Motorbike nostalgia... what bikes/bike gives you the most 'history'

Anything you like about motorbikes
User avatar
weeksy
Site Admin
Posts: 23431
Joined: Sat Mar 14, 2020 12:08 pm
Has thanked: 5453 times
Been thanked: 13098 times

Motorbike nostalgia... what bikes/bike gives you the most 'history'

Post by weeksy »

Not in terms of "i watched XYZ racing this...." but in terms of person attachment to bikes you've owned etc

For me it has to be the KTM 990 Superduke.

ImageDSC00874 (2) by Steve Weeks, on Flickr

It's what took me from Sportsbikes into a whole new 'me' in terms of bikes. I still recall going to Dorset way to collect it with gsxr-ian and @crust , then coming home and half of me loving it and half thinking "WTF have you done here" but it changed my riding massively for the rest of my riding time. With trackdays, trips, tours, i had more than a few 990SDs.
User avatar
KungFooBob
Posts: 14223
Joined: Sat Mar 14, 2020 1:04 pm
Location: The content of this post is not AI generated.
Has thanked: 539 times
Been thanked: 7539 times

Re: Motorbike nostalgia... what bikes/bike gives you the most 'history'

Post by KungFooBob »

First trackday, first wheelie, first stoppy, first knee down, first telling off by the plod.

Long summer evenings thrashing the tits off it riding with my mates.

Oh to be 19 again...
Attachments
7339_0.jpg
7339_0.jpg (110.24 KiB) Viewed 564 times
User avatar
ChrisW
Posts: 2724
Joined: Thu Feb 10, 2022 8:46 pm
Has thanked: 2918 times
Been thanked: 2060 times

Re: Motorbike nostalgia... what bikes/bike gives you the most 'history'

Post by ChrisW »

Being truly nostalgic it'd be this RM80Z.

I absolutely loved it & it was an order of magnitude better than anything I'd had or ridden up to then. I still clearly remember the first 50 yards on it.

Image
User avatar
Dodgy69
Posts: 5465
Joined: Mon Mar 16, 2020 6:36 pm
Location: Shrewsbury
Has thanked: 1750 times
Been thanked: 2085 times

Re: Motorbike nostalgia... what bikes/bike gives you the most 'history'

Post by Dodgy69 »

16th birthday...Yamaha fs1e dx. Proper fun times. Like this...

Image
Yamaha rocket 3
User avatar
Skub
Posts: 12175
Joined: Mon Mar 16, 2020 5:32 pm
Location: Norn Iron
Has thanked: 9836 times
Been thanked: 10149 times

Re: Motorbike nostalgia... what bikes/bike gives you the most 'history'

Post by Skub »

Oddly enough,I've no hankering to own bikes I had in the past,but I do have an urge to own some I passed by. I missed the whole Kawaski triple thing,finding myself with Suzuki and Yamaha strokers,so there's an itch that hasn't yet been scratched. I know they are shit bikes in almost every way,but still I only need to hear or see one and I go all misty eyes for a past that never was. :lol:

Image
"Be kind to past versions of yourself that didn't know what you know now."
Walt Whitman
https://soundcloud.com/skub1955
cheb
Posts: 4908
Joined: Tue Mar 17, 2020 6:51 am
Been thanked: 2618 times

Re: Motorbike nostalgia... what bikes/bike gives you the most 'history'

Post by cheb »

My much modified R100GS. I didn't do that many miles on but I really enjoyed the bits I made to fit. The engine internals were the only parts I left alone.
User avatar
Yorick
Posts: 16754
Joined: Sat Mar 14, 2020 8:20 pm
Location: Paradise
Has thanked: 10276 times
Been thanked: 6891 times

Re: Motorbike nostalgia... what bikes/bike gives you the most 'history'

Post by Yorick »

This one. Bought it 3 months old. Only raced once.
1982 and 83 were the best years of my racing times.
Too many great moments. We did 40 meetings in 83. Usually 4-6 races at each. Sometimes 8 or 10 if we went silly. Bike was perfect all season.
20210529_160923.jpg
20210529_160923.jpg (1.67 MiB) Viewed 521 times
User avatar
Rockburner
Posts: 4379
Joined: Sun Mar 15, 2020 11:06 am
Location: Hiding in your blind spot
Has thanked: 7821 times
Been thanked: 2530 times

Re: Motorbike nostalgia... what bikes/bike gives you the most 'history'

Post by Rockburner »

I tend to hang on to bikes for a while, so I do a lot of mileage on each one, which means that each bike becomes attached to good (and bad) memories which of course generate emotional responses, which (to complete the cycle) become associated with the bike(s).

So I have lots of history with most of my bikes:

The ZXR400 I had for something like 12 years, from '96 onwards, so it was the bike that did all the VD stuff: the trackdays, the rideouts, the "events", the parties. It was the first "modern/fast" bike I'd had, so I learnt a huge amount from riding it, and gained a huge amount of confidence from it's very solid handling, and "flat-out" riding style.
Image
There's no way in hell I'd be able to curl myself up onto it anymore, but I really, really miss that bike.

