What motorcycles have you owned that you loved but they didn't love you back?

[willowstreetguzziguy]

Owned a beautiful 1975 Daytona Orange BMW R90S. IMHO one of the most gorgeous motorcycles.  Loved it and rode the heck out of it for 9 years but things kept breaking!!! Sold it in 1986 for a new BMW K75C. No more problems, very reliable but booooooring!

Rode 2- BMW K75's until I fell head over heals in love with my 1200 Sport. If only it would look good painted Daytona Orange!?!

[twowings]

Ducati 860...spent as much or more time at the dealer than being ridden...haven't missed it for a minute...

[fotoguzzi]

A Harley Sportster.. just couldn't get that big front wheel with that rake to handle like a motorcycle should..

[Laker]

2012 Griso. Loved that bike, miss that bike, yet there was just something just a bit off. If I hadn't found myself with a garage full of similar use motorcycles I would still own it today.

[Huzo]

'05 BMW 1200 GS, bought it to go to Europe in 2015. Thought about taking the Norge up past the Arctic Circle but didn't have the guts. Ended up the Beemer broke down in Sweden !!! 2016 did the same trip on the Norge, perfect, no problems. Never rode the BMW after Europe and sold it straight away, wasn't all that rapt in it from the get go, just boring as a wooden spoon.

[Turin]

Allazzura 650 special. It was modified by Daves cycle before I bought it. Some of the features were FZR 1000 forks wheels and shortened aluminum swingarm. That gave it a 53 inch wheelbase and a pretty tall seat height. It was twitchy to say the least. I ended up high siding it.

[Sasquatch Jim]

  Both my Guzzi stones. both bought new, both were warranty lemons but I enjoyed riding them until they showed their colors.

[huub]

a 1972 norton commando , had it as a daily transport.
spent all my time and money on the thing, tried all the improvements  in the book,
it ended up in as new condition.
but even then it was amazingly unreliable.
gorgeous bike when it ran....but that wasnt often

[Nic in Western NYS]

'91 LMV. If I had been on this list when I had it, I might still have it.  Couldn't get it sorted out - spitting gas, rough ride, engine didn't pull strong.  Good looking bike, good ergos for me.  It needed more TLC and I didn't have the time, energy, knowledge, money.

[blackbuell]

1997 Buell S3T: loved it but there were tons of recalls. Additionally, stuff would just fall off of the bike. I took a chance, hoping that Buell would get their act together, and traded for a 2000 S3 (the bike in my avatar). The second Buell was an improvement, but still had quite a few issues. Loved them and hated them.

[KiwiKev]

Owned an old Matchless 500 single way back when. Spent ages fixing it up then took it for a test ride in the wet.

Applied the front brake and dropped it, at low speed so no damage done. Never trusted it after that and sold it pretty quick.


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[webmost]

BMW R69. A previous owner had ditched the Earle's forks, installed longer forks, gave it a moderate rake. Buckhorn bars. I tell you, with that tractor seat, buckhorns, & rake, that was the comfiest damn freeway ride I had ever. Oddball side-firing kickstart was a PITA. Other'n that, I adored the thing to death. Schwarz mitt weiss. One helluva looker.

Here's the problem: I lived in Alviso at the time, a tiny town at the mouth of the Guadelupe river, extreme south end of San Fran bay. The town  was about 10% boat builders . I was outfitting the 52' schooner Eurydice which I'd built there, docked in the river. Living aboard, of course. This town, anything not nailed down would promptly sprout legs and abscond.  No secure place to park the bike at the docks. So I parked it in a friend's garage. Garage burnt down. I remember the next day, looking at two puddles on the charred cement, like oversized puddles of solder, where the heads had melted. Smell of burnt rubber. Horrible.

I've always held a grudge against that bike for leaving me. Foolish, really. Not as though I could have brought it with me on my peregrinations round the Pacific. It's just the way it left, is all. Abrupt and tragic.

[PeteS]

a 1972 norton commando , had it as a daily transport.
spent all my time and money on the thing, tried all the improvements  in the book,
it ended up in as new condition.
but even then it was amazingly unreliable.
gorgeous bike when it ran....but that wasnt often

Ditto here. Had my new '71 only a couple of weeks when the rear hub locked up. Its been a steady stream of failures since. Been totally rebuilt from the crankshaft up 3 times. I think only the tank, seat and tailpiece and tach are original today. Nothing like it when its running though. Ride an hour, fix for two.




