Your inappropriate £1500 secret crush.. what is it ?

[Gimlet]

I'd definitely have an early 1050 Speed Triple as a project bike but you won't get one for £1500.

Imagine it. Complete strip down, blue-printed engine, one-off titanium exhaust, custom suspension, new brakes, carbon wheels etc. Keeping the style of the original but dialed up to 11. Hmmm..

[DefTrap]

Why that as a start point? It doesn't seem to tick any boxes i can think of as a good template ?

A couple of reasons -
- the motors are, surprisingly, pretty good IME (a friend asked me to move his, I wasn't looking forward to it - pleasantly surprised)
- because typically goldwings are fugly, really fugly, and boring - so to make them pretty, or interesting, is a challenge

[Gimlet]

Vintage Goldwings are cool as fuck. There's been some great goldie customs:

03_02_2017_Cardsharper_Honda_Goldwing_GL1000_custom_motorcycle_Poland_racer_bobber_Pipeburn_19.jpg (117.47 KiB) Viewed 3073 times

[YoKaiser]

Push the budget and haggle a bit for this Firestorm. I do like that FZR fox eye on page one though

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/264672753834


Oh and I do like RF 900's too even though the styling always seems to get slated. Meant to be ballistic as well.

[Bigyin]

I already bought one



with the £700 change can i have a decent MTB instead

[Supermofo]

Actually I'll have this and use the £300 quid saved for tyres, petrol
https://www.hythehillmotorcycles.co.uk/ ... 4229029060

[G.P]

How about a Pan European special?

[Skub]

I kinda dig that first lump of a bike!

I bet Nik Samson would appreciate those.

[G.P]

I kinda dig that first lump of a bike!

I bet Nik Samson would appreciate those.

One parked up next to me at the lights last year, took me a minute to suss out what the original bike was. sounded aces and looked great in the flesh

[Gimlet]

Piece of piss to do the valve clearances.

[Tomcat]

A few years ago I paid £1500 for a 2002 SV650 for the lad as his first big bike. It's done 20,000 miles since then, never missed a beat and still looks good. It's probably still worth what we paid for it too.

[Bomble]

Agree with the Sv650. Ive always liked them, never rode one and never got round to buying one. 1200 bandit,owned a few always regretted selling them.
The fzr 600 would work too

[hilldweller]

A Grom, if there are any that price.

They are just so cute.

[Tomcat]

A Grom, if there are any that price.

They are just so cute.

Plenty of Groms around for that sort of money, the thing to watch for is if they have been caned and not maintained by a young owner who's never seen a spanner. Loads of go-faster bits around too

[Skub]

When did Monkey bikes become named 'Groms'? WTF does it mean anyway?

[weeksy]

When did Monkey bikes become named 'Groms'? WTF does it mean anyway?

Different shape, like a modern version

[wheelnut]

Had a GT185 as a yoof and have had a secret yearning to replace it for a while now.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/SUZUKI-GT185 ... SwGVVeo2Zq

[crust]

Do you reckon they're any good to ride though?
That one and the Goldwing custom above look nice and would probably look great in a bikers cafe on display, but I always look at them and wonder if they're any good to ride - they don't look like they are.

One of the guys at a courier company I worked for had one as a spare bike, I borrowed it a few times, they're a big, slow handling thing that's one of those bikes that's really satisfying to hustle because you've got to be smooth but firm with it. Can go surprisingly quick whilst sat upright with the radio on, a lot quicker than you'd think possible.

A certain Italian bloke with a penchant for yellow 46 stickers had one when he lived in Mayfair, surprised more than a few hardened couriers with his ability to hustle it through traffic.

[Rockburner]

Do you reckon they're any good to ride though?
That one and the Goldwing custom above look nice and would probably look great in a bikers cafe on display, but I always look at them and wonder if they're any good to ride - they don't look like they are.

One of the guys at a courier company I worked for had one as a spare bike, I borrowed it a few times, they're a big, slow handling thing that's one of those bikes that's really satisfying to hustle because you've got to be smooth but firm with it. Can go surprisingly quick whilst sat upright with the radio on, a lot quicker than you'd think possible.

A certain Italian bloke with a penchant for yellow 46 stickers had one when he lived in Mayfair, surprised more than a few hardened couriers with his ability to hustle it through traffic.

The Pan is supposed to be a good handling bike - obviously it's not a sports bike designed for the track, but a road bike designed for doing huge mileages in comfort, but that doesn't mean it has to be wallowy and ponderous. You don't get to do high mileages travelling slowly. It just won't be razor sharp and setup for smooth surfaces. It'll be set up for pliant suspension and low-end torque to pull you through corners and waft you gently (if rapidly) down straights.

I'd imagine that without all the bodywork the performance would only improve!

[Gimlet]

Coming back alone the Bridport coast road last year on the 1190 I came up behind some bloke on a Goldwing with his missus on the back. When he saw me in his mirrors he thought he'd have a try. It wasn't the hardest thing in the world to get past him but fair play to him he gave it a good go. He was pushing it through those bends faster than a lot of the squeaky leather weekend warrior brigade can manage on their spotless sports bikes.