Both Mirthcycles (550Zephyrs) were so much fun to ride and I did the "Hacks Tours" on them, Once a couple of minor mods were done they handled fine on back roads and rewarded "enthusastic" riding far more than anyone would have expected. I still remember dropping one in mid-winter and knocking a dink into the lower frame rail from the crash bars (Couchy came to pick me up!), funnily enough it handled even better after that!
Image

Before that, the Ducati TL600 I had was the first bike I had a major crash on, the first bike I rebuilt, the first bike I got the "That thing's quick!" compliment on from a fellow Ducatisti.
Post-crash reassembly:
Image

Rebuilt
Image


I also have fun memories and history with Dad's old bikes, the Matchless G80 that he made up for a friend was one of my favourites, the Matchless G3 that we still have holds lots of good memories:
Image

Ironically, the JAPton is the bike that I have the "least" connection with of Dad's old bikes: I only rode it once or twice before it was fully "finished" and I missed it's glory days of Classic Days at Spa and hillclimbs at Kop Hill etc, but it's the one I now have in the garage and will keep my memories of my father with me.
Image
non quod, sed quomodo
User avatar
Taipan
Posts: 13962
Joined: Sat Mar 14, 2020 1:48 pm
Location: Essex Riviera!
Has thanked: 15974 times
Been thanked: 10256 times

Re: Motorbike nostalgia... what bikes/bike gives you the most 'history'

Post by Taipan »

First legal bike on the road.Went out at midnight ass it clicked over to my 16th birthday and came home when it went onto reserve.No 24 hour garages round our way back then. Happy days!

Image
User avatar
MingtheMerciless
Posts: 3556
Joined: Wed Mar 18, 2020 7:42 am
Location: Scarfolk on Sea
Has thanked: 2945 times
Been thanked: 1884 times

Re: Motorbike nostalgia... what bikes/bike gives you the most 'history'

Post by MingtheMerciless »

IMG_4333.jpeg
IMG_4333.jpeg (672.36 KiB) Viewed 481 times
My old ZX7R, first big bike, big old solid bus but track days and holidays with Mrs M as well as knee down in most conditions and nearly being squished by an APC on the Chobham roundabout.

The KTM 950 SM was a cracking bike as well.
IMG_2590.jpeg
IMG_2590.jpeg (312.48 KiB) Viewed 481 times
And of course the ZH2 for just being bonkers.
IMG_5820.jpeg
IMG_5820.jpeg (958.54 KiB) Viewed 481 times
"Of all the stories you told me, which ones were true and which ones weren't?"
"My dear Doctor, they're all true."
"Even the lies?"
"Especially the lies."
Whysub
Posts: 887
Joined: Wed Mar 18, 2020 8:53 pm
Has thanked: 1055 times
Been thanked: 861 times

Re: Motorbike nostalgia... what bikes/bike gives you the most 'history'

Post by Whysub »

My GSX-R750 that I used for commuting on for 8 years and some 160,000 miles. Killed by a u-turning Transit in 2003
20190414_102256.png
20190414_102256.png (844.46 KiB) Viewed 475 times
Bought this a couple of weeks later as its replacement.
20190414_103218.png
20190414_103218.png (1.13 MiB) Viewed 475 times
Hated it, nothing like the bike I had ridden most days for 8 years. The only ride I did on it was the 60 miles into work. Sold it a couple of days later. Never want another
Bustaspoke
Posts: 1806
Joined: Wed Mar 18, 2020 5:55 pm
Has thanked: 3261 times
Been thanked: 1737 times

Re: Motorbike nostalgia... what bikes/bike gives you the most 'history'

Post by Bustaspoke »

As we can only post one bike it would have to be my 250LC

Image

Mine looked very different to that one ^^^
It's the bike that I had the most varied experiences on,lots of happy memories.I threw it down the road both on & off track,rode it to Le Castellet for the Bol D'or,even did a few cheeky laps of Circuit Paul Ricard on it.That said,the experiences I've had with my FZ750 runs it close.The FZ's still in the garage awaiting a resto :thumbup:
Whysub
Posts: 887
Joined: Wed Mar 18, 2020 8:53 pm
Has thanked: 1055 times
Been thanked: 861 times

Re: Motorbike nostalgia... what bikes/bike gives you the most 'history'

Post by Whysub »

The only bikes I want to own again. No hope here, as never seen either model for sale. Local KTM dealer said he and his mechanics have never seen one in the flesh.
20201127_175807.jpg
20201127_175807.jpg (227.5 KiB) Viewed 448 times
v8-powered
Posts: 2528
Joined: Mon Mar 16, 2020 7:37 pm
Location: Layer-de-la-Haye
Has thanked: 2249 times
Been thanked: 1243 times

Re: Motorbike nostalgia... what bikes/bike gives you the most 'history'

Post by v8-powered »

Whysub wrote: Fri Jun 23, 2023 1:30 pm The only bikes I want to own again. No hope here, as never seen either model for sale. Local KTM dealer said he and his mechanics have never seen one in the flesh.
Only ever rode an RC8 once.
Friend of mine purchased one and took it to Snett, he just couldn't get on with it ands asked me to ride it. I loved it.....
Beancounter
Posts: 1009
Joined: Sat Mar 14, 2020 1:20 pm
Has thanked: 2870 times
Been thanked: 554 times

