[ROSKO]

I know a lot of you own modern bikes as well as vintage/ classic rides. There is also the contingent of riders who use vintage bikes as their everyday transpo. Of the later group I have heard a lot of folks bringing up wanting a modern (or more modern) motorcycle... if only for reliabilty. Geeto's Ducati lust, TT and his Triumph fixation, JenD's SV, the list goes on. Hell, thats the whole reason I wanted the G/S, dead reliable and repairable IF it is set-up correctly to begin with! (thats a whole 'nother problem, my affinity for great bikes treated badly w/ prices that reflect "what a deal")

I love my old bikes but when it is your ONLY form of transport and things go south it's a beotch!

So, if you were to get something a bit more modern and reliable what would it be? Why?

BORN TO LURK, FORCED TO WORK.
www.NYCvinMoto.com
www.VinMoto.org

 

[champ]

BMW from the 70-80's. Dead nuts reliable, comfortable and smooth.

JS

 

[Speed Racer]

I have a 05 600rr. Not the most comfortable but fun to ride and I know that it will start every time. I hear good things about the Honda 919. If I were to switch it would be to a Suzuki 2008 DR-Z400SM.... http://www.suzukicycles.com/Products/DRZ400SMK8/Default.aspx

It just looks cool and I bet it is a blast to ride.

 

[Geeto67]

My list of modern iron I lust for (in the order in which I can think up witty stuff to write):

Ducati Sport 1000 - as if butter wouldn't melt....

Triumph Thruxton - when the ducati just seems like too much long green

Honda VFR800 - This years model with the red white and blue throwback paint and matching hardbags. (any used vfr will do too)

honda cbr600f4i - the commuter's crotch rocket, if I just wasn't too big for it...

zx10R - when you absolutley, positivly, need a motorcycle killing machine

2003 z1000 - In orange, gotta be orange with the stock 4-pipes out back

trumpet speed triple - when you don't quite think hooligan behavior is overrated.

duc monstah s2r - When you absolutley, positivley need to blend in in brooklyn

ninja 650R - rented this one in vegas and I have to say I like it better than the SV. Besides red frames are hawt!. too bad I am too big fer it

suzuki GS500E - This is a roach motorcycle. There is one on my block I pass everyday selling for $900 (a 1994 I think) and I could just see riding this piece until the wheels fall off then chucking it a ditch and setting it on fire. I don't want this bike so much as I want to destroy it!!!

any zx7 ninja - the gsxr is the last 750 sportbike because kawasaki got tired of kicking its ass. Love the idea of 750cc sport bikes but I don't want the lombotomy that comes with owning a gsxr. made them up to 2003 I think, and they just look soooooooo coooool. espically the ones that come with the white areas on the tail where you can paint your race number....

...and I'm spent.

 

[dch]

GB500...

 

[Judeyramone]

My brother had a gb500. What a blast those things are! Sold it a couple yrs ago (at a profit, no less) to remodel his bathroom. We don't speak anymore.

 

[pampadori]

i've been looking at the new KTM Super Duke. i think its a good looking bike, with a style all its own.

'72 cb750
'76 cb550

 

[FR]

As I've said in another post, my '97 Suzuki Bandit 1200 does a great all around job, and it's stone reliable, and I can do the valve adjustments 'cause it's just got regular 'ol tappet adjusters.
The VFR750 is a great all arounder too, but a little more complex when you have to work on 'em. (I hate spending a half hour removing and remounting fairings, and trying to find a safe place to put them while I'm working on the bike.)
There must be tons of mid to late '90s jap bikes that would do the job for not much money.

FR

 

[LiLBull]

ktm superduc is styling all its own like an AMC pacer has styling all its own.
Its a matter of opinion but my eye of style see its choppy lines and stuck on angles to me look like styling just to look modern and edgey.And it doesnt look modern or edgey .They missed the mark.
Didnt want to rain on your dream ,but the styling of that bike needs to be redrawn.
But I do hope if you like it you get it and enjoy it .Im just speaking of the styling.

Im so far behind ,that I think Im in first.

 

[LiLBull]

sport duc or monster number one ,number two a striped down BMW,like a r1200s

I would go for the old school triumph but the parts seem low quality.
and the above brands have quality over all.



Im so far behind ,that I think Im in first.

Edited by - LILBULL on Aug 03 2007 8:11:05 PM

 

[Geeto67]

the new triumphs have quality in spades. I was talking to a trumpet tech ad Mid-O (and jim also mentioned this to me later) and he said that they had so many issues in the past that they are now overbuilding the bikes and there is really a large margin of safety and reliability in them.

The super duke is really impressive in person, not so much in photos. I didn't like sitting on it but I also didn't really like sitting on the new Speed3 either.

gb500 is great except you are now paying a new bike price for a used bike.

 

[dch]

gb500...I had one, new, still in the crate in the garage when I was married, sold it to a guy in Canada, new addition on the house...still kicking myself

dch.

