Review the bikes you've owned

[Crumbso]

Hi guys. I don't post here too often but I do read alot and use the forum for advice. I was just thinking I've owned quite a few bikes now. I've been riding since about 2005 now and did a little review of all the bikes I've had. Would be interesting to see little reviews of the bikes you guys have owned too. Here goes:

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2001 Honda NSR125RR - Unreliable

2004 Suzuki GS500F - Dependle and fun as a learner

1998 Yamaha Thundercat - Awesome and loud but nearly killed myself on it (crashed big time on the M25). I believe I only had it for 2 weeks. Being my first sports bike, I went too fast and it felt like a rocketship to me. I bought it for £1700, had to sell it to a friend for £250. He fixed it up, eventually, then it shit second gear out of the exhaust.

2007 Suzuki SV650S - Fucking brilliant road bike. Sounded awesome with Blue Flame exhuast. Always kept up with people in the country lanes and I hit 144mph (indicated) on it. I learned my fast riding skills on this one.

1999 Suzuki RF900 - Comfy, torquey as all hell, Sounded lovely, handled well and loved the looks. I loved this bike, such an idiot to swap it. Best £1200 that I ever spent.

1999 Honda VTR1000F - Shit bike. It was tatty, had piston slap issues, shit tank range, rear too hard, forks too soft, looked boring and was all round crap. The power was too flat and held no interest for me. I sold it within 2 weeks.

1993 Yamaha XV535 Virago - Dependable, comfy, super fun to scratch around at full throttle and low speed. Very good commuter bike. Sounded like a Harley but looked like one put through the photocopier at 65%.

2003 Kawasaki ZX9R - Great sports bike. It was big and fast. Loved the looks and the speed was more than I'd ever need. Unfortunately had to sell for a house rent deposit.

2000 Honda VFR800 - Very nice engine, it sounded fantastic. I can't think of a better every day use bike. I commuted on it for quite a while. It was a tad soft when you wanted to push on and the exhaust literally sheared off where the centre stand touched it. This forced me to sell it for not very much money.

2006 Suzuki SV1000S - Loved this. Lovely road bike that looked great, was comfy, made an unbelievably great noise and was very cheap. Perfect amount of power for the road.

2010 Suzuki GSF1250 Bandit - Fun, fun, fun stuff. Wheelied like a bastard, sounded like an angry elephant and was great for pillions. It was a big bastard and you had to muscle it around but that was half the fun.

2004 Suzuki GSXR750 - Surprisingly this bike did not quite gel with me. The fueling was notchy. The engine didn't have quite enough power. The handling didn't feel all that assuring. It sounded nice and is genuinely capable but did nothing for me.

2010 Kawasaki ER6F - Very much like the SV650, which is very good and lots of fun. Unfortunately, the fact it was a parallel twin seemed to let it down. Too vibey and sounded shit. Could shift when you wanted it too though and was very light along the twisties.

2008 Yamaha FZ1 Fazer - Current bike. It's nice enough. I find the engine too flat at low revs and the on/off fueling sucks big time. Wind it up though and the power is eye-opening. Having trouble trusting the rear traction in corners. It's bizarrely got more attention from people than any other bike I've owned.

[cretin box]

This is a totally pointless exercise unless you make me an irresistible offer for mine, but here goes:

The new-for-1985 model Honda Vision 50 is fresh, brightly coloured and stylish, echoing highly fashionable styling cues from the highly acclaimed Sinclair C5 and Hasbro Transformers.

Performance is slow up to an indicated 34 mph, verified by a friend on his brand-new V-Strom riding very slowly behind me, but excellent roadholding from the inch-wide tyres means that you can carry all that speed through all the suburban roundabouts you may encounter. If you're not scraping sparks off the floorboards, just go faster.

Special powers: Going everywhere with the throttle fully open.

