Time for a motorbike list

[gez]

That is one very smart looking motorcycle. It's only an entry level model too.
Another question - why do modern 125s sound so awful? Every time I see one going past in town it sounds like a fat bloke farting into a sack. The only exception I've come across is a "Mutt" style one that sounded as you might hope a small single to sound. It did at least have a *bit* of a thump to it.

I don't know for sure as I've not kept up to date with motorbikes in years, but it's probably for similar reasons to why cars are so much more muted these days. A combination of catatlytic converters, PPF filters in the exhaust etc. Plus of course ever more stringent noise regulations that need to be passed.

 

[SteveG]

The think I envied about the 12hp CB125 Superdream was that it had an electric starter, which was quite rate on 125's at the time. I think one of the Suzuki's did as well (GS125 perhaps) but most were kick-start.

When my wife was learning to ride she had a Yamaha SR125 which I quite liked riding as it's the easiest bike I've ever tried for getting the pegs down.

Currently we have 2 125's in the garage - a Yamaha YBR125 that was my son's although hasn't been used since he got his car license, and a Honda MSX125 "Grom" that we bought to take with us on holidays in the motorhome as it's tiny and light and fits in the garage.

The YBR isn't that different from the 125's I learned on although does have an electric start, but still has a carb.

The MSX125 is a different story as it's a lot more sophisticated with fuel injection and even ABS brakes.

This should give an idea of how small the bike is (my wife is tiny so makes the bike look bigger in that picture above):

I need to tidy up the YBR, get it MOT'd and then get it sold but before I do I'm intending that my wife and I take the 2 125's and ride over the old Forth Road Bridge as 125's are one of the few vehicles that are still allowed on it.

 

[richardg]

Vincent did oil in frame even earlier - my Comet had it in ‘58 and it wasn’t new!

Honda Dominator also.

 

[paulfromcamden]

@SteveG I see the occasional Grom on my commute across London and they always make me smile. I kind of hanker after one but I'm 6'4" so I think I'd be steering with my knees : )

 

[SteveG]

@SteveG I see the occasional Grom on my commute across London and they always make me smile. I kind of hanker after one but I'm 6'4" so I think I'd be steering with my knees : )

We often use ours 2-up which also must look pretty odd. It is a fun little bike to ride.

 

[Ginger]

I will depend on how heavy the exhaust is. On todays motorcycles the exhaust is a very heavy item and complicated inside too.

Heavier than the Harley lump?

Matters not, I love the look of your Buell - outside of the ordinary and looks great, it's lovely to see it.

 

[Enfield boy]

Mass centralisation!

 

[Martyn Miles]

I always wanted a Honda CB92 when I was in my teens, as it looked much better than most
British bikes.
They plodded along, leaked oil and were difficult to start.
The little Honda saw off most 350cc British singles in acceleration.

I eventually got one about 45 years later.
It was fun, but nothing like I imagined it would be.

Fortunately they were collectable, so I didn’t lose money on it.
By the way, I didn’t buy an old British classic bike.
Too expensive..

 

[-alan-]

Just added this to the collection. I've been after a good one of these for years. These are such fun bikes...

Note: those are not my other bikes in the background.

That is a lovely thing GT - absolute hooligan machine too. with that bar and pegs setup I imagine

I think the last bike Eric Buelll designed for Harley was the FXR, so he certainly came a long way from then. Never knew he used a Rotax engine in some of the models either.

Health to drive, and keep 'er between the hedges.

@stevec67 on the brake design: there's not going to be much loss of rigidity with that setup when you look at the size of the casting the caliper is mounted on. The big trade-off I imagine comes from getting the same braking force with one disc/caliper instead of two, which will save all the extra unsprung weight you'd have with the double disk setup. But hey.. no matter why they used it.. it just looks damn cool. Justification aplenty

 

[wow&flutter]

The think I envied about the 12hp CB125 Superdream was that it had an electric starter, which was quite rate on 125's at the time. I think one of the Suzuki's did as well (GS125 perhaps) but most were kick-start.