 

[ttilghman]

i managed to put an easy 80K on an '01 triumph bonniville before it turned 5yrs old...it's been parked since i wadded it into a mountianside a couple of years ago, but as goofy as that bike can look with the wrong running gear, it was a great ride and never asked for any extra attention. just a couple of shim-over-bucket valve adjustments on the .001 loose side.

so that all just leads to the fact that i'm totally hooked on the new triumph 675 without the fairing. but yeah, someone point me to an agile middlewieght that will do 20k miles/year with nothing more than fresh tires, chains and sprockets and the occasional valve check and i'm sold.

looking-
tt

 

[ProTeal55]

I just bought a Ducati Monster S2R1K for my "daily" bike.

I wanted something I could ride everyday, start up at the push of a button, etc.. I cant tell you how nice it is to have a fuel injected modern bike. I still have the CB450 for city cruisin and stop light races, but the Ducati is now the "main" bike..

ProTeal55
Member: Ton-Up Club Chicago
1974 CB360 (Project)
1974 CB/CL450 Racer
2007 Ducati Monster S2R
1955 Chevrolet Bel-Air Hardtop

Edited by - PROTEAL55 on Aug 06 2007 12:32:16 PM

 

[krapfever]

Owned a '00 Kawi W650 for a couple of years. Handsome, but underpowered, bike. C'mon though, a rear drum and a kickstarter--How cool is that?


I like my '01 SV650. Poor man's Monster. Whatever.


Rode the new KTM 690 Supermoto last weekend. That thing could get a fella in trouble. 700cc single. Booyah!





Honda go sideways!

 

[Diamondj]

My '78 GS1000 IS my modern bike:

Hell, it's got valves AND cams..... What more could you want? Actually now I have an 88 NT650 project bike that has valves, cams, and a friggin radiator!!!

But if we're going to talk about bikes built within the last five years or so that I'd buy with my own money? I'll start with my favorite marque and then the rest in alpha order:

Suzuki GSXR-1000 - I'd want one that has been dropped and has some plastic damage. That way, I could get it cheap and then strip off the panels and either build a naked street fighter out of it OR bolt on some vintage race fairings to confuse the masses. Maybe a dustbin fairing???

Suzuki SV1000 - A decent machine with a nice sound to it. Again, maybe a good candidate for the vintage fairing route.

Suzuki GS500 - I'd want one that had the engine blown up. Why? I've got this GT750 engine and I have to wonder if it could become a stressed member in a GS500 backbone?

As for the rest:

Ducati Sport 1000 (or 1000S) - Pretty much everything I'd want to do to a late model 996/998/999 that had been dropped. Plus if they are really clearancing them for $8,000? Damn! Where are the kids hiding their piggy banks these days? Daddy needs a loan!

Ducati 916 - One of the prettiest bikes ever built (IMO) and the nice ones out there are not going to get any cheaper.

Triumph Speed Triple - They just keep getting better looking and the build quality is first rate.

KTM Super Duke - All black please.

Buell - The Lightning and the Firebolt are both interesting but I've never been able to get past the 30's tech engines on a new bike. The new dual cam Rotax liquid cooled 1125R is very interesting......

Otherwise, any Japanese 600 class sport bike built in the last 4 or 5 years with damaged fairings for either street fighter treatment or vintage style race fairings. A set of 17" spoked motard wheels would work well here....

There's my list.....

Jim

 

[fuzzybutt]

hell i recently sold my 06 k1200r, i never rode it. now i wish i hadnt

fat people are harder to kidnap

 

[KeninIowa]

My '78 GS1000 IS my modern bike:

There's one of those sitting in a backyard about four blocks from my house that I've been trying to get my hands on. It has quite a colorful local history, sort of a two-wheeled urban legend. Then to get me even more motivated, last week I see one sitting in front of the local sign shop with GSXR wheels and forks. I whip in to look at it, turns out the owner/builder is a guy I know. I may be hitting you up for advice.

Back to the topic. If I could get over thinking they're ugly, my next bike would be a 'Busa. What I've ridden my buddy's it's super comfortable and wicked fast.

 

[Geeto67]

went to the bike shop to get a tube for the cb750 (I got a flat!) and while I was there a guy came in with a turbo busa. Holy fuck nuggets batman was that bike fast. I had to beg, plead, cry, and grovel but I got to launch the thing down the street (basically 3 blocks to the dead end and then back). I didn't get out of first and when that turbo comes on pipe it is a true brown moment as the bike stepped a foot sideways every time (the 6" extended swinger kept it from wheelie-ing back over on top of me).

 

[KeninIowa]

The first time I rode my buddy's took it out on the highway and ran it through the first three gears. He was behind me on my bike. Get back to my place and he says it spun the tire bad first to second shift. I'm like it couldn't have been bad, it didn't do anything stupid. He says it laid a 30 foot stripe. Later that night I'm watching tv and it strikes me that it'll go 95ish in first. Spinning a gooey Shinko tire at 100mph is impressive to me. His bike is basically stock. It'll go 10 flats any old day and he's gone 9.80s with decent air.

It's lowered as far as you can go without risking the fairing on potholes(learned that with his first one). Around town it doesn't feel heavy at all. He says it still corners fine, but I'm sure it gives up some handling being that low.

I like everything about it except the looks.