Bikes getting too sick?

[Big Dave]

Guy on R1/GSXR/ZX10/Fireblade under pressure from demerit points, now where have i heard that before....oh I remember - just about every owner I've talked to.

All these bikes go to 113kph in the time and motion it takes to change lanes. They don't hit their sweet spots till 160kph.

I find it very difficult to ride these type of bikes at the speed limit - call it a willpower thing, but the way things are in Auckland now, that's what you mainly have to do.

All my life I've chased big horsepower. I had the first 1100 on the market. Bolting on, adding too, hopping up, squeeze some more. Gimme powah!

I've even cajoled 140 out of the Trophy to meet performance spec when carrying a passenger. But it's a big heavy touring bike.

This current batch of hyperbikes has me even thinking they are all getting just a bit too 'sick' for road use - well, keeping a licence anyway.

Don't get me wrong - I so love that surge as the ZX10 hits 7K and the front wheel launches skywards and the way a flick of the hips changes trajectories and the way they stop on a dime.

But it's just getting so easy. Click, click, click and you are doing 140.

At least with the Tbird's humble 70 horsepower you have to work the engine to hit disqualification pace.

Spare me the 'soft' or 'old man' lecture, till you've ridden with me - but really, 170 horsepower - waddayareckon - are they getting too 'sick' for the city?

[vifferman]

Spare me the 'soft' or 'old man' lecture, till you've ridden with me - but really, 170 horsepower - waddayareckon - are they getting too 'sick' for the city?
You could say that about most bikes and cars - do we really need vehicles that can do 0-100 in a poofteenth of a second, and have a top speed of 300 km/h?

[Big Dave]

Kiwi Rider Magazine - 2005

The first time I laid eyes on 'Abbott' he was doing the very act that earned him the nickname. A loud, round, raucous and totally inappropriate 'Abbott and Costello - heeeeyyy AAAA-b-b-buttt' finished with a flourish of 3 Stooges style wiping-hand-down-face, accompanied by mi-mi-mi sound bites.

'What the?'....I thought, but he had gone through school with a few of the stauncher lads, and they vouched for him, and when he took the microphone and belted out Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee’s blues classic 'If you ever change your mind', in a baritone that only a man that large, and one quite gifted could belt out, you tended to overlook his other 'shortcomings' - like launching into 'Suzanna's a funny old man, eiderly dan' with endless comic hiccuping sound effects for accompaniment.

He had a serious side, but what 'Abbott' was meant to do, was bad slapstick and sing the blues. The last time I saw him, he'd become so large that a guitar would only just sit on the edge of his knee - lap was out of the question - the belly went all the rest of the way up. He still had the sweetest Sonny & Brownie sound and, back in the days of the bad slapstick, he wasn't quite as rotund. In fact he didn't look too bad on a motorcycle, not good, but not too bad either.

'Abbott' was one of half a dozen of us. Working our way up through the 'classes'. I had a Yamaha SR500 single, Col had a CB550, 'Flimsey' had a CB400 and 'The Abbott' was the first one to break into the 'superbike' class when he bought himself a second hand CB750K2 (which quickly inspired my purchase of an XS1100, Al's Z1B, Brian's Z1100 etc, etc), but give him his due, 'Abbott' was the first.

Unfortunately, he wasn't the best rider. In fact he was a pretty ordinary rider, maybe executed better than his slapstick, but I saw that poor old Honda cart-wheeling up the road on more than one occasion.

Like on our first ever 'big' tour. Sydney to Byron Bay. 'Brownie' (the surfer dude - not the blues singer) had a tent in the caravan park at Byron Bay and we were going up North and staying 'for as long as it takes'. (Nowadays I'd use words like 'feral') but in those 'heady' days, summer weeks in a tent at 'Byron' sounded enticing....so off we set.

I still had the 500 and the rest (except 'Abbott') were on mid weight, early eighties Hondas and Yamahas.

We had an uneventful run up the coast, without incident, and we 'made camp' virtually on the beach, under the Norfolk pines, in a tent city, with 20 other blokes from our local area - surfers, riders, guitars, a few hippy chics and 'as long as it takes'.

The second night up there was as long as it took, as a matter of fact.

Coming back from the pub with 'supplies', 'Abbott' dropped the front wheel of the Honda into a large, edge of the road, pothole.

He was unceremoniously high sided and the bike 'end-overed' almost all the way back to the camp site.

The first thing Ken intoned as we slid to a stop and flipped open visors was,
'That beer's going to be pretty badly shook up - better not open any in the tents’, as 'Abbott' was wobbling to his feet amongst the strewn tinnies.

After the next 24 hours listening to him moan about the road rash on his bum, the damage to his new metal-flake paint job (and a huge tropical storm), we decided we'd had enough.