Single serious point of this review: A tiny ancient moped is far and away the fastest way of cutting through city traffic. I actually intend to keep this bike for those occasions.
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1985 Honda Vision

[Az]

Honda NSR 125 - Fun and goes alright for a 125 (at full power). It did do a good job but I slowly ruined the bike being a young naive biker. So if you don't know anything about basic maintenance of 2 strokes or bike maintenance, don't get one.
It was fun to ride and put a smile on my face, I will defo' be buying an NSR in the future as i've always regretted not fixing and keeping mine.

Honda CBF 125 - No character, very boring bike, prone to rust but it gave me no trouble for the the 10,000-ish miles I put on mine. Very cheap to run, buy and maintain. It did do me well considering it was ran low on oil every now and again and also ragged everywhere.

Suzuki Bandit 600 - Comfortable bike but not so great with a pillion, the soft rear suspension causes the bike to ride pretty low and my down pipes will scrape off a high enough speed bump with a pillion.
Fun to ride as you push it to get power out of it but probably not enough power for a more experienced rider but more than enough to entertain a new rider.
Brakes are pretty bad, braided lines and decent pads do improve braking though.
Better springs in forks and an upgraded rear shock and i've read it addresses the bikes shit original soft suspension set up very well.
The weight isn't as problematic as I first thought it would be, I can easily manoeuvre the bike while it's off and i'm far from strong.
It's also a reliable bike with spares readily available, i've done 6000 miles so far with no problems, they're also pretty cheap to buy and insure.

[Jayy]

2001 Aprilia SR 50

My first road bike/scooter. Was a great little bike to be honest, one of the first direct injections, liquid cooling and chunky 13 inch wheels. Used to fill it up for £3 and not have to worry about it for a week. Had loads of fun on that as a kid but it ultimately got ruined before selling it for next to nothing. Also had my only semi-serious crash on that, T-boned a car doing a U-turn in front of me.

2004 Aprilia RS 125

I had always wanted one and it didn't disappoint in performance, handling and it was quick. The only problem with it was, it was an RS125 and it was broken more than it was working. I loved that bike far too much and it ended up costing me more than the bike in repairs over a 12 month period.

1998 Kawasaki ZX6R G1

My first big bike, great transition from the RS to this, it had a bullet proof engine, handled pretty well and it was fast. Kept this bike for a year but out grew it quickly and was left wanting something more powerful.

2004 KTM 640 Duke ll

Probably the most fun bike I've owned, loads of power from 0-70 and it only did about 110 top end but it wasn't about that, you just had too much fun keeping it at mostly licence saving speeds. The only issue was that it was a wheelie machine and actually worse than a superbike for potentially losing your license, you couldn't help yourself and it egged you on to wheelie it all the time. Maintenance heavy compared to Jap bikes, I didn't keep my eye on it and ended up totally fucking the engine and selling it to a Hungarian truck driver for a £1,000.

2003 Kawasaki ZX6R B1H

I had this for about 4 months after blowing the KTM up and it was such a nice bike to ride, loved the induction noise as you accelerated and it looked great in bright green. Had my 2nd ever incident on this, crashed in to a Chinese woman on a push bike, she hit the deck, I stayed upright but she broke the nose cone up and did about £300 of damage to it.

2004 Kawasaki ZX10R C1H

By far the best bike I've ever ridden, a total rocket and animal of a bike. I kept that bike for 3 years and scared the life out of you every time you got on it but in a good way. I don't think it lived up to its widow maker reputation, found it to be a fantastic bike all round.

2014 Yamaha YZF R1

Already reviewed this in another thread but in the less than a month I've owned it, not got a bad word to say about them apart from fueling could be a little better but a power commander will sort that out a bit. I thought it would take longer for me to get used to the different power delivery of the bike but I've put 1,000 miles on it so far and already feels like I've been riding it for a year. The ZX took a good while longer before I felt confidant on the bike.

[Speedysidders]

Puch Daimler something or other - Utter wank, 2 stroke so smelt good, had pedals.

Honda TL 125 1970 something - Loved it, little trialy thing. Field bike but got restored

Honda CB250RS - First bike after passing test, binned it. Painful.

Suzuki SV650s - Boring but could be fun every now and then, spent too many pennies making it bliiiing

Triumph Tiger 800 Roadie - Comfiest bike, amazing engine, boring as hell.

