Any Motorcycle Riders Here? Post Your Ride(s)
 

Hello there--new to this Forum--wondered if we had any Motomaniacs in the herd?

Just to prove Geek/Gearhead Hybrids exist I thought I'd start this thread.

I like anything that makes noise and moves (kinda like my 2 year old son) so I've been tinkering with machines ever since I figures out how to start the lawn mower...

May parents were strict and pretty much said if I wanted a van or a motorcycle (let alone alcohol or tobacco) I could have them--after I moved out.

So of course the first thing I did was get an old VW Bus and a POS CB350!

The missus is much more understanding--she just wanted one too--so between the two of us we have 3 motorcycles, a '62 Buick Special deluxe Wagon and the ubiquitous Minivan, Pickup, and for something a little different a Scion Xb.

The bike I really cherish the most is my 1979 Triumph Bonneville--I built it up from a total basket case to a respectable classic and have about 21,000 miles in the saddle.

The bike I get in the most trouble with is my 2000 Millenium Edition Buell X-1 Lightning. I have over 40,000 miles of evasive manuevers on that one.

The bike that almost killed me is my Wife's 2003 Buell Blast--it's so nimble and small I was having a little too much fun and laid it down one time--gotta watch that big old sprocket in the back--I lost some skin that time.

Here's a quick shot of the bikes...

Yeah dude, I just bought a 2005 Yamaha FZ6 2 weeks ago. I'm taking pics of me on it tomorrow :D Nice buells!

The bike went went the first kid arrived.
Reverse will happen!

RZ250k -> FZ750 -> CBR600F2 -> FZR400RR
plus a RD350LC I rebuilt, and many rides on lots of other stuff on loans, most memorably a FZR1000R which was mental.

Bought it new in 1993 in California, and the pics posted show it in 2004 just before I sold it with 83,000 miles on it, and still mechanically perfect (original clutch, primary chain, and final drive belt). I sold it when I moved to Texas because a) it's too damn hot to ride comfortably, the cagers here scared me with their driving habits, and I lost about 25% usability in my left hand due to a miter saw accident...

http://www.paddedwall.org/hdpics/hd_leftside_full.png
http://www.paddedwall.org/hdpics/hd_rightside_full.png
http://www.paddedwall.org/hdpics/hd_running_03.png

I have a lil yamaha 650 Vstar at the moment and planning a complete custom build for the winter. All these damn Discovery channel shows gave me too many ideas for what I want in a Bike that I just have to try and build one.

http://mywebpages.comcast.net/aronj66/bike01.jpg

Me on the fizzer..... eerm, Yamaha FZ6. Still smells like a new bike! :D

More Fizzy.

From our last ride near Caliente CA

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3...9Image0045.jpg

Too cool--great pics! Yeah it's too hot to ride comfortably here in FL and the pinkhaired glaucoma victims are everywhere like ghosts in a bad pacman flashback. So I am really happy about moving to the mountains of VA where if I screw up it could take weeks to find my body....

Ducs Rule!
 

Same story here Long Haired :mad:

My first bike was a Suzuki ER-21, a 50cc crossbike, when I was 14 and rode the following in the last 20yrs:
Yamaha RD125 > Kawasaki KLR650 > Yamaha Super Tenere > Yamaha XT600 > Suzuki GSX-R 1100 > Ducati Superbike 748R > Ducati Monter 750

The Duc 748R was with 50 mm Termignonis and a new chip (~ 103 HP on the rear wheel). Eventhough I loved the Duc 748R, it was the bike that I owned for the shortest period of time (~3 months). 748R was definitely for the race-track, if you know what I mean. Monster 750 was one of the bikes that I enjoyed riding most. I am a big Ducati fan, and planning to buy a new Duc next year :)

Ducati amen
 

Wow you guys into bikes as well, I am in the right place!
Here's a shot of my 1978 Ducati 900ss.

