Wildguzzi.com
General Category => General Discussion => Topic started by: willowstreetguzziguy on January 04, 2017, 09:57:31 PM
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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!?!
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Ducati 860...spent as much or more time at the dealer than being ridden...haven't missed it for a minute...
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A Harley Sportster.. just couldn't get that big front wheel with that rake to handle like a motorcycle should..
(https://photos.smugmug.com/Harley/i-Ft9F746/0/L/IMG_1740-L.jpg) (https://fotoguzzi.smugmug.com/Harley/i-Ft9F746/A)
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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.
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'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.
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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.
(http://i247.photobucket.com/albums/gg138/Turin_photos/allazurra.jpg)
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Both my Guzzi stones. both bought new, both were warranty lemons but I enjoyed riding them until they showed their colors.
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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
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'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.
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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.
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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.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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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.
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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.
(http://thumb.ibb.co/kCsULa/image.gif) (http://ibb.co/kCsULa)
Pete
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My first new bike when I was 16. Never ran well but on the few days it did it was great! :>
(http://i227.photobucket.com/albums/dd173/ponti_33609/kawasaki_400_s3_1974_1__071429500_1934_21122011_zpsozlnk9yy.jpg)
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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.
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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.
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'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. :kiss:
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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. :cool:
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. :shocked: :rolleyes:
They did not call these triples "The Widowmaker" for nothing...and the 750 was WORSE!! (LOL) :shocked: :rolleyes:
(http://thumb.ibb.co/ciYQtv/9699.jpg) (http://ibb.co/ciYQtv)
(http://thumb.ibb.co/iGJEmF/kawasaki_h1_500_d_mach_iii_1973_1_lgw.jpg) (http://ibb.co/iGJEmF)
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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.
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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.
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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
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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?!? :shocked: :rolleyes: :shocked: :rolleyes: 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! :thumb: :cool: :1:
(http://thumb.ibb.co/hjGTDv/Guzzi_1200_Sport.jpg) (http://ibb.co/hjGTDv)
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I wanted to love my Paso ever so much, but alas, it proved to be a stormy relationship.
(http://thumb.ibb.co/byW60a/mypaso_FLs.jpg) (http://ibb.co/byW60a)
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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
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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
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This was a Guzzi Breva 1200 Sport?!? :shocked: :rolleyes: :shocked: :rolleyes: 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.
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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
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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 !
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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.
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(http://thumb.ibb.co/dXcFRF/DSC_0022.jpg) (http://ibb.co/dXcFRF)
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
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The Norton Contaminator Twin
Dusty
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For me, My 86 r65 beemer. Good looking bike in dark blue with the hardbags and windshield. Shocker, a german bike that wouldnt start when cold. If left on choke for while warming it up the pipes would turn cherry red. Put some miles on it, wanted to love it. The final straw was a vibration it developed. Came across an almost new cbx honda so I sold the beemer. Later I found out the from the new owner that the trans went out on it. Parts prices on the beemer were nuts. three hundred bucks for a piston for instance. Put 46k on the cbx. bye bye bmw.
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My beautiful blue 93 K1100LT...it had a vibration around 70-75 mph in the throttle, back then I didn't know about the crampbuster, but it used to put my wrist to sleep after a short while riding. Had to ride either too slow or too fast in most situations to avoid the vibration, anyway, I sold it when I moved overseas. Loved the bike for its size, looks, stability, inline 4 box engine and even the stereo, but could never solve the vibration issue. I was planning to buy another sport Touring BMW when I got back, but Guzzi came on my radar screen, and I haven't looked back...very happy with the Norge after 7 years of riding it!
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This was a Guzzi Breva 1200 Sport?!? :shocked: :rolleyes: :shocked: :rolleyes: 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! :thumb: :cool: :1:
(http://thumb.ibb.co/hjGTDv/Guzzi_1200_Sport.jpg) (http://ibb.co/hjGTDv)
Agreed! My 1200 Sport has been a wonderful, reliable bike. Runs like a dream, especially since I installed a proper fueling map!
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The Norton Contaminator Twin
Dusty
Agreed! I have owned a Matchless twin as well as a Norton Dominator twin. Both have not stirred my soul and I have not connected to them. My Norton Commando on the other hand is my favorite bike despite being challenged over the years by several Guzzis. That bike still puts a huge smile on my face every time I ride it!
