Anyone ride motorcycles?

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TallPines
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Anyone ride motorcycles?

Post by TallPines »

Preferably not in a skirt. I've been riding for about 14 years. Got my first bike just before I turned 30. Mom was very against them growing up, and I really didn't like the plastic sports bike look. One night at my cousin's house, I got introduced to the gorgeous Triumph Bonneville. I went to high school in England and never saw a Triumph, Norton, BSA, etc, oddly enough. The next day, I was at the dealer to check it out in person. Too poor to buy the T100 with all of the chrome, I set my sites on the Black Bonnie. First step was to learn how to ride. My buddy had a 70s Suzuki. We rode out to a country road and he took me up and down it so I got a feeling for how to ride. He then showed me how to change gears, operate the brakes, etc, and turned me loose. I wasn't comfortable turning around, so I duck walked the bike in a u-turn. After a couple of trips up and down the road, it was time for an MSF class. My credit card company was offering 1.5% financing on anything you bought that month. Being the responsible Army E-4 I was at the time, I immediately bought the Black Bonnie. A year later, they offered 2.5% and a yellow Triumph Thruxton joined the stable. By 2008, I was married and my wife thought a sidecar would be neat. I found a BMW R75/5 8 hours away. We remained a 3 bike family until a couple of years ago. The BMW never ran well, was hard to start, and I didn't particularly like the side car. I got her to agree to selling it and letting me buy a vintage Triumph. As luck would have it, a 67 Triumph came up for sale at a good price before the BMW was sold. After explaining this dire situation, I was allowed to buy the Triumph before selling the BMW. I ended up selling the sidecar separately and investing the money in the R75 in order to improve it for sale. After getting it back from the guy who knew what he was doing, I realized I had quite the quandary. It ran like a top. I didn't want to sell it, but a deal's a deal. So, I put it up for sale at $6500. No one bit. Finally, a day came when the kids were in day care and my wife and I were off. I asked her if she'd like to go for our first ride together in about 9 years. We first took the 67, which was way too small for us. Then we took out the R75. After getting back, she asked why I wanted to sell it. Talk about being flabbergasted. So, the German now has a permanent home here. We also realized that we are too big for these small twins. Earlier this year, I bought a BMW K1600. Beautiful bike, with a big 6 cylinder engine. I love it. Unfortunately, it got taken out by a drunk driver a month ago, with me on board. Luckily, I survived with relatively minor injuries. I'm an ATGATT guy - All The Gear, All The Time. I was wearing an airbag vest, which probably saved my life. As the riding season winds down, I'm beginning my search for a replacement. Looking forward to the spring when I can get back on and ride again.
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Kirbstone
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Re: Anyone ride motorcycles?

Post by Kirbstone »

I would meekly suggest a Tesla. 4 wheels, Air-con and acceleration to match most big bikes. A bit pricey though and with reported build quality issues. You can drive one skirted, of course!

Having several close friends who have to live with life-changing injuries acquired while in the saddle, I forbade all four of my offsprings from indulging in two-wheeled motorized transport, however cheap and/or tempting. Result: They are all in their 40s unscathed and have given us eight grandchildren about whom I am less concerned, but I observe that my message is being carried on. Three of them have now reached majority and get about on four wheels.

Tom
Carpe Diem......Seize the Day !
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beachlion
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Re: Anyone ride motorcycles?

Post by beachlion »

In 1976 I bought a BMW R60. I wanted a serious touring motorbike without a chain. According to the insurers statistics, your first accident will happen around 2500 km. I did better: 2200 km. At least it was not my fault but I was 3 months out of order. Then a newer model R60 that gave me over a 100000 km of riding pleasure. After that a R100RT. This one was for pleasure and work. Summer and winter 5 days a week 70 km in all kinds of weather. And at least two long vacation trips. I sold it when I stopped working after way over 300000 km. That was an estimate because the odometer broke down during a trip and was replaced by a new one that started at zero. Those BMWs were very comfortable bikes. When I drove from Spain back to the Netherlands, I was not tired at all. If it was not for the sleep, I could have driven back right away. ;)
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Freedomforall
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Re: Anyone ride motorcycles?

Post by Freedomforall »

I have been row for 30 years. I have had several Goldwings, A Valkyrie,and A Pacific Coast. My latest is a Honda Shadow Ace Tourer and a Can Am Spyder F3. It is very relaxing to me and completely different than traveling in a car. I love the Shadow but miss my Valkyrie. I hope to sell the Shadow to buy another Valkyrie.
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Freedomforall
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Re: Anyone ride motorcycles?