http://forums.procooling.com/vbb/att...tid=4694&stc=1

I bought it when I was 21 and working in a motorcycle shop. It got traded for a 851 Duke and I was in the right place. It had a hard life and I have spent alot on it to get it in the condition you see it now. It has been repainted in original colours, The wheels have been rebuilt with stainless spokes and the rims and hubs polished. Almost every bolt has been replaced with stainless items and if it had to be steel for strenght it was chromed. All engine covers are polished alloy, looks great but its alot of work!
It has to be run on race gas (Leaded) as it hates unleaded, fouls plugs.
The thing I like about this bike is that it was built with just one purpose in mind, to win races - something it did quite well. It is not comfortable to ride for a long time but then it is not a touring bike, comfort was not a consideration.
I love this bike to bits and it will never be sold - its everything I want in a bike and you should hear it when you open the throttle hard barreling out of a corner - pure heaven. Amen.

Wow Bevel she's a beauty :)
excellent job

well, guess Ducati and comfort can't be used in the same sentence ;)
My wife just hated the Monster's back seat :p

Yes indeed! A rare and highly desirable superbike if ever there was one....and shockingly unmolested--a real treat--I love that machine Bevel! Too bad no way to post a .wav

Im glad you guys like my baby.
It was a bit "molested" when I bought it but it is now back to original spec - including the green fuel lines.

Well, my kid arrived, and my first bike arrived shortly afterwards... guess I've got it lucky...

Tis an `89 NS125R-K...

http://www.over-clock.com/marci/ns125r/45_12_sb.JPG

That was her in her stock form - no pix of her currently. Not a lot's changed visually.
Restrictor plates removed... Exhaust has been swapped out for an MBX125 Micron Performance Pipe... main jet up'd from 110 to 128, airbox removed and K&N Filter fitted... will overbore and skim when I get chance / finances... originally did 70mph tops when I got her, now does 95mph. Lotsa midrange and topend. Lost a lot of bottom end when I swapped off the exhaust, but the original was 95% weld, 4% rust, 1% air so it had to go. MBX pipe was just handy at the time, so since then been tweaking her to run happily with it. Wants main jet upping a bit more and pilot jet looking at, but when it's my only form of transportation, getting chance to get on with it is rare...

I also race MiniMoto Sidecars... me on the right hangin' out the side...

http://www.minimotosidecars.org/site...l_IMG_1039.jpg

`05 CBR125 engine fitted into custom made chassis with 6" Kart Rims and tyres. Independant front and back brakes. Overbored and skimmed, race tuned, hand-made ram-air fitted, got a Rotrex C15 supercharger on the way for it... at the mo it'll manage just short of 90mph with topend gearing and two onboard, but circuits we race on and fuel tank capacity restricts us, so tend to be set up for 70mph tops with lotsa bottom end. We're currently leading the British Championship 4T class... and going off points from last round are now unbeatable, so unofficially, we've got the championship nailed. Only outfits on the track faster than us are the highly tuned 2stroke F1 and F2 outfits... we're 0.53 secs off the pace from those... but 4stroke 125cc is rarely a match for expertly tuned 2stroke 80cc. No need to worry about those tho, as they ain't in our class. S'just fun chasing em...!

Looking to move on the NS125R soon and pick up a Cag Mito Evo... get test passed (finances are only thing preventing) then have me eyes on a ZZR400.

Depends. Met a single mum in the park with the missus whose story led me to sell my bike. I'm a bit of a nutter on the bike - can't help myself.

That's my plan as well - assuming they still make them when I get a bike again. However, I want to swap out the 125cc engine and put in the largest 2 stroke chook-chaser engine I can fit. CR500? WR360?

You're a really lucky man Marci :)

BTW my wife is pregnant with our 2nd child (he is due in about 2 weeks :) )
about a month ago my wife was craving ice cream, and asked me to get her one. I said well I'm craving for a Duc but you don't let me have one, so forget about the ice cream... long story short, over an ice cream, she promised me that I can have my Duc after the baby is born lol :)
So hopefully I will be riding on a Ducati again soon :D

MiniMoto sidecar racing looks like fun... guess i should try that one day...

