Yet another motorcycle thread

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Otter-BelleHavenMarina

Moderator
Matt and Iva, your sentiments strike me as sincere and they are much appreciated. Glad you are part of the pack!

Dusty, I didn't know you were a BMW guy. I had three Suzukis and then got a BMW K1200RS and thought, "Oh - so THAT'S what they're talking about!" I loved my three Suzukis, but that Beemer is in a different class -- partly, I'm sure, because it was a lot newer than the Suzukis I owned.

Nonetheless, I'm just not going to go find some Suzuki owners' discussion group and tell them how thrilled I am with BMW German engineering. (Duh!)

So, I encourage that discussion of and particularly advocacy of boats other than C-Dorys be taken elsewhere.

Regards,
 
Hooo weee! Yowza, fellow Brats - I like this motorcycle diversion. Much more fun than the original topic.

You refined gentlemen and your BMW's are a little sedate for me. And everyone knows you Harley riders are just a bunch of knuckleheads.

Now that I've isolated myself from anyone who rides here, I feel comfortable in continuing.

Me...my biking days consisted of fast, furious, and just plain nuts. It's a wonder I'm still alive. Being that I married my high school sweety, the lovely Dana got to see it all. She has but one rule she insists on, as far as my lifestyle choices go - NO MOTORCYCLES. I submit to her wisdom.

Ahhh...but I have some fond memories. How many of you have ridden a Kawasaki 750 H2? A monstrous two-stroke triple, that has few equals even in todays superbikes when it comes to hp/weight ratio. These things would easily lift the front wheel in 3rd gear. Perhaps the fact that the suspension had about 1" of travel, and the lack of decent brakes, is why the death traps didn't stick around too long.

But boooooy...nuttin' like opening up that screaming 2-stroke down a remote stratightaway...

750h2.JPG
 
Da Nag":okbvltq0 said:
And everyone knows you Harley riders are just a bunch of knuckleheads.
Click to expand...

Aw Bill, the Harley riders ain't so bad, it's their biker babes that give me the shivers. (Taken at Sturgis) Gak, this is so wrong!

Sturgis.jpg
 
Bill,

I didn't get to ride a 750 but I had a 1969 500cc 3cyl Kawasaki.

Yeah, good memories of screaming two stroke acceleration and high speed blasts.

And I lived thru it!!
 
Bill,

Your Kaw is absolutely beautiful. Have never had a ride on one of those beauties -- nor on Mike's blonde at the Harley fest :wink: Wow!!! to both.:shock: :shock:

My favorite of all is long ago history - my Vincent Black Shadow was a joy - and wish I still had it. Dream on, old guy! Used to ride that around Morocco (then French Morocco) and frighten all the natives... had a bolt through the exhaust to keep from sucking Harleys up... :wink:

Mike, burn that picture, eh??

Dusty
 
Dusty, I ain't the one with the picture - I'm the lawnmower guy! It was someone a lot sneakier than I who shared that one. I could burn it, though, but I won't. It passes the test because my kids have seen it before and they choose to look away. Quickly.
 
Aw heck, When I was in the 6th grade I had an old Bultaco 100--- for a 6th grader that baby would scream. I remember coming into the front yard with my brother on the back, poping the clutch and riding a wheely across the yard and through the back yard gate---- it was closed when I hit it :shock:
 
Sawdust":339ljie1 said:
Your Kaw is absolutely beautiful.
Click to expand...

Didn't mean to mislead...that's not my bike, just found a pic online.

I never owned an H2 750, just had a good friend who did and we swapped bikes from time to time. My stable consisted of a Yamaha RD350 (another 2-stroke screamer), a couple Honda 350's, two Kawasaki 650's, and a Kawasaki 750 (4-stroke).

Now...somebody ask me how I was allowed to get my speed kicks after motorcycle privileges were revoked, and we'll talk about some REALLY fun toys...
 
I started out on a Hodaka 100. twas a fun bike. then went to a bultaco 125, then a husky 250.then I had a Kaw 750 twin 4 stroker that was quite quick. then upgraded to a kaw 1000 LTD. that was a screamer toooooo

Now I gots my eye on one of those Honda 1800 VTX twins. nice bike
 
Anyone remember the old Honda Dream? That was my first bike back in the 60s. Apparently Honda wasn't particularly good at bending metal back then, since it looked like a tank. Twenty-three bikes and 38 years later... from a "big iron" Triumph Bonneville in high school to several Gold Wings (great long distance tourers) and 9 Harleys. These days I am enjoying my gentleman biker status on the seat of a BMW RT (the R, I had a K-bike years ago). As I mature, I find that I keep vehicles longer; hoping that the C-Dory will become a long-term family member.

