The Blue Streak Posted June 26, 2017 Share Posted June 26, 2017 Someone mention plastic ? 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted June 26, 2017 Share Posted June 26, 2017 (edited) Someone mention plastic ? Ducati Paso 750 full right view.jpg I remember lusting over photos of that when it was new, likewise similar-looking Bimotas. Now, I just don't like the look of it at all. Funny how tastes change. Also, it kinda proves how bikes can stir more emotions than cars. If I was in the market for a modern 4 door saloon, all the big contenders look ok. Bikes are somehow different. I can look at a brace of the most popular 750cc sports bikes (from 2006 for example). One of them will be dog-ugly, two of them will look ok but nothing special, and then one of them will make you drool... Edited June 26, 2017 by Pete 75C Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guius Posted June 26, 2017 Share Posted June 26, 2017 Should have gone to Specsavers... Best guy Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zomboid Posted June 26, 2017 Share Posted June 26, 2017 I beg to differ. That's too much plastic... Honda CBR1000F 97.jpg That's from the 90s, right? The multi coloured shapes gave it away.As I said before, I'm no biker, but I do like looking them (and the engine note of a V twin), and almost all fairings detract from the appeal in my opinion. I'm sure if think differently if I had to ride a bike without any though! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold 2mmMark Posted June 26, 2017 RMweb Gold Share Posted June 26, 2017 You could do what I did and get a sidecar outfit. Why terrify yourself at 150mph when you can terrify yourself at 50mph? 650cc Ural Dalesman. ¼ ton of Russian iron, steel & aluminium. Utterly mad things to drive/ride but when mastered, very satisfying. 7 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted June 26, 2017 Share Posted June 26, 2017 You could do what I did and get a sidecar outfit. My daughter has decided she wants one of these... Photo by John Shepherd on Flickr 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Blue Streak Posted June 26, 2017 Share Posted June 26, 2017 You could do what I did and get a sidecar outfit. Why terrify yourself at 150mph when you can terrify yourself at 50mph? 650cc Ural Dalesman. ¼ ton of Russian iron, steel & aluminium. DSC00594a.JPG Utterly mad things to drive/ride but when mastered, very satisfying. I love it. I bet the cars and trucks don't pull out on you quite so readily when they see that thing coming Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Blue Streak Posted June 26, 2017 Share Posted June 26, 2017 My daughter has decided she wants one of these... 6108756872_d6e66b5eb5_z.jpg Photo by John Shepherd on Flickr Very "cute" not quite the presence of the big Russian, but cute. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold chriswright03 Posted June 26, 2017 RMweb Gold Share Posted June 26, 2017 My daughter has decided she wants one of these... 6108756872_d6e66b5eb5_z.jpg Photo by John Shepherd on Flickr There was me thinking you were a good bloke and then you put that on here! My wife has nagged me for ages to get a sidecar so we can let the dog travel with us. Sadly the dog is no longer with us but there would be no way I would have a sidecar at any price. Now the Lambretta is a different thing. I passed my test on one at the tender age of 16 and still have a soft spot for one even after having ridden motorbikes for years. Too uch money though! Honda CBR1000 early ones just look so full of plastic (cos they are) and bulbous (cos they are) and just so wrong. How that even in the 80's could be described as good looking escapes me. The naked CBF1000's look far better. I had the CBF600 and it was a handy little thing but no good with two up. Having had a couple of VFR800's one which did 30000 miles in 3 years when I was instructing I have to say I am a fan. Reliable, comfortable and to me a far more interesting exhaust note than an across the frame four cylinder. Having been on Triumph triples for the last 3 - 4 years though I am now a big fan of the triple sound. Keep looking but don't expect to get much of a bargain anywhere. Bike prices especially the older 'modern' stuff are silly. 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
