Old bikes... which are your faves?

[Hardware]

I owned a 74 Z1 and later a 77 KZ1000.

The Z1 was indeed frightening especially after you dumped a Yoshimura kit, RJS pipe, K&N's, Mikuni 29 smooth bores, electronic ignition etc. What you had then was a bike of about 100 hp where the motor totally overwhelmed the frame. Accelerating through S curves was indeed frightening as you got that weird wallow and flex as you shifted side to side. Exciting, but frightening to be sure. But when you are young ... ya call that fun.  

Dr. Zorko, on this board, and I had some wild times on those Z1's and even rode them to LA, Idaho and all over. His bike had a Kerker pipe on the right, mine an RJS on the left and if we rode side by side you would hear this really distinctive resonance. Sounded awesome and mothers would cover their children's ears ... hooligans !  

Sigh ... that was a long time ago. But we is still ridin together after all these years... just a bit more quietly.  

I had an '83 KZ100J that looked similar to the GPZ pictured in someone's post on the first page.



That bike friggin' hauled and sounded like nothing else I've heard...in a good way.

[Wilbur]

gone but not forgotten

That's exactly what my '85 looked like. On that side. On the other side ... um ... not so much. I sold it in '87 to finish school and when I bought my '06 ST1300 damned if it didn't feel just like that FJ. Or at least what I remembered it to be like anyway.

[stevent]

I had an '83 GPZ 750 that I bought new. I wish I still had that one, it was simple, reliable as a brick and a ball to ride, that's the bike I learned to ride fast on. Tons of fun...I traded it for an '85 K100RS which was also a ball. Come to think of it, I wish I still had it too....

[dezXrider]

Some of my favs allready covered like the CL350, but nothing was like the 2 strokes, and the H2 with Chambers and K&Ns was lots of bang for the buck, I had too much fun in the mid 70s in SoCal on the fast tripple.

[bizarro]

That is freaking hot.....

[chornbe]

Old Bonnies.

[scratch]

I liked just about all bikes back in the 80's but the Italians really tripped my switches. It began with a black and gold Darmah just like this one:



A small local dealer had one of these new on the floor and it didn't sell for 3 or 4 years. Could have had it back around '84 for @ $3000.00, but didn't have that kind of money.  

Other objects of lust were the little Morini 3-1/2:



- and the Laverda SF750, which is one of the best-sounding bikes ever made, IMHO:



Great thread idea!  

[samuidave]

My current FJ1100.  Hard to let it go as I fight to 'upgrade'....loosely used of course.

[gamountains]

1975 RD350. Nothing smells better then 2 stroke oil burning.

[mustang28027]

Dang! Those 90 degree V twins look GOOD!  Might have to start looking....

[stk0308]

My father's business partner in the old shop was a nut for Vincents back in the late 70's and early 80's(when they were still fairly inexpensive, and plentiful).  So much so that he raced an Egli framed Vincent, and dad ran a Norvin in The Battle of the Twins class.  Those bikes made a strong impression on me as a child.  This same partner had a gen-u-wine first production run Mike Hailwood replica.  He rode it to Florida for Bike Week in 1984.  I also have a secret wish that mom really has left her restored 1976 R90S to me in the will.  It may be heresy, but Silver Smoke, not Daytona Orange, will always be R90S colors to me.

[Orson]

It may be heresy, but Silver Smoke, not Daytona Orange, will always be R90S colors to me.

I dunno why it's heresy.

I always thought the silver smoke looked classy while the orange just looked...orange  

[lanispet]

Purchase new and still a blast to ride, 1985 V65 Sabre. Photo was taken a few weeks ago before a ride.

i was wondering when a Sabre would show up! Looks just like mine... except yours looks like it just rolled out of the dealership, where mine looks like it was just rolled out of a lake  

For some reason, i really like the CHP-style Moto Guzzi Eldorados... just a ready-for-everything road warrior.

After that, i'm all about the 1930's-era bikes... maybe some day i'll have one...

[bubba zanetti]

I dunno why it's heresy.

I always thought the silver smoke looked classy while the orange just looked...orange  

Well, I'll tell ya. If you look at those orange BMW's long enough they almost begin to look red.



My old RS that everyone saw as orange ... cept me of course.   Canyon Red dagnabbit !!!  

[Orson]

My old RS that everyone saw as orange ... cept me of course.   Canyon Red dagnabbit !!!  

Damn you Zanetti  

you owned all the bikes I lusted for  

[mica]

1979 Honda CBX, gotta love the 6 cylinders. What a beast.

[stk0308]

I dunno why it's heresy.

I always thought the silver smoke looked classy while the orange just looked...orange  

I've been informed by one of "The Faithful" that Daytona Orange is the ONLY color for an R90S due to the Daytona superbikes were that color    I've been a heritic on many things, this will just be one more  

[Wockman]

Awesome CBX,! I remember the first tile I saw a CBX as a kid, I thought the guy was riding a pipe organ up ther street.    I'd hate to do a valve check on that thing...

Also I gotta comment on the old V65Sabre,  I had a '82 V45 in black, I bought it when I lived in Alaska.  I rode that thing for years.  I miss that bike.  That is one of the cleanest ones I've seen.  I'm jealous.


Not mine but I had one just like it.

[mustang28027]

Only thing I didnt like on the old  Sabre's were the wheels... yuck!

[Shhted]

Matchless G15CS


Norton 850 Commando


HD '48 Panhead