'Abbott' climbed stoically aboard the Honda and we headed back to the 'big smoke' - paradise lost. (Not really, it was always about the ride anyway)

It wasn't even the worst, or last fall I saw 'Abbott' take.

The Nepean river to the south-west of Sydney is a meandering, usually gentle stream that has, over the aeons, cut steep ravines through the sandstone hills. In one of these ravines is the 'Picton Weir'. Created to control the river's flow whilst a larger dam was constructed downstream, the weir has high, steep escarpments on both sides and a reservoir of great depth behind.

A huge, moss covered slippery slope is to the front. The slope can be 'slid' on a Hessian sack and whilst the shallow bottom of catchment pool at the base and ensuing aquaplaning can cause some slight abrasions, the buzz was the second best reason we rode out there - regularly.

The main attraction (apart from topless girlfriends) was the 'Tarzan' swing that must be a contender for 'best on the planet'.

Some brave soul had climbed a massive ghost gum and securely attached 40 or more meters of the type of rope you would see on a tug-boat, to a huge overhanging limb.

A huge rush was only a matter of climbing the steep sides, rope in hand, as far as you could 'bottle it' - grab hold, lift, and swing out over clear, fresh water, hundreds of feet deep.

There was a small ledge to clear, but once done (easily), how long and how high and how far you fell were virtually limitless, just depended on how high you climbed.

There were four ledges up the slope that saw most of the action: Girls, mice, men....and bloody lunatic.

Most of us leapt off the 'man's platform', the more athletic dived from the rope, most, like me, attained a good altitude and then dropped into the drink as stylishly as we could.

I'd just splashed down and was nonchalantly floating my way back to the edge (Co-pilot, still at girlfriend status, in the vicinity) when I looked up and saw 'The Abbott' on the 'man's' platform. Pale, round, and obviously 'frozen' in the 40c heat.

'Ekka' had 4 brothers. I'm not sure if that fact had anything to do with his laconic 'wysiwyg' attitude, but 'Ek' was about the most straightforward, uncomplicated bloke I ever knew.

If 'Abbott' had said - 'I can't do it....push me, 'Ekka' to anyone other than 'Ekka', the outcome would have been different, but 'Ekka' said 'OK' and gave 'Abbott's' large frame a full blooded, fit-surfer-dude's, hip-and-shoulder shove, that launched the big man into the void almost the instant he voiced the ill-conceived request.

Suddenly airborne, panic did its work. He let go of the rope and started impressively clutching at....mid air. It looked like he had found some too, as he bounced, butt first, off the 'mice' platform.

Unfortunately no 'Rodney-Dangerfield-Back-to-School' trick dive ensued, no ‘Triple Lindy’ as he hit the 'girl's' ledge at an angle that sent him further cartwheeling to the bottom floor, like slow motion footage of a flaming Mescherscmitt plummeting earthwards in the film 'Battle of Britain'.

Winded, shaken and fortunately well enough padded not to have been badly hurt, he lay on the rocky shelf, bellowing for his lost wind like a walrus that had just hauled itself onto the pack ice, as we rushed to his assistance. (The co-pilot denies this - she maintains most of us just laughed uproariously. More slapstick!)

'Ekka's' unrepentant, emotionless voice from on high still rings in my ears: 'He said push me - so I did'

'Abbott' was shaken, shocked, but mostly OK and it was fortunate that 'Yester's Yamaha was off the road and he had gone in the car with the 'spare' girls, so he rode the Honda home.

'Abbott' sold (what was left of) the bike not long after that. He bought an off-roader later on, but the series of falls convinced him that maybe the 'man of action' role was not for him and that the blues were really what he was meant to do. He still plays the Sydney pub scene occasionally.

Some people are just not meant to ride motorcycles well. It needs a few god given gifts - co-ordination, balance, vision, even a sense of anticipation.

Whilst training has improved and many skills can be taught, I look at what is available to a new rider in 2005 and wonder where the 'experience' my generation gained on 30, 40 and 50 horsepower machines is being found today. Scooters have that much poke!

Sure, I never want to return to ‘them good ol' days' of that SR500, but I wonder about the 'situations' a modern, mid size, 250kph hyperbike can create for the 'Abbotts' of this current generation.

How can I advise today's brand new rider to not buy that gleaming new ‘super-sports’ just yet, gain some experience on something that won't 'bite' quite so hard and rack up some distance first – and how can I say it without sounding like some ‘bluesey’, petticoat wearing old fart?

Maybe 'Abbott' was on the right track with Sonny and Brownie after all:
'If you ever,
change your mind,
about leavin',
leavin' me behind......
Bring it on home...
Bring it on home....to me.'

Hmmmm, perhaps I won't push it.
Just be careful out there – eh?

