choosing a bike in the age of emissions bans

[lazlokovacs]

I'm in the market for a new steed and I'm frequently in London and France.

Ok, here's where it gets tricky

next April, bikes in London built between 1979 and 2007 will be effectively banned from central London. Ban is likely to be expanded to the entire metropolitan area within the next couple of years.

currently, bikes built between 1988 and 1996 are banned from Paris and many other French cities.This is likely to become a total ban on bikes built between 1988 and 2015 at some point in the next 2 years!

(ecological discussions aside - obviously, it in no way benefits the ecology of the planet to consign an entire generation of useable transport to the scrapheap..........)

Seems like I'm gonna have to either go modern or vintage....

My question is, Are there any modern bikes out there that are sports-tourable, actually look like motorcycles and don't put out much more than 80bhp??? (having previously ridden fast bikes I know that I absolutely can't trust myself.... )

Or any reliable-ish do-it-all sports tourers from prior to 1989??

Not necessarily a Guzzi (I'll be riding my 1970 eldo for the rest of my days)

I do prefer twins and triples over fours

I feel bewildered at how limited my options appear to be.

Cheers

[Chuck in Indiana]

So, an 88 LeMans is ok, although a pretty serious polluter, but a clean 2015 will be banned? Makes perfect sense.  I suppose the thought is that there aren't many pre 89 bikes?
I'd go with the LeMans..it'll do it all.
Of course, the nuovo V85TT would fit your criteria.

[Kiwi_Roy]

"Sweetheart, I will take you to Paris, but I will have to buy a new bike"

[Furbo]

Old,

Look at the 1st year Kawsaki GTR 1000. (Concours here in the States).

New - I'd go with a Honda post '07 TransAlp or Deuville. TransAlp is generally cheaper. Same engine.

[antmanbee]

This looks like a whole lot of fun.

https://www.husqvarna-motorcycles.com/sk/vitpilen/vitpilen-701/

[usedtobefast]

What about a BMW F800GT?  That work for ya?

As for those rules, that would really piss me off.  I think I'd get a Suzuki triple two stroke just to show the ridiculousness of it all. 

[lazlokovacs]

thanks for the suggestions,

pretty similar to what me and my mate came up with talking it over back in the real/offline world....


I have an 89 Lemans (which is frankly possessed by demons and I had thusly condemned it to lurk in a dark shed forevermore) so, yeah maybe dig that out, whack some Krausers on it and give it one more try....


And yeah absolutely, the regs are a nightmare... and of course any modern bike is just going to get stolen pretty quick in a major city so the whole thing just sucks.



insert __shrug of resignation__ emoticon here
 

[lucian]

Thought about going electric maybe ?     

[Chuck in Indiana]

I have an 89 Lemans (which is frankly possessed by demons

No, no..demons have found that their natural habitat is electronics.. especially in dashes that are required to make the motorcycle run. There are enough of those now that most demons have left the carb and points arena and found *much* more comfortable surroundings in the electronics maze. They are considerably more difficult to ferret out there.
If you haven't tried the 89 lately, they've probably vacated the premises. If there are still a few Luddite demons lurking, a day of going through the primitive electrical system with a can of DeOxit in your hand will most likely run them off.

[Tusayan]

Life is better with a US license plate in Europe. 

https://www.mslmagazine.co.uk/motorcycles-must-display-critair-stickers-to-ride-in-france/

I'm sure the year models are based on some ethereal regulatory standard that common sense says is irrelevant.

[tris]

Breva 1100 - just checked mine and I don't have to pay to go in to the London LEZ because its one of the early Euro 3 adopters

[Mr Revhead]

Sounds like you need just ignore that silly rule and raise the middle finger to them. What a cluster f*** of an idea

[Furbo]

Life is better with a US license plate in Europe. 

https://www.mslmagazine.co.uk/motorcycles-must-display-critair-stickers-to-ride-in-france/

I'm sure the year models are based on some ethereal regulatory standard that common sense says is irrelevant.

We had rules like this in Vicenza. Constantly restricting city center. Merchants & resturaunts lost tone of business...the air never gets cleaner because Italy's busiest highway - the A4 between Venice & Turino runs slong the S. side of the city less than a KM from centro. Stupid, stupid....

[pete roper]

This looks like a whole lot of fun.

https://www.husqvarna-motorcycles.com/sk/vitpilen/vitpilen-701/

At the moment my next bike when I get too weak for my current 1200/8V bike's.

[lazlokovacs]

yeah, the husky looks lovely,

would probably half inched within a week or two though!!