Pete

[ponti_33609]

My first new bike when I was 16.  Never ran well but on the few days it did it was great!  :>

[charlie b]

71 CB500-4.  Bought new in Japan by my father-in-law.  I got it in '80.

Weird clutch mechanism that ate cables.
Ate chains.
In the cold, if you didn't breathe just right, it wouldn't start

When running it was great.  Could keep up with my friend's bigger Suzukis and Yamahas.  My first bike too.

[stevet]

2004 California EV.  The ergonomics did not suit my lower back with the 90 degree knee bend, feet forward position.  My legs were not permitted to provide weight support or shock absorbtion.  Started with bikes that put my feet under my thighs and life became great.

Steve.

[vstevens]

'73 HD Sportster.  Mostly ran on one cylinder.  Rear cylinder on even days and front one on odd days, it seemed.  Spent two hours working on it for every hour of riding.  It was cool.  Sold it after it had languished on my porch for some time.  Oddly, it started right up for the guy who bought it.  Guess it didn't love me. 

[JJ]

1975 Kawasaki H1 500cc triple - green, just like this one, purchased brand new, and at age 19, I was a fearless, skinny rider back then.

One night, while racing my buddy on his Triumph 750 Trident on the twisty back roads of upstate NY, I experienced an 85+ mph "tank-slapper" which almost threw me off, and it sacred me so badly, I sold the bike the following week.

They did not call these triples "The Widowmaker" for nothing...and the 750 was WORSE!! (LOL)

[Darren Williams]

My 1200 Sport was sometimes that way. She would play nice and be the wonderful companion you dreamed of, but you never knew when she was going to suddenly slap and curse you!  She was my first Guzzi after a life filled with Japanese bikes, so I kind of didn't know what I was getting into.  It was definitely a love, disappointment, love, and disappointment again type of relationship.  Yea, I think I get it now.

[Adk.IBO]

For me it was both Kawasakis I owned, a KZ550 LTD ('83?) and an '05 Concours. 2 of my 3 at speed get offs were on the only Kawis I ever owned, never again... They both ran well, both handled poorly, but I flat don't like a power band that comes on part way through the revs. Both times that's what ultimately got me in trouble. I like corners and the power coming on midway through bites me. Linear is good.

[Carlo DeSantis]

For me, it was my Honda TranAlp.  Most owners think the world of them, but it never did a thing for me.

I bought it used, and spent some time and $$$ getting it ready for a "Ghost Town Tour" that a friend and I had planned.  The idea was to cross the Plains and then hit as many ghost towns as we could starting in Colorado (Pagosa Springs I think was the first one), through Utah and Nevada into California (Bodie was the last).

I rode all secondaries on the way out.  The TA was fair on the highway, but it felt like it was working hard crossing the plains.  When the going got tough out west on dirt and gravel -- mixed with elevation changes -- it felt unsuited for the mission.  Too heavy and clumsy feeling.

After some time in California, it was time to head home and I needed to get back quickly.  Admittedly I-80 from California to the Midwest is not ideal for the TA.  I-80 can be a challenge for many MCs due to the ever-present wind, high average speeds, and plethora of big rigs.  The trip across on the TA was by far the worst such trip ever, and I'd done that run several times in the past.

When I got back, my first project was to sell it.  Luckily they are very salable so no problem with that end of the transaction.  I think I owned that bike for four or five months and that was it.

Best,

Carlo

[JJ]

My 1200 Sport was sometimes that way. She would play nice and be the wonderful companion you dreamed of, but you never knew when she was going to suddenly slap and curse you!  She was my first Guzzi after a life filled with Japanese bikes, so I kind of didn't know what I was getting into.  It was definitely a love, disappointment, love, and disappointment again type of relationship.  Yea, I think I get it now.

This was a Guzzi Breva 1200 Sport?!?   I am very surprised to hear this, and I ever heard of that happening on a Guzzi before (??)...Could it have been a tire or suspension issue?

Photo from December 2007 at the IMS Show in San Mateo, CA - - I almost bought one! :1:

[danomar]

I wanted to love my Paso ever so much, but alas, it proved to be a stormy relationship.