Best wishes,
Jim B.
 
First "bike" I rode was a Vespa 90 that I rode all over when I was a kid; I got arrested in town with a buddy when I was 14. I was in big trouble with the folks. When I was 17 I got a Suzuki GT550 (two stroke) and hid it for awhile at a friend's house. Later, after college, a Suzuki GS1100. That was really living. Much later, a 1982 Suzuki GS 850; then a BMW K1200RS. There's a BMW R1150R in my garage right now, but it is a friend's that I am storing for him, and I really haven't warmed up to it. I like the inline 4s better than the boxer twins, I guess.

C-Dorys = motorcycles in the sense of freedom they convey.

Cheers,
 
Well I will chine in here on the bikes. I rode al sorts of freinds bikes in high school behind my moms back. gpz 750 turbos, kz 1000ps, honda350 four and a 550 four.In the marines I had a yamaha 650 radian, 750virago. the virago was great on long trips because every one else in my unit with a bike wanted to ride it and give there backsa rest from their crotch rockets. so I got to ride every hting made between 88 and 95. harleys, honda cb1000, fzr 600s and 1000s, bmws, gpz, big kz 1000s and a kz 1300tour, a rigid trumiph, etc. what ever somebody had with a sore back. I would really like to get a gold wing or a kz 1000 coucours for the weekend and riding to work. really miss bikes.
 
I really miss bikes. Started on a Hodaka Wombat 125...tore up some dirt with that one. Here is my favorite bike photo. My father (on the black bike) and I in our tuxes the day after my sister got married. He said "Hey, we rented these things for the whole weekend, might as well get our money's worth!" So we got dressed and cruised around town and stopped in a few places for some refreshment. We were quite the hit. I miss him...he was a lot of fun.
DadandIatRobbinswedding2.jpg
 
B~C":devsdpam said:
OK, how did you get your speed kicks?
Click to expand...

I knew I could count on Ken with that setup...

Bikes are no doubt fun, but about the best fun I've ever had with my clothes on - karting.

Dana and I raced for a few years, and the adrenaline rush is intense. People look at a sprint kart, see a small 2-stroke engine, and typically say something like "that looks like a fun toy"...little do they know.

A 100cc sprint kart weighs in around 140 lbs. A nice blueprinted engine will push 20HP at close to 16K RPM. The accelleration is neck snapping, with sticky tires and no suspension the G's are unmatched, and everything is magnified since you're 1" off the ground and have no enclosure surrounding you to muffle your senses.

Top speed varies depending on the track/gearing, but most places we raced had us topping out around 65MPH at the end of the main straight. When the green flag drops, it's not unusual to have four karts abreast at those speeds, trying to squeeze into a turn wide enough for two.

As crazy as it sounds, it's one of the safest sports out there. In all the years I've spent at the tracks, I've seen two folks leave in an ambulance, neither were seriously hurt. Parents start their kids out as young as 8...it's really not terribly expensive, at least compared to other forms of racing. We'd usually count on $200/weekend, which included fuel, entry fees, and maintenance for two of us.

Here's a link to one of my photo albums, containing pics of Dana's brother-in-law and nephew playing around at the Medford OR track - a driver's favorite, even though it's a little old and beat up. They're on our old karts...due to lack of time, we sold them a few years back, and those two are getting lot's of good use out of them.

Some day...we'll get back into it. It's just too much fun to leave forever...
 
I have lots of bikes...one of my passions...all BMW's mostly old /2 bikes...
(1955-1968)..... I have done restorations, but my real passion is conversions ... mine is a 1966 /2 with a 76' R90/6 running gear 70hp....5 speed ..disk brakes hauling a Steib sidecar... it's a trip...I love it.. I also have a new R1150RT that I use for long rides....I like to motorcycle camp.. usually take 5 or 6 long rides every summer...

Joel
SEA3PO
 
Bikes, good subject. I believe Harley's = C-Dory's = Jeeps are really THE COMBO.

I rented a Honda Trail 90 when I was about 15 1/2 in Kansas on vacation -- not much else to do. Got hooked big time. Owned 'only' 15 bikes since (saw others with more, thought I had a lot...). Mostly Honda's from 175, 350 (2 and 4 cyl), 450 (bought from dead son's mother--spooky, mangled, never did quite align perfectly), Daytona 500 Triumph -- blew a quart of oil out in 350 miles, etc. Then got my first Harley sporty about 10 yrs ago, loved it. Now I have an '03 Road King Classic, love it. Thought the weight would be a problem, now I ride it like a dirt bike (not quite, but decent handling for sure).

Steve
 
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