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Post by hoist1 on Nov 28, 2019 7:36:47 GMT 1
This really isn’t just rose tinted specs , industry figures ( numbers and people ) will show the sheer volume of bikes sold in this period. In the 60s, being a biker was like being an outcast what with the mods and rockers on Margate beach for example and there was a certain amount of grunginess in clothing and the bikes that dripped oil everywhere, at least with loved strokers it only came out the end of the exhaust. In the immediate post war years it was also a family thing what with motorcycle combos and the fact they were cheap compared to cars. Younger riders ( are there really that many ) will remember mainly being a fair weather rider and the outcasts being car chavs with their stupid loud exhausts deliberately popping and banging about, some neighbours now blame bikes for the car noise and I would admit it’s sometimes not easy to tell. The other things the youngsters will remember, are crowded roads, nothing to do of an evening/night but join the endless drunks in all our towns and cities, piss poor driving standards on crowded roads and knife crime. Canterbury had for a while, The Pilgrims Motorcycle club based at The Red Lion, I remember one night there was a bit of food ( sandwiches ) provided by the tolerant landlord. The night finished off with the excess being used for a food fight that spilled outside and the worst thing that happened was perhaps some tomato juice dribbling down your tank or egg on your clocks. The pub still exists, so that night could be recreated but don’t suppose it would be appreciated now, and the participants would probably be mainly respectable figures ( really ? ).
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Post by earthman on Nov 28, 2019 8:40:31 GMT 1
Watching that Guy Martin in Japan the other night, surprised to hear that motorcycle ownership is falling over there too. Considering that's the home of the big four, if sales have slumped there what hope is there for the future??
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Post by hoist1 on Nov 28, 2019 9:20:48 GMT 1
In the day, a bike was a bike, there was some funnyness from Brit bikers with the jap crap comments but mainly everyone got on. So many divisions now with sports bikes, nakeds , adventure bikes, scooters, customs, harleys, etc. I still ride all year round and only get a few nods, one type of bike did everything including off-road .
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Post by earthman on Nov 28, 2019 12:23:35 GMT 1
What bike are you riding year round?
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Post by hoist1 on Nov 28, 2019 13:55:08 GMT 1
What bike are you riding year round? It varies, am a bit of a serial bike changer. In the earlier years I would mainly have one bike that might go 2 or 3 years but since meeting my present wife who had never been on a bike, I ramped things up a bit and usually have 2 or 3 bikes at a time . It’s sometimes a pain with all the mots and servicing as I do everything myself and garage is crap so keeping corrosion at bay is one of the worst things. Modern fuel don’t help in this as I don’t want to be spending time removing and stripping carbs as most are not fuel injected. Also I always have something ready to go so there is no rush if something comes up that needs more extensive work. Am not short but as I have a few physical ( and yes probably mental ) issues am increasingly looking to have smaller therefore easier to manage bikes. This is one of the reasons that I WILL be getting a 350 lc in the spring, the wife has listened to me wittering on about 2 strokes all the time we have been together and it’s about time she experienced a tweaked 350 on song. I know it’s not going to be cheap but as she has some Distain for a few bikes that are 20,000 pounds new, she can’t see what the problem is, and unlike a holiday it’s possible to get most of your money back. To answer your question it’s mainly a 93 vfr 750. At the moment. Just to complicate things though, my issues are getting better in some cases so I have a feeling I may have to get one of the few bikes I have not had or ridden that interest me so a zx12r May put in an appearance at some point. It doesn’t help that I keep coming across people that have one or know of one.
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Post by earthman on Nov 28, 2019 14:45:32 GMT 1
Not much wrong with a VFR, had one myself back in the early 90's. From my point of view now, a year round bike must have a screen and half decent fairing to tuck behind, shaft drive, heated grips and seat are the icing on the cake too. I love my LC but wouldn't like to have to rely on using it day in day out especially during the Winter months, I did back in the day but I were a lot younger too.
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Post by hoist1 on Nov 28, 2019 15:37:49 GMT 1
Not much wrong with a VFR, had one myself back in the early 90's. From my point of view now, a year round bike must have a screen and half decent fairing to tuck behind, shaft drive, heated grips and seat are the icing on the cake too. I love my LC but wouldn't like to have to rely on using it day in day out especially during the Winter months, I did back in the day but I were a lot younger too. Not planning on using the lc in the winter but my bikes are for riding, may have one ( could be anything )as an ornament indoors though at some point. Yes, vfrs , I do rate them, to the point that there is a certain person on tv that I really do try to take to, but he blotted his already blotted copybook by describing them as leaving him cold while singing the praises of mundanery . If that’s not a real word it should be, I know it’s everyone to their own but , and I’m sure he is really a decent bloke, but, this should have its own thread. If that’s legal of course, as in this snowflake world I’m sure it’s not. You are right that a fairing and shaft drive is the best way, a decent fully enclosed chain would work, shame furlong is not still around. I sometimes wonder about deauvilles but they have a few drawbacks.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 28, 2019 15:58:32 GMT 1
Had a Deauville NT700 a while back, it got me back into bikes after 25 years of not having one
It was stable,comfy, would run all day, tractor on two wheels, but boy it was heavy at 240Kg
Now got a Gsx1250FA, still weighs 230kg, but it goes a bit faster easier, still goes all day and is a comfy ride too
I do hear what you are saying regarding lighter machinery, thats why I have an 83 LC2 and an 85 F1 I'm rebuilding
I've had the first of two total hip replacements so only hope i can ride the things when I'm recovered
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Post by hoist1 on Nov 28, 2019 16:17:36 GMT 1
Had a Deauville NT700 a while back, it got me back into bikes after 25 years of not having one It was stable,comfy, would run all day, tractor on two wheels, but boy it was heavy at 240Kg Now got a Gsx1250FA, still weighs 230kg, but it goes a bit faster easier, still goes all day and is a comfy ride too I do hear what you are saying regarding lighter machinery, thats why I have an 83 LC2 and an 85 F1 I'm rebuilding I've had the first of two total hip replacements so only hope i can ride the things when I'm recovered Good luck with the hip recovery, wife has trouble with hers. Had a few bad experiences with the medical fraternity so I feel better myself to avoid them and hope for the best. Do quite like nurses though, have been a bit of a serial nurse person, that’s about as politely as I can put it. Yes , the deauvilles , I also wondered about a good example of the earlier ntvs nakeds but adding an aftermarket lighter fairing. Very thin on the ground now though. Had a couple of fazer thous which I suppose are similar without the same level of torque as the Suzuki , like you say, a bit heavy though
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Post by Deleted on Nov 28, 2019 17:22:08 GMT 1
yes the hip is problematic, R leg has been lengthened by 18mm so things need to stretch and settle before the second op, I could adapt no more, thank you for the kind words, i can sympathise with your wife, 1cm crater on the crown of the R and a labral tear to boot, surgeon was surprised I was still walking and working, 9 weeks post op yesterday
Missus had a FZ6S and loved it, would have had the 8 if it had ABS, she now has a Tracer 900GT and we can't keep her off it, at 210Kg she is a happy little vegemite, plenty of power and torque, more power than my 1250
I haven't heard of the naked NT's only the Transalp 650 which had the same motor as the earlier DV's
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Post by hoist1 on Nov 28, 2019 18:20:48 GMT 1
yes the hip is problematic, R leg has been lengthened by 18mm so things need to stretch and settle before the second op, I could adapt no more, thank you for the kind words, i can sympathise with your wife, 1cm crater on the crown of the R and a labral tear to boot, surgeon was surprised I was still walking and working, 9 weeks post op yesterday Missus had a FZ6S and loved it, would have had the 8 if it had ABS, she now has a Tracer 900GT and we can't keep her off it, at 210Kg she is a happy little vegemite, plenty of power and torque, more power than my 1250 I haven't heard of the naked NT's only the Transalp 650 which had the same motor as the earlier DV's I know it may be heresy to some people, but I suppose I would do pretty much anything to prolong my biking and have met or heard of some with major issues carrying on until their 80s, including racing. My solution some years ago has been to run a scooter esp if I have had trouble getting my leg over. What with Honda DCS auto transmissions and quick shifters and even auto blippers as options the scooter solution isn’t now the only one. Shame if the fz8 doesn’t come with abs as is a good balance between a six or thou . Tracer 900 is a good choice and in history Yamaha have been brave enough to release bikes that prob wouldn’t otherwise exist if left to other manufacturers .
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Post by earthman on Nov 28, 2019 23:37:02 GMT 1
Not much wrong with a VFR, had one myself back in the early 90's. From my point of view now, a year round bike must have a screen and half decent fairing to tuck behind, shaft drive, heated grips and seat are the icing on the cake too. I love my LC but wouldn't like to have to rely on using it day in day out especially during the Winter months, I did back in the day but I were a lot younger too. Not planning on using the lc in the winter but my bikes are for riding, may have one ( could be anything )as an ornament indoors though at some point. Yes, vfrs , I do rate them, to the point that there is a certain person on tv that I really do try to take to, but he blotted his already blotted copybook by describing them as leaving him cold while singing the praises of mundanery . If that’s not a real word it should be, I know it’s everyone to their own but , and I’m sure he is really a decent bloke, but, this should have its own thread. If that’s legal of course, as in this snowflake world I’m sure it’s not. You are right that a fairing and shaft drive is the best way, a decent fully enclosed chain would work, shame furlong is not still around. I sometimes wonder about deauvilles but they have a few drawbacks. There's a 4 page article on the Deauville in this months Classic Motorcycle Mechanics magazine. It is a great all rounder, I ran the 650 version for over 10 years, didn't notice the weight because I owned a Wing before that. Yes, not the fastest or most exciting bike, comfort, practicality, shaft drive and reliability are it's strengths, no surprise that many couriers used them.
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Post by hoist1 on Nov 29, 2019 0:50:15 GMT 1
Not planning on using the lc in the winter but my bikes are for riding, may have one ( could be anything )as an ornament indoors though at some point. Yes, vfrs , I do rate them, to the point that there is a certain person on tv that I really do try to take to, but he blotted his already blotted copybook by describing them as leaving him cold while singing the praises of mundanery . If that’s not a real word it should be, I know it’s everyone to their own but , and I’m sure he is really a decent bloke, but, this should have its own thread. If that’s legal of course, as in this snowflake world I’m sure it’s not. You are right that a fairing and shaft drive is the best way, a decent fully enclosed chain would work, shame furlong is not still around. I sometimes wonder about deauvilles but they have a few drawbacks. There's a 4 page article on the Deauville in this months Classic Motorcycle Mechanics magazine. It is a great all rounder, I ran the 650 version for over 10 years, didn't notice the weight because I owned a Wing before that. Yes, not the fastest or most exciting bike, comfort, practicality, shaft drive and reliability are it's strengths, no surprise that many couriers used them. I probably overthink things when considering some bikes, like accessibility for servicing. I know these engines and all their variants are long lasting, which might lead some to neglect certain things. One of the easiest and most important jobs to do on any bike is oil changes, but still some neglect that. In the case of the deauville, the rear cylinder is quite tucked away. Not sure if they are still screw and locknut valve clearance adjustment but as that won’t go as long as shims without checking, how many people bother. The earlier engines have twin plug heads and perhaps they still do , one plug is ok to get to , the other isn’t. I know they are a big lump but I quite liked the idea of a pc 800 as they are hydraulic tappets . I did have an xj 900 as a courtesy bike years ago and thought that was ok, no cooling system to worry about either. Had one as a project at one point though and didn’t feel as positive then. The earlier model was pretty good but felt it was let down by the brakes. Perhaps there’s no pleasing me but however good the bike I always come up with something that seems to be a compromise. I suppose the bottom line is that if a bike is nearly there for its intended purpose, that last little bit can either be modified or lived with.
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Post by earthman on Nov 29, 2019 10:15:53 GMT 1
I adjusted mine once, screw and locknut yes, that spark plug is tight to get at even with the proper Honda tool, I had to grind mine down a bit to turn easily. The 700 done away with the extra plugs, apart from that it's essentially the same lump I think, bit more horse power. If any bike can take neglect, it's this one/a Honda. Lol
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Post by hoist1 on Nov 29, 2019 12:18:46 GMT 1
Will put one on a very short list as a possible for the near future then. Am quite happy to use the vfr for this winter as It will come apart anyway for An in depth refresh so am not going to ruin it. I had a rougher vfr until last year, this one came up unexpectedly local to me and it’s really too good an example to ruin.
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Post by earthman on Nov 29, 2019 15:16:52 GMT 1
I wish that the VFR had had shaft drive, it's similar to the DV in being a V engine but it's double the pots so more cost and power of course.
Always swings and roundabouts hey.
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Post by 2banger on Dec 1, 2019 16:10:56 GMT 1
I wish that the VFR had had shaft drive, it's similar to the DV in being a V engine but it's double the pots so more cost and power of course. Always swings and roundabouts hey. Sounds like your ready for a guzzi . Last winter used the 1100 griso,vtwin shaft drive push rod engine,very simple in design, least maintenance bike I've ever owned, with it being Italian just have to rince down after each Rideout. My head's been turned by the new trails 850 guzzi and 10k is fair price for everyday go anywhere Bike .
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Post by earthman on Dec 1, 2019 16:52:29 GMT 1
I wish that the VFR had had shaft drive, it's similar to the DV in being a V engine but it's double the pots so more cost and power of course. Always swings and roundabouts hey. Sounds like your ready for a guzzi . Last winter used the 1100 griso,vtwin shaft drive push rod engine,very simple in design, least maintenance bike I've ever owned, with it being Italian just have to rince down after each Rideout. My head's been turned by the new trails 850 guzzi and 10k is fair price for everyday go anywhere Bike . Never owned any of their models, did look at the Norge when it first came out but it's just lacking all the toys compared to other touring bikes.
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Post by hoist1 on Dec 1, 2019 17:03:32 GMT 1
I wish that the VFR had had shaft drive, it's similar to the DV in being a V engine but it's double the pots so more cost and power of course. Always swings and roundabouts hey. Sounds like your ready for a guzzi . Last winter used the 1100 griso,vtwin shaft drive push rod engine,very simple in design, least maintenance bike I've ever owned, with it being Italian just have to rince down after each Rideout. My head's been turned by the new trails 850 guzzi and 10k is fair price for everyday go anywhere Bike . Looked over a deauville today, was parked up somewhere and never spoke to the owner. Rode an early lemans years ago, can’t remember if it was mk 1 or 2 , was ok on the open road but seemed a bit long and heavy on the twisty stuff. Felt to just build power but deceptively built up to quite a turn of speed for the day. Tried a v50 and quite liked it , and that topped 110 . I think the right modern guzzi for me could be a possibility. Also quite like the 500 Morini .
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Post by 2banger on Dec 15, 2019 16:14:14 GMT 1
Iconic bikes disappear from this period in time . Big guzzi's nla 2 stroke nla and now gsxr750 first came about in 84 and now nla from Suzuki
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