2013 CBR600RR - Love it, suits me just right and shifts when it wants to

Believe it or not after all these bikes I'm only 19 years old.... Obsessed?
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A Pint of sweat saves a gallon of blood.

[Wafer_Thin_Ham]

1991 GSXR400 - Once I'd sorted out the tyres, it was ok. Handled well, taught be lots about motorbikes.

1999 Hornet 600 - Generic white good type motorcycle. Took lots of abuse thrown at it, and could be very fun.

2002 RSV Mille - Great sound, handled amazingly, great ergonomics. Stupid indicators/horn, always kept on trickle charge.

1997 VTR Firestorm - Great sound, very bouncy and thirsty. Still handled ok, even with pogo suspension, no ground clearance and Dunlop D207s.

2004 ZX6R - Induction roar was lovely. Nearly chuckled me in a ditch a few times due to monster tank slappers.

1999 CBR600F - Basically a Hornet 600 with a fairing. Even managed a trackday, decking the pegs/centrestand on crappy touring tyres.

2007 R6 Racebike - Fantastic bike, built to superstock spec. With apprioriate gearing would try and hit you in the face in third gear. Sounded amazing, and handled telepathically.

2002 954 Fireblade - Likes to shakes it's head when you push on, but doesn't try and kill you. Great handling, and braking. Motor is excellent. Smooth, and creamy. Put back to stock form. Ultimate real world motorbike.
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My Flickr

[Old Git Racing]

Can’t remember years , may not be in chronological order either and some are missing where I only had them on loan or for a short time –
DT125 yamaha – 1st bike, always great. Stolen.

MZ TS 250 Supafive – loved this bike, surprisingly capable. Wrote off when a car turned right.

YDS7 Yamaha road bike/production racer – 2K powerband racer with L plates on, passed my test on it! Sold.

CB400T Honda – tried sensible for a bit. Dull as ditchwater. Sold.
RD250F Yamaha – 100mph 250 what could be wrong with that. Stolen.

RD400 Yamaha – Proddy racer/road bike – ran rings round the big ole 4 strokes. Sold.

RG500 Suzuki – Up to 5k like a 125, up to 7k like a 350, over 7k waaaaaah. The most fun you could have on 2 wheels at the time, mental. Ate a piston at top whack that totally destroyed the engine. Sold in bits, nearly got the cost back.

Had a break here to get married have kids etc.

YPVS 350 Yamaha – Proddy racer/road bike. Fast (125-130) handled brilliantly with sorted suspension, nearly won 400 roadstocks against newer 4 stroke 400’s. Sold.

2 X YPVS Yamahas – both on the road, both brilliant giant killers A-B on real roads. One sold, one written off after an interface with a dry stone wall.

250TZ V twin GP bike – Serious racing kit, nothing like a road based bike. 82 bhp and 110Kg’s. Raced for several years, won plenty, broke plenty of bones. Nothing like the feeling of this bike when it was on song. Sold last year.

1200 Harley Sportster – Bought as an antidote to racing to keep me sensible on the road. It didn’t work. Had a very near miss due to a lack of front retardation (shite brakes) on the IOM racing a Ducati. Sold.

600ZXR Kawasaki G1 – Couldn’t fault it. Fast good handling. Car pulled out, T boned it, nearly killed me. Written off.

Ducati 900SS – First venture into Italian stuff. Light, deceptively fast, a riders bike. Totally reliable and looked cool. Barrel rolled it into a field after getting confused on a series of bends. Wrote off, sold in bits (what there was left).

BMW R80RT – Sensible head again. Strangely addictive bike. Had oodles of character, started to use it instead of the car. Great wind protection, sarnies in the panniers. Not fast but far from boring, loved it. Sold to finance racing.

750GSXR K2 Suzuki – Had to buy it after seeing 174mph on the test ride. Good handling, fast enough to keep up with R1’s. Up to 9 points, Sold.