[Cal3]

Bought a brand new 78 Kaw Z1R.....had it for a total of 3 weeks....saved my money/spent all of my $$ that I had on it, added S&W's, a jet kit and a kerker.....about as much bike as you could buy at the time. First week while riding to work I had a jacket strapped to the back, it came off wrapped around the rear sprocket and locked up the rear wheel right in the middle of an intersection, just about got ran over. The next week while seeing how it did against my buddy's Z1 I ran off the road coming in too hot to corner went down an embankment and smashed up my new Kerker.....but I didn't crash some how?? Third week was uneventful until someone stole it. Only had liability insurance because I paid cash for it all.......ever since I have been Kawasaki shy   

[Lannis]

I don't play that with motorcycles.  The bike has to demonstrate first that IT loves ME, then maybe I'll fall for IT.

Only close counterexample I can think of was the Centauro, but as any Centauro owner knows, you can't be held accountable for your actions with one of those ....

Lannis

[Darren Williams]

This was a Guzzi Breva 1200 Sport?!?   I am very surprised to hear this, and I ever heard of that happening on a Guzzi before (??)...Could it have been a tire or suspension issue?

Actually the handling was super easy to get dialed in and while pretty low tech, worked very well with no drama. That was one of the best part of the bike along with the engine performance and gearbox. The issues were the cheap parts Guzzi used to finish out the wonderful chassis, engine, and suspension. Poor fueling out of the box, failing dashes (two), splitting fuel filter, leaky left valve cover, leaking/failing oil pressure sensor, startus interuptus, hard to start in summer heat until a canisterectomy was performed, and a biggy was worrying about the lack of a thermostat in the oil cooling circuit that caused mayo in the oil when ridden in the winter.

But like I said, when it was going well it was a beautiful and fun bike to ride. Two and a half years and 40,000 miles before trading it in on a Stelvio, and I still kind of miss it.

[ohiorider]

At 64.000 miles, I hope my 1200 Sport 2v simply continues to do what it'd done since day one ..... just run!  I can certainly appreciate that all 1200 Sports may not be created equal, but by the Grace a' Gawd, mine has been a remarkable machine.  However, a bunch of issues could modify my opinion. 

Like several of you, I have added startus interruptus wiring, greased the swing arm bearings, replaced the dash once, replaced the plastic fuel filter, and performed the canisterectomy, purchased VDSTS, learned to balance throttle bodies, and reset TPS.

However, without the guidance of WG members,  it would have been a much more difficult ownership, perhaps impossible.

Thanks to you guys who understood the CARC bikes from Day One!

Bob

[Huzo]

Bought a brand new 78 Kaw Z1R.....had it for a total of 3 weeks....saved my money/spent all of my $$ that I had on it, added S&W's, a jet kit and a kerker.....about as much bike as you could buy at the time. First week while riding to work I had a jacket strapped to the back, it came off wrapped around the rear sprocket and locked up the rear wheel right in the middle of an intersection, just about got ran over. The next week while seeing how it did against my buddy's Z1 I ran off the road coming in too hot to corner went down an embankment and smashed up my new Kerker.....but I didn't crash some how?? Third week was uneventful until someone stole it. Only had liability insurance because I paid cash for it all.......ever since I have been Kawasaki shy

But what has the BIKE actually done wrong besides obeying your inputs (buggering up a corner), or locking the wheel 'cos you didn't strap your coat on properly, or not knowing how not to get itself stolen ? The fist two things would have happened if you owned the best bike in the world, with all due respect, they were your silly fault and did the bike get stolen because it's a Kawasaki ? No wonder your bike didn't love you, you've tried twice (un successfully) to destroy it !

[shaka]

a 1972 norton commando , had it as a daily transport.
spent all my time and money on the thing, tried all the improvements  in the book,
it ended up in as new condition.
but even then it was amazingly unreliable.
gorgeous bike when it ran....but that wasnt often

Once I had a Norton Commando Fastback, a 1969, I think. My experience with it was the same as yours, especially the time and money part. The bike was lots of fun, when it was running. Gremlins were mostly in the electrics.

[AH Fan]

K1300s.......... Wicked machine in all the wrong ways.
Constantly on guard for expensive mechanical issues as well as your licence as it constantly taunts you to shift out of second and just ride that monster to jail.

Ciao