[mikey]

to much stuff to read. wana condense it for people who cant concentrate more than 10 seconds?

[MSTRS]

How can I advise today's brand new rider to not buy that gleaming new ‘super-sports’ just yet, gain some experience on something that won't 'bite' quite so hard and rack up some distance first – and how can I say it without sounding like some ‘bluesey’, petticoat wearing old fart?

That was a great read, thanks Dave. Perhaps in answer, there should an added licence class for these powerhouse bikes? you go thru Learners, Restricted, Full. Then graduate to Fool. (says one)

[Big Dave]

No............(phone rang before finished reply) - just read every 10th word.

[Beemer]

Guy in our club upgrades to a ZX10, rides it three times then bins it. Written off bike, thankfully not too badly damaged rider - and an admission that the power was just too much for him.

I used to get heaps of people laughing at me when I rode the RG150. Big deal, so its top speed wasn't 240kph and it didn't wheelie away from the traffic lights - by the same token it didn't scare the shit out of me either.

I know I am not - and never will be - a good enough rider to take advantage of the top speed of most bikes so to ME personally they are a waste of money. My Goose can exceed the speed limit - so I know there is a little there if I need to overtake, etc., and that's good enough for me!

Even my Beemer was grudgingly admired on Sunday - my husband was riding it and beat his mate on a KTM Duke off the lights - said mate later "there's a lot to be said for usable power" - precisely!

[WRT]

If you are having probs keeping a licence (used to be a prob of mine), then stick to the big v-twins. You can cruise on them at legal motorway speeds all day, and they still go like stink when you want to open them up, or put them on a track. Great for torque and quick launches from the lights.

They may not be quite so quick as the fours, but they are a lot quicker than the bus - once you've lost your licence.

[Blackbird]

Hmmmm... I've been thinking about this quite a lot recently. Have had the Blackbird for nearly 5 years, love it to bits, used a goodly percentage of its performance on occasions but what comes next??? Another Hyperbike? What would be the point?

Nope, when the 'bird does eventually go, my eye will be on a new Speed Triple. More relaxed riding position and tons of grunt up to (and beyond) 120 km/hr, which is where most of us spend 95% of our time if we want to keep our licenses.

Good thread Dave.

Geoff

[Hitcher]

to much stuff to read. wana condense it for people who cant concentrate more than 10 seconds?
Ride at your own pace, not the bike's...

[bugjuice]

I have a short clip which is mainly advertising for the 'busa, which says at one point, that the 'busa was one of the fastest production bikes of it's time, and still is a mental machine today. The four main manufacturers (I assume would be Suzuki, Yamaha, Honda and Kawa) came to a mutual agreement to limit their bikes to 300kph, regardless of power/speed/weight etc. This is meant to 'cap' bikes and their stupidly quick speeds. But 300 is beyond stupid, since to do that on a road is just plain crazy. Yeah, I know what I've done..

So that caps the power. Without mods, no bike should go over 300, unless you're going downhill with the wind behind you, and the clutch in.. So, the power, weight, and P-W ratio thing.. It can't get much better than it is for the time being. The K5 boasts the lightest bike, producing a mental hp, and it goes on the roads like it was a track. Can pull wheelies off the power in 3rd (I heard a rumor you can try 4th) and chew thru tyres on a daily basis, along with fuel to boot. It's as light as it can be and as strong as it can be given the materials used, and still affordable. This is modern-age superbikes.

But last year, the ZX10 was boasting the best facts. Before then, the R1.. So is it the CBR next year? But how? and at what cost?
Personally, I think it'll level for now.. How much stock power can you put thru a rubber contact patch the size of a tennis ball?

Personally, another reason why I think 600s are more than enough for the road. You can loose your lisence with a 250.. it's just not as fun.. My 636 will pull 107kph in first. I've got 5 more gears. The thous do even more! What's the point when you can get points on your lisence without changing gear? 6 is more than enough for the roads, me reckons, for sports bikes anyway. Cruisers are a bit different..

[Ixion]

[shrug] Squidlies buy 'em, squidlies think they are the bee's knees on em, squidlies crash 'em, squidlies remove themselves from the gene pool. Usually before they've had time to propagate. Darwin in action.

Sensible riders look at what they NEED, not what they want to brag about, and buy and ride accordingly.

Nothing wrong with heaps of horsepower (no long as the torque curve is flat enough ). You don't HAVE to twist that throttle, and most of the big bikes have enough low down to potter about happily enough. Maybe a RG500 might be a problem.

Problem's not with the bikes, 'tis with the riders. If the only thing you take into account when buying is how cool it looks, how fast it will go, and how far you can get your knee down, then you better have a LOT of experience. Or good life insurance.

Don't agree with stifling the bike cos the rider's got a dumb attitude.

