribly flawed. The suspension was waaaay too soft, the instability when cornering above 75 mph enough to force me off the road if I did anything provoking, the seat that nearly every tester praised pure torture. But I loved its looks and I was lucky enough to one of the fast ones.
 
Another fun scoot was my 1974 Honda CB350F. Again, functionally not a great thing, but I don't know how well it could have been as my bike had a bent fork and rock hard Koni shocks. Still, the turbine smooth engine and the great looks (after I painted it Laverda orange and made a 4-2 out of the original too dominating 4-4 exhaust) made it a joy to own. It always collected big crowds.
 
But the most fun bike I've owned for narrow, winding back-lanes was the 1979 Kawasaki Z400G. Not enough power - an estimate of 27 hp out of the original 36 - held it back, but otherwise it was pretty competent. I raised the front with more oil and more preload, modified the damper for much less compression damping that allowed me to run much thicker oil so the rebound damping could be sorted. I also fitted longer Koni shocks lifted from a KZ1000 that performed quite well. In the end, I had plenty of cornering clearance, handling so nimble it make the FZ-07 feel slow steering, yet it was always going like on rails. Never twitchy, never needed guiding. Almost like a scalpel. 
 
The engine vibrated and there wasn't much force to be had, but it managed to sound happy and feel stronger than its numbers. Fuel consumption was on par with the FZ-07. But unlike the Yamaha, I could wring the neck of that little engine for long periods of time without breaking the speed limit. A very different kind of fun from the satisfying immediate punch of the FZ-07, but still surprisingly satsifying in its own way. 
 
However, I'd never swap my Yamaha for any of them - or even all of them combined. The FZ-07 is miles ahead of them all.

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It would be a little small for me now but I could still ride it, knees up in the handlebars. My old 74' Yamaha DT100. It was my only 2-stroke so I miss the sound and feel of the power (what little there was, ha!) I could ride it here around the neighborhood, engine screaming, retirees screaming & shaking their fists at me. Nah, better not.

Beemer

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ducttapewd40

I do miss my 2007 R6. The top end pull on that thing was insane even though it was a little inaccessible on the road. Didn't redline until about 80mph in first gear and was screaming loud enough by then to draw every cop for miles. It would still hit 75 in 1st after a sprocket gearing change. High speed cornering was amazing on it though. I still can't take a fast corner on the FZ07 without thinking how much more planted the R6 would have felt. Plus the thing was just beautiful. I might have to buy another one of these days and keep it around as a track bike.
20150719_132046.jpg
 

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Guest 2wheeler

1973 CZ 250MX
1974 Can-Am 250 TNT
1976 Yamaha TY250
1985 Yamaha TY350
1977 Suzuki PE250 (got one back, but wish I had the other two)
1974 Yamaha RD350
1971 Rupp Roadster 2
 
 

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  • 2 weeks later...

Let me think
all My Bultacos last count about 8 of them Astro to Pursangs
1960 BSA A10 (With Sifton 820 Kit) hill Climber
Amerachi 350
Montessa 250
1974 YZ250a (Was turned into a short tracker)
1972 R5/TR3 350
Husky 390cr
73 Yamaha DT175
74 Yamaha MX250
1972 Honda XL250 (Powral 310 kit) eventually the frame was cust and setup with yz400 frontforks, yz400 rear wheel
Several SL70's
2001 YZF426 Hare Scrambles bike
2006 YZF450 Limited Edition
 
My 2006 R1 50th well I wont add that to this liist I will add my wife first ;)
 
Thats about all I could think of
 

“Laws that forbid the carrying of arms disarm only those who are neither inclined nor determined to commit crimes.” --Thomas Jefferson quoting Cesare Beccaria

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Every other bike I've had would be considered classed as a 30+ year old  [strong]U[/strong]niversal [strong]J[/strong]apanese [strong]M[/strong]otorcycle. Each with little to no collectable value and bargain performance even in it's day.
There isn't a single one I'd honestly still want to own. Though at the time I was riding them they were the perfect bike, mainly because it was mine. :)

DewMan
 
Just shut up and ride.

