What 'iconic' bike did you want but never buy ?

[Le_Fromage_Grande]

I will have a mint green and purple zx7r at some point.

The thread title says iconic, not lardy and uncomfortable
My mate has an all green one and bloke down the road has a red and purple one.

[mangocrazy]

For about 2 years before I finally managed to get an SP3 I had a picture of one on the kitchen worktop that I gazed at every day. I was determined I would have one, by hook or by crook. And it had to be the SP3, not the SP2, SP4 or SP5. The SP4/5 had the styling 'prettied up' in my eyes and took away some of the brutality that the SP3 had. Totally subjective, and I'm sure SP4 and SP5 owners would completely disagree, but that's how it was for me.

[Horse]

Have you ridden one?

I've only ever seen them, they're not very big, oddly, about the size as a contemporary 1000, but they always look big and heavy in photos.

Nope. Don't even remember when/where I've seen them!

[Mr. Dazzle]

Honestly not sure I actually liked my 996 I took it on track where it was bloody amazing, but other than that...

However, I would have owned it purely for the noise it made on start up. It had 50mm Arrow pipes which were take the piss loud and I was 25 so i thought that was hilarious...something about the click.....whirrrrrr....duff duff duff.....DADADADADADADA! fast idle sound still makes me smile today. Set off the neighbour's car alarm without fail too.

[mangocrazy]

Set off the neighbour's car alarm without fail too.

Yeah, that was my 888's party trick as well. In our road spring wasn't announced by the first cuckoo, but by the first start up of the 888 on the first sunny biking day of the year.

[MrLongbeard]

Lets add a few more to bring my selection closer to the 21st century

I have no idea why, hell I know I hate it in the cream paint, but if James Bond doesn't scream iconic I don't know what would

[cheb]

A CB1100R. Three Legged Cross had one in 1986 that looked at but couldn't raise the money. I had a CB900F at the time.

[ChrisW]

I seriously lusted after a TZR250 3MA when they were new.

Got as far as test riding one from a dealer in Southport but at the time I couldn't afford one (sorry dealer) and also didn't strictly speaking have a bike license (sorry dealer).

I swore I'd buy one one day but other things took its place along the way. These days they're being advertised for much money than I think they're worth and, regardless, I'd probably hate riding one now.

[mangocrazy]

That is bloody lovely. Why oh why did they never make a TZR350? - that would have been epic.

[Yorick]

That is bloody lovely. Why oh why did they never make a TZR350? - that would have been epic.

250 was the learner legal class. Not sure till when.

[Le_Fromage_Grande]

That is bloody lovely. Why oh why did they never make a TZR350? - that would have been epic.

Because there was no market for it outside of the UK, emissions, there was more profit in FZR400s, an FZR400 makes more power than a standard 350YPVS

[mangocrazy]

That is bloody lovely. Why oh why did they never make a TZR350? - that would have been epic.

Because there was no market for it outside of the UK, emissions, there was more profit in FZR400s, an FZR400 makes more power than a standard 350YPVS

But a TZR350 would piss all over an FZR400, and from a great height. The TZR would be much lighter and make at least 10-15 bhp more. When you compare an FZR400 with a 350YPVS you are not comparing like with like.

[mangocrazy]

That is bloody lovely. Why oh why did they never make a TZR350? - that would have been epic.

250 was the learner legal class. Not sure till when.

By the time the TZRs came out, the UK learner limit had been 125cc for quite a few years. But the high spec TZRs were JDM and not really intended for the UK. Great shame - you'd have had at least 70bhp in something weighing about 130kg wet for a TZR350...

[Le_Fromage_Grande]

A 70bhp 350 two stroke wouldn't have passed emissions in 1987, the last 350 power valves make less power than the early ones because of emissions.

I had a 350 YPVS that made between 60 and 70bhp, it did 135mph, it wasn't an easy or nice bike to ride, I had an FZR400RR that also did 135mph, it was a much nicer bike to ride, I get the whole rose tinted nostalgia with LCs and Power Valves, I own a 1983 350 YPVS, but it isn't as good as the 1990 FZR400 I had until three years ago, I've also owned a 1986 TZR250, that was a disappointment, top speed 110mph and handling wasn't that great, but it's a mid 80s 250 built to a price, I made the mistake of believing what the motorcycle press wrote about them, and I do know that Mat Oxley lapped the TT at over 100mph on one, I'm not Mat Oxley.

[rodbargee]

[Felix]

In these colours

[Felix]

Ducati 900 SD Darmah in the same colours looked just as sexy

[dern]

TZR 250 was my very first bike. Couldn’t have been more excited.

[KungFooBob]

Best bike I ever owned was a TZR250 V-Twin. The people that made those really knew what they were doing.
It was one of the most flattering bikes I’ve ever ridden, made me look a lot faster on the track than I was because it was so fast and easy to get around bigger bikes on tighter tracks.

But they made it so good that it lacked the soul of a two stroke, the engine was like a sewing machine.

I know a fella, bought himself a Rothmans NS250R, decided he wanted something quicker so chopped it in for a 'prilla RS250, found it far too focused so chopped that in for a late model TZR250, reckons it's a hell of a lot easier to ride, you don't have to keep it on the boil all the time and it's got some midrange.

[dern]

TZR 250 was my very first bike. Couldn’t have been more excited.

That was a late night post, it was a tzr 125. Apologies.