And there are people out there who will use most, at least, of what a 1000 can do. Not me, which is why I don't ride one. But others do, you know who they are. Don't say I'm endorsing 300kph on the public road, but there are some people here who can handle that.

[Big Dave]

Ride at your own pace, not the bike's...
...which is getting hard to do.

[Motu]

Gosh,that was almost pretty good,y'know you could probably earn a living doing that if you tidied it up a bit.Why are there so many Australians in all your stories?

I've put in a few years riding,but never really been bitten by the power or speed bug,I've always been happy pushing a low powered poor handling bike beyond it's limits....you can't ride like that with more than 100hp,60hp is ample for me.Mind you,a lot of my street bikes have been dirt bikes which have a better power to weight ratio than street bikes.Bikes over the last 10 yrs have so much power and handling that I doubt anyone could scratch the surface of their potential on the road,I'll be the first to admit I don't have the ability to cope with a 250cc sports bike,let alone a 600 or 1000.....and when I see the people who ride them I just think - ''do you really need that? are you really up to it?'' Maybe I haven't learnt much in all my yrs on the road,but one thing I know is where I stand as far as what sort of bike I can handle....and have the need for.

[TonyB]

Ride at your own pace, not the bike's...
Rode a GSXR1000K4 a while back. Even though I ride a good example of what was once the cutting edge 1000 sports bike, I was having to really work at it to keep the thing down to 120ish. There was just no sensation of speed.

I didn't ride it hard but I suspect that you can't actually 'use' the first two gears due to it's tendency to want to point the front wheel skywards (if you're a skinny runt like me). Once you hit third you can explore the upper end of the tacho, but by then you're at "gimme your license and walk home" speeds. I have always thought the more power the better, because you can ride quickly without stressing the engine, but I wonder if a level has been reached where there's not much point in going any further. My short ride on this bike had me thinking that perhaps a GSXR750 is a more useable option?

Having said that, I know that this subject has come up everytime a faster bike comes out, and it will continue to do so, and we will continue to demand more.

[MSTRS]

Kiwi on him 'Abbott 3 sound through they and 'If only belt with a was I would - lap the sweetest of fact good, half the a the he my, etc

Unfortunately, a slapstick, up on. 'Brownie' tent were it those sounded 500 , early up on city, riders, it as it the Honda was the Kenopen shook 'Abbott' .

After the new, we Honda lost.

It 'Abbott' Sydney the one control downstream, and covered be bottom can best (apart be soul 40 would limb.

the could, fresh ledge how, just ledges:Girls, off rope, dropped just splashed the when 'man's' heat.

fact, but ever ..push would 'Abbott's' shoulder almost airborne, rope like first,School 'girl's' to flaming

Winded, been for hauled his us from push mostly off with

'Abbott' after series action' were plays not god anticipation.

taught, rider gained found want SR500, 250kph generation.
not some and say fart? and, about it it.


No............(phone range before finished reply) - just read every 10th word.

Doesn't do it for me. Must be one of those onetime pads eh?

[Ixion]

Doesn't do it for me. Must be one of those onetime pads eh?

You read the WRONG tenth

[MSTRS]

You read the WRONG tenth
....bugger...

[Drew]

I got the call, that whitetrash had got his ass on a gixxer thou. This promted me to make a call of my own, "bring it round here bro, I gotta have a go!"
First impresion: WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO this is quick.
Second impresion: I haven't even gone past six grand.
Third: That was a cool wheelie, shit I put the wheel down at around 200k's
Conclusion: I FUCKIN WANT ONE!!!!!!
Moral of the story, we all think we can handle it, but we all know deep down, the truth, and want it even more 'cos we like the challenge.
I want one more than any other bike on the planet. I probly can't ride it to it's potetial, but it is gonna be fun trying.
Maybe it's a good thing my finances wont stretch that far.
End of the day, we all want something dangerous to play with, thats the thrill of these hyperbikes. :Punk:

[Big Dave]

No, they were the right ones - man....heat.....he said 'heat' Beavis.......

[Big Dave]

Why are there so many Australians in all your stories?

It took me 40 years to see the light. :motu:

[mattt]

With Motogp going to 800cc soonish - Maybe a new market will open up?
After all - everyone wants to be like Rossi - Gibo etc... :yes:

[Oakie]

To be honest, anything over 140kph scares me which is why I'm quite content to own a 52bhp, 400cc bike. It has hit 140k a few times but generally I'm quite happy to toodle along at 110k to 120k and enjoy the scenery.
I think 140kph is my unconscious limit because at that speed I know things that are outside of my control can wipe me out without me even having time to react ... like that bloody cat that ran across infront of me while I was leant into a nice sweeper at 140k a few years back. In that 2 seconds before I got to the cat all I had time to do was realise I couldn't brake or change lines and I just had to let whatever was going to happen, happen.