Post by Freedomforall »

I'm an ATGATT guy - All The Gear, All The Time. I was wearing an airbag vest, which probably saved my life. As the riding season winds down, I'm beginning my search for a replacement. Looking forward to the spring when I can get back on and ride again.
I have been looking at the airbag vest. Would you share what kind you have?
Freedomforall
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Re: Anyone ride motorcycles?

Post by Freedomforall »

TallPines wrote:Preferably not in a skirt. I've been riding for about 14 years. Got my first bike just before I turned 30. Mom was very against them growing up, and I really didn't like the I was wearing an airbag vest, which probably saved my life. As the riding season winds down, I'm beginning my search for a replacement. Looking forward to the spring when I can get back on and ride again.


I have been looking at the airbag vest. Would you share what kind you have?
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denimini
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Re: Anyone ride motorcycles?

Post by denimini »

In an earlier life I was a motorcycle mechanic in the 1970's, at a time when motorcycles were pretty basic "machines". The business had a big pool of trade-ins of all sorts and I would ride (race) a different one home each evening. I did many a fast mile on motorcycles, mainly on a Laverda and a Moto Morini, and luckily did not suffer any bad injuries. I gave up on riding when I moved to an area with no curves and too many animals on the road. I enjoyed riding motorcycles but would not go back to them as I think that I have used up all my tokens of good luck.
Anthony, a denim miniskirt wearer in Outback Australia
Big and Bashful
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Re: Anyone ride motorcycles?

Post by Big and Bashful »

I still have a couple of bikes, Kawasaki ZX10, the original 1987-1988 version. I was never tempted, then one of my best mates up here decided that it was time for him to get back into bikes. As he always did, he just looked for the fastest road bike at the time, which was was normal back then, was a Kawasaki. The ZX10 had just been introduced and he bought a brand new Black Red Silver one. One day, he gave me a lift on the back of the thing, a genuine road rocket which once de-restricted (first thing he did once it was run-in) would do 0 to 60 in under three seconds and reach 168 mph.
I got off the bike, he hadn't really used the power, so I didn't get thrown off the back! I was shaking with the adrenaline, I wanted more of that feeling, but not as a pillion with no control over my own destiny.
So, I got my provisional bike license, took a Star rider course and passed the test. Then went out and bought the exact same type of bike. My reasoning was that the bike was nice and docile as long as you kept the revs below 4500. after that the things just take off, I am a big heavy guy and was old enough to control my right hand!
Delivery was organised for June of 1988 I think, the day I got back from my canal holiday. I remember the feeling as I was driving North homewards, only to see a flat back wagon with a brand new ZX10 heading South, I had missed it. I took the train to Hull the next weekend to collect the bike. The feeling I had as I sat on 520 lbs of brand new Japanese road rocket and felt the weight was scary. I had only ridden a 100cc Yamaha learner bike up till that point, I was in an unfamiliar city centre on a monster which needed fuel, so my first manouvre was to pull out of a T junction turning right and head for fuel. I made it, I was shaking by the time I stopped and fuelled up. Another right turn and off I went, I wasn't ready for the 350 mile ride home so I stopped with mates in Sheffield for the night then rode home the next day.
Got the bike home and for 7 weeks things were good, I was getting used to the machine and was starting to enjoy myself, then I discovered the delights of diesel oil on a damp road, came off the bike on a left hand bend while it went under a car coming the other way. Bike written off, me with a very sore shoulder and bruises.
Eventually when my mate upgraded to a ZZR1100 I bought his ZX10 and enjoyed it for a while, until I needed to sell it as a new house owner who needed more cash than I had.
Then for a while their was a Kawasaki ZZR600, that one frightened me because it didn't have enough power, which meant I soon got used to wringing it's neck, eventually sold that one, that was the end of my motobiking for years. I lost my enthusiasm once my brother wrecked a leg in a bike accident (not his fault) and my mate who got me into riding ended up in a wheel chair after a bike accident (not his fault). That stopped me until a few years ago, when with the aid of another mate, I discovered that these old 170 mph superbikes are available on EBay for maybe £1000 and as classic bikes can be insured for less than £100 for the year, with breakdown cover thrown in!
So I now have 2 ZX10s in my sheds, one looking a bit mismatched in the plastics department after I again bounced it on the road due to our council constantly adding to the loose gravel our roads shed, and one that is exactly like my first bike, which I daren't ride thanks to the state of the roads here. My knees are giving up the battle against my weight and I now find the things too heavy so I am not riding now, I will be selling them once I get each one running, the good one just needs the carbs cleaned, the other needs a new alternator chain before I can get it running. Then there are heaps of bits and another breaking for spares as well as other bits.
I did try wearing a skirt while (taking it easy) riding, knowing that you really need full leathers just in case you end up scraping along the road, it was interesting, very breezy and every bit as impractical as I expected, no chance of keeping the skirt where it needed to be, not with a large petrol tank in the way. I hadn't thought about, (and have a couple of scars to show for it) about the joys of bare skin and hot bike exhausts! not while riding, but just while moving the bike back into the shed while still hot.
Skirts, bikes? no, not wise! I would post a photo of the bikes but can't be bothered fighting the maximum file size limit here any more. There are photos on Farcebook but I am still keeping my skirty ID off Farcebook so am not sure how to share while keeping skirty references off Farcebook.
I am the God of Hellfire! and I bring you truffles!
Freedomforall
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Re: Anyone ride motorcycles?

