Author Topic: If you could only have one bike....  (Read 4681 times)

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gizzo

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on: September 23, 2015, 08:21:18 am
Reading SectorSteve's engine troubles made me sad for him but also got me thinking....For those who have multiple bikes, if you could have only one what would it be?
 My 1 and only goes against my grain but I'd have a Yamaha MT07. A do anything bike, capable of weekday commuting and interstate travel, some offroad, carry a  load. It's affordable, gets good mileage, has a great warranty, long service intervals and looks cool. I did think Suzuki Savage because I like 'em quirky but I have one and can't see me doing interstate rides on that thing. Too harsh suspension. Otherwise it ticks my boxes.
Anyone else?
simon from south Australia
Continental GT
Pantah
DR250
DRZ400SM
C90
GSX250E


mattsz

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Reply #1 on: September 23, 2015, 10:03:23 am
Looking forward to what this thread reveals.  I can only have one bike, and it'd be nice to read through a list of suggestions of what it might be...


Rich Mintz

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Reply #2 on: September 23, 2015, 02:29:20 pm
I'd keep my 2012 SYM Wolf 150 (basically a Honda CB125 with a slightly bigger engine) and sell the others. It can cruise all day at 62mph, but it's light and nimble, and so simple you can get it repaired on the roadside anywhere in the world.

I would swap out the seat for something flatter that gives me a few more inches of legroom, though!
Rich Mintz - New York City
richmintz@richmintz.com
2010 Royal Enfield Bullet C5 • 2015 SYM Symba
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Richard230

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Reply #3 on: September 23, 2015, 03:15:07 pm
I have owned 44 motorcycles over the past 53 years and still have 6 of them.  So far my favorite is my 2009 BMW F650GS.  It does everything I want it to.  It goes fast enough, gets 60-70 mpg on regular fuel, handles perfectly and the suspension just soaks up bumps while cornering while not causing the chassis to move. With a top box, tank bag and soft saddle bags it can carry a lot of stuff and the engine is very smooth below 80 mph. It has also been very reliable, only needing a few consumable chassis parts and tires to be replaced over the past 36K miles.

I also have a 2014 Zero S electric motorcycle, which I ride every day.  I really enjoy riding that bike because of its accessible torque, lack of a transmission or clutch and silent operation.  However, its braking, suspension and handling are not the best. Plus, the range is only about 100 miles when operated at legal speeds. Top speed is 95 mph. Still, you can't beat it for commuting and short trips within a 40-mile radius and it has almost completely replaced my car for local transportation.
2018 16.6 kWh Zero S, 2009 BMW F650GS, 2020 KTM Duke 390, 2002 Yamaha FZ1


ace.cafe

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Reply #4 on: September 23, 2015, 03:43:31 pm
Without a doubt, my Ace Fireball 535 Bullet. All the vintage charm and appeal of the Iron Barrel Bullet,  with all the power and reliability that I could want. Performs wonderfully, very easy to work on and maintain, relatively low cost parts available, feels awesome to ride, great fuel economy,  etc. I can't think of anything else that I would pick. Maybe my old 1974 Ducati 750 bevel twin Super Sport would be a close competition,  but the Fireball is way more nimble on the road.
Home of the Fireball 535 !


Farmer_John

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Reply #5 on: September 23, 2015, 03:57:28 pm
First generation Ducati M900.  Greatest parts bin bike ever.

Frame and rear suspension from the 851/888, forks from the 750ss, power from the grown up Pantah engine.  All tied together with real world ergos.

Perfect motorcycle.
"It's not what you know, it's how well you reference what you don't"

"Ain't no hill too high for a mountain climber"

Words to succeed by...


Ice

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Reply #6 on: September 24, 2015, 12:10:17 am
~....For those who have multiple bikes, if you could have only one what would it be? ~

 Nightmarish thought that is.

 I will predicate my answer on the assumption that my bikes would be going to whom I choose.  That being the case the answer is easy, my  Iron Barrel Bullet.