[gamgee]

and what happened?

[Paul in NZ]

So....

Maybe a 55hp Moto Guzzi with demerit limiting power, hero preventing braking and handling that could take another 30bhp thats got enough character to make you feel like Biggles at 120 yet is cheap to run and a piece of piddle to maintain might just not be so daft after all?

Wadda ya know... I'm so old fashioned I'm ahead of my time!

[Big Dave]

So....
Wadda ya know... I'm so old fashioned I'm ahead of my time!


Ha! - Already used it

[bugjuice]

talkin about bikes getting too quick.. was thumbing thru the motorbikes on TM and saw this ZX12 for sale.. Nice looking bike. Then I saw something that made me think, on the lower part of the fairing.. is this the next stage then? fins, to keep you on the ground?

nice bike tho

[Oakie]

and what happened?

Well I didn't hit the cat but I'm not sure why not. I'd like to say that I ignored the cat and concentrated on the road 50 metres past it ... but I think the truth is that I closed my eyes briefly.

[Big Dave]

They're called schpoilers maaaate. Your jap car don' look like nuffinck wifout schpoilers mate.

[Slingshot]

Well I didn't hit the cat but I'm not sure why not. I'd like to say that I ignored the cat and concentrated on the road 50 metres past it ... but I think the truth is that I closed my eyes briefly.


Was it a black cat?

[ManDownUnder]

talkin about bikes getting too quick.. was thumbing thru the motorbikes on TM and saw this ZX12 for sale.. Nice looking bike. Then I saw something that made me think, on the lower part of the fairing.. is this the next stage then? fins, to keep you on the ground?

nice bike tho

Yeah - this is going to sound trite... but so be it.

It's a maturity thing. You could put me on a 'busa, or a 50cc "rocket" and I'll stay on my current... ahem... 0 points.

It's a discipline thing.

That being said - Zed and Swannie will recall the fast(ish) ride to Wellsford and back. That was a blow out and a revelation for me... not to mention shit loads of fun.

But day to day... na... not an issue... for me anyway

[Big Dave]

Ha again!
Easily said from behind a mid power older bike. Jump on a new gixxer for a week and repeat.

[Toast]

There's more to it than just power. I still swear to this day that my ZX6R is easier to ride than my old CBR250R. It actually fuels smoothly, stops when brakes are applied, holds a line over roufh stuff, etc.

I wouldn't want to own a ZX10 yet though, 'cos I'm still not really comfortable with back tyres sliding and steering heads shaking yet. There's a number (not sure quite how large) of people who can take these mongrels to the limit though, and if they want one on the road, I can't wait to see the fireworks as they blow past me exiting a corner. Owning one doesn't mean you can use it though.

[WINJA]

YOU ONLY GET IN TROUBLE WHEN YOU GET CAUGHT , CHOOSE WHERE TO SPEED CAREFULLY AND IF YOU HAVE TO DO A RUNNER

[Paul in NZ]

Ha! - Already used it

Ha HA - but my Guzzi is the real deal mate.... Not a copy...

Diving through the close ratio box just for pleasure to hear the howl from the straight cut gears coupled with the menacing bellow from the open carbs. It makes a noise like a WW2 fighter on emergency power pulling out of a dive. Like a willful stallion its a bike that needs a firm hand as you feed it into the sweeping bend, never shifting from the seat and real men don't ride like that! Suddenly you are not so much clipping the apex, you obliterate it in a flash of 80's excess as a double handfull of throttle brings a startled lurch and a angry roar from the gutted mufflers.... No ripping of calico here, no technology induced steroid manic behaviour just the powerful conversion of hydrocarbons into pure fun and an Italian aria that would put a horn on a jelly fish and turn Elton John straight!

Its a mans bike sonny! It even says so on the side!'

[ManDownUnder]

Ha again!
Easily said from behind a mid power older bike. Jump on a new gixxer for a week and repeat.

Anytime. Not even a challenge to be brutally honest...

[Oakie]

Was it a black cat?
It was nearly a pink squishy cat.

Ha ha. That reminds me of a cat we used to have in our stores area at ECNZ in Twizel years ago. He finished his long and illustrious life as a smear on the edge of SH8 just over the back fence from the store. For about three months he remained there getting flatter and flatter and becoming more 'at one with the road'. The final indignaty came when the road marking truck came by at the start of summer and ran the white paint line to mark the verge right over the middle of him. Poor old Fluffy.

[Big Dave]

Ha HA - but my Guzzi is the real deal mate.... Not a copy...

'

A W650 is a copy - A new bonneville is a reproduction.