250 LC Yamaha – Went retro. Absolutely pristine after a total rebuild, better than new even down to the green cheese cross head screws in the cases. Nice thing but scared to rag it and got sick of returning it to show condition after every ride. Won an award at a show. Sold.

640 KTM Duke 2 – Licence retention mode. Uncomfortable, slow, boring but good for wheelies. Sold.

750GSXR K7 – A sublime motorcycle, the best standard road bike of its time imho. Does everything so well it had to go as I didn’t think it had been a good ride if I hadn’t had both knees down and seen 170. Sold.

675 Street Triple R Triumph. First brit bike. Never gelled with it, couldn’t understand the hype. Uncomfortable, no top end, no front end feel, just didn’t suit me. Sold.

999 Ducati Monoposto - Current bike. Always wanted one. Thoroughbred single minded bike that rewards rider commitment. Deceptively quick, rock solid handling with loads of feel. May be a keeper if it lives.

OGR
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2022 Tiger Sport 660 2019 Street Twin 2003 K3 gixxer 1000 1998 Srad 600 track hack

[Wull]

Good thread this,well worth reading.

Hyosung gt125r

I purchased this bike after immediately after I passed my cbt and it was the biggest mistake of my life,I think its made from cheese,or chocolate or something similar to that.I passed my direct access test soon after so I was stuck with a crappy slow heap of junk that was worth sweet FA.

Honda CBX 550

Bought this off a friend after I passed my test and sold it back to him a week later,might of been a good bike back in the day but was not for me.

Honda vfr400 nc30

This was a brilliant bike,bought this about a month after I passed my test and I learnt a lot on it.I also learnt a lot about auto-electrics,only downside to this bike was the electrical gremlins that I encountered over and over again....

Honda cbr400 nc23

Another good bike,had a soft spot for the 400's but I probably wouldn't have one now tbh.Definitely worth buying for a new rider but IMHO you're better off buying a decent 600.

Kawasaki zx9r c1

This was my first proper big bike and I loved it,sporty enough but still good for touring and covering plenty of miles.I did a few track days on this and it was ok,plenty fun.

Yamaha r6 5eb

Bought this bike at the start of 2012,I loved this bike.Great handling and good fun on the twisty roads where I live......tbh I wish I had kept this bike but got rid at the tail end of 2012.

Suzuki gsxr 1000 zk4

What can I say,this bike was awesome,plenty fast and plenty of fun.The one I bought was a bit different as it had a k5 swingarm,k7 slipper clutch,bigger brakes and heaps more......looked the part and was a very top notch bike.

Kawasaki zx9r c2

Went back to what I know,this bike does everything.I want to do more miles with my gramps and calm my riding down so this is the ideal bike......great for touring but when the mood takes me I'll shake a leg.
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"Scooters are for men who want to ride motorcycles but prefer to feel the wind on their vaginas"

[Robby]

I'll see if I can remember all of the bikes, and keep reviews down to 3 words or so.

1980 Suzuki ZR50 - Moped
1991 Honda NS125R - Shit 125
1980 Honda CB250RS. Good. Had several of them over the years.
1987 Honda VFR400 NC24. Shit.
1990 Suzuki VX800. Good. Heavy. Crashed.
198x Honda CRM250. Fun off road.
198x Suzuki GSX250. I think I owned one of these. Not sure.
198x Can-Am Bombardier 250. I think I also owned one of these. Never ran.
199x Suzuki SV650. Promised a lot, then you change gear. Boring.
198x Yamaha RD350LC YPVS. I don't like 2 strokes.
199x Honda CBR600. Fast, but not fun.
200x Chinese 125 scooter. I'm not sure why I owned this.
1987 Honda XL600R. Good fun. Small tank.
2003 Cagiva River 500. Great chassis, weak engine. Crashed.
198x Kawasaki GPX750. Awful.
199x Honda CB500. So boring I often forget owning it. Still better than the SV650.
2007 Harley 883R. Best bike I ever owned. Stolen.
1980 Yamaha XJ650. Carlike. Stolen.
1991 Honda NTV600. Fun around town.