Post by Freedomforall »

Big and Bashful wrote:I still have a couple of bikes, Kawasaki ZX10, the original 1987-1988 version
I had a Kawasaki Concours. It was insanely fast. I did not like sitting up high though.
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beachlion
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Re: Anyone ride motorcycles?

Post by beachlion »

I found some pictures of my BMW R100RT, in the south of France. The lady was an art student and her summer job was waitress at an Italian restaurant near Perpignan, France.
Dia2205q.jpg
I also went up in the Pyrenees until the trail was so steep, the tire lost traction.
Dia2759q.jpg
I really loved those trips. You never knew where you ended up. Pre GPS and Google Earth. ;)
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Freedomforall
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Re: Anyone ride motorcycles?

Post by Freedomforall »

beachlion wrote:I found some pictures of my BMW R100RT, in the south of France. The lady was an art student and her summer job was waitress at an Italian restaurant near Perpignan, France.
Dia2205q.jpg
I also went up in the Pyrenees until the trail was so steep, the tire lost traction.
Dia2759q.jpg
I really loved those trips. You never knew where you ended up. Pre GPS and Google Earth. ;)
I love that bike! It seems you get the same enjoyment out of riding that I do. I never set a GPS. I always just follow my heart and go where it leads. It is so much fun to discover new places and hidden gems.
Big and Bashful
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Re: Anyone ride motorcycles?

Post by Big and Bashful »

My collection of Japanese road rockets, one needs the carbs cleaned, the rebuild needs a new alternator chain and probably now has gummed up carbs as well.
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Freedomforall
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Re: Anyone ride motorcycles?

Post by Freedomforall »

Big and Bashful wrote:My collection of Japanese road rockets, one needs the carbs cleaned, the rebuild needs a new alternator chain and probably now has gummed up carbs as well.
Very nice! Not sure if you have this product available to you but it works very well. My second choice is Sea Foam. http://www.starbrite.com/startron
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Dick Ackerman
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Re: Anyone ride motorcycles?

Post by Dick Ackerman »

1992 Harley Davidson Sportster. Here is an old photo from about 1998
c60910af8a44687b183e04106f90b356[1].jpg
here is a better more current photo taken several years ago.
bike1-web.jpg
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Big and Bashful
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Re: Anyone ride motorcycles?

Post by Big and Bashful »

Freedomforall wrote:
Big and Bashful wrote:My collection of Japanese road rockets, one needs the carbs cleaned, the rebuild needs a new alternator chain and probably now has gummed up carbs as well.
Very nice! Not sure if you have this product available to you but it works very well. My second choice is Sea Foam. http://www.starbrite.com/startron
I have tried carb cleaners, what is needed is a bath of carb cleaner to soak the block of 4 carbs, plus an ultrasonic doohicky to help massage the blockages till they give up! I think to get the bikes running properly the carbs all need to visit a professional fixist, I know the carbs do not want to come apart, thirty odd years of being assembled, the screws holding the things together do not want to move and my short temper can get expensive!
I am the God of Hellfire! and I bring you truffles!
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