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Post by Deleted on Dec 17, 2018 18:35:15 GMT
An EXUP! hero machine - god how I coverted that as yoof. That and the fireblade complete changed the hypersports bike landscape. Sure the GPZ1000RX and zzr1100 were phenomenally quick, but for a while nothing could hold a candle to the Yam and the Blade. Well impressed 👍🍻 Yes most of the bikes I tended to keep for a while, and most of the earlier ones weren’t new. But I splashed out on the GSXR1000 new. I think it was a bad year for them because whilst the engine and gearbox were great, the handling was fairly pants. Shortly afterwards my mate bought an Exup and since he worked 2 and 2 offshore, wanted someone to look after it and run it in for him. He was a trusting soul! I therefore went for a long trip to the west coast on it, following the manufacturer’s running in recommendations which means using 5000rpm(fairly fast) and then 7000rpm (very fast). And by the end of the trip it had clocked over whatever the running in mileage was so I was able to give it full welly. Shortly afterwards I sold my 1 years old GSXR and bought an exup. That was in 1990 and I still have it, although I haven’t had it out for ages and the brakes are seized (design fault, there isn’t really any sort of boot on the brake callipers pistons to stop them corroding). I still hold my personal speed record on it at 165(indicated) coming down dromochter (A9) at 8am on a Sunday morning (cop’s unlikely to be around) and it just flew, like a jet plane, totally stable and quite happy at that speed. The Hayabusa has a fantastic engine but it doesn’t handle as well and is the sort of bike it’s easy to get into trouble on. I am addicted to its power though. The best thing to do to an GSXR 1100 K/L/M was street fighter it, the handling short comings were not so much of a problem on a naked bike - you’d be blown off the back before the problems started an old boy mouse and I know did just this, he didn’t fling it down the road before he did it either 🙈 Big speed was never my thing - mainly because I couldn’t afford anything ultra rapid! I’ve been on the back of a 1000RX at 150 mph - not a pleasant experience tbh! My PB is 130 on the VFR, found much more enjoyment playing in the dirt than terrorising the tarmac.
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Post by Telemachus on Dec 17, 2018 19:10:10 GMT
Yes most of the bikes I tended to keep for a while, and most of the earlier ones weren’t new. But I splashed out on the GSXR1000 new. I think it was a bad year for them because whilst the engine and gearbox were great, the handling was fairly pants. Shortly afterwards my mate bought an Exup and since he worked 2 and 2 offshore, wanted someone to look after it and run it in for him. He was a trusting soul! I therefore went for a long trip to the west coast on it, following the manufacturer’s running in recommendations which means using 5000rpm(fairly fast) and then 7000rpm (very fast). And by the end of the trip it had clocked over whatever the running in mileage was so I was able to give it full welly. Shortly afterwards I sold my 1 years old GSXR and bought an exup. That was in 1990 and I still have it, although I haven’t had it out for ages and the brakes are seized (design fault, there isn’t really any sort of boot on the brake callipers pistons to stop them corroding). I still hold my personal speed record on it at 165(indicated) coming down dromochter (A9) at 8am on a Sunday morning (cop’s unlikely to be around) and it just flew, like a jet plane, totally stable and quite happy at that speed. The Hayabusa has a fantastic engine but it doesn’t handle as well and is the sort of bike it’s easy to get into trouble on. I am addicted to its power though. The best thing to do to an GSXR 1100 K/L/M was street fighter it, the handling short comings were not so much of a problem on a naked bike - you’d be blown off the back before the problems started an old boy mouse and I know did just this, he didn’t fling it down the road before he did it either 🙈 Big speed was never my thing - mainly because I couldn’t afford anything ultra rapid! I’ve been on the back of a 1000RX at 150 mph - not a pleasant experience tbh! My PB is 130 on the VFR, found much more enjoyment playing in the dirt than terrorising the tarmac. One of the joys of living in Aberdeen is ready access to roads with no significant traffic on them, no towns, no villages, no traffic lights, no roundabouts, no speed cameras and almost always, no cops! ps yes there was a typo in my list, it was a GSXR1100K (not a 1000 - I think?).
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Post by ianali on Dec 17, 2018 20:20:48 GMT
I brought a gsxr1100 j from Drayton Croft in Hinckley about fifteen years ago. Rode it for a couple of years then decided to sell. Chap that agreed to buy it did a PPI check and it came up as a insurance damaged /repair job. When I complained to Drayton about this they brought it off me for the price I’d paid originally. Also gave me a £200 voucher. Fair play I thought.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 17, 2018 20:25:47 GMT
The best thing to do to an GSXR 1100 K/L/M was street fighter it, the handling short comings were not so much of a problem on a naked bike - you’d be blown off the back before the problems started an old boy mouse and I know did just this, he didn’t fling it down the road before he did it either 🙈 Big speed was never my thing - mainly because I couldn’t afford anything ultra rapid! I’ve been on the back of a 1000RX at 150 mph - not a pleasant experience tbh! My PB is 130 on the VFR, found much more enjoyment playing in the dirt than terrorising the tarmac. One of the joys of living in Aberdeen is ready access to roads with no significant traffic on them, no towns, no villages, no traffic lights, no roundabouts, no speed cameras and almost always, no cops! ps yes there was a typo in my list, it was a GSXR1100K (not a 1000 - I think?). I knew what you meant - the Gixer had a fearsome reputation - it did for Phil Mellor in the ‘89 TT and had a good go at Jamie Whitman as well - Steve Henshaw lost his life getting tangled up in that incident. The late 80’s and through to the late 90’s produced all my favourite sports bikes. Nothing much since then has taken my fancy - about the same as my musical tastes
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Post by ianali on Dec 17, 2018 20:33:56 GMT
One of the joys of living in Aberdeen is ready access to roads with no significant traffic on them, no towns, no villages, no traffic lights, no roundabouts, no speed cameras and almost always, no cops! ps yes there was a typo in my list, it was a GSXR1100K (not a 1000 - I think?). I knew what you meant - the Gixer had a fearsome reputation - it did for Phil Mellor in the ‘89 TT and had a good go at Jamie Whitman as well - Steve Henshaw lost his life getting tangled up in that incident. The late 80’s and through to the late 90’s produced all my favourite sports bikes. Nothing much since then has taken my fancy - about the same as my musical tastes My Ali says I’m stuck in the 70/80s. Bikes and music were better then though! This post is reminding me of bikes I’d forgotten. I also owned a tls1000 suzi v twin. Truly great engine in a deadly chassis. It scared me many times.
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Post by Clinton Cool on Dec 17, 2018 21:19:20 GMT
Nick Telemachus list is interesting to me because I think he's tall. I'm 6'2.5" and have not got into motorcycles but am interested in a smallish commuter bike which I can get comfortably on the back deck of my canal boat. Its not a narrow boat its 9ft wide but the spot where I could put a bike would allow an overall length of about 6'6" for the bike. Could possibly to longer but that's the ideal length. Clinton Cool little Yamaha 125 looks interesting as well. I know I'll have to do the cbt for anything over 50. So what is the ideal bike between 125-250cc for a tall skinny person (me) with a maximum overall length of 6'6" ? I'd happily go larger on cc but I suspect that means a longer vehicle. Length in this case is critical (as the woman kept telling me) Ideally not ridiculously heavy. It's a tough one. I keep mine on a rack off the back of the boat so the length is critical. The RS125 is one of the shortest 'proper' bikes around at 6'3" and just about the lightest of all at 95KG dry. The weight is pretty important, getting it on and off the rack is tricky especially if the towpath is particularly low. Also you sometimes need to push it a fair way along muddy towpaths, that would be no fun at all with a heavy bike. Overall, this bike is just perfect for the job. I'm 5'10", right at the limit for this bike really, I wouldn't buy it if I was 6ft. So it would be no good for you. A small capacity trials bike might be ok for you, higher off the ground, the problem is that they are longer in length.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 17, 2018 21:24:52 GMT
Yes I've been trying to find out the length of the Honda 185 mentioned by Telemachus earlier. No luck with it on Google.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 17, 2018 21:49:39 GMT
👍
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Post by Deleted on Dec 17, 2018 21:59:43 GMT
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Post by markhez on Dec 18, 2018 10:14:59 GMT
Bikes owned since I was 16
Aprilia RS50 Derbi Senda SM50 Suzuki RG125 Gamma Armstrong MT500 (x3) Armstrong MT500 with a chair on MZ ETZ 300 (Wilf Green Special) Honda CB250 Superdream Kawasaki GPZ750 R1 Suzuki GSX250 CZ 175 Trail Jawa 350 with a chair on Triumph Tiger 885i Kawasaki ZX6r Kawasaki ZX9r Honda Africa Twin Yamaha TTR 250 Honda Transalp (x2)] Honda H100 (x3) Yamaha Aerox 50 Kawasaki ZZR600
Current bikes:
Triumph Tiger 800XC Honda H100 2x Kawasaki GTR1000 Suzuki SV650 race bike
I bet I've missed a load off that list!
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Post by Telemachus on Dec 18, 2018 11:15:18 GMT
Puch moped Suzuki GT250 Honda 500-4 Honda 50 step-through (great bike!) Honda 750-4 Triumph T150 Trident - got stolen from outside my student house in Bristol so Another Triumph Trident Moto guzzl Le Mans Kawasaki GPZ900R Ducati 900SS desmo Honda XL185 commuting bike Suzuki GSXR1000 Yamaha FZR1000 exup (still got) Suzuki Hayabusa K8 (still got) So as a variation on the theme, how about a “what happened to my bikes” extension? Puch moped. Traded in when 17 for Suzuki GT250. After 3 days had a head on collision with a car turning right across my path. Landed by the car’s back door. Forks bent, easily repaired. Car which was a rust bucket, definitely came off worse! No significant injury. Sold privately a year later. Honda 500-4. 1/ Driving along nearside lane of urban dual carriageway in Bristol, doing about 40 in company with mate on Honda 125 and with his rather large girlfriend on the back of my bike. 1am, no traffic, sober. Became aware of car coming up behind in outside lane. Car disappeared from wing mirror and then reappeared by my right foot. He’d decided to turn off onto the sliproad completely oblivious to my presence (and probably drunk). Didn’t stop. We slid and hit the divider between the main and slip roads. Woke up looking into the eyes of a policeman! Girlfriend went to hospital overnight but mostly just shock, I was OK. Bike Exhausts trashed 2/ Visiting a friend in Bath with mate on back late evening. Stopped on dead straight suburban street (30 limit) under a streetlight to look at map. No other traffic. Then heard horrible tyre screeching noise from behind, looked round and saw car spinning down the road towards us, silly woman with foot planted on brake and all wheels locked (pre-ABS brakes of course). Car hit bike, fairly slowly, and my nearly new exhaust impaled her radiator. Bike jumped sideways 6” until centre stand bar hit kerb. Which was just as well as we both had our feet down between bike and kerb. Bar went over the top of mate’s shoes and sliced laces. No significant injury to his foot. Honda 50 step-through (great bike!). Used as a runaround in Bristol and then took it up to Aberdeen. Nearly indestructible until I lent it to a mate whose bike had died, who lent it to another mate who was drunk, and he totalled it. Honda 750-4. On group bike run, came round corner near Salisbury plain and stopped in centre of the road to turn right, had been indicating right for a good few seconds. Mate behind on British drum-braked BSA came hurtling up behind, couldn’t stop and sliced past me on the outside just as I had turned the handlebars to initiate the turn. Bike jumped sideways and fell over, then I realised that two of my fingers were nearly severed, complete section through the bone with ends hanging off at 90 degrees held on with a bit of flesh. A while in hospital for that one, they managed to re-attach the fingers but the end joints don’t work. My only serious injury and I was stationary at the time! Triumph T150 Trident - got stolen from outside my student house in Bristol so Another Triumph Trident. After I got the Guzzi it fell into disuse and I eventually sold it. Moto guzzl Le Mans. Racing along A93 near braemar with another very fast mate, overcooked it and back end hit gravel, slid down the road from about 70. Just denim jeans on of course but managed to mostly slide on my leather jacket. Ouch, lost some skin there. Huge scab, but eventually healed. Bike fixed up but eventually sold it privately. Kawasaki GPZ900R. Never crashed. Sold after about 3 years for pretty much what I paid for it new. Ducati 900SS desmo. Superb bike in every way, but it really made you take liberties. 1/ riding to a pilot medical appointment in slow traffic dual carriage way, offside lane traffic had stopped but nearside lane traffic still flowing, including me. Unbeknown to me car in offside land had waved on a right -turning car which proceeded to pull across my lane just when I happened to be there. It was a low mini-midas (plastic kit car) so whilst the duke impaled itself through the back door, I somersaulted over the roof and landed on my back. It flexed a lot! Ouch. But I got up and was just shaken. Duke’s forks were bent and locked but I managed to ride to the appointment. Not too much blood. But doctor didn’t let me past the door saying he couldn’t do my medical with me in that state. Sent me packing. So much for doctor ethics! Starting to feel a bit ill I rode to A&E (forks still locked) and they I,mediately put me on a stretcher and kept me in overnight. Blood in urine, some kidney damage. But eventually discharged and rode home. New fork stancheons fitted. 2/ left pub at lunchtime after 1 pint and games of pool with biker mates. Being a showoff I had to roar past the others on the duke (sucking up a few stray cats into the bell mouthed del Ortos in the process) just as it started to drizzle. Came to bend, ludicrously late braking as was the Duke’s forte, but locked up front wheel doing about 80 and went straight on. I hit a fence post and was deflected round the corner( big bruise) and proceeded to slide along the grass verge backwards on my arse for ages, praying I wasn’t going to hit a telegraph pole etc (I didn’t). Bike launched itself over fence and somersaulted and rolled into the field. Quite a lot of damage including tank, front wheel, forks, tank and frame bent. I was OK if sheepish for being a showoff tosser! Had frame straightened and did some repairs but eventually sold it part-repaired. Shame, it was fantastic when I wasn’t crashing it! Honda XL185 commuting bike. Usual story, driving to work on urban 30 limit road, no traffic, taxi comes the other way to turn right. Stops. Waits ( I am in full view) waits (still in full view) then with about 10 yards to run pulls across in front of me. No time to stop so launched over the bonnet probably doing 20. Deflected into side road curb which I hit with the back of my helmet. Not hospitalised but some brain damage which took me a while to get over (and some would say I never have!). Sold that bike to a neighbour for repair. Suzuki GSXR1100k. Sold after a year due to it not being very good, part exchanged for Exup. Yamaha FZR1000 exup (still got). Never crashed Suzuki Hayabusa K8 (still got). Never crashed and if I do, it will kill me!
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Post by JohnV on Dec 18, 2018 11:27:20 GMT
Puch moped Suzuki GT250 Honda 500-4 Honda 50 step-through (great bike!) Honda 750-4 Triumph T150 Trident - got stolen from outside my student house in Bristol so Another Triumph Trident Moto guzzl Le Mans Kawasaki GPZ900R Ducati 900SS desmo Honda XL185 commuting bike Suzuki GSXR1000 Yamaha FZR1000 exup (still got) Suzuki Hayabusa K8 (still got) So as a variation on the theme, how about a “what happened to my bikes” extension? Ducati 900SS desmo. Superb bike in every way, but it really made you take liberties. Know what you mean with the SS ... had a 750SS Desmo on "loan" for a couple of weeks while I tried to decide to part with that amount of dosh ("on loan" being a perk of working for the bike shop ) I finally decided against it, I would either have ended up without a licence or in a box with no need of a licence. Bought the much more pedestrian but almost as pricey Laverda 750GT
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Post by bargemast on Dec 18, 2018 11:32:03 GMT
I don't list the more than 20 moped I've had before I started with bikes, but there were some very nice ones amongst them. Started with a "very light an practical" beginners bike, a 1942 Harley Liberator, that was much too heavy for me at the time, and not practical with the foot-clutch and gearchange on the tank in Amsterdam city traffic, but as the bike was given to me in parts, I didn't complain, and sold it after about 6 months for HFL. 100 about £ 10 at the time. Quite a few years later I had a Yamaha 125 YAS1 two-stroke which was light, but fun. Then a Yamaha XS 500, before I moved to BMW of which I've had a 50's R 25, R 60, R 1050 RT, K 100 RT and my last bike that I sold about 10 years ago a K 75 RT, which was the nicest touring bike I've ever had, with the ever so smooth 3 cylinder engine. No more motorised 2 wheelers for me anymore, mainly because I want to give my life a chance of living a bit longer, as I've had too many problems on the roads with car drivers that never look in their mirrors, or if they do it's only to look at themselfs, and that have no idea what it is to ride a bike. Peter.
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Post by ianali on Dec 18, 2018 11:41:49 GMT
I don't list the more than 20 moped I've had before I started with bikes, but there were some very nice ones amongst them. Started with a "very light an practical" beginners bike, a 1942 Harley Liberator, that was much too heavy for me at the time, and not practical with the foot-clutch and gearchange on the tank in Amsterdam city traffic, but as the bike was given to me in parts, I didn't complain, and sold it after about 6 months for HFL. 100 about £ 10 at the time. Quite a few years later I had a Yamaha 125 YAS1 two-stroke which was light, but fun. Then a Yamaha XS 500, before I moved to BMW of which I've had a 50's R 25, R 60, R 1050 RT, K 100 RT and my last bike that I sold about 10 years ago a K 75 RT, which was the nicest touring bike I've ever had, with the ever so smooth 3 cylinder engine. No more motorised 2 wheelers for me anymore, mainly because I want to give my life a chance of living a bit longer, as I've had too many problems on the roads with car drivers that never look in their mirrors, or if they do it's only to look at themselfs, and that have no idea what it is to ride a bike. Peter. The problem with this is I wouldn’t feel I was living without riding my bikes. Like Nicks recent post I’ve had a few offs, nothing too serious as yet, touch wood! I do ride slower than I used to though. Most of the time anyway 😀
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Post by bargemast on Dec 18, 2018 11:49:15 GMT
I don't list the more than 20 moped I've had before I started with bikes, but there were some very nice ones amongst them. Started with a "very light an practical" beginners bike, a 1942 Harley Liberator, that was much too heavy for me at the time, and not practical with the foot-clutch and gearchange on the tank in Amsterdam city traffic, but as the bike was given to me in parts, I didn't complain, and sold it after about 6 months for HFL. 100 about £ 10 at the time. Quite a few years later I had a Yamaha 125 YAS1 two-stroke which was light, but fun. Then a Yamaha XS 500, before I moved to BMW of which I've had a 50's R 25, R 60, R 1050 RT, K 100 RT and my last bike that I sold about 10 years ago a K 75 RT, which was the nicest touring bike I've ever had, with the ever so smooth 3 cylinder engine. No more motorised 2 wheelers for me anymore, mainly because I want to give my life a chance of living a bit longer, as I've had too many problems on the roads with car drivers that never look in their mirrors, or if they do it's only to look at themselfs, and that have no idea what it is to ride a bike. Peter. The problem with this is I wouldn’t feel I was living without riding my bikes. Like Nicks recent post I’ve had a few offs, nothing too serious as yet, touch wood! I do ride slower than I used to though. Most of the time anyway 😀 I always thought exactly like you, but 10 years ago, I had 3 very close encouters with cars coming from the opposite direction in fairly sharp bends, where they weren't allowe to overtake, but still did, and when your on your bike and get a car coming at you all of a sudden and rather fast, you only have 2 choices, 1/ crash into them, or steer away and leave the road, which is always preferable if possible, but what will you find next to the road, gravel ? sand ? a ditch ? or anything else. Those 3 happenings made me change my ideas, as there are still many places I would like to visit, and that while still not having to rely on a wheelchair, of course there are plenty of chances that I can get involved in a car crash too, but with a better chance to survive, in most cases. Don't get me wrong, I often think back at the great times I've had on my bikes, and sometimes regret not having one anymore, and it was almost impossible to say "no" when my sister offered me my late BIL's BMW K 1200RS with only 3000 kms on the clock, something I regretted even more when she told me a couple of months later that she'd "sold" it to a mechanic in the Renault garage where she went to get her car serviced for € 1250, while it would have had a value of at least € 10.000. Never mind, this aswell belongs to the past now. Peter.
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