There may be others that I've forgotten. Fairly sure I've never owned an Aprilia or a BWM, no form of big tourer or litre class sports bike. I may have owned and forgotten some other generic 80s commuters.

[Alex A]

[stonesie]

Honda CG125 : It got me about until it shat itself, it was a bit of a dog though.

Sv650S K6 : Mobile torture rack, I didn't fit that thing at all but it sounded good and went well, spent way too much on it.

Daytona 650 : MUCH better than the SV in every way, drank a bit more fuel but who cares when you're having fun, spent too much on it again but I was trying to make it perfect for me. I realized after a brush with the law and visit to court that I really like having a license...

Street Triple R (2013): Much better than the Daytona, at double figure speed it does everything I want, sounds great and handles brilliantly. I love this thing. At higher speeds, I couldn't possibly comment

[The Shaggy D.A.]

From the favourite bike thread...

[_mjs_]

XR125

Got me through my test. Slow, even for a 125. Good suspension for smashing through potholes and speedbumps.

CB500

First proper bike after passing test. Good workhorse, did a lot of two-up camping trips without complaint. Was ragging the absolute shit out of it after six months so got rid.

DT125R

Locked open powervalve meant it was all top end. Fun to ride but too ultimately too slow. Also was too loud / antisocial.

Varadero 125

Good bike but still a 4 stroke 125 (ie, shit).

ZZR600

Quite fast considering the age. Soggy suspension. Cheap as chips to buy, keep running and insure. Comfy on long trips. Even better on petrol than the CB500 on the motorway. Quite bored of it after a year but can't quite bring myself to sell it for some reason.
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Previous Bikes: 2006 Honda XR125L > 2003 Yamaha DT125R > 1996 Honda CB500
Current bikes: 1997 Kawasaki ZZR 600 E5 > 2006 Honda Varadero XL125V

[rhys1005]

Guowei gw 'super sport' 250 - as I was 13 years old, although it was never going to be rode on road, had the plate etc. at the time I thought it was a beast and it got me properly into motorcycles. Was decently reliable but didn't really use it that often, only one every week or two. But i have good memories with it, and wish I still had it. Cost £100.

DT125R - First bike on the road. It was fairly reliable, returned a decent mpg (for a 2 stroke anyway). That was all I wanted and it served its purpose. However it was also bat shit mental in my young mind,at the time. Would feel stupidly slow in the lower revs.. But above 6-8k revs all 18? Bhp would be unleashed think it done about 80mph tops so not bad for a high cog dirt bike, more so a 125!


Ybr 125 - shit. Hated it. Cost me a decent amount to purchase but it's chink roots were shown quickly. Gear box went, both forks blown, electrics were always faulty etc etc. would never own one again. Wasn't even fun/quick for a 125.

Thundercat 600 - wow. Had to wait a year to ride this animal properly excuse the pun) due to new license laws that I missed by a day (mod 2 cancelled a day prior due to snow). But the short naughty rides between then were breath taking. It was restricted to 33bhp too. Always had a grin on my face. Soon as I passed restrictors *may* have been taken out. That feeling come back again although I'm getting a little bored of it now after just 3 months, I'll probably keep it for a long time as a hack. Stupidly reliable I've heard and I've had no problems my self thus far.

[Radis]

2006 Honda CG125 in blue - was a reliable bike but very slow and I was too large for it really. Bought it for £800, rode it for 3 years around England. Crashed it twice and sold it for £950.

2011 Yamaha XJ6F in black - good learners bike but very boring and very basic. Owned since new thanks to 0% finance. Put lots of very uncomfortable miles on it. Taught my wife to ride on it and gave it to her.

2003 Honda VFR800 in silver - Fantastic bike. Plenty of power and a great sound especially with the Remus end cans. Suspension was OK but easily got out of shape when pushed hard in twisty roads. I had lots of issues with my bike, it left me stranded several times and costs a frikking fortune to repair and service.

2009 Triumph Tiger 1050 in blue - I haven't had this bike long but I am not gelling with it. It doesn't stir me and make me giggle. The suspension is too soft and bounces me around the road a lot (possibly setting it up properly would