When my wife was learning to ride she had a Yamaha SR125 which I quite liked riding as it's the easiest bike I've ever tried for getting the pegs down.

Currently we have 2 125's in the garage - a Yamaha YBR125 that was my son's although hasn't been used since he got his car license, and a Honda MSX125 "Grom" that we bought to take with us on holidays in the motorhome as it's tiny and light and fits in the garage.

The YBR isn't that different from the 125's I learned on although does have an electric start, but still has a carb.

The MSX125 is a different story as it's a lot more sophisticated with fuel injection and even ABS brakes.

This should give an idea of how small the bike is (my wife is tiny so makes the bike look bigger in that picture above):

I need to tidy up the YBR, get it MOT'd and then get it sold but before I do I'm intending that my wife and I take the 2 125's and ride over the old Forth Road Bridge as 125's are one of the few vehicles that are still allowed on it.

Around 2001 the wife at the time fancied getting her license and SR125’s were fetching pretty good money. I did however find a Suzuki GN125 which was ideal, really low seat with a great riding position (unlike the custom GZ125).
I used it to commute occasionally and it was an absolute blast, I thoroughly enjoyed it. There was something great about riding a bike flat out without doing silly speeds, something my Thunderace wouldn't let me do.
I loved the ace so much that twenty years later before buying my current bike I searched one out but my ageing bones just didn’t fit it any longer. My first realisation I was an old fart at 56

 

[gez]

That is a lovely thing GT - absolute hooligan machine too. with that bar and pegs setup I imagine

I think the last bike Eric Buelll designed for Harley was the FXR, so he certainly came a long way from then. Never knew he used a Rotax engine in some of the models either.

Health to drive, and keep 'er between the hedges.

@stevec67 on the brake design: there's not going to be much loss of rigidity with that setup when you look at the size of the casting the caliper is mounted on. The big trade-off I imagine comes from getting the same braking force with one disc/caliper instead of two, which will save all the extra unsprung weight you'd have with the double disk setup. But hey.. no matter why they used it.. it just looks damn cool. Justification aplenty

That kind of set up does have the (slight) disadvantage of moving rotating mass further away from the centre of rotation, therefore increasing the required turning force because you've just increased the gyroscope effect. Centralisation of rotating mass is one potential advantage of having two smaller discs rather than a single large one (though you'd have to do the actual maths to see if it works out that way with the actual discs and distances involved). Obviously, if your brake disc is near enough the diameter of the wheel anyway (which on some bikes they're getting pretty close), then mounting it to the wheel rim rather than hub is probaly neither here nor there.

That caliper is about where it would be anyway if the bike had a normal dual disc set up, so nothing of any concern there in terms of mounting rigidity. Look where the caliper is on this Honda Fireblade for example:

 

[-alan-]

Looking at that pic - they do seem to have stretched the diameter of the 'normal' disks out almost as far as the rim mounted ones on the Buell.

Modern sports bikes are actually really serous pieces of kit

 

[mercalia]

So I am now looking at Suzuki M800 cruiser bikes. The nice thing they have shaft drives. 50HP 800cc twin V engine. Good enough for plodding along on

 

[GT]

Looking at that pic - they do seem to have stretched the diameter of the 'normal' disks out almost as far as the rim mounted ones on the Buell.

Don't forget not all bikes use the same diameter of wheel, plus the Buell only has one disc. The Buell uses a 17" wheel, my Triumph has a 16" front wheel and my Honda has a 18" wheel.

 

[Space is the Place]

Smashing Graham, what model Bimota is that? I remember the Tesi which was an interesting bike. Buell looks great my friend had one he lent me for a while, it had an issue with the engine that was difficult to fix? but it's so long ago now i can't remember what the issue was. Always fancied some kind of Flat track replica Harley/Indian, the XR being one of my favourite bikes (although it's just easier to buy a KTM thats great out of the box!).
Have been enjoying the Superhooligan race series and the Baggers too!