Re: Motorbike nostalgia... what bikes/bike gives you the most 'history'

Post by Beancounter »

My first TDM850. Bought in October 2003, finally killed off in May 2010 having ridden, IIRC, over 100k miles on it. Daily commuting into London two up. Running out of fuel in the Limehouse Tunnel during rush hour. Running out of fuel a couple of weeks later because the main pipe and reserve pipe were connected wrong. High-siding on a Surrey Scramble. Averaging 25mpg because of worn emulsion tubes. @Rockburner getting high on petrol vapour because of the worn emulsion tubes. Learning about carbs, floats and jets whilst replacing worn emulsion tubes. Intermittent wet weather misfires. Oil consumption of 1l every thousand miles. First foreign trips - Norway, France, Germany (including Nurburgring), trackdays. Learning how to strip brake calipers. Watching @maccecht strip the engine to find out why oil consumption was so high (worn valve stem seals). Blowing up the same engine because of a coolant leak - the conrods are now door handles to Maccecht's workshop.
TDM850 1.1.png
TDM850 1.1.png (1.11 MiB) Viewed 438 times
Arguably, I have more history with my second TDM850 but it was all negative.
Last edited by Beancounter on Fri Jun 23, 2023 2:53 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Le_Fromage_Grande
Posts: 11234
Joined: Mon Mar 16, 2020 6:40 pm
Location: The road of many manky motorcycles
Has thanked: 607 times
Been thanked: 4124 times

Re: Motorbike nostalgia... what bikes/bike gives you the most 'history'

Post by Le_Fromage_Grande »

My first RD350 YPVS, it was an 84 bike registered in 85, I bought it in 1990, at some point it had been painted by Dream Machine in a very fetching red Kenny Roberts paint scheme, had Allspeeds, and was the only LC I've owned where the engine number and frame number matched. It was so lovely I kept it for 4 years after I'd stopped riding it, and only sold it to a mate because he pestered me to sell it to him, I don't remember needing the money.
Honda Owner
Bigjawa
Posts: 1931
Joined: Mon Jun 01, 2020 10:54 pm
Location: Ballymena Co. Antrim
Has thanked: 221 times
Been thanked: 878 times

Re: Motorbike nostalgia... what bikes/bike gives you the most 'history'

Post by Bigjawa »

This thing.

It was in much worse condition when I got it. I replaced all the bodywork, the suspension, the clutch, gave it a good shock and got the front end out of a mates 1200 for fitting a set of USDs for him.

It's got 128k on it and I've been all over the UK on it. It's worth sod all apart from breaking but I'll never sell it.

The only problem is finding insurance as its not a 600, it's actually a grey import 750.

Image
Demannu
Posts: 1882
Joined: Sat May 08, 2021 5:14 pm
Location: Another day without using algebra
Has thanked: 65 times
Been thanked: 1235 times

Re: Motorbike nostalgia... what bikes/bike gives you the most 'history'

Post by Demannu »

https://photos.app.goo.gl/FdwMsC76C9SnqDY8A
First bike I played with. Only things I didnt touch were the crank and gearbox!
User avatar
mangocrazy
Posts: 6921
Joined: Tue Dec 22, 2020 9:58 pm
Has thanked: 2407 times
Been thanked: 3637 times

Re: Motorbike nostalgia... what bikes/bike gives you the most 'history'

Post by mangocrazy »

I guess it's got to be my RD350LC - first new bike I ever bought, first two-stroke I ever owned, first bike I ever went abroad on, first bike I went to the TT on, first bike I seriously modified.

And I've still got it!

DSC_5372.JPG
DSC_5372.JPG (739.05 KiB) Viewed 345 times
There is no cloud, just somebody else's computer.
User avatar
Count Steer
Posts: 11830
Joined: Mon Jul 19, 2021 4:59 pm
Has thanked: 6382 times
Been thanked: 4763 times

Re: Motorbike nostalgia... what bikes/bike gives you the most 'history'

Post by Count Steer »

Only two really*.

A CX500 which was the first brand new bike I'd ever had and it was basically a workhorse - commuter and everything else as the only form of transport for a few years. Not desperately nostalgic about it, it did the job.

R1150GS which took us more miles and on more adventures (and even got me involved in stuff like Visordown/group rides etc etc). I'd like that particular bike back but not fussed about getting a different one of the same model.

I'm not really 'into' bikes. I'd enjoy riding them and going places on them but never bolted anything on that wasn't useful, never really got into 'just going out for a ride' unless it was a social thing, wouldn't think about getting an engine remapped, dumping the cat, fitting an aftermarket can etc or worrying about tyre profiles (ride 'em until the tread is a bit :hmmm: ).

Buy one, ride it. Don't enjoy it, sell it get a different one. I can wax un-lyrical about the ones I didn't like. :D

* Although having another P&M Panther might be a laugh...if I could start one. :lol:
Doubt is not a pleasant condition.
But certainty is an absurd one
.
Voltaire