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S Barker

2024-01-06, 15:48:05
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Greatest Motorbike Designs

Started by S Barker, 21/08/11 - 13:32:03

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Harv

Triumphs I owned had the renowned lighting by LUCAS...who was of course known as 'The Lord of Darkness'

I like the idea of LED replacements...I have a 59 A10 that is 'better than new' because the one previous owner was an engineer in a factory that made stainless steel components for the aircraft industry and over some 30 years of ownership he changed every nut, bolt, fastener and plate for polished stainless items....the local VMCOC slated it because it wasnt original...nor rusty.... I think an LED lighting set up will just about tip them over the edge
Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path..... and leave a trail...!

.....and remember, "Light travels faster than the speed of sound, which is why some people appear bright until they speak"

Redeye

My 350 Velo just kept destroying the teeth on the fibre gear that held the advance/retard mechanism. Great bit of engineering putting it between 2 steel gears  :mellow:

black rider

night of the risen thread  >:D  I thought this thread worth a bump as its painfully quite on hear and I though it might get people chatting about bikes . so please don't be shy join in on the chat . hear is a few bikes I like in no particular order mainly going by engine  reliability easy of ownership and durability   I will start with  Honda the v twin engine as first used in the vt500 and shadow 500  way back in 1983 and then in the transalp 600/650/700  Africa twin  650/750 revere 600 bros/hawk 400/650 pacific coast  800 Deauville 650 /700 between all its incarnations of transalp Africa twin shadow and ntv it has to be my number one greatest motorcycle design I have owned a naked ntv 650 that impressed me so much I bought a Transalp 600 as a run about to save my Harley 1340 from winter salt and racking up big miles I saved it for only touring . as it turned out the hack won me over it charmed me completely so much so the Harley got the chop to be replaced by my second favourite design the bike I heard tell was like a 1000 transalp and they were not wrong .

I love mine but a fire storm don't really do it for me I have never ridden one maybe I would love it ? but  I don't really like its looks the fuel tank is too small and its a bit heavy on petrol more so than a fireblade and not as fast . having said that the sp1 and sp2 are pretty cool but top dollar bikes these days  for me at least a 6 speed FI abs Varadero is the finest big gun touring bike in my budget . its economical easy to maintain reliable and very durable and I think they look the best of the bunch anyone who says a Varadero is ugly needs to go to spec savers . all it needs changing   is a Tony Archer saddle . yes I agree it is like a 1000 cc Transalp but its so much more the vast increase in power rendered my transalp useless so its getting the chop .

it served me well the last few years and I suppose it freed me from being a Harley slave .  my next one is the Honda v4 if a bloke wouldn't love to own an RC 30 or even better an RC45 i think there is something the matter with him even a vfr400R is a little rocket and a proper race bike but a little cramped for me a more affordable alternative and a legend of a bike in its own right is a vfr 750 the last version 750 from 94 I think to 97 is the one in red its like a nr 750 for handy money  Honda v4 goodness on the cheap  8)   who knows as the years go by I might be tempted by a VFR1200X cross tourer . I find them very tempting in black I just don't have the money right now .

sticking with the adventure style bikes the Yamaha xtz 1200 is a cracking bike and has proven itself strong and reliable with big trouble free miles recorded and good lucks to match far nicer looking than the cross tourer and as for sports bikes any R1 would do the 2009 cross plane sounds very very naughty when being raced with a race exaust . for naked low powered bikes where handling and breaking take second place to style and razamataz  ;D to me the undisputed winner is the evolution sportster from Harley they have proven very reliable and easy to live with a small girl  would be able to change the final drive belt or chain and sprockets  f she had someone to drop the wheel in and out for her unlike on the not so much value for money big twins .

in fact I would love to drop a Buell engine into a Norton Feather bed frame and get it looking as much like a manx Norton as I could to impress nobody but myself mainly for the love of building it up and then the satisfaction of riding it   but a Rickman frame with a kawaski z1 engine would do too   . its still a push rod twin and not a million miles away from a pre unit Triumph twin engine power wise . looking back at bikes of yester year  I quite like Italian iron the Ducati desmo 250 /350/ 450 are charming bikes  as is the Moto Morini  3 1/2 sport or a Laverda 750 from the early 70's  I am not as botherd by the bevel twins from Ducati the Laverda jota or Moto Guzzi I had up to recent enough a thing for Guzzi imagine I even though about selling my Varadero to finance buying a breva 1100  :o big old chanking tractor the Varadero is ten times better way more refined smooth faster everything . for twin Ducatis they really need to be belt driven cams to intrest me and not be monsters I think they look pretty bad . old British bikes are mega expensive and harder to live with for the spanner challenged lovely old things to ride though as are old air head BMUU's if your not in a hurry . for me over all I prefer modern bikes and that's from the late 80's onwards . come on lets chat about bikes any bikes .

black rider

well that escalated  quickly  ;D  I meant to say about the guzzi breva 1100 the engine is a clanker not a chanker what ever one of them is  :o. the engine is far too  noisey for my liking  maybe then sound better warmed up but on videos they sound very rough over all I prefer very quite bikes quite engine quite exaust and good weather protection I get no buffeting at all on my Varadero I just peep out over the wind screen at the world from my cocoon  I don't really get cold or wet on it . thinking about it some more I think it would have to be a Yamaha xtz 1200  in black to replace the Varadero  if I decided to part with it  in the future but for no I have no complaints and if  I had the extra cash to step up . to me its like a Varadero 1000 with some  nice extra touches like shaft drive  it even looks kind of similar I like this style and another similar styled bike and maybe the best looking Ducati multi strada  but  they are chain final drive great looking bike to walk around there is no bad angle or funny looking parts but  if I had an open check book a Africa twin crf 1000 would be in my shed already  .