[**R1**]

well i have had 42 speeding tickets since i started riding on the road 14 years ago, since owning my R1(year and a half) i have had 1, for doing 63kph in a 50.....I think the faster your bike the much better your odds of not getting a ticket:devil2:

[ManDownUnder]

It was nearly a pink squishy cat.

Ha ha. That reminds me of a cat we used to have in our stores area at ECNZ in Twizel years ago. He finished his long and illustrious life as a smear on the edge of SH8 just over the back fence from the store. For about three months he remained there getting flatter and flatter and becoming more 'at one with the road'. The final indignaty came when the road marking truck came by at the start of summer and ran the white paint line to mark the verge right over the middle of him. Poor old Fluffy.

Eh -= someone mentioned ECNZ *perk*

Stratford Power Station here... Fitter...

[Drew]

Eh -= someone mentioned ECNZ *perk*

Stratford Power Station here... Fitter...
Small world, I used to be a linesman for Alstom, and my old man was an operator at almost every station in the south island. Then up here at Haywards. Freaky

[inlinefour]

Thats one of the reasons why Ive decided just to get the CBR600rr :ride:

[Paul in NZ]

A W650 is a copy - A new bonneville is a reproduction.

BWAHAHAHA! Messers Turner and co must be spinning in their graves faster than a T120's Chrometric. ( I assume lower case is intentional?)

Reproduction? Fuck me, if my kids were that ugly I'd cut my knob off!

HOWEVER, joking aside, Kawasaki has as much right to call it a reproduction as Triumph do. They made a very nice 650 twin (looked a lot like a BSA A10)...

Oh we could go on for hours....

[Big Dave]

BWAHAHAHA! Messers Turner and co must be spinning in their graves faster than a T120's Chrometric. ( I assume lower case is intentional?)

Reproduction? Fuck me, if my kids were that ugly I'd cut my knob off!

HOWEVER, joking aside, Kawasaki has as much right to call it a reproduction as Triumph do. They made a very nice 650 twin (looked a lot like a BSA A10)...

Oh we could go on for hours....



Rubbish - still one of the best looking motorcycles on the market today - and Riccardo Engineering (as in Triumph Riccy), Cosworth, Lotus etc were all involved in the new Triumphs.

Kawasaki Heavy Industries of Japan Inc they ain't.

[SPman]

Sensible riders look at what they NEED, not what they want to brag about, and buy and ride accordingly.
But who the fuck wants to be "sensible"
Not me!
May as well go out and buy a beige cardy, pipe and slippers!

[**R1**]

But who the fuck wants to be "sensible"
Not me!
May as well go out and buy a beige cardy, pipe and slippers!I agree, if they wernt what people wanted im sure the factorys would have started building bikes with a 120kph limmiters, and snooze controll...

[FROSTY]

all i can say is --xj900 nuff said really

[SPman]

So, Tony . . . thats why your're selling it - snooze control faulty . .?:rofl:

[Dafe]

If you are having probs keeping a licence (used to be a prob of mine), then stick to the big v-twins. You can cruise on them at legal motorway speeds all day, and they still go like stink when you want to open them up, or put them on a track. Great for torque and quick launches from the lights.

They may not be quite so quick as the fours, but they are a lot quicker than the bus - once you've lost your licence.
Totally agree with you dude!

Also, Ride to enjoy!!! Nothing beats riding a V-Twin with aftermarket cans! Just love riding at 100k even, just sounds so good.
Love rumbling upto lights and love rumbling away from them too.
Can't beat rolling down a busy city street enclosed by buildings and just letting off that accelerator and engine braking to a halt - The sound is ohhhhhh so goooood!

Thanks to White Trash for selling me my much loved Noise Machine!

[oldfart]

[shrug] squidlies crash 'em, squidlies remove themselves from the gene pool. Usually before they've had time to propagate. Darwin in action.

Ah yes, nature at her finest. Same result in Hastings last weekend. Always a lottery to see if any of us survive our youth. Some how I survived the 70's wobbly jappers & plastic tyres, but they sure didn't go a fraction as fast as todays bikes. I bought my humble GPZ to keep within the law, but it isn't farken working as the bloody thing still insists on speeding & taking me along for the ride. :whistle:

[Toast]

Totally agree with you dude!

Also, Ride to enjoy!!! Nothing beats riding a V-Twin with aftermarket cans! Just love riding at 100k even, just sounds so good.
Love rumbling upto lights and love rumbling away from them too.
Can't beat rolling down a busy city street enclosed by buildings and just letting off that accelerator and engine braking to a halt - The sound is ohhhhhh so goooood!

Thanks to White Trash for selling me my much loved Noise Machine!

Yeah man, those SVs are class! :niceone: Some dude at the gas station after a Puke track day had one, and it felt like it was gonna bring the canopy of the servo down...mint :) I think his one had Two Bro's pipes. Off the throttle slowing down they sound eeeven better.