 

[GT]

Smashing Graham, what model Bimota is that? I remember the Tesi which was an interesting bike. Buell looks great my friend had one he lent me for a while, it had an issue with the engine that was difficult to fix? but it's so long ago now i can't remember what the issue was. Always fancied some kind of Flat track replica Harley/Indian, the XR being one of my favourite bikes (although it's just easier to buy a KTM thats great out of the box!).
Have been enjoying the Superhooligan race series and the Baggers too!

It's the Tesi 3 and one of the very last made before Bimota moved over to Kawasaki mechanicals.

I too had a problem with my first Buell in 2002 (XB9 Firebolt), however that was down to me as I had the stock bike that ran very well and then I had the stage 1 kit fitted to it by the local Harley garage where it was bought from. It was never the same after that and had to go back to the garage every 3 weeks to have the ECU reset. The garage weren't interested in putting the bike back to standard so I sold it back to them. The later bikes were more refined with the significant update they had in 2008 with the Thunderstorm engine.

Those racing Baggers are something else. I saw one, an Indian Challenger RR race bike at Krazy Horse just before Christmas. It was last years model from the race series and they wanted £95K for it. Up close the mods they have to do to race these bike is amazing.

 

[-alan-]

Those Laguna Seca races are good fun

They seem to be fairly relaxed about what you can enter in the Hooligan class:

(*and just for the avoidance of doubt - yes, no.98 on the Lowrider with the motoX-apehanger hybrid bars in front of the two KTMs is firmly in backmarker/mobile chicane territory here)

Great last couple of laps duel to the finish with those two guys btw.

 

[-alan-]

Short and undistinguished list here..
Late 1960s. Royal Enfield Crusader Sport.
Then briefly, a Durkopp Diana 250 cc scooter..with electric start!
Never got around to passing a bike test and got my first car..a 1958 Opel Olympia Rekord.
Couldn't afford cars AND bikes through 70s
80s I couldn't afford to use our only car to get to uni as a mature student, so got a Honda CD175 s/h which wasn't strictly legal..for a few months till I got a Honda CB125T. One of the last before power restrictions on 125s, so a massive 15.5 bhp at the back wheel or somesuch. Still it was a little screamer revving to about 12k, or nearer 20k on a missed gear change...Great fun.
I always had a dream to get a vintage British bike, something 500cc upwards restore it and take it across the pond to 'do' Route 66.
Obviously not a big enough priority though as I never got close.
Now I can afford to get a full license and a big bike..but at 75 it's possibly not a great idea....

Nonsense. 75 years young, you're just slightly beyond the fringes of your prime Mull for goodness sake
(Don't lose sight of the old adage - it's not a case of you stop when you get old..it's definitely absolutely the other way round..)

You could of course follow Billy Connolly's lead on the Route 66 thing if you're a bit apprehensive about the 2 wheel approach- use a big fkoff trike..

Just reading a copy of this I picked up in a charity shop for a few bob. A light read, more about the people and places there than the biking really, but gives you a little insight into what it's actually like along the way.

 

[gez]

Don't forget not all bikes use the same diameter of wheel, plus the Buell only has one disc. The Buell uses a 17" wheel, my Triumph has a 16" front wheel and my Honda has a 18" wheel.

Honda Fireblade is 17" (which is by far the most common wheel size for jap sports bike IME). The first model did have a 16" though, and used a rather high profile tyre as a result. I rode a couple and never liked the way the front felt, felt too "tippy" for my liking. 17" wheels have a far more natural feel to them, IMO. I've never ridden a bike with an 18" wheel, not sure why anyone would ever put one on a bike to be honest.

 

[GT]

Honda Fireblade is 17" (which is by far the most common wheel size for jap sports bike IME). The first model did have a 16" though, and used a rather high profile tyre as a result. I rode a couple and never liked the way the front felt, felt too "tippy" for my liking. 17" wheels have a far more natural feel to them, IMO. I've never ridden a bike with an 18" wheel, not sure why anyone would ever put one on a bike to be honest.

Some of the older bikes plus some retro bikes with spoked wheels use 18" wheels.