 It does everything I need it to do and checks all the blocks for me.

It has been completely reliable, easy to maintain, economical to own and a joy to ride.
It takes me everywhere I want to go and some places I shouldn't.
No matter where you go, there, you are.


pknopp

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Reply #7 on: September 24, 2015, 12:29:19 am
 A Triumph Hurricane.Maybe not the greatest bike and a bit of a dud when new but ever since I first saw one, I've wanted one. I can't justify the price of one today but that wasn't a part of the question.
 
 I might bump it for a bike that's description started out......once owned by Evel Knievel and used to jump.........
2000 Dlx


Ice

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Reply #8 on: September 24, 2015, 03:12:57 am
Wait a minute.......only one bike as in fantasy bike question ?

 That one would be most difficult.

 One of the ten 1948 RE factory "Works" Trials bikes ?

 The only Interceptor 850 in existence ?

 Steve Lindsells Seely framed I.O.M. TT bike ?
No matter where you go, there, you are.


Scotty Brown

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Reply #9 on: September 24, 2015, 04:38:07 am
The short lived BMW R80ST has always been one of my very favorites.  Possibly the best handling BMW with enough power to go almost anywhere.  A bit thirsty when it came to fuel but a large enough tank to compensate.  AND bulletproof when it came to mechanics.  Pretty hard to find these days.


gizzo

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Reply #10 on: September 24, 2015, 11:40:10 am
Wait a minute.......only one bike as in fantasy bike question ?

 

Not really. Unless your fantasy bike is the one you'd use day in day out. My dream bike is a round case Ducati 750 Sport but no way in hell I'd have one to ride every day. I really meant, what would you have as a one and only, everyday bike. Hence the MT07, which I really have no interest in emotionally.
simon from south Australia
Continental GT
Pantah
DR250
DRZ400SM
C90
GSX250E


pknopp

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Reply #11 on: September 24, 2015, 09:05:30 pm
 I don't ride a lot so indeed if I had a Hurricane I would ride it any time the notion to ride struck.
2000 Dlx


tooseevee

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Reply #12 on: September 24, 2015, 09:10:43 pm
    If it was at all possible, which it's not, my dream bike would be what it has already been for a good 40 years.

     My harley has already been promised to my best friend of 35 years since shortly after I finished it and if the right person comes along I'd let the ACEhead '08 AVL go to spend my last years with a well and carefully, but not overly, restored stock and mechanically perfect 1938 harley EL (Olive Green and Brown, please. Or Red and Black). 

      I ride my little '77 now only a couple times a month and it may go  before the snowblower moves in this Fall and I can only manage about 10 or 12 miles at a time now even on the Enfield. It just plain hurts way too much and has hurt way too much for way too many years. The Enfield, even now, still shows under 1,200 miles on its odometer and is screaming to be belong to someone who can take it out and ride the shit out of it. That ain't me no' mo' (I've left tires for the new owner to choose, everything else is done).

       A nice '38 knuckle would be the perfect bike for me to finish out my time on; just a short hop to park somewhere, get a coffee and sit and stare at the horizon, then kick it again and another short hop home again, home again, jiggetty jig. Sitting on a well-greased pogo tractor seat!  ??? :) 
« Last Edit: September 24, 2015, 09:23:32 pm by tooseevee »
RI USA '08 Black AVL Classic.9.8:1 ACEhead/manifold/canister. TM32/Open bottle/hot tube removed. Pertronix Coil. Fed mandates removed. Gr.TCI. Bobber seat. Battery in right side case. Decomp&all doodads removed. '30s Lucas taillight/7" visored headlight. Much blackout & wire/electrical upgrades.


medra42

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Reply #13 on: September 25, 2015, 01:12:06 pm
I had to stop and think about this for a while. I don't have the experience some of you have-- either in repair expertise or in frustration with the manufacturing quality of the Enfields.