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Denise, Stacey, Ann, Ginger, Barbara..... hum oh shoot we are talking about motorcycles not women. Never mind. :grin:
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70 kick start only Sportster with a built performance engine..It was fast for a Harley, it vibrated, it rode and handled like a lumber wagon...Several Harley big twin Shovelheads, both kick start. I tried to like Harleys, I tried to be a Harley guy...it didn't take...74 Norton Commando 850, the bike ran well and after some tuning was pretty fast, it was reliable for my style of riding, I just didn't like it...
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Agreed! I have owned a Matchless twin as well as a Norton Dominator twin. Both have not stirred my soul and I have not connected to them. My Norton Commando on the other hand is my favorite bike despite being challenged over the years by several Guzzis. That bike still puts a huge smile on my face every time I ride it!
I had a Matchless 500 single & rode a mates twin a bit back then, pretty gutless I recall and both handled like shyte. We used to ride an old Indian & Aerial Red hunter around the farm.
No exhaust pipes so scared the livestock a tad :-)
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In 1973 bought my first Guzzi, an Eldorado. I Loved that bike, ..LOVED that bike. A bit over 20,000 miles and the cylinders flaked. Didn't know why, the dealer had no clue (about anything Guzzi), and no internet then, no real network. After complaining for six months the dealer got me a replacement set of jugs/pistons, but only those parts. Handed them to me, the repair was MY responsibility! (was passed warranty by then) I slapped her back together too dumb to look for other damage, rode her a few thousand more till she was knocking, tapping , rattling so loud I knew she was dying.and traded her in on a new 1975 Goldwing. Funny thing about some relationships,..even though they begin hot and strong, once over, with time, one can forget about the broken dreams and forgive and even romanticize how it "use to be"....Kidding!... I loved the Goldwing too (rebound relationship?), with not as much passion but a long steady, comfortable, dependable partnership. Quite a Gal.
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After owning the BMW K75C for 5 years, I thought the 800cc BMW R80ST looked more exciting. So I bought a used one in 1991 in perfect condition. One week later and 600 feet from my house, out of nowhere, the engine locked up on me! I had it repaired but it was no longer the smooth running opposed twin that it was before. The honeymoon was quickly over. within 3 months of buying it, I sold it and went back to my K75C.
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1986 BMW R80RT I bought new. Best weather protection of any motorcycle I've ever seen or ridden. Decent looking, for a BMW. But it suffered unreliability for most of the 87K miles I owned it; the electronic ignition module would "warn" me by shutting down operations without notice, then (maybe) restarting and allowing me to complete my ride. I wound up keeping spare modules (providentially, shared with early 80s fuel-injected VW Rabbits, of which there were LOTS in the local junkyard) in my tankbag, and became adept at changing them on the road (had the heat-conductive paste and a rag with me, too).
Turned out that the problem was pinched wiring in the front cover, which occurred on Day 1 of my ownership, when the bike took four tries to bring it 15 miles home from the dealer. Apparently one of the attempted fixes involved that front cover, and the wiring suffered. So, at, say, 60K miles, I was able to put that particular failure mode behind me.
The engine made a claimed 50 hp, so it was a total slug (no surprise), but also didn't achieve decent gas mileage. When everything was just right, it might make 40 mpg on a trip, but in cold weather, 33 mpg was about average. And starting it after work on a cold (say 30°F) day was a fingers-crossed exercise. If it didn't catch right away, not gonna start. What a pig.
I wasn't flush with money in those days (paid cash for the bike, as I do for everything else), so I stuck with it for years. Few years later I bought a BMW R75/6 that was vastly better in every way. Then a K75 and K75RT. Damn. So much better it's not funny. And an R1100RT. Phenomenal.
I think airheads can be great, based on some I've seen and ridden. Just not the first one I had.
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I had a 2000 Quota that I felt that way about. I loved the handling, the riding position, comfort (I had a Rick Mayer saddle built for it) My wife felt it was the most comfortable pillion on all of my Guzzis at the time.
