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

[Horse]

And one these, please. Not to ride. Just wheel into the garden on a sunny afternoon to sit and admire

[Mr. Dazzle]

The only icon I can see myself buying is a GS. It's a bike I'd actually ride.

I really should have bought Couchie's

[Le_Fromage_Grande]

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.

Yeah they’re incredible, just pure power all the way through the range. So easy to ride. You still need decent throttle control and to be in the right gear but it’s almost 4T in how forgiving it is.

I used to pull off and before I knew it I’d look down and see it flat out at 180kph, no rev limiter that you could feel, it would just sit there. At first I thought the speedo was optimistic because it got there so quick and didn’t feel like I was going that fast, but other people riding with me confirmed it was accurate.

That's 112mph, my proddie race 250LC would do that, my 86 TZR250 would nearly do that

[Le_Fromage_Grande]

I know, but it’s how fast it got there and the way it made power, it was like an electric motor.

My LC and TZR weren't, the LC was surprisingly smooth for a race 2 stroke, but definitely not like an electric motor, the TZR always felt like a fast 125, hateful little bike, but the only bike I've ever sold at a profit, I only rode it to Snetterton, a track day at Snetterton and back again as I really didn't like it.

[Rockburner]

The only icon I can see myself buying is a GS. It's a bike I'd actually ride.

I really should have bought Couchie's

Funnily enough I realised that I should have added the1150GS to my list - Because I did the same thing as the other bikes on my list - I bought the "alternative" version - the Rockster!

[Noggin]

916. I was going to buy one and normally i buy bikes and worry about what they're like once I've got them, but I actually got a ride on a mates one. Only got a few hundred yards and did a 56 point turn and rode it back to him. A beautiful and iconic bike for sure but a shit road bike and I was very pleased I didn't make the mistake of buying one!

Oh yes. I'd still like one but I doubt I'd ever ride it on the road!! LOL Back when I tried one, I didn't have the confidence to handle it - riding wasn't an issue and we were on a mates 'test track', so virtually no vehicles and we were a bit silly!! But I would bloody love to have one, just cos!! No way would my arm reach the bars now!! LOL

[Sunny]

I lusted after a ZXR600 when I started out. Closest I got to that was my first bike - a ZX400

The most iconic bike I fancied though was the Ducati 748. In yellow. Those headlights.

I've still never had a Ducati, but I'd be more likely to get a Monster these days, as I've not ridden a sports style bike for years.

[v8-powered]

Only thing I lust after still is a H1/H2 ZXR750.....

[KungFooBob]

There is one bike.

I could afford it (maybe, I've seen them listed recently for 10K, which is what I paid for my GS).

I seem to be the only person who likes them.

The Bimota SB8R.

The problem is I bought a very nice condition retro super bike. It wasn't crazy money, but I feel bad putting miles on such a nice bike. I suspect I'd feel the same with the Bimota... and if I crashed it the parts are all unobtanium.

[MyLittleStudPony]

The original V-Max was quite dinky and looked dead wee and nesh from many angles.

[Le_Fromage_Grande]

There is one bike.

I could afford it (maybe, I've seen them listed recently for 10K, which is what I paid for my GS).

I seem to be the only person who likes them.

The Bimota SB8R.

The problem is I bought a very nice condition retro super bike. It wasn't crazy money, but I feel bad putting miles on such a nice bike. I suspect I'd feel the same with the Bimota... and if I crashed it the parts are all unobtanium.

Having had close up experiences of Bimotas I wouldn't have one, things like bodywork that's near impossible to get off without cracking and having to take the engine out to change the gearbox sprocket out me off, anyone who builds an EXUP engines bike where the oil filler requires aforementioned impossible fairing removal needs a slap.

[Mr. Dazzle]

Are they not carbon bodied?

If not....not interested!

[Le_Fromage_Grande]

Are they not carbon bodied?

If not....not interested!

Newer Bimotas are, certainly the EXUP engined one is, and so are the SB6, SB7 and SB8, the older GSX1100 engined SB4 has fibre glass bodywork. I don't know how good they are to ride as the bloke that owns them seems to collect them rather than ride them, he's a bit of a crasher, so probably scared of damaging all the expensive bodywork.

[cheb]

I briefly looked at and sat on a BB1 in about 2000ish. Like any small well proportioned and pretty looking thing it was totally ruined by being sat on by a lumpen oaf.

It's not often I'd like to be shorter than I am, but bikes are one of those times.

[Mr. Dazzle]

I could very much go for a DB6 or a DB10...they wouldn't cripple me and they have the added bonus of not much bodywork to break.

[Horse]

I'd love a Bimota just because when I was a biking yoof they were exotic and unobtainable, I think I only ever saw them at shows.
But every one I've looked at doesn't seem to match up to what I remember

We've lost the context of what bikes were like at the time. 'Then', a Bimota not only looked gorgeous but probably handled far better than the donor bike. That's why Rickman, Spondon and others were in business.

But with the introduction of the Blade, R1, 916, etc., the benchmark moved so much higher. And that's the lens we look through now.

Which is why I said MHR but just to look at.

[KungFooBob]

I'd completely forgotten about Men & Motors, especially Jeff Stone!

[ChrisW]

When I was seventeen and I was someone's sister's first boyfriend with a car, her dad had a Bimota which he kept at work in the warehouse. For years they were just something a bit naff that I associated with old people.

I did see a BB1 on ebay recently that wasn't going for much which I briefly thought about having a punt on.

[Dickyboy]

If you were going to buy one then this might be the one, 159bhp with the full race kit.
https://moto-hub.co.uk/2023/09/06/yamaha-r7-ow02/

I dunno how rare they are though, I've seen two in shops in the flesh in the last week.

That's the place I bought my Morini from, it's come back without electrical issues but did have one bolt loose & one missing, so not overly impressed as they can hardly have checked it over fully before sending it back out to me.

[Dickyboy]

It would have to be a Moto Guzzi MGS-01 for me or the Magni Australia, listed over them both when they came out & still do.