Your favorite bike ever owned

[Conzar]

Whats the best bike you have owned, whether it be because it was an absolute animal or perfect all rounder.

Reel away..
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Current ride: ZX6R 636 ------- Previous:KTM EXC 450 Supermoto --- ZX6R B1H --Hornet 600--CBR 600--SV650
11:05:35 Rob Fzs: i just wanna own an rd350 valve before they send us to war with durkadurkastan

[pinkyfloyd]

My first road legal bike. RXS100 Yami. Such a lovely little 2 stroke machine and was my first real taste of riding and independence.
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illuminateTHEmind wrote: I am just more evolved than most of you guys... this allows me to pick of things quickly which would have normally taken the common man years to master
Hockeystorm65:.well there are childish arguments...there are very childish arguments.....there are really stupid childish arguments and now there are......Pinkfloyd arguments!
Teflon-Mike:I think I agree with just about all Pinky has said.

[P.addy]

Owned or borrowed/ridden?

[Conzar]

[woo]

year 2000 R1, i have bought and sold this bike so many times and have gone to all year R1's and a couple of GSXR even a kawasaki, never gone to Honda tho.....but i always keep coming back to the year 2000 R1 (5JJ model)

everyone has said going from an 07 R1 to an 00 R1 is one heck of a downgrade, i thought it might be nostalgia but i acutally still wake excited about getting on that R1 whereas i never felt that way when i had the newer R1's.

best way to put it the newer fuel injected R1's take time to think about what they are going to do when you open the throttle
but the old carbed R1's dont think they just do it!
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Elen sila lummen omentielvo!

[Conzar]

[UnspeedySam]

So far my favourite bike long-term has been my Honda Bros 400. I love how stupidly narrow and flickable it is. Makes commuting through traffic a laugh, especially if it has no mirrors like mine.

Eventually I'll get round to putting a 650 motor in it and doing a bit of tuning. Should make for some serious amusement. There is also a massive modding community around them, mostly in the states (see hawkgtforum.com) although I've not got involved with that yet it does make you realise the potential.

I also really love my ZX6R but I could imagine myself selling that and getting another sports bike at some point. That would never happen to the Bros, partially because it's probably not worth £500 in the state it's in...
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Riding: BMW R1150RT `02 bought mildly crashed
Fixing: Also the BMW as I get less broken bits
Gone: ZZR600 '00, TRX850 '97, RXS100 '93, JS125-6B '07, BMW R1100RS '93, Kawasaki ZX-6R-J2 '01, Honda Bros NT400 NC25 '88

[P.addy]

Owned...

2001 R1, did everything I asked of it with zero fuss.
2004 Daytona 600, regretted selling it as it was my first plastic fantastic.

Borrowed...

2006 GSXR1000, such a bike. Would love to have one but cannot justify the price vs performance against the Blackbird currently.

Ridden...

KTM 990 Superduke, dat powerhouse. Superb bike... Would own one, but its KTM, stands for 'Kin hell Tons of Money.

[Knacker]

My old 1986 GS125 have some great memories from that bike. Was basically the Village bike.

2 up in December with 4 Cases of Lager, Pulled over 3 times in the space of 20 miles
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Current: Gsxr 600 Srad - GS125 - DT125
Previous: K1 GSXR 1000

[RhynoCZ]

The '88 GPz550.
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'87 Honda XBR 500, '96 Kawasaki ZX7R P1, '90 Honda CB-1, '88 Kawasaki GPz550, MZ 150 ETZ
'95 Mercedes-Benz w202 C200 CGI, '98 Mercedes-Benz w210 E200 Kompressor

[bacon]

My 98 zx7r, cosmetically shes not that beautiful anymore, but I love that old bus!

My 2005 zx10r goes Saturday, its a complete missile but I just don't "love it" despite it being a complete animal and far superior to my riding skills in every way.

[.Bishbash.]

2008 R1, had so much fun with that bike, pulled like a mother fooker!
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Current bike - GSX-R1000 k8

[Shinigami]

Best i've owned/ridden yamaha fz6 s2,

however i've only owned 3 bikes, only ridden 5
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Current: Honda City Fly CLR125 2003 Honda CB600F Hornet 2008 Yamaha FZ6 S2 + 1991 Kawasaki GPZ500
"Once you realize what a joke everything is, being the Comedian is the only thing that makes sense.

[_Iain_]

Owned - '96 CR125.

Very agressive power delivery, completely impractical. However it left me with a massive grin after every ride despite huge mechanical fails.

Ridden - '13 Kawasaki Z800.

Brilliant all rounder & quite pretty...I'd have to add a gel seat & screen mind!
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Please be aware that the above post may be full of complete nonsense.
Riding: '07 KTM Duke II, Baotian BT49QT-20 Driving: '88 Volvo 340

[MarJay]

I miss my Buell XB12R, my VJ22 RGV250 and my 350LC. Sadly all of these bikes have appreciated in value massively over the last few years, so the chances of owning another are very slim.