BUT, I could never get the glitchy fuel injection straightened out. In spite of a PC-III, and not one, but TWO trips to a Dynojet Tuning Link center for custom map builds, it would continue to surge and drop around that magic 3300-3500 RPM point.
Second beef? Atrocious fuel economy. When the rest of the 2000 model year Guzzis were getting 45-47MPG, the Quota could be counted on to get 34-37 MPG, and I'm a reasonably conservative rider. No noticeable change even with the piggyback fueling computer.
Third beef? Buffeting. Despite playing with different windshields, vented and unvented, at speeds above 60-65, the shuddering wind blast would shake your lid enough to blur your vision. Probably a set of properly designed winglets below the sides of the tank would have lessened it, and I found others recommending tank sidebags, essentially doing the same thing, some time after I finally parted with the bike.
I really loved the 'Mighty Q", but it was definitely not reciprocated.
(http://i66.tinypic.com/2dlnnuu.jpg)
Second pic taken the day Speaker's picked it up along with two other Guzzis on a new '09 Stelvio. The Stelvio became all that I had hoped the Quota would have been (except for the cam issues... :sad: :wink: sigh... )
(http://i65.tinypic.com/2jcf2xg.jpg)
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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 !
:grin: :grin: I hear ya.....but for some reason, these kind of things only happened on this bike. I actually left one item out during my 3 week ownership......whil e going down the freeway some guy/car decided he was going to chase me down/run me down for some reason and I have no idea why?? Me and that bike did not get along!! Maybe it was a good thing for me that it was stolen or I wouldn't still be riding.
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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. :cool:
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. :shocked: :rolleyes:
They did not call these triples "The Widowmaker" for nothing...and the 750 was WORSE!! (LOL) :shocked: :rolleyes:
Actually it was really only the H2 that was known as "the Widowmaker". The Italians called it "the Flying Coffin." It's likely you had some play either in your swing arm bushings or in your head bearings. I've never had my H2 go into a tank slapper in the 39 years I've owned it, although just about any motorcycle can do it if just the wrong events coincide.
Not to point a finger at you at all, but I think most of the stories of horrible handling Kawasaki triples were the result of either an inexperienced rider getting in over his head, or poor maintenance. Many motorcycles of the day were poorly set up and/or maintained, but the power of the H1 and H2 didn't allow for mistakes in maintenance or riding. Many H2s were successfully raced in the production stock classes, and many won. If half the stories of how bad they are/were were true, that couldn't have happened.
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At the limit the H2 could be very dangerous as demonstrated by Cook Neilson for Cycle magazine back when the bike was introduced and even the Kawasaki factory people took notice. To be fair the majority of riders never took the bike to those that limit.Smart riders felt it coming and backed off, dumb riders were thrown off...In general all high power 70's Japanese bikes had suspect handling at speed but on a track ridden by expert riders they could turn impressive times...
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True. A French rider on the triples board, and former H2 racer, tells of one of the tighter tracks he raced on, and how his engine case covers got ground down in the turns. Here's his board avatar. Note that the right muffler you can see, and also the left one, were hammered in for ground clearance.
(http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c327/triplejim/Misc/misc_board_images/jps_avatar_zpsqkewttz7.jpg)
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The Laverda. A $25 barn find. After all the time and $$ I spent bringing it back to life, and the joy I had riding it, the camshaft kept eating the woodruff key. Traded in for the T. The Laverda did teach me all about Brembo, Dell'orto and Marelli.
The T, on the other hand, has been a long tempestuous marriage. I know she loves me because, however wounded, she always got me home. In return I've repaired/replaced most major components and next summer will complete the second post-flood rebuild.
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The two stroke Kawasakis always took the brunt of the Japanese bike poor handling criticism because they were fast and often smoked more than necessary..And the two stroke sound was alien to riders used to European machines and of course the Harley guys...I rode an H2 in the 70's and was surprised by the low speed power and when I jumped on the throttle in first gear the view of the sky also surprised me :laugh:. My hot rod Triumph Bonneville was a match for the 500 Kaw but the 750 was a whole lot faster...In all I don't remember the H2 being uncivilized...
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True. A French rider on the triples board, and former H2 racer, tells of one of the tighter tracks he raced on, and how his engine case covers got ground down in the turns. Here's his board avatar. Note that the right muffler you can see, and also the left one, were hammered in for ground clearance.
