Johnonaschwinn

1956 Zundapp 200S 1977 BMW R100S

Oldairhead 

Here are 2 of mine.

SvenMN 

Sometimes that bug enters my brain... then after a few moments of some great mental "GoPro" memories, the realization that a 59 year old body doesn't bounce off the ground like a 20 year old body. Gotta ride 'em, which then leads to vintage MX racing...





Bryan

jeffpepperdine

I had a few bikes over the years, but don't have anything right now.

I got the collecting gene from my father. Here he is in his work shop. (photos shot last year on my 1930's Carl Zeiss Ikon Super Nettel).

bmc5733946 

Some vintage some not.

1959 NORTON DOMINATOR 99*
1965 HONDA CL77
1966 HONDA CT90
1969 HONDA CT90
1978 HONDA CB750F2*
1989 MOTO GUZZI MILLE GT#
2001 MOTO GUZZIJACKAL
2004 MOTO GUZZI BREVA 750

*= not running
#= personal favorite

calstar 

Looks like you have a Yamaha FJ1200(1991-2?). Here's my '92, without the lower front fairing which was off when the pic was taken.

Roger M

I had a few bikes when I was younger and without kids. Starting with the bike I learned on at age 13:

66 Suzuki 120
75 Yamaha 500
77 KZ1000
84 Yamaha FJ11000
89 Suzuki RMX
90? HD Fatboy
91 ZX11
92 HD Lowrider Custom
94 Husaberg 501


Pops bought this used about 34 years ago. Someday I'll get around to it(and a Honda CL350)...

SvenMN 

Wow! Great pics here...
I remember well my first ride on a just set up XS Eleven

Cougrrcj

My dad started out with a '66 Honda S-90. What an underpowered pig! I think is was rated at 8hp or less. Flat-out on dad's was 52mph unless I was drafting a van or semi-trailer!



After a while, he upgraded to a '72 Honda 175. nice, but still 'small' for riding in traffic.

The 175 was a bit too small for the weekend trips to the marina where we had our boat (60 miles away), so he 'got a deal' on a '76 Kawasaki Kz400S2 - the stripped-down version with drum brakes, painted fenders, single exhaust, no electric start or tach... Slower than heck, and vibrated like crazy. An absolute pain (in the foot) to kickstart!



I remember vividly the eye-opening (and sphincter-puckering) experience he had when he 'gunned' my RD400 the way he rode the 'Kow'... Hang-on Nellie!

TampaRaleigh

Certainly not as bad as a "Milwaukee Crippler". Kickstarting a 1340 cc twin is SCARY!

jeffpepperdine

How dare you! I love S-90's and CL-90's. This is the wife and I a few years back, cruising between wineries in the Okanagan.



Also, my most recent, early 80's Kawi KL-600.

Cougrrcj

My one buddy bought a XS1100 as his first bike! He wanted something a little smaller/lighter to take his motorcycle endorsement riding skill test, so we 'swapped' bikes for a week. I got the XS1100, and he got my Yamaha 550 Seca. When we swapped back that next week, I commented that his 1100 didn't handle as well as the Seca and that I touched the footpegs in a couple of corners -- the 'feeler' acorn nuts on the bottom of the pegs were about ground off! He was not amused. I blamed the chassis 'jacking' of the shaft drive on the 1100...

SvenMN 

Agreed. The shaft-drive XS1100 and little sister XS750 were innovative motorcycles with some very peculiar handling traits. The first time you grab the throttle and feel the back end rise is a bit unnerving.

Now I could get the bug big-time if I came across a barn fresh SR500.

Flying Merkel

Wish they still made bikes like the Fudge-12. Great all-arounder.

Chombi

I'm not sure it it's 100% true, but supposedly, through the years, the big primary chain case on the left side of most big Harleys have taken it's big share of severed left legs from riders that crash on that side and get their leg trapped between the case and the road surface while the bike slid down the road......Yikes! Crippler indeed!

Chombi

Chombi

Nope, everything now and in the future will be water cooled, FI, ABS and linked brakes and have catalytic converters......plus digital instrumentation. There's so much less "user serviceable" systems on bikes that keeping them on the road is getting so expensive as you have to go to the dealership to get most thing fixed....and plug and play/trail and error sort of fixes where the problem sometimes come back a few days after you have it "fixed".......just like they do with cars these days......

Chombi

vjp

Hey!! I had the same bike!! Last large cc bike that I owned, as a matter of fact I went from this to a 50cc Suzuki scooter when I moved to Tokyo in '83.

TiHabanero

One of my favorite subjects! Never met a motorized two wheeler I didn't like. Currently riding a 2000 Moto Guzzi Jackal. About as perfect a bike one can buy. Just wish I rode it more, thinking of selling it.
Previous bikes:
Rupp mini bike
71 Honda CB 350
74 Suzuki GT 750 (Kettle, Waterbuffalo, etc.) This one was stolen in Berkley, CA back in 83.
72 Suauki GT 750 (Loved the drum brakes up front) Sold it for tuition money. Mistake.
84 Yamaha XS 650 (vibrator on wheels) Never got accustomed to the vibes.
2000 Moto Guzzi Jackal (Simple, clean will run forever. Really like the EFI as it is flawless. Seems HD uses same set up.) My son tells me it is his when I can't ride it anymore. He is the reason I still have it, but it may go this summer.

thinktubes 

Looks like a CanAm there in "2nd place". My Dad owned one - wicked fast!!!!!

vjp

Yes, the Can-Am bikes were awesome. In the 70's, here in BC, you could run a 175cc single in the 125cc (all twins) road race class. A local racer ran a slightly modded Can-Am 175 dirt bike and kicked ass!! They held a few Bonneville records also!!

Chombi

My progression in motorcycles through the years was very predictable:

1) 1973(?) ST 70 DAX (kid)
2) 1975 XL100 (Teenager)
3) long haitus till I can afford to buy a new bike after college but borrowed my Dad's CBX1000 and BMW 100RT once in a while when I got the itch to ride.
4) 1988 647 Hawk GT (New working man)
5) 1995 VFR750FS (To present)
All Hondas cause my dad was mostly a Honda rider and it affected my choices for motorcycles as an adult.
I seem to be stuck with the VFR750 for many years now, mainly because I really couldn't find a reason to replace it yet!

Chombi

SvenMN 

This is the second turn... I managed the holeshot and held it till the last lap when the Can-Am snuck by. Yep, they were wicked fast. Back in the day I think we went 20 minutes plus a lap per moto.

Dang, the bug is getting more persistent. Out of all the race bikes I had that YZ250 was my favorite. Or... the club MTB guys are after me to join them... vintage MTB?...

clubman 

I use to ride my brothers FJ1100 and thought it had too much motor for the frame...scared myself a couple of times.

SteveSGP

I love vintage bikes, sold mine when my son was born though.

My 1974 Kawasaki MachIII 500 as bought,


And the day I sold her, I put a TON of work into that bike and it's still my all time favorite.





Her replacement, a 1981 650 CSR, cammed, Supertrapped hotrod,



And the one I've been trying to rescue from the inlaws barn, a 1977ish Ducati 860 basket case.

vjp

This thread is totally delivering!!