The Buell was just amazing considering it was developed on a budget of approximately $80. Grunty, light, noisy and handled like it had no right to. Was the most fun I've ever had on two wheels overall I think.

My RGV was just a total loon. Terrible in town, terrible for transport, terrible for practicality. However, get it on the right road, on the right day and in the right mood and it would flatter you and cosset you and encourage you to be bad without getting you properly into trouble. It was a dream to ride when it worked and was amazing on track. It blew up and I sold it as a non runner. I still regret doing that today.

https://i915.photobucket.com/albums/ac352/MarJay01/IMG_8741_zps7dedcc7d.jpg


The LC was just an experience. Totally nuts powerband combined with spindly frame and wheels and wide barred comfy seating position meant that it was unlike anything I've ever ridden before or since. I'd have another in a heartbeat if they weren't all worth thousands nowadays. Still, I sold it to buy my second Buell, so it can't be all bad.


https://i915.photobucket.com/albums/ac352/MarJay01/DSC01384_zpsf90739c0.jpg
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British beauty: Triumph Street Triple R; Loony stroker: KR1S; Track fun: GSXR750 L1; Commuter Missile: GSX-S1000F; Cheap project: CBR900RR FireBlade
Remember kids, bikes aren't like lego. You can't easily take a part from one bike and then fit it to another.

[chickenstrip]

Hmmm, been thinking about this and I've come to the conclusion I can't answer it. Why? Cos I can't seperate the times I've had on the bikes from the bikes themselves.

An example: I really had a lot of fun on my Kwak 750 turbo, running around with some good mates and just generally tear-arsing around. But I wouldn't say it was the best bike I've ever owned.

https://i1291.photobucket.com/albums/b550/nicknicklxs/750turbo001_zpsfafbc93e.jpg

On the opposite side of the scale, my FZR1000Exup was a brilliant bike (for it's day - there wasn't much that would touch it straight out the crate), but I didn't get to do half as much on it as with the turbo.

At the moment, my favourite is what I've got now, and I guess that's largely because it's getting plenty of use, and 95% of that is purely for fun.

So, answer for me I suppose is FZS1000 with ivans full monty and Scorpion can (defo my favourite out of 4 of these I've owned).

https://i1291.photobucket.com/albums/b550/nicknicklxs/DSCF3375_zpse1edb2c8.jpg

[deadwolf]

Hard to pick between my top two: 2003 Aprilia RS125 and 1989 Honda Bros 650.

But I'd have to say the Aprilia. A totally sublime machine. Frankly, it was like a privilege to own that bike. It's like Aprilia let it go too easy. All that race-developed tech and fine-tuning and the bikes just get left to be ragged by scrotty little L-platers who probably couldn't even begin to appreciate the sheer refinement placed at their disposal for a mere couple of grand.

Every ride on that thing was an adventure. It had a nasty habit of cutting out unexpectedly at high and low speeds. I filtered for the first time on it, rushing to work after bike training through a jammed York road on a grey rainy afternoon. Learnt about slow-speed control on it, basically jumping into the deep end there due to it's high revving nature and high footpegs. Compared to the dinky GP100 I rode before, the Aprilia's onboard dash computer, powerful lights and ability to make 90mph feel like 20mph meant that it was like from another dimension.

Despite all it's foibles I still think about that bike on most days. What I'd give to take it around some of the tight corners around here..

Bros 650 was a hoot too, as Unspeedy mentioned that thing has bags of handling. I'll never forget the time I dodged a 15-minute wait in a jam by riding up the pavement and weaving between a large agglomeration of street furniture into the next street, all seemingly without effort. Definitely cemented it's reputation for handling after that episode.

Had plenty of good, bad and memorable times on other bikes but these two definitely stick out.
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Motorsapien Art

[Moxey]

Owned:

Varadero 125, the most fun I've ever gotten from a bike, riding alone or with friends, cheap to run and epic tank range wish I had another one now.

VFR 750, ticks all the boxes for my main bike, reliable, reasonable to run, fairly extensive spares available, flexible engine that can put you in 3 figures in a couple of seconds, sounds great and looks fairly unique, also practical without being too Pan Euro or Deauville.

Ridden:

NSR 125, was definitely a later one with the fox eyes that I rode, felt as flighty as my RXS that I owned but with real world usable power coupled with good looks.

Rieju RR 50 (with 80 kit) Think it was designated an RR 50 anyway had some hellish fun flying around on it.
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Current: 02 FZS 1000 & 91 Royal Enfield Bullet 350 Some Bike Pics...
'I was too busy paying attention to pay attention'

[m3-paul]

I have two. My 1986 D reg RG500. Utterly insane nutter of a bike. The way it went as it hit the powerband was incredible, I can still remember the craziness of that bad boy. I will have another one day. Sold it for a gsxr1100, biggest motorcycling mistake ever.