(http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c327/triplejim/Misc/misc_board_images/jps_avatar_zpsqkewttz7.jpg)
i think the handling wasnt worse than other bikes at the time ( my 1972 commando wasnt better) , but the power to weight ratio magnified any problems.
a friend has a H2, riding one now is really fun, compared to modern bikes the suspension is pretty useless, brakes are even worse..
handling? at high speed you can provoke a speed wobble anytime, but with modern tires they are easy to handle.
one of the most fun bikes i have ridden.
I would love one , but with current prices that is unlikely going to happen
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a friend has a H2, riding one now is really fun, compared to modern bikes the suspension is pretty useless, brakes are even worse..
If one isn't stuck on keeping it perfectly "correct", a few relatively small things can make great improvements in suspension and braking. For example, even staying with only one front disk, if a dual piston caliper from the later EX Kawasakis (Ninja 250, 500, etc.) is adapted to fit, and EBC HH pads and a 1/2" EX master cylinder are used, braking becomes a 2-finger thing.
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For me, I'd have to say my very first Guzzi. 1997 1100Sport i.
Different parts of my body held the Sport in the highest regard. Other parts argued to sell the beast.
Other than snatchy fueling (tech term..), I can blame no part of this on the bike.
My eyes fell in love at first sight, my ears were seduced at each start up,
and I felt like King of the world blasting around on it. For a while anyway.
My neck started bitching first, next was my arms and wrists, whining like a little school girl.
In short order I put 20k miles on it and an Iron Butt Saddle Sore 1000. This last stunt convinced me
that I had become a wimp and should stick to the easy stuff like mountainbiking :boozing:
I DO miss you Mellow Yellow, just no longer man enough... :cry:
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My 98 EV,it viciously attacked me broke my Fubalator bone and shows no sign of remorse :popcorn:
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" when I jumped on the throttle in first gear the view of the sky also surprised me "
Yeah, I had a brief relationship with an H2 - I could only leave a stop light by stalling it or doing a wheelie. Had a lot of fun leaving Porsches in two-stroke smoke clouds in Sausalito.
Not the bikes fault, I was not the rider it was looking for. It's okay, I found it a good home and it led me to my first Guzzi.
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My '74 Norton was superb. It even got me home when a clutch cable broke! However, when I finally got my '67 Royal Enfield 700 running, the thing vibrated so badly it was unrideable. It was sold with several boxes of spare parts for $200.
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My 98 EV,it viciously attacked me broke my Fubalator bone and shows no sign of remorse :popcorn:
I heard it snickering ...
Dusty
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My '74 Norton was superb. It even got me home when a clutch cable broke! However, when I finally got my '67 Royal Enfield 700 running, the thing vibrated so badly it was unrideable. It was sold with several boxes of spare parts for $200.
My '75 Norton with front and rear disks and an electric starter is very much like a more modern bike, nothing "antique" about it, and has been very reliable for me.
It's interesting though that in all these years of riding classic bikes, I've never met anyone successfully campaigning a Royal Enfield Twin on rides to rallies, camps, or even just weekend lunch outings. They look beautiful, but they just won't run, apparently. I wouldn't even try ....
Lannis
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My 75 T that I bought in 79, had it for 2 weeks had to do the clutch because the rear seal leaked all over it, my other bike was a 550 Honda with a Yosh cam in it so when I test rode it the slipping clutch making the motor rev felt normal. So I learned how to change the clutch. Then coming back from Laconia I lost the front brake and rear ended my friend on his GS750, that was a wtf moment. Then for the next 13 years all sorts of little problems, sold it to a guy from Denmark who shipped it there to flip.
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My '75 Norton with front and rear disks and an electric starter is very much like a more modern bike, nothing "antique" about it, and has been very reliable for me.
It's interesting though that in all these years of riding classic bikes, I've never met anyone successfully campaigning a Royal Enfield Twin on rides to rallies, camps, or even just weekend lunch outings. They look beautiful, but they just won't run, apparently. I wouldn't even try ....
Lannis
You never heard of Al Eckstadt on the Brit Bike Forum ? He rides a 60's 750 RE Interceptor to various rallies in NY state and maybe beyond..
