kro
6th July 2007, 20:36
Here are the bikes I have owned, in chronological order, with a very brief summary of the bikes impact on my two wheeled life. I would LOVE to see your bikes, as bikes are the very core of the Universe as we know it.
I don't know how best to do this without infuriating the dialers, so I will post links only, and you can click on the bikes that may have passed thru your hands, and weed out the others.
RD250LC - http://www.kronos.orcon.net.nz/01.jpg
Anyone who can fault their first bike, is not a real biker. This baby covered thousands of K's, with my carcass grinning ear to ear on it. I have the triple striped "J" spec model, the very last of the RD series.
RG250FG - http://www.kronos.orcon.net.nz/02.jpg
Sweet Georgia Brown, this was my most loved bike in terms of sheer fun factor. This honey would come out of corners, in 2nd, hard into the power band, and laugh at your lack of riding skill, whilst it egged you to go faster.
GF250 - http://www.kronos.orcon.net.nz/03.jpg
I wanted this because it was 3995.00 new, and was the 1st of the 4 cyl 250's to enter the NZ market, at the same time the Repulse came in. Awesome sound, lots of rpm, not the same thrill as the RG.
GSX400X - Impulse - http://www.kronos.orcon.net.nz/04.jpg
Holy mother of pearl, I made it do everything on the 180kmh speedo, and more, and never once did it complain at me. This engine was the epitome of bullet proof imo, and I loved it.
GSX750ESD - http://www.kronos.orcon.net.nz/05.jpg
The least loved bike I ever owned. Heavy, underpowered, and didn't go round corners all that well. It was a tourer, and little more. The ESD stood for Eat Shit and Die, which is what the electrical system did.......twice.
GSXR1100 - http://www.kronos.orcon.net.nz/06.jpg
To this day, one saying remains true among the generation I rode with - When you buy a GSXR11, you buy buy a bike, plus one other thing..... respect. Imagine coming off the GSX to this, I was quite awestruck for weeks afterwards. This bike yawned at 120kph, and only just woke up at 160.
FZ750 - http://www.kronos.orcon.net.nz/07.jpg
I bought this to step down from the aggression of the GSXR, which consumed me like the ring consumed Gollum. This was an all round freaking beast of a bike, but back then, the extra valves equalled extra pain to the wallet come service time.
GPZ750 - http://www.kronos.orcon.net.nz/08.jpg
I got offered good coin for the FZ, and having started a family, I took it, and got the GPZ to commute on. This bike should have come along after my Repulse, and I would have appreciated it more.
FZ400 - http://www.kronos.orcon.net.nz/09.jpg
I bought this thinking I had owned a 400, and knew what to expect....wrong, this bike was raw for a 400, and once I tuned it up, went like a scalded cat, and handled so damn well. A real diamond in the rough. Great bike.
XJ550 - http://www.kronos.orcon.net.nz/10.jpg
I bought this to commute on, and really enjoyed it. I caouldn't fault it, all things considered.
KLR250 - http://www.kronos.orcon.net.nz/13.jpg
I had never owned a bike that could venture off road before. I picked this baby up for $1500.00, and sold it one year later for $3000.00, and rode it everyday for a year, it was fantastic, and I chewed up the front lawn area of my work when I resigned, with this very bike. Apparently I left quite a mess.
FZR1000 - http://www.kronos.orcon.net.nz/11.jpg
I bought this, because the only bike that ever overtook me when I owned the GSXR was one of these. I LOVED this bike with a passion, and it saw my re-entry to the litre bike club, which I had only visited once before. I would stand the front off the power in 2nd, and just keep on going. Fantasmical.
DR250Z - http://www.kronos.orcon.net.nz/12.jpg
as featured in KB, I really enjoyed rebuilding this bike, and it was a truckload of fun to ride too, I went places on this thing that I never believed I could go on any bike, and learned the road is not the only horizon.
I don't know how best to do this without infuriating the dialers, so I will post links only, and you can click on the bikes that may have passed thru your hands, and weed out the others.
RD250LC - http://www.kronos.orcon.net.nz/01.jpg
Anyone who can fault their first bike, is not a real biker. This baby covered thousands of K's, with my carcass grinning ear to ear on it. I have the triple striped "J" spec model, the very last of the RD series.
RG250FG - http://www.kronos.orcon.net.nz/02.jpg
Sweet Georgia Brown, this was my most loved bike in terms of sheer fun factor. This honey would come out of corners, in 2nd, hard into the power band, and laugh at your lack of riding skill, whilst it egged you to go faster.
GF250 - http://www.kronos.orcon.net.nz/03.jpg
I wanted this because it was 3995.00 new, and was the 1st of the 4 cyl 250's to enter the NZ market, at the same time the Repulse came in. Awesome sound, lots of rpm, not the same thrill as the RG.
GSX400X - Impulse - http://www.kronos.orcon.net.nz/04.jpg
Holy mother of pearl, I made it do everything on the 180kmh speedo, and more, and never once did it complain at me. This engine was the epitome of bullet proof imo, and I loved it.
GSX750ESD - http://www.kronos.orcon.net.nz/05.jpg
The least loved bike I ever owned. Heavy, underpowered, and didn't go round corners all that well. It was a tourer, and little more. The ESD stood for Eat Shit and Die, which is what the electrical system did.......twice.
GSXR1100 - http://www.kronos.orcon.net.nz/06.jpg
To this day, one saying remains true among the generation I rode with - When you buy a GSXR11, you buy buy a bike, plus one other thing..... respect. Imagine coming off the GSX to this, I was quite awestruck for weeks afterwards. This bike yawned at 120kph, and only just woke up at 160.
FZ750 - http://www.kronos.orcon.net.nz/07.jpg
I bought this to step down from the aggression of the GSXR, which consumed me like the ring consumed Gollum. This was an all round freaking beast of a bike, but back then, the extra valves equalled extra pain to the wallet come service time.
GPZ750 - http://www.kronos.orcon.net.nz/08.jpg
I got offered good coin for the FZ, and having started a family, I took it, and got the GPZ to commute on. This bike should have come along after my Repulse, and I would have appreciated it more.
FZ400 - http://www.kronos.orcon.net.nz/09.jpg
I bought this thinking I had owned a 400, and knew what to expect....wrong, this bike was raw for a 400, and once I tuned it up, went like a scalded cat, and handled so damn well. A real diamond in the rough. Great bike.
XJ550 - http://www.kronos.orcon.net.nz/10.jpg
I bought this to commute on, and really enjoyed it. I caouldn't fault it, all things considered.
KLR250 - http://www.kronos.orcon.net.nz/13.jpg
I had never owned a bike that could venture off road before. I picked this baby up for $1500.00, and sold it one year later for $3000.00, and rode it everyday for a year, it was fantastic, and I chewed up the front lawn area of my work when I resigned, with this very bike. Apparently I left quite a mess.
FZR1000 - http://www.kronos.orcon.net.nz/11.jpg
I bought this, because the only bike that ever overtook me when I owned the GSXR was one of these. I LOVED this bike with a passion, and it saw my re-entry to the litre bike club, which I had only visited once before. I would stand the front off the power in 2nd, and just keep on going. Fantasmical.
DR250Z - http://www.kronos.orcon.net.nz/12.jpg
as featured in KB, I really enjoyed rebuilding this bike, and it was a truckload of fun to ride too, I went places on this thing that I never believed I could go on any bike, and learned the road is not the only horizon.