The Motorcycle Posts

[bo1142]

I've been into motorcycles and motorcycle racing for years.  I also drive a car on a daily basis

[not darth]

I'm more of a bike guy.
First MC was a 1984 Honda VT700C "Shadow".  Nice bike, but my 6'1" frame is a bit pretzel'd up on it.
Then I got a 2007 Triumph Bonneville T100 (865cc).  Really love this bike!



Also have a 1986 Honda Helix 250cc maxi-scooter, it's actually my wife's, but I got it from a friend.
Rounding out the stable is a 1974 CB550K, rescued that out of a garage that it sat in for 20 years.  Put in a new battery, stripped and cleaned the carbs (and replaced seals/gaskets), dumped the old gas (full tank!  no rust!) and added new, and it fired right up!  This is my gravel road bike, it's so nice and light, it's a blast!
-K

[barefooter]

Looking at some of the photographs of motorcycles in another section, I thought I'd see if anyone would like to get invovled in a motorcycle specific thread.  If you have pictures of your current or past motorcycle(s), post a picture here.  Give a little background about your motorcycle history and involvement with them.

With that, I hope my photographs come through....





These two pictures are of my 2002 Honda 1800 Goldwing.  The wife fell in love with it when we visited our friend/owner of the local Honda dealership.  I am glad she enjoys riding motorcycles.  She told me that it was an early retirement gift to me (and her as well).  I retired in 2003, but returned to work after retirement.  She has 5 or 6 more years to go.  I am not sure if I will keep working until she retires, or if I will leave in a few years.  I guess a lot depends on the economy and getting our daughter through college.

I am looking forward to seeing some pictures and hearing more about riding.  We need to do something to keep ourselves going during the cold months.

[ebick]

I just happened to be at a Honda dealer today and was looking at the new GWs.....that is a monster machine.  My ride is much......less monster-ish. 

[sachi]

I haven't been riding much lately, but here I am with my 599 before an Iron Butt ride:
http://idisk.me.com/thorw/Public/599.JPG

I've done three IB rides so far. Fun stuff.

I also loved old British bikes and owned one of these for a while, a very rare and wonderful bike:
http://idisk.me.com/thorw/Public/nortonmercury.jpeg

[SMan]

My Scoot is a bit more utilitarian but gets me by.  A 1996 Virago XV 1100.



And a blast from the past.  A 72 CL 350 Honda

[madx2]

Hello Sachi,
Yes,  that is a very rare motorcycle.  A Norton Mercury made between '68-'70.  A friend in my Norton club has one in original condition. 
madx2

[bo1142]

Sachi, that Norton is gorgeous.  I've been into motorcycles for years, and even got into racing for a while.  A few bad crashes(one on the street) have led me to getting out of the sport for a while.

I've owned several bikes, but all Yamaha's.  I raced an 04 R1 and a 07 R6.  I even used a TTR-50 as a pit bike.  I hope to get back into racing soon, but I have a bumpy road to go. 

I'll try to post some pics up tonight when I get home.

[sachi]

Hello Sachi,
Yes,  that is a very rare motorcycle.  A Norton Mercury made between '68-'70.

I'm actually surprised that anyone knows what it is!  Mine was a 1969 model, 26 serial numbers from the end of production. I had to do little to keep it up; I just rewired some of the connections using spade connectors (with shrinkwrap over them!) to keep it all together, and that made it a very durable machine. It wasn't too buzzy either, so was a nice highway ride at about 60 mph.

I also owned a '64 Bonneville, which I rebuilt from a pile of parts. That one wasn't quite so nice to ride as the Norton (there's a reason those frames were called featherbeds) but it also was a very enjoyable bike.

[not darth]

Woot!  A motorcycle thread!
I've been fascinated by bikes since I was a baby!  I used to stand in my crib, looking and pointing out the window saying "moh-no-sahti" because I couldn't say 'motorcycle'.


This is me as a toddler on a neighbor's Moto Guzzi 850T. 

I didn't get my own until about ten years ago.  And that was just a fluke, really.  My father-in-law had a 1984 Honda VT700C Shadow.  But, he hadn't ridden in several years for a number of reasons, one being screwed up shoulders.  So, I was at a family gathering and I overheard him talking to his brother about the motorcycle and something about calling a junk man.  My ears perked up and I started asking questions.  Turned out that if I hauled it away I could have it!  Well, two weeks and a trailer rental later and she was in my garage! 
Spent a few days changing fluids, battery and carb cleaning and I got 'er running!  Did some cleaning and found out she really was a gem under all that dust!



I still have that bike, it's really a great bike for the year it was made.  Dual disc brakes, shaft drive, hydraulically adjusted valves, liquid cooled, dual spark plugs, reserve fuel tank, low fuel light, burnt taillight warning indicator, etc.  Really a Rolls-Royce of the time period.
But, I'm six-one and feel pretty pretzel'd up on it, so I eventually started shopping for a new bike.