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My only experience with a 750 Enfield was a Rickman Enfield. There is or was one in town Rough. All I remember is it had 4 gears and 6 neutrals. Odds were better at getting a neutral than an actual gear.
Pete
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Mine was a 1968 Triumph Bonneville. I thought it was the cats meow......turned out to be a nightmare...spent more time in the back of a truck than all other bikes combined. Dirt bikes not included : Wink:
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Pete, about 12 years ago I bought 750 Intercept basket case. I liked the big chunky engine and read all the stories about how smooth they run compared to the other big bore Brit twins. I have no knowledge if that's true any more than 120 MPH 650 Twins....It was missing a few parts, the parts that are always missing because they are unobtanium...I sold it to an RE collector...
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You never heard of Al Eckstadt on the Brit Bike Forum ? He rides a 60's 750 RE Interceptor to various rallies in NY state and maybe beyond..
Yep, I've heard of him, didn't know he did extensive riding to rallies on an RE.
I've ridden my BSA from Virginia to Brit rallies in Massachusetts, New York, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Ohio, West Virginia, Tennessee, North Carolina ... and I still have never seen an RE ridden to any of them.
Maybe I will someday.
Lannis
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012 Stelvio left me on the side of the road 3 times with failed regulators . Did everything to find the problem with no avail . Loved the ride but sold it last fall . Maybe a new wiring harness and electrics all around would of solved the problem but wasn't willing to take that on .
I don't even want to talk about the 74 Norton I owned for far too long ! ☠️
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Yep, I've heard of him, didn't know he did extensive riding to rallies on an RE.
I've ridden my BSA from Virginia to Brit rallies in Massachusetts, New York, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Ohio, West Virginia, Tennessee, North Carolina ... and I still have never seen an RE ridden to any of them.
Maybe I will someday.
Lannis
I know you ride long distances on that BSA...The A10? The last A10 I saw on the road was the one I sold 12 years ago...It was modified to my style but it seemed a better rider than a 650 Triumph...I sold the A10 and a 53 Triumph Thunderbird I had for many years because I had given up on riding....A dumb decision based on interest in hot rod trucks...Now the trucks are gone and I have other bikes... :blank:
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I had a R75/5 for about a year. Great looking bike and I loved the look, but it was like a big scooter. No personality. No comparison to any Tonti frame bike. Sold it cheap just so I could buy a round head Guzzi!
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Yep, I've heard of him, didn't know he did extensive riding to rallies on an RE.
I've ridden my BSA from Virginia to Brit rallies in Massachusetts, New York, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Ohio, West Virginia, Tennessee, North Carolina ... and I still have never seen an RE ridden to any of them.
Maybe I will someday.
Lannis
RE ? Is that for Rough Edge, Royal Enfield or RE 5 (rotary Suzuki)?
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RE ? Is that for Rough Edge, Royal Enfield or RE 5 (rotary Suzuki)?
"Rough Edge" probably wouldn't like being ridden to a rally, so you can have the first go. :grin:
RE 5s are getting pretty thin on the ground, so I'm not expecting to fall into a group of those.
So THIS RE specifically refers to the Royal Enfield Twins (Meteors, Interceptors, etc). I see lots of Royal Enfield singles being pottered around in places you wouldn't expect them, though ....
Lannis
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Closest to that description would probably be the Benelli 650S Tornado I had back in the early '90s. I never really loved it, but it was fun and unique. It developed some new malady on nearly every ride and I dutifully fixed it (or tried to) each time. Silly stuff like the nut on the crankshaft primary gear coming loose and the gear sliding out against the case on the overrun. The electric start sprag clutch stopped functioning (never fixed that) and then it developed a "stutter" that no matter what I tried wouldn't go away.
It's stay with me ended when I got married and there was precious little garage time available. There might be another one headed my way sometime this year, so maybe the 2nd time around will go better...
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"Rough Edge" probably wouldn't like being ridden to a rally, so you can have the first go. :grin:
RE 5s are getting pretty thin on the ground, so I'm not expecting to fall into a group of those.
So THIS RE specifically refers to the Royal Enfield Twins (Meteors, Interceptors, etc). I see lots of Royal Enfield singles being pottered around in places you wouldn't expect them, though ....