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ninjaiceberg

2004 SV650s. I didn't have time to fix it so I sold it to a coworker. Then bought my FZ.

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one bike in particular comes to mind- my 03 ktm 250sx. thing was an absolute animal. sold it in 2008 and regretted it ever since

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Back in the late '80, i made the mistake to not buy the Yamaha TDR250. That's why i'm looking for all info about the fourthcoming KTM 390 Adventure. But i miss the fun of a 2 stroke engine (for the road).

past bikes: WR250X, KLR650, V-Strom 1000, DR650, FZ-6, SV650S, Seca II, GS400S, Seca 750, YZ80.

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  • 2 months later...

My 1940s Ariel 350 (as avatar). Simple and basic it had served as a despatch riders bike. I rebuilt the engine with my father in 1955. It served me well and never broke down.  I let it go to an aquaintance and recently asked if it still existed. Unsurprisingly, it did not. I had a lot of fun on it.

Just do it! 

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bornagainbiker

The bike I miss the most and wish I still had is my 1978 Kawasaki KZ 650.  IMHO it was the FZ of it's era: lighter, nimbler, faster and more fun to ride than most in it's class.^-^

Give Respect To Get Respect   https://jeff-galbraith.pixels.com/

 

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Had a 1982 R100RS BMW in smoke red that I'd love to still be in the garage. Tons of character a loads of fun to ride - at a moderate pace. I'll miss the Aprilia I've now owned since 2002. Fast, smooth, comfortable, and pretty rare at this point, it's been amazingly reliable for heritage and now age. Tip-toeing about on a 530 lb motorcycle has not got any easier as I age along with it.

 

I'll be back to a 1 bike garage in a couple years. The lightweight FZ was a perfect choice for the remainder of my riding years

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On 6/8/2017 at 6:23 PM, ducttapewd40 said:

I do miss my 2007 R6. The top end pull on that thing was insane even though it was a little inaccessible on the road. Didn't redline until about 80mph in first gear and was screaming loud enough by then to draw every cop for miles. It would still hit 75 in 1st after a sprocket gearing change. High speed cornering was amazing on it though. I still can't take a fast corner on the FZ07 without thinking how much more planted the R6 would have felt. Plus the thing was just beautiful. I might have to buy another one of these days and keep it around as a track bike.
20150719_132046.jpg
 

The new R6 looks fantastic.  I have not ridden one, but I am afraid if I do I will have to buy it.  

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there are always bikes that you'd like to still have... My 86 FJ1200 was a trusty mount for a long time - loved eating the miles on it.

 

 If I found another '84 Seca 650 in original shape it would go in the garage..

 and recently - WR450 motard.. too much fun not to have one.

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OK I have had plenty of bikes I am glad I got rid of, but here is a list of the ones over the decades I wish I still had. Not that I have room for them any more.

In no particular order and reason why I wish I still had them:

Honda CB250RS 1982. Gutless, poorly suspended and marginal brakes. Fixed the suspension as I usually do , improved the brakes but didn't touch the motor except for muffler change. Michelin racing tyres. It's insanely light weight and superb geometry/chassis made it a incredible mountain road motorcycle. The lack of power was made up for by the lack of having to slow down. Not that the brakes would actually slow you anyway. It is the reason I would LOVE to race a Moto3 bike.

My wonderful CX500 1979. Watercooled which was quite radical for it's day and allowed ridiculous HP and revs from a push rod motor. Hugely modified. S&W rear suspension, Trickit front, Metzler tyres ( oversize for those days. Everyone said in those days they were too wise and low profile. They look like bicycle tyres compared to what we put on now). Racing seat. Modded airbox and exhaust ( made my own). Rejetted. This bike handled extremely well once simply modded except the forks were a bit too flexy. Every thing was then. Did a 7000km tour on it and never felt I needed a bigger bike. The transverse twin should make a comeback. It's a great format.

Yamaha 1982 RD350LC... You would have to ride one to know why. VERY light. One only weak spot was the then current skinny flexy forks. All motorcycle of that age had flecy forks. Wonderful bike. Great for eating large displacement 4 strokes. Similar emotional feel as the FZ/MT07 has. No idea why.