Along comes 2007 and I made my choice, a Triumph Bonneville T100, 865cc parallel twin.
Here I am the day I brought 'er home (40 mile ride in 38°F):


Here's a more recent 'glamour shot' of it, with new aftermarket mirrors and a different saddle:


My wife got into riding a bit, so I just had to get one specifically for her (that was the rationale, anyway! ).
Here's her Honda Helix 250cc that I got from a friend:


Then, just a year or two ago I heard a rumor about a Honda CB550 that'd been sitting in a nearby garage for twenty years.
Went to check it out and man, it had a lot of 'garage wear'.  Dust and questionable taste in accessories.



Notice the registration sticker, 1985!

But, the price was very right (waaaaay under $500) so it followed me home in a pickup truck.
The rehab was a nice surprise, the battery had been removed (so no acidy corrosion everywhere), the tank was full of old gas (so no rust).  I pulled the carbs and did a deep cleaning, put in a new battery, 4 new spark plugs and new gas.  And it started on the second kick!!!  The 4 into 4 exhaust was full of holes, so I shook the windows in the entire cul de sac, but hey, she was alive!!!
Since then I've done a bunch to make it roadsafe (NOS Dunstall exhaust, new rubber all around, new fork seals, new steering stem tapered bearings, new chain/sprockets, and a few other things) but am keeping it stock. 
Here she is recently. 


That CB really is a fun, quick, light little bike.  I use it as my hard-pack dirt road bike, and I think next time it needs tires I'll put on dual sports like Anakee's or something.


-Kris

[madx2]

Hey Everybody...nice bikes posted so far.  Maybe a moderator could move the motorcycle pictures that were posted in the "any auto enthusiasts here?" thread to this thread??? or should we repost them ourselves?

Anyways, here is another Norton I used to own.  It is a 1947 ES2 Norton.  490cc OHV single cylinder.



I bought it as an incomplete basket case.  Spent about 10 years gathering parts from around this country and  England.



No need for a tach...you can count the rpm's!



These pictures were taken at one of our club meetings in the spring of 2011.

[not darth]

Nice thumper you had there, Madx2!
Seems like a lot of Brit bike fans here!

Was that an Amal Concentric carb you had on that?  I couldn't quite see.
Very cool!
 
-K

[madx2]

No.  It is a Mikuni.  The original carb was  totally clapped out so this was used.  The ES2 used an Amal 276 style which was pre-monobloc...which was pre-concentric.

[barefooter]

I can see there is a passion for the wind on our faces and maybe a bug or two in the teeth for those of us who ride.  Everyone is posting potographs of some mighty fine looking motorcycles.  I really enjoy looking at the pictures and reading about them and their owner's journey.  I need to figure out where some pictures of my past motorcycles are and scan them so I can post later on.

Going backwards I am going to try and recall the bikes I have owned.  Along with my Goldwind already posted, I currently have a 1978 GS 1000 Suzuki I bought new.  It only has 16,000 + miles on it.  I last rode it about 5 years ago, but I now have some serious troubles with the gas tank.  It has rusted out pretty bad due to improper storage on my part .  I had a 2000 Kawasaki Vulcan Nomad (1500).  It was not a speed demon, but the ride was pretty good for me.  The wife did not like the rear seat and complained every time we took a trip out of State.  I think this is one of the reasons we got the Goldwing   Before that, I had a 1993 Yamaha 920 Virago.  It was definitely a one person bike even though two could ride on it.  It was more of the local cruiser bike.  I also had a Suzuki 550 (1974 I think) 3 cylinder.  This bike was quick and fun to ride even though old school manufacturing.  Before that, I had a 1972 or 73 Honda CB 350.  That bike really had a shine to it in the sun with the red and chrome.  Before that was a 185 Suzuki road/trail bike (cannot recall the year).  And, the first bike was a 1971 Honda Scrambler 100cc.  That motorcycle took me many places when I first got on the roads with her.  I had a lot of fun with it.

Of all the motorcycles I've owned, the 2002 Goldwing is by far the best all round motorcycle I've had.  Most people think that with the size of it that it would be hard to handle at lower speeds.  It has an aluminum frame and is really light and nimble.  It is quick, a comfortable ride, and I do not believe too hard on the eyes.  Growing up, I always dreamed of owning a 750 Honda or a 900 Kawasaki Z1 or Z9 (can't remember the exact model designation due to age).  When Suzuki came out with the 1000, I read a lot about it and just jumped right in with the purchase ove the Kaw and Honda..

Keep those pictures coming along with descriptions and tells of their/your history

[Picken Pappy]

Nice rides everyone! Here's mine, a GL1500 SE.