The RG is top but this is a close second, for pretty much the same reasons as MarJay gives for the rgv250, with the added bonus of being more comfortable and practical.
https://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j303/330paul/tzr/gem-2.jpg
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Yamaha TZR250 - love the smell of TTS!!!!
CBR900RR Fireblade - so much fun

[Suntan Sid]

My Top 2

1983, bought a 250LC, after I passed my test, loved every moment of it.
1985, bought a brand new 350YPVS F1, it did everything, commuting, holidays, IOM TT Trips, never missed a beat, even after fitting spannies and binning it at high speed!
Kept it until 1990, when I swapped it for a DR600!

Happy days!
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"Everybody needs money, that's why they call it money!"

[instigator]

Close call between Honda CB1 400 NC27 & the almighty Honda SP-1. Two Hondas..... sweet jesus....

[GeorgeB.]

Definitely my current one, CB400 Superfour. Get to 7k revs and it just takes off, but it's also a rather light bike to bloody good fun round twisties.
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Current: '99 Fazer 600 | '99 Range Rover P38 4.6 HSE
Previous: Keeway TX125 | CBF 125 | CB400SF Project Big One
CBT 04/12/12 | Theory 03/12/13 | MOD 1 06/01/14 | MOD 2 13/01/14

[Nick 50]

Aprilia Tuono

Haven't owned many bikes so this was a very easy decision. Absolutely superb bike in so many ways.
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Current Bikes: ZX7r 97 (Black Beauty), VFR400 NC24 (The banana)
Previous Bikes: Aprilia Tuono 03 (The Beast), CBR600f (97)
First bike: A GZ125 Lemon.......

[The Shaggy D.A.]

Looking through my list...

Honda CB100N : Really just a bike to get me through my test. As soon as I could, swapped it for..
Honda CB250RS : Loved this bike, if they still made them I'd have one in a heartbeat. I was young though, was contemplating touring Europe, and had the "gotta go fasterrrrr" bug. Along came the...
Yamaha XJ900F : Another lovely bike. Would also have one of these again. I was still young, and had the "waaant a new oooonnneee" bug...
Kawasaki GT550 : Disappointing. An OK bike, did its job, but with hindsight being an exact science, I should have spent the money on doing up the XJ. In a mad moment, reason was thrown out of the window when I had a sex wee over...
Kawasaki GPZ750R/1000RX : I only went in to get gloves. A GPZ750R had a blown engine, and was replaced under warranty + cash with a GPZ1000RX engine. So a bored out GPZ900R. Lovely, lovely, lovely. Would have another.
1963 AJS M16 : Happy Birthday to me, loved it..

Then bike free period due to financial crisis. When normal service was resumed...

BMW R100RT : Lovely bike, but realistically too big for me, and didn't get much use due to work.
Royal Enfield Bullet 500 : Wanted to relive the AJS days with something newer. Loved it, would have another, but work meant I needed a motorway cruiser....
Honda CB500 : Commutersville. Did what it said on the tin, kept for 6 years, so longest ownership of a single bike for me. Work situation changed, no longer needed, wanted something more upright, lower and simpler...
Suzuki Savage LS650P : Current bike. Nice couple of years on it, but feeling like a change, the legs forward riding position is not for me, I've found. Glad I got it out of my system though, would like to keep it as a Sunday potterer, but alas only space and finances for one bike...

So, overall favourite bike? Probably the CB250RS. If a YBR250/CBF250 can give the same feel, they might be next on the list.

Then again, might go back to an Enfield, maybe with an ally head. Fancy a W650, but they command silly prices for decent examples. R65 or Guzzi V50 also fluttering their eyelashes at me, but getting old and I don't want a project. Who knows. I'll probably end up getting a Varadero 125.
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Chances are quite high you are not in my Monkeysphere, and I don't care about you. Don't take it personally.
Currently : Royal Enfield 350 Meteor
Previously : CB100N > CB250RS > XJ900F > GT550 > GPZ750R/1000RX > AJS M16 > R100RT > Bullet 500 > CB500 > LS650P > Bullet Electra X & YBR125 > Bullet 350 "Superstar" & YBR125 Custom > Royal Enfield Classic 500 Despatch Limited Edition (28 of 200) & CB Two-Fifty Nighthawk > ER5

[Major Doss]

GS1000 taken out to 1085 via Wiseco, 14.1-1 compression, 750 slingshot carbs and ignition. The Earth's rotation shifted ever so slightly when you dumped the clutch. Constant laughing inside helmet, hilarious machine. Star Trek going elastic into warp speed mental shit handling hang on and pin it spinning up in 3rd shaking like a leaf gibbering afterwards mental. Flogged it to the guy who built the motor for £500. Still regard that as a huge error. Last heard it had been bunged into a Harris F2. Would have it back in a heartbeat.