PatB Posted June 26, 2017 Share Posted June 26, 2017 (edited) I love sidecars. I built one, along with a mate, a long time ago. Damn thing nearly killed me on a number of occasions but it was so gloriously barking mad that it was all worthwhile. I told the story here. A decade and a half later MrsB and I bought the first current generation Ural to arrive in Australia and I had the rather enjoyable task of ferrying it across Australia, a trip which I wrote up here, although all the pics seem to have disappeared. The first, the monstrous Razorback (so called because it was squat, grey, aggressive and likely to kill you if you annoyed it). Edited June 26, 2017 by PatB 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold chriswright03 Posted June 26, 2017 RMweb Gold Share Posted June 26, 2017 Probably a little too new for you maybe but a very capable bike and not full of plastic. http://www.motorcyclenews.com/bike-reviews/honda/cbf1000/2006/ Or if you prefer the retro look. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Enterprisingwestern Posted June 26, 2017 RMweb Gold Share Posted June 26, 2017 These things, and variations on a theme of, seem quite popular out this way, especially on a Sunday morning, when we get the putty loosened out of the windows with waves of them going up and down the valley. Mike. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Horsetan Posted June 26, 2017 Share Posted June 26, 2017 Then there are diesel-powered motorbikes, apparently. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium New Haven Neil Posted June 26, 2017 RMweb Premium Share Posted June 26, 2017 Then there are diesel-powered motorbikes, apparently. Much the same as the Hardley Abelson.... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted June 27, 2017 Share Posted June 27, 2017 Or if you prefer the retro look. index.jpg I do indeed prefer the retro look. Of a similar vintage, it's always been the big V4s that have appealed to me rather than Honda's parallel 4s. These things, and variations on a theme of, seem quite popular out this way, especially on a Sunday morning, when we get the putty loosened out of the windows with waves of them going up and down the valley. Mike... You've ruined the thread posting a pic of that. Someone hurry up and advance the thread to Page 5 so I don't have to look at it any more. In all seriousness, my eldest brother had a Harley for a little while. He sold it on pretty quickly and refuses to talk about it. I'd imagine the cost of the therapy he needed to get over it cost way more than the machine itself. Lots of folk seem to like them, but... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
rockershovel Posted June 27, 2017 Share Posted June 27, 2017 (edited) My new-to-me Hinckley Triumph has plastic mudguards, as did the previous Honda VT750S and they do just fine. They don't rust, buzz from vibration, or split around the mounting bolts. They don't fade (yet). My old Harley ironhead Sportster has plastic trials guards, fitted long ago because they were cheap, durable and a tolerable match for the dark blue paint on the tank. They're still in place, after several crashes as a sprinter and hillclimber. A bit scratched, and there's a stain on the front one from spilled methanol, but you can't have everything.. Edited June 27, 2017 by rockershovel 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted June 27, 2017 Share Posted June 27, 2017 My new-to-me Hinckley Triumph has plastic mudguards, as did the previous Honda VT750S and they do just fine. They don't rust, buzz from vibration, or split around the mounting bolts. They don't fade (yet). My old Harley ironhead Sportster has plastic trials guards, fitted long ago because they were cheap, durable and a tolerable match for the dark blue paint on the tank. They're still in place, after several crashes as a sprinter and hillclimber. A bit scratched, and there's a stain on the front one from spilled methanol, but you can't have everything.. I think plastics on a bike are more than acceptable. As you say, take a mudguard... a metal one will rust and/or pit as soon as you look at it. As much as I like (modern) classics, I have no desire to spend 95% of my time polishing something. Apologies, I'm just trying to advance the thread to get rid of Mike's Harley pic... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Blue Streak Posted June 27, 2017 Share Posted June 27, 2017 I don't know who the braver man is - Rockershovel who races a sportster or PatB for riding that erm - "Contraption" Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
PatB Posted June 27, 2017 Share Posted June 27, 2017 I do indeed prefer the retro look. Of a similar vintage, it's always been the big V4s that have appealed to me rather than Honda's parallel 4s. hondavf1000f.jpg Mike... You've ruined the thread posting a pic of that. Someone hurry up and advance the thread to Page 5 so I don't have to look at it any more. In all seriousness, my eldest brother had a Harley for a little while. He sold it on pretty quickly and refuses to talk about it. I'd imagine the cost of the therapy he needed to get over it cost way more than the machine itself. Lots of folk seem to like them, but... There are Harleys and there are Harleys. Standard late model ones (ie most of them) do very little for me, as do those which appear to be rolling parts catalogues or mobile armchairs (ie most of the rest). I am, however, rather partial to a proper, bare bones 50s-60s style bobber or reasonably restrained chopper (no, not some cartoon gothic horror of a thing). I've also seen a few Sportsters done out as XR750 flattrackers that have looked like fun. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Enterprisingwestern Posted June 27, 2017 RMweb Gold Share Posted June 27, 2017 By all accounts Harleys don't go round corners very well at all, which is a somewhat huge disadvantage round these parts. Mike. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Blue Streak Posted June 27, 2017 Share Posted June 27, 2017 (edited) I've never been a big fan of HD myself, My mate's Fatboy has "handling" like an Aircraft carrier, but I suppose it was designed to cover long distances at a moderate speed. The New 500 and 750's look like they would have a bit more promise, but not having ridden one I can't say. Although this bad boy tickled my fancy HD XR750TT - although it's not a road bike so very OT . It did win 3 out of 6 Transatlantic races in 1972 so I assume it handles ok. Have a look at that enormous Front Drum Brake and the Buckets being passed off as Mikunis I think a replica would make a stunning cafe racer for the street ! Edit - I just noticed something - is that a Disc brake on the back ?? Edited June 27, 2017 by The Blue Streak 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold chriswright03 Posted June 27, 2017 RMweb Gold Share Posted June 27, 2017 So in a combined effort to rush to page 5.................. Harley Davidsons do nothing for me at all. Actually that is wrong. They repulse me violently. Now that isn't to say that I don't think anyone else should like them. Far from it and I think the fact that there are different makes and styles of bikes for all sorts is a good thing as long as we are free to choose what we want! I am not a massive fan of cleaning my bike. In fact it is still covered in flies from my 200 mile round trip to the North Norfolk Railway the week before last! Must do it soon. So I really could not cope with all the chrome and stuff of a cruiser. In my past I have ridden when it was dry and if caught in the rain gone back and cleaned it thoroughly including all the nooks and crannies with a toothbrush and scraped knuckles. Five years of riding in all weathers instructing cured me of that! This is my current steed and has been for a couple of years or so now. Not a lot of plastic or chrome and not that many nooks and crannies. 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted June 27, 2017 Share Posted June 27, 2017 (edited) This is my current steed and has been for a couple of years or so now. Not a lot of plastic or chrome and not that many nooks and crannies. IMG_20170222_122031.jpg Now that I do like. I was looking at one of these a couple of weeks back and now I'm wondering if it was actually yours I was looking at! Were you here for the recent diesel gala and did you park in the big council car park by the station in Sheringham? Now, I know that Jap sportsbikes are clearly mentioned in the thread title, but I am open to alternatives. The original 94-96 Speed Triple is a fine looking beast (to my eyes) but I quite like the later ones too. The smaller Street Triple would appear to get rave reviews as a bike for all things. Edited June 27, 2017 by Pete 75C Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
PatB Posted June 27, 2017 Share Posted June 27, 2017 By all accounts Harleys don't go round corners very well at all, which is a somewhat huge disadvantage round these parts. Mike. A course of weight loss, some suspension upgrades and an effort to improve ground clearance (not that there's much that can be done about the huuuge primary chaincase on the Big Twins) all help a bit. Oh, and not starting from the awful Softtail as illustrated upthread. An object lesson in introducing weight and complication for very little real gain. If you're going to have rear suspension at all, you might as well have some that actually works properly. If you want something that looks like a hardtail, have a hardtail and live with the disadvantages. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
rockershovel Posted June 27, 2017 Share Posted June 27, 2017 Sportster racing, from recent DTRA events.. Ironhead, not mine, in Vintage class Evo, originally built for the factory-sponsored Sport Twins series, in the 90s Sort-of XR copy.. Actually, they are soft old things, very easy to ride - if not very fast and unlikely to beat anything except another Sportster! They do have the great advantage that they have so much grunt, British speedway tracks can be ridden in a single gear, which is handy if you have a left side shift and a steel shoe. I converted my ironhead from dope, long ago. It just causes too many issues and doesn't really serve any useful purpose. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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