That said, ever since I tried to restore my dad's CB750, I've enjoyed tinkering with engines, and I like tinkering with my CGT. When something falls off I shrug and bolt it back on. I totally fucked up the exhaust while trying to paint it, so I just sanded it all down, bolted it back on, and went on with my life. The grunge of it has grown on me. When my rear brake line mysteriously started leaking, I cut it and mounted the reservoir on the rear of the frame, out of the way, until I figure out how I want to mount it behind the ankle plate. When both horns finally broke off I priced OEM fixes, balked, and I've been considering where to re-mount them ever since. Zip ties are looking appealing.

All thanks you all.

Compare that to my Bonnie T100. Great bike. Turns on. Cruises at 75-80mph no problem. Gets a fair share of head turns. But whines and makes hair dryer noises. And it doesn't fall apart. It just keeps moving-- faster, but in a way that's somehow less thrilling and less appealing than 60mph on the CGT. But she can take two riders up to the mountains all day long. The CGT can do that.. just a bit more slowly.

I just moved back into the city, and a lot of my trips are 10 minutes or so, so I love having mouthy, kick start, thumping, agile fun bike to cut around corners and dodge morons.

I'm swapping bikes out this weekend, and considering selling one along with my car. I'm having a hard time deciding between keeping the CGT with a 2-up seat, or keeping Bonnie.

And I'm torn because, damn it, the CGT does it for me. And this community does it for me. But I can hear the "practical" part of me telling me to keep the Bonnie... sigh.
Soph: 2012 Bonneville T100
Padma: 2014 Royal Enfield Continental GT
Igorina: 2013 Honda CB500X


ace.cafe

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Reply #14 on: September 25, 2015, 02:30:54 pm
Motorcycles are about fun. If it ain't fun, it"s a fail. You take the bike cuz you want to ride. You can get to work in any form of transport.
Practicality is for air conditioned econo-cars, or pickup trucks.

No other bike can match the "grin factor" of a Royal  Enfield.
 ;D
Home of the Fireball 535 !


The Old Coot

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Reply #15 on: September 27, 2015, 02:06:12 pm
Aww come on Bikes are like potato chips, I can't have just one!

BUT if forced to I think I'd keep my KLR. It's not the fastest, sexiext, best handling or coolest bike BUT it will do just about anything I've ever ask it to do and haul more stuff to places you shouldn't even walk to much less ride a motorcycle to. I ridden it to Florida and back to Ohio twice, the tidewater of VA and the UP of Michigan and well as many trips to WV, IN and KY. PLUS it's my steady ride to work and back and the grocery store and even the Doctors office. Simple to work on built like a rock and enough personality to be interning. PLUS there is more support and goodies available for the old beast than you can shake a stick at.     
2012 Kawasaki Versys
2015 Royal Enfield C5 black
2008 Bullet ES 5 Iron Barrel


Uncle Billy

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Reply #16 on: September 27, 2015, 02:32:09 pm
My 1984 Honda VF750F Interceptor, bought new.  Except that it's larger and heavier than my GT, it's just as much fun on the twisties. It seems to anticipate what I want to do and is right there with me as I toss it back and forth under me on a winding and twisting road. Plus it will cruise all day at 80 or 90 mph (and did back in the 1980s when I trusted myself to ride that hard), carry a load of camping gear without interfering with hanging off the seat on curves, and has never failed me in any way - it always starts, never stalls, is smooth and silky at speed.  My other street bikes are fun for doing one or two things; my Interceptor is fun for doing everything I would want to do on a bike on the road.

Here's a road test of it from the 1980s:
http://www.vf750fd.com/blurbs/roadtest.html

2019 Royal Enfield 650 GT
2014 Royal Enfield 535 GT
1984 HONDA VF750 INTERCEPTOR
1975 Yamaha DT 100
1973 Yamaha RD 250 made into a cafe racer in 1975
1973 Yamaha TY 175 Trialer
1966 Yamaha DT 125 Enduro   X2