Bike's Past & Present.

You weren’t out in your Thrux last Monday were you? I was on my way down to goring and saw one going in and he opposite direction.

 

A slightly varied selection

• Yamaha YB100
• Honda CB175 Rat Bike
• Kawasaki Z250
• Guzzi Le Mans II (Black and Gold)
• Triumph TT600
• Triumph Sprint RS
• Kawasaki Ninja 400 (the boat anchor based on a sleeved down 650)
• Suzuki SV650S (mistake)
• Triumph Speed Triple 1050

 

I've had the odd one or two over the years

1979
Suzuki A100
1980
Honda H100
Honda CB250G5
Honda CB250N SuperDream
Suzuki GS250T
Suzuki GS1000 with GSX1100 engine
Suzuki GSX1100EZ
Honda CB650Z
1988
Kawasaki GPZ900
Kawasaki GPZ750 Turbo
Kawasaki GPZ900
1990
Suzuki GSXR1100L
1992
Kawasaki ZXR750J2
Suzuki GSXR1100L
Honda CB250N SuperDream
Suzuki GSXR1100H
1994
Suzuki GSXR1100WP
Honda CB125RS
Honda CB250N Superdream
1996
Bandit 1200
1999
Triumph Sprint ST
Bandit 1200
2000
TTR250
2001
CBR900RRX Fireblade
Bandit 600
2002
VTR1000 Firestorm
Bandit 750
Suzuki GSX1300R - K2 Hayabusa
2003
Bandit 400
Kawasaki ZX7-R race bike
Yamaha Fazer 1000
2004
Bandit 1200 (1st time)
GSXR1000 K4 race bike
2005
ZX12R-A1
GSX1300R - K5 Hayabusa
2006
DRZ400
Bandit 1200 (2nd time)
2007
Bandit 1250
2008
Suzuki GSX1300R 2000 Hayabusa race bike
Bandit 1200 (3rd time)
2013
Street Triple
2015
Tiger Sport
2016
Tiger Sport (current)
2017
Speed Triple S
Bonneville Newchurch (current)
2018
Speed Triple RS?

 

Can’t remember how many or what bikes I’ve had over the 51 years of riding, but it started in 1966 on my 16th birthday.
Tiger Cub
Honda CB160
650Triton
Velocette MSS
Triumph 5TA
After that it’s all a blur with various Jap, a few European and the odd Brit of various cc’s and number of cylinders.
It’s an age thing, but I know that I’ve got a Tiger 800XC, 1984 Honda CB700 and a Yamaha RD250D in the garage cos I’ve just looked

 

Haven’t we done this thread before?

 

Bloody hell TC - you've had a few bikes over the years, haven't you ?

 

Yamaha TDR 125
Bandit 600
Bandit 1200
Honda VFR 750 FV
Honda Firestorm VTR 1000
Honda VFR 800 (crap bike PojS)
BMW R1100 GS
BMW R1150 GS (Great bike)
BMW R1100 S
BMW R1100 RT
BMW R1150 R (Great bike)
Ducati ST2 (Brilliant bike)
Bandit 1200 (Ltd edition paintjob)
Triumph Bonneville T100 efi (2010 - much modified - Great bike)
KTM 1190 Adventure (very tall bike)
Triumph Tiger 955i (2006)

Current bike:
Yamaha MT-07 Tracer (2017 - great bike. Light, quick, economical).

 

I like to try different ones, although it has got a bit silly recently and expensive.....
Still, money's no good in the grave or the bank.....

I was going to stick with the Speed S for a bit longer but they bought out the new one with cruise control which was something I wanted after having it on the Tiger Sport, so maybe I'll keep the new one a bit longer...... but don't hold your breath

 

If you mean the BM's it was in part because of the dealer in Northampton - they gave me deals like you wouldn't believe. I had tremendous fun on my BM's and did loads of miles between UK, France & Germany. Then I rode my mate's ST2 and I was hooked.

 

Suzuki RF900 how did you like this Havit? I seem to fancy one.

 

In the late 70s early 80s
FS1E
RD250 E (or D)
Guzzi V 50
Guzzi Le Mans mk 1
Then a bit of a break
90s
Triumph Daytona 1000
Triumph Daytona 1200
Then a longer break kids came along hedges and mortality seemed closer plus was heavily into sailing and boats in general. Then son wanted a bike.....
So
Street triple
Street triple R
Sprint
Then finally Ting Tong the Bonnie !
In this period the Le Mans was dug out and restored and we decided she needed company her own age so acquired for restoration
Darmah SD
Jota 180
And a T160
And a wee spitfire is on the way too

 

I had one, fastest bike I’ve owned, basic but solid handling... a little leaning forward for my taste, but it suits the bike. The roll on out of roundabouts was addictive, I was wary it’s a licence loser. “A” road blaster, not a back lanes scratcher.

 

Owned a few.

89 GN250
86 GSX550EF
97 ZX600R F3
99 Bandit 6
88 ZXR400H1
94 EXUP1000RU
98 CBR900RRW
01 5JJ R1
01 RSV Mille R
97 CBR900RRV
98 T595 Daytona
02 Speed Triple 955i
03 K3 Gixer 1000
05 K5 Gixer 1000
09 CBR1000RR
13 Street Triple R + 89 CBR1000F / 03 SV650N / 98 4XV R1
11 675 Daytona (swapped for my 13STR) + 01 955i Daytona

 

I've had a few over the years

Beta MX5 (Worst. Bike. Ever.)
Honda CD175
Yamaha DT175
Suzuki GT250 X7 (The first genuine 100mph 250 quickly overshadowed by the Yamaha LC)
Kawasaki Z650
Kawasaki Zephyr 500
Honda Hornet 600
Honda VFR800
Triumph Sprint ST
Honda VTR1000 Firestorm (A hugely under rated bike, a bit on thirsty side though)
CCM R30 (Brilliant fun)
Yamaha XJR1300 SP
Honda CBR929RRY Fireblade (Incredible bike, loved it)
Honda CBR929RRY Fireblade (As above)
BMW R850R (The start of a love affair with Boxer twins)
BMW R1150GS
Honda CBR1000 Fireblade (Looked amazing but I didn't get on with it)
Honda CBR1300XX Blackbird (Engine like a turbine and all day comfy)
Triumph Speedmaster (Sorry SM owners, I thought it was underpowered)
BMW F800ST (Brilliantly frugal and comfy, just lacked a bit of edge)
BMW R1200RT (Armchair comfortable, all the bells and whistles and brilliant for it)
Triumph Street Triple R (I bought one of the press launch bikes and thought it was most fun bike ever built)
Ducati ST3 (Probably the most underrated Ducati ever built, I put 25k on mine and it didn't miss a beat)
BMW R1200GS (Best bike I've owned, wish I still had it)
Harley Davidson Switchback ( I had a Harley itch that needed scratching, biggest and most costly mistake I've made in nearly 40 years of riding bikes)
BMW R1200GS LC TE (Traded my old GS1200 for it and while it was better, for me it was clinical and lacked the character of the older twin cam model)
Ducati Scrambler Icon (Crap suspension and fuelling, looked great but I hated it. Stupidly bought on seeing the bike before launch and not test riding)
Ducati Monster 821
Honda CB500X
Triumph Street Scrambler (Loved the look when it came out but thought it would be underpowered, test rode one while my old GS LC was in for a service round the corner and loved it, still do).

I'm done with mad power these days, been there, seen it, done it. Living in the Brecon Beacons the Street Scrambler is perfect for me.