1986 R80RT, big enough for two up touring?

[oldenslow]

How would it do for some light touring, two up?  Maybe at most a 500 mile weekend.  Found  a real nice one at a good price, with bags and small trunk.  I weigh 200, my wife 130.  I know it's rated at 50hp,  and I would get it strictly for myself, but she says only if it's for both of us.  So how would it be two up, comfort, acceleration, packing, etc...?    Thanks.

[1KPerDay]

Perfectly fine. Great bikes. Nice ergos. Plenty of legroom for passenger.

They do require regular maintenance but it's pretty straightforward. The R80 was IMO the best of the airhead engines.


Acceleration? Adequate. Not mindblowing.  

[oldenslow]

Thanks for the info.  I'll see if the seller will be open to letting me take the wife along for a test ride.

[cbsnbiker]

Many people travel two-up on them on a regular basis.

Do recognize that it's a quarter century old. Don't expect to do one-finger stoppies. It's not very fast. But it is comfortable.

Parts and farkling are readily available, both OEM and aftermarket.

Maintenance isn't hard to do. Valve adjustments are easy.

[cruisin]

Should be fine, one of my older borthers borrowed my R75/6 in 1979 for a "little trip" with his wife.  They were gone 6 days and went from Panhandle Tx. to Yellowstone and back; 2200-mile round trip.  

[oldenslow]

Late getting back to this.  I really liked it solo, less grunt then an r100, but nice.  The owner was nice enough to let me take the missus for a spin, but she was less than impressed.  Basically she said why would she want to double up on this, when the FJ is so fast and comfy?  So unfortunately I had to pass.......and she wouldn't let me buy it just for myself.

[ripdaddy]

    My significant other had the same reaction when I went from an '83 Honda 1100F to an '83 R100RS.  She was so appalled by the lack of power, especially when merging with traffic, she refused to get on it after the second ride.  

[cbsnbiker]

    My significant other had the same reaction when I went from an '83 Honda 1100F to an '83 R100RS.  She was so appalled by the lack of power, especially when merging with traffic, she refused to get on it after the second ride.  

Unless we're talking about a small scooter or motorcycle, I'm always puzzled by a comment like that of your SO.

Considering that the R100RS's engine has significantly more HP than the car in which I learned how to drive, and that it's capable of 0-60 MPH acceleration in six seconds (thus able to outdrag many muscle cars), it's not exactly a slug.

The R80 is down about ten HP from the R100, but is said to be a significantly smoother engine.

[1KPerDay]

    My significant other had the same reaction when I went from an '83 Honda 1100F to an '83 R100RS.  She was so appalled by the lack of power, especially when merging with traffic, she refused to get on it after the second ride.  

She enjoys getting her head snapped back by sudden acceleration?  

[cruisin]

    My significant other had the same reaction when I went from an '83 Honda 1100F to an '83 R100RS.  She was so appalled by the lack of power, especially when merging with traffic, she refused to get on it after the second ride.  

That's what the extra gears are for in the transmission; repeat after me: "lower gear = better acceleration"  

[ripdaddy]

Well, if I were into neck-snapping acceleration she wouldn't have been riding with me anyway! And how anyone could believe any down-shifting, revving  to red-line or any other manipulation of the R100's engine and transmission could even begin to approximate the roll-on torque of the 1100F is beyond me.  The  R100RS was, without doubt the most beautiful motorcycle I've ever seen.  I sold it to a co-worker who happily rode it for 15 years before he sold it.  It just wasn't for me.  I will say the R100RS was heads and tails better than the surging, clunky-shifting, vibrating 95 R1100RS I owned later.  Except for the lack of saddlebags, the 83 Honda 1100F was a superior riding experience to both of them.
   I rode the R80RT quite a bit.  It is comfortable, light weight makes it easy to maneuver in the parking lot or pushing it around the garage.  You can do all the maintenance yourself, and the engine will last forever.  The guy I sold my R100RS replaced head gaskets at 40,000+ and  said the cylinders still had the cross-hatching visible.  Sorry you had to pass on it.  (See, we didn't forget about you when this thread took a left turn!)








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[cruisin]

. . .  And how anyone could believe any down-shifting, revving  to red-line or any other manipulation of the R100's engine and transmission could even begin to approximate the roll-on torque of the 1100F is beyond me.  The  . . .

You're correct, it can't match the neck-snapping acceleration of modern sport bikes or the roll-on torque of the 1100F; no one said it could, nor did anyone mention revving to the red line.  Those were your words and thoughts, no one else remotely insinuated anything spectacular from an old airhead. What it can easily do though is merge into cage traffic traveling at the speed limit and maybe little faster with a simple downshift or two without getting anywhere near the redline.  That's what multiple gears in transmissions are for.  I did it thousands of times in the 50,000 miles that drove the R75 in the late 70s and I'm certain to do it again once I get the R80 up and running again after a crash a while back.  

[ripdaddy]

Yeah, those were my words.  I thought later I should have left out the "how could anyone believe" part.  I spoke with the guy who bought it  from me and he pretty much agrees with your assessment.  He thought it had plenty of everything.  I think one thing that bedeviled me was that stiff throttle return spring.  I just never adjusted to it or the riding position, (I believe I would have been happier all around on an RT).  Anyway, Cruisin, I hope the crash was easier on you than your R80.

[Royal Tiger]

Late getting back to this.  I really liked it solo, less grunt then an r100, but nice.  The owner was nice enough to let me take the missus for a spin, but she was less than impressed.  Basically she said why would she want to double up on this, when the FJ is so fast and comfy?  So unfortunately I had to pass.......and she wouldn't let me buy it just for myself.

The key phrase here is "she wouldn't let me".  I never ask ahead of time.  It's SO much easier after the bike is already in the garage.  And a day or two of the silent treatment is very peaceful.  

[cruisin]

The key phrase here is "she wouldn't let me".  I never ask ahead of time.  It's SO much easier after the bike is already in the garage.  And a day or two of the silent treatment is very peaceful.  

ah, the old, "easier to ask forgivness than permission" trick -- I LIKE IT!  

[Royal Tiger]

ah, the old, "easier to ask forgivness than permission" trick -- I LIKE IT!  

Absolutely.  Of the last 12 she knew about maybe 4 or 5 ahead of time!