W00h00! Am officially British Champion as of 25th September :cool: Can't beat a 200 point lead with one round to go... max points per round is 100 :D

Think I'll stay in the truck n get drunk at the final round of the season, cos certainly don't need to risk me neck on the track!

Do the race wearing chicken suits or gorilla suits over the leathers.

I’ve have a Honda CB 750-F2, 1982 year model, the thing here in Sweden is that the bike got to be 20 years plus or an BMW due to insurance. The engine is rebuilt for $ 2000 (the same as the bike cost). Have a problem starting it due to the Laser system and the sprocket for the start engine is wear down. (attached tumb., the box is removed, cost 15km/h top speed, 2l/100km and the look is a lot better without it).

I’ve had one Honda 125 something (didn’t work).
And Kawasaki cross 125-91
A Yamaha RDLC 125-87 (this one is actually quite quick on small roads, you don’t have to use the brakes)

My next bike will be an BMW GS 1150/1200... Helped a friend to drive it from Germany (cheaper), I drove it @160-190km/h in 12h-straight, not that may bikes that can take that... (or drivers)

Congrats mate :)

Me on ye olde Firestorm (Honda VTR1000) 'bout 5 years back.

http://www.employees.org/~slf/images/Cathbike.jpg

Time for another bike.

Allow me to recommend a Kwaki ZX-12R... 2002 or later... you'll love it ;)

Kinda had my eye set on the Aprilia RSV1000R

http://www.aprilia.com/models03/road...1095693907.jpg

Reports from folks here that have test ridden say they're rather `orrid in the engine dept. Can't remember why, will quiz Mike n' Daz tonight...

Hmmm, have always loved the sporty V2's though - loved the way they lay down wads of power at any point in the rev range, and love the lilting thump-thump exhaust note. Enjoyed just as much the reactions of people when they come wailing into corners on their 4's, and there's me on the old thumper which by every right should be slower if we measure by horsepower alone, yet while they're still trying to find the right gear on the corner exit, the V2's are ripping the arms from the shoulder sockets on the way out with the 4-cyl guys practically able to count every thump-thump thundering from the exhaust as it disappears ahead.

Riding the big V2's are as much of an aural experience as the riding itself. Had a full free-breathing exhaust system fitted to the VTR, that gave a 2" diameter exhaust path the whole way, instead of the stock & somewhat restrictive 40mm exhaust pipes & headers, as opposed to simply fitting cans on the end like many do, and fitting cans only simply doesn't do the VTR's engine exhaust note justice. Lost count of the number of Ducati riders coming up to me wishing that their bike sounded as good.

/me wipes drool from mouth over the memory...

Heh... 2" full system would certainly make anyone in the vicinity feel the thump right in their guts as it went past...

We use a full 2" system on the sidecar... which exits just in front of my left foot behind the main fairing and spits fireballs at me with monotonous regularity... compared to the other 4 strokes on the grid ours sounds monstrous. On a V2 it must be akin to firing a thunderstorm out of a shotgun :D

Oh sure, perhaps I understated it when I said it was merely an aural experience. Can definitely add tactile to that too. :D Put the bike onto the Dyno once for a lark, and can honestly say that the sound pressure coming from the exhaust when it was on song almost sends the heart into palpitations, and made you somewhat woozy.

Yeah, it was loud. Realised how loud it was when on a track day around Phillip Island. Heading out of Turn 1 @ 240kph or so, and there's some guy about 100m ahead of me heading into Southern Loop wildly looking around like the end of the world had come to town. He came up to me later and said he could've sworn I was like 2 bike lengths behind him bearing down on him like a semi-trailer, rather than 100m away.

Still as loud as it was, not one person ever complained that it was annoying, ever. Quite the opposite, everyone would comment how much they loved listening to it. Sounded like mellow thunder. Must've evoked some sort of primal reaction I guess.

/me sighs

The ultimate question - how far could the exhaust fire a tennis ball in neutral against the limiter...?

LOL. Never tried that. Guess we'll never know.