My 1971 Ducati 450 desmo glass tank. Knowing what I know now and with access to modern tyres that are not suicidal I would like to see I I could make it reliable and grippy. If not I could sell it for a fortune now.

All my racing Honda NSR250 ( several models). Incredible Vtwin two strokes. Handling on all models was incredible despite the fact that was 3 different types of rear suspension designs. TThese are genuine elbow on the ground bikes.

 My Cagiva 650 Raptor. An example of how you can take the best of euro design ( chassis was Ducati/ Cagiva, brakes Brembo, suspension Marzocchi USD forks and rear shock, Magnetti mirelli ecu , Cagiva engine tweeks, Marchesini rims ) and best of Jap ( SV650 motor) and make a wonderful and reliable motorcycle.

My Yamaha 1984 XJ550: First of the modern engine case transvers inline 4's. Without this bikes case design I suspect we would be riding V4's now instead of the dumb cross the frane stuff. First bike with a transvers i4 motor, where the cases were narrow enough to allow a decent lean angle. Stacked gearbox and crank hardware much shortened. Still aircooled but now you could lean your 4 over without removing you crankcases on the ground. Contemporary of the Honda VFR/RVF400 which was a MUCH better bike but ridiculously complicated. A modern handling bike to some extent despite the flexy forks.

And so to my VFR400F. What a motor. What a motor...Did I mention what a motor. Big diameter forks, V4 motor with huge torque AND usable HP.

My 1981 XV1000R Yamaha. NOT the cruiser version. Twin front discs and chain drive.  Smoothest motor. shet gearbox and a then unfixable rear suspension. Knowing what I know now and access to modern shock tech I am actually looking ( in Vain) for another one to modernize and lighten and fix the gearbox. They managed to get this big lump to have exemplary handling, but stuffed it with very poor rear spring rate and damping. As it was the monoshock in the top tube design , it wasn't fixable then. Tis now.

My Hyosung 250 Comet...just kidding...I don't want it back...at all. Though if you know someone with one, the  CBR250R MC19( 1988 4cyl version, not the current one) rear shock fits straight in and transforms the handling completely.

All the rest I can live without.

 

 

Go forth and modify my son...go forth and modify...

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Wouldn't let me edit the above post. Has an anti old person time out device for those of us without keyboard skills.

My 1999 Honda VTR250. One of the MOST underrated bikes ever made. Ducati style chassis with no actual frame as such. Swingarm is attached to the rear of the motor and the top cahssis bolts to the motor wuth the steering head in it. Bet ya didn't know that. Big diameter forks and light weight of 128kg, make this thing just need a decent shock ( pity about the single pivot rear shock design) and decent tyres as the standard tyres make the bike feel like it is falling over in corners. Bad transition. Once simply set up, if you can have sheer fun on it you ain't trying. Another bike you don't bother slowing down in corners cause the Vtwin design has incredible usable torque for it's size. VERY efficient motor. I would love to get one of the later EFI ones.

 

 

Go forth and modify my son...go forth and modify...

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77730d1501369772-cbr600f2-pics-post-em-h

my very first bike, a 1991 CBR 600 F2. I'd like to have one in this exact color scheme, just like the one I had. Not anything particularly great about it compared to any other 600, But I had a lot of fun on that thing!

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On 9/21/2017 at 11:34 PM, c0al67 said:

77730d1501369772-cbr600f2-pics-post-em-h

my very first bike, a 1991 CBR 600 F2. I'd like to have one in this exact color scheme, just like the one I had. Not anything particularly great about it compared to any other 600, But I had a lot of fun on that thing!

I've come back to look at this post a couple of times.. we've go a local buddy who has 2 I believe, and these are a cool familiar part of Honda history,,

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10 hours ago, pjfz1 said:

I've come back to look at this post a couple of times.. we've go a local buddy who has 2 I believe, and these are a cool familiar part of Honda history,,

There is a guy here locally to me that has one in that exact color scheme. I've got first dibs on it if he ever sells it. He still rides it near daily, I think it has 50k miles on it. Also, I think I ride with some people who know you! I've heard them mention your shop before, people from louisville-sportbikes.com. We go down to your neck of the woods a few times a year!

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12 hours ago, c0al67 said:

There is a guy here locally to me that has one in that exact color scheme. I've got first dibs on it if he ever sells it. He still rides it near daily, I think it has 50k miles on it. Also, I think I ride with some people who know you! I've heard them mention your shop before, people from louisville-sportbikes.com. We go down to your neck of the woods a few times a year!

Yep - I used to Live in KY - Know a bunch of them - I need to pop back over to the forum!

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It had 2 little brothers at the time that were astounding in motorcycle history. A 250 and a 400 4cyl. The CBR250R and CBR250RR and the CBR400RR. They didn't sell them in the states apparently though a few were imported to race.

The 250 was like something from the 60's motogp.

max rpm 20000rpm STOCK. Power was really only smart usable from 12000 to 18000. Tiny 4cyl motor, twin front discs, gullwing rear aluminium swingarm. Possibly the peak of Honda road bikes next to the VFR400R's. Despite the spiunning speed they are still around today in good running condition. Still the top dog in 250prod here after 2 decades.

The big drawback is that they were VERY short , so you had to be small to be able to ride them properly. Pic of my racing one ( with Tyga fibreglass fairing and Tyga exhaust)

 I have lost most of my pics of it. Here is one that really doesn't show it as well as I would like

bike102propics (12).JPG

Go forth and modify my son...go forth and modify...

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Oh man, i have to include bikes that i didnt own...but some a lot of time on. Lets see...

 

 

Learned the basics of shifting, leaning AND looping a 1970somethimg honda xr75.  Front brake cable was seized and the back tire was bald. First motorcycle i ever rode. That thing was not only not road legal, but certainly wasnt road worthy either. A friend let me try it out and i was hooked. Just a beater he had in the yard. We tried to wheelie it all the time, mostly resulting in a major clutch slip or a loop. Its amazing i didnt get hurt more on that POS. 

 

Than i bought a 1975 honda xl70, and rode the poop out of it around town... nothing good about that bike at all other than it was mine. Blew the motor up...twice and dropped a chinese 125 motor in it. Put 7,000 city miles on it all together. Had some fun and wanted a REAL bike haha. Sold it and miss it sometimes because those little hondas got me started. 

 

Then i spent 2,000 miles on a 2007 hyosung GV250 that my bro inlaw let me borrow forever. No regrets, not a terrible little bike got me ready to ride something bigger.

 

1991 yamaha yzf600r....free from a friend...didnt run. Someone left a jet loose in carb #2. Cleaned and sorted the carbs, balanced em and road 500 miles. Dont miss it. Hated it. Wooden seat, cramped bars, blown out suspension and a peaky/scary powerband. Sold. Guess i wasnt ready haha!

 

And the sweet stuff. Make fun all you want...1994 suzuki can o tuna (katana 600). I know, everyone hated that bike. I suppose it was the right bike at the right time for me. Fast enough to scare me but still controllable. Comfy seat, reliable as hell. 12,000 miles i put on that one. Thats the bike i miss the most. I dont think it was a real good bike, but i took so many LONG rides on it that the memories overpower its shortcomings sometimes. Sold it to get my highscool dream car(1988 toyota MR2, it was fun too)

 

Some how after that i was given a 1980 yamaha with a rusted tank and gummed up carb in exchange for some mechanical work i did. Chopped the bars, sealed the tank, cleaned the carb, slipped the front clamps to lower it, trimmed the front fender, make a slim modern rear end with r6 tail light and went off the deep end making a little cafe bike. Ill be damned if i wasnt bored to tears before i emptied the 1st tank of gas after getting it on the road. 27hp didnt cut it after 86hp on the land yaht that was my katana. SOLD.

 

Fast forward about 6 years and  just got my FZ07. I dont forsee replacing this bike :)

 

 

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  • 2 weeks later...

Although it may be a little small for me now I still wish I had my little Yamaha DT100, if for nothing else just to hear the dinga-dang-dang and breath in that aromatic, 2 stroke blue.

Beemer

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