Lannis
Don't know about RE 5's being thin on the ground Lannis. Half of the ones sold in Oz are still around, one's in the Melbourne Museum (honestly!) and the other one is.... somewhere else !
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An RE5 usually show up at the annual Deals Gap 2-stroke meet, so I see one about once a year. :grin:
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An RE5 usually show up at the annual Deals Gap 2-stroke meet, so I see one about once a year. :grin:
So, then, half the ones sold in America are still around! :grin:
Lannis
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So, then, half the ones sold in America are still around! :grin:
Lannis
(Muffled chuckle)...
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So, then, half the ones sold in America are still around! :grin:
Lannis
The first bike I bought that let me down was the 2nd bike I bought in my MC history. It was a slightly used Yamaha YDS-2 250 twin carb 2 stroke that looked like new but had a vibration at idle and I bought it from a Yamaha dealer in '63? It was my 2nd Yamaha 250 bike(1st was bulletproof) and I bought it because it had 5 more hp than the 1st. It blew pistons repeatedly(only cost $25 back then for a rebuild) but later found out the reason it did was because the crank bearings were too soft and that put the timing off the points on the end of the crankshaft. It literally blew holes threw the center of the pistons! :shocked: That's the only bike I've owned that did that to me.
There are new RE5s still in the crates you can still buy new. If your interested contact Suzuki. :wink: Met a Suzy rep. years ago @ Laguna Seca while ogling a black RE 5 rotary and that's what he told me.
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My only experience with a 750 Enfield was a Rickman Enfield. There is or was one in town Rough. All I remember is it had 4 gears and 6 neutrals. Odds were better at getting a neutral than an actual gear.
Pete
I had '72 Rickman RE.
-but mine ended up with a BSA 750 Rocket III engine with 5 speed and electronic ignition. Apparently, they were sold new with a spare RE 750 engine out of Winnipeg, Canada. The RE engines both blew up and the previous owner replaced it with the BSA engine.
It was exotic and not my favorite bike, it felt like my old Monza, slightly faster and not very practical.
(http://i81.photobucket.com/albums/j213/Guzzi156/20080323001.jpg) (http://s81.photobucket.com/user/Guzzi156/media/20080323001.jpg.html)
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Stephan,
That triple in the Rickman frame is sweet :thumb:
At one point I had a Rickman CR with sohc Honda 750 and a Benelli Sei in the garage at the same time. I so wanted to see if that six banger would fit in that Rickman. But good judgement stopped me from screwing up 2 bikes at once.
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I had '72 Rickman RE.
-but mine ended up with a BSA 750 Rocket III engine with 5 speed and electronic ignition. Apparently, they were sold new with a spare RE 750 engine out of Winnipeg, Canada. The RE engines both blew up and the previous owner replaced it with the BSA engine.
It was exotic and not my favorite bike, it felt like my old Monza, slightly faster and not very practical.
(http://i81.photobucket.com/albums/j213/Guzzi156/20080323001.jpg) (http://s81.photobucket.com/user/Guzzi156/media/20080323001.jpg.html)
That is every Ton-up-boy's damp fantasy . Right there with Slippery Sam :bow:
Dusty
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My 2014 V7 Stone. My sixth motorcycle. Bought it new and kept it for 2 years and eight months, put 27,400 miles on it. During that time it spent a total of almost five months in the shop. Engine replaced under warranty, drive train replaced for free, several odd failures of various types... Never made it between an oil change without having to bring it in for something. Never before spent so much money on keeping a motorcycle road worthy. Last time I picked it up after being in the shop for five weeks, I rode it straight up to another dealer and traded it in. Happiest day of my life....
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My 2004 Thunderbird Sport was the best handling motorcycle I've owned. Great brakes, plenty of lean angle and that lovely 3 cylinder howl going to redline. Pulled like a freight train, such fun. Oh yes and the most comfy saddle ever. Unfortunately the thing was too top heavy and even with winding down the rear shock and lowering the triple clamps it was still too tall for my 30" inseam. Tipped over a few too many times in the 6 yrs I owned it. Broke my heart to see it go but eventually I would hurt it or it would hurt me. Have a nice, sensible, smell the roses V7 Stone. Now this would be a fun ride with 85 hp.
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typical...