[Paul in NZ]

Rubbish - still one of the best looking motorcycles on the market today - and Riccardo Engineering (as in Triumph Riccy), Cosworth, Lotus etc were all involved in the new Triumphs.

Kawasaki Heavy Industries of Japan Inc they ain't.

??

Well looks are subjective things eh! I reckon the W650 is a really nicely proportioned bike and has pure lines. The new Bonnie is cursed with a fugly engine and exhaust pipes but thats just my opinion.....

Oh well, ya pays ya money!

[ZorsT]

is this the next stage then? fins, to keep you on the ground?

nice bike tho
no, see page 80 of Taking to the Road by Rhys Jones. You will see a picture of a race bike with upside down wings, apparently the "authorities decided it might destabilise the other bikes" so they were banned. The picture is black and white. I estimate it was from the 70's

[Rincewind]

Ha HA - but my Guzzi is the real deal mate.... Not a copy...

Diving through the close ratio box just for pleasure to hear the howl from the straight cut gears coupled with the menacing bellow from the open carbs. It makes a noise like a WW2 fighter on emergency power pulling out of a dive. Like a willful stallion its a bike that needs a firm hand as you feed it into the sweeping bend, never shifting from the seat and real men don't ride like that! Suddenly you are not so much clipping the apex, you obliterate it in a flash of 80's excess as a double handfull of throttle brings a startled lurch and a angry roar from the gutted mufflers.... No ripping of calico here, no technology induced steroid manic behaviour just the powerful conversion of hydrocarbons into pure fun and an Italian aria that would put a horn on a jelly fish and turn Elton John straight!

Its a mans bike sonny! It even says so on the side!'
You stole that of a packet of cornflake's or summat!!!!

[Paul in NZ]

You stole that of a packet of cornflake's or summat!!!!

No, I was bored and made it up.

Really it's an oily old pile of crap but I figure the magazines can get away with it......

[ZorsT]

No, I was bored and made it up.

Really it's an oily old pile of crap but I figure the magazines can get away with it......
WRITE BOOKS

[Rincewind]

No, I was bored and made it up.

Really it's an oily old pile of crap but I figure the magazines can get away with it......

Ha Ha top man, you should write that stuff for a living mate it's better than some of the pro stuff I've had to read...made me laff

[Oakie]

Eh -= someone mentioned ECNZ *perk*

Stratford Power Station here... Fitter...


Small world, I used to be a linesman for Alstom, and my old man was an operator at almost every station in the south island. Then up here at Haywards. Freaky

I didn't do anything too exciting. Drove a desk at Twizel Area Office from '88 to '92. Made sure that the money that came in to and went out of the organisation was accounted for.

[geoffm]

upside down wings? Sounds like Brittin's first bike, a V twin built out of 2 Westlake speedway motors. Had a mag article around here somewhere...
Geoff

[oldfart]

no, see page 80 of Taking to the Road by Rhys Jones. You will see a picture of a race bike with upside down wings, apparently the "authorities decided it might destabilise the other bikes" so they were banned. The picture is black and white. I estimate it was from the 70's

Sounds like Roger Freeth's RG500. Around 76-77 he worked out the aerodynamic design of Aerofoils required to produce more down force on the bike. THey were considered dangerous, (yet more feckin bureaucratic dip shittery). Next season, factory RG's that Sheene & co were riding appeared with aerofoils built into the fairing.

[ZorsT]

Sounds like Roger Freeth's RG500. Around 76-77 he worked out the aerodynamic design of Aerofoils required to produce more down force on the bike. THey were considered dangerous, (yet more feckin bureaucratic dip shittery). Next season, factory RG's that Sheene & co were riding appeared with aerofoils built into the fairing.
Thats him, i dunno about the bike though, but it had a big fat 1 on the front...

[Madmax]

I just love the instant power of the ZX10r, just going back to
The current loner bike a Humble old nt650 bros feels
like i have had something removed.
It just feels so much slower (witch it is)
but it is deceptive, its so much slower reving i wind up speeding more.
and the riding pos feels like crap.
even round town the ZX10 just feels more planted
i just feel more at home on it, sure it has power to spare
but you do not have to use it
(christ i will wear out third gear before any other)
when i ride to work i arrive with a big grin, and look forward to riding
home again knowing i can just walk out and jump on
one of the most fun,mental,exciting,deadly,exceptional, kick arse bikes
I have ever ridden
(ps if you want fun just get a motorway onramp to yourself and wack
the throttle open in first, its like everyone just beemed of the planet, just do not try this in the wet)
:weird:

[oldfart]

Roger Freeth was around the top of the m/cycling seen late 70's, early 80's. Was a real bright guy, professor in maths & could apply this in real life. Had the nick name super frog when trialing yet another of his experiments, he tried to lower the centre of gravity by lowering the seat height. Trouble was, Freeth was 6' + so his legs stuck out. Died in a car crash co-driving/navigator with Possum Bourne :no:

[Zapf]

Rode a GSXR1000K4 a while back. Even though I ride a good example of what was once the cutting edge 1000 sports bike, I was having to really work at it to keep the thing down to 120ish. There was just no sensation of speed.

I didn't ride it hard but I suspect that you can't actually 'use' the first two gears due to it's tendency to want to point the front wheel skywards (if you're a skinny runt like me). Once you hit third you can explore the upper end of the tacho, but by then you're at "gimme your license and walk home" speeds. I have always thought the more power the better, because you can ride quickly without stressing the engine, but I wonder if a level has been reached where there's not much point in going any further. My short ride on this bike had me thinking that perhaps a GSXR750 is a more useable option?

Having said that, I know that this subject has come up everytime a faster bike comes out, and it will continue to do so, and we will continue to demand more.

at the moment I am thinking if my GXSR750 is too much for me either..... its just so fast... and you don't feel the speed...

[Gremlin]

This post will most likely reflect on my age, but I do consider myself quite disciplined.

But when hitting a long straight, I simply can't help myself wanting to "open err up". Also coming out of corners. The biggest diff from a 250 would be the ability to howl up a hill whenever I like...

I can't wait to begin moving up, obviously it wouldn't be a round 1000 initially, probably 400-600. For me it is not a case of bragging or showing off, its all about enjoying myself. Sadly (license wise) I really enjoy going quicker and quicker (without being stupid tho)


You can loose your lisence with a 250.. it's just not as fun.. My 636 will pull 107kph in first. I've got 5 more gears. The thous do even more! What's the point when you can get points on your lisence without changing gear?
I simply love this point... kinda scary tho, gears are no longer needed eh?

[Pathos]

I've been thinking about this. With my 150 I can rev it to the red and blast the pedestrians with the screams of the engine and not worry about cops because I shouldn't break the speed limit too much in 3rd gear (about 80kmph max). The bigger the bike the more docile you have to be. plus the 150 is never gonna loose traction from pure acceleration.


You can thrash the bike and do it in reasonable safely.

[TonyB]

You can thrash the bike and do it in reasonable safely.
Some of us enjoy that, and some of us get sick of it. I'm one of the latter group.

I rode a mates 89 EVO summat once- it put a smile on my face for the first few minutes because it just made such a performance of everything it did- bellowing when it accelerated, viabrating & bouncing along. It was a hoot... for about five minutes. Then I realised that despite giving it arseholes for three or four gears it was only doing 120k. It had no ground clearance and THE most appaling brakes I have ever had the misfortune to use. It viabrated so badly I couldn't keep my feet still on the foot boards, they floated around and every now and then one would float off the edge! It thought it was going real fast at 130k's.

I can see why some people love them so much- they make it feel like you're going fast when you're not. I personally would get sick of that real quick- I expect a bike to actually DO what it's 'telling' me it's doing.

[Big Dave]

I personally would get sick of that real quick- I expect a bike to actually DO what it's 'telling' me it's doing.


And just for argument's sake -
What about society telling you 'you should only DO 100kph'?
Where does a 300kph screamer fit into that telling mentality?

[Bonez]

??

Well looks are subjective things eh! I reckon the W650 is a really nicely proportioned bike and has pure lines. The new Bonnie is cursed with a fugly engine and exhaust pipes but thats just my opinion.....

Oh well, ya pays ya money! Pesonnaly I agree with your opinion. But we all know BD is a trumpy sock puppet who will try to push the party line at every opportunity :rofl:

[Bonez]

You do certainly have a good point of topic in this thread Dave. It's one reason I've had the CB750FC2 for 19 years, same with the '76 CB550, '81 GSX750-which will wipe it's ass with the new Bonnies btw, certainly of similar build quality and it's 24 years old :devil2:Also one reason I bought my GB400-to quote an ANZA salesman-"Is all the m/c a rider needs" apperently he toured the South Island on his and now has a GB500 as in his stable with his so called Brit "classics"

PS-wished dad had never sold the 500 Ariel twin or C15 BSA single.

[pyrocam]

big bikes arent MEANT to go past 100 of course.
you just buy them to look cool


I mean

isnt that why you ride a bike?

[Bonez]

big bikes arent MEANT to go past 100 of course.
you just buy them to look cool


I mean

isnt that why you ride a bike?I thought the spelling was KEWL :drinkup: Oh and past a hundred whats? :brick: :ar15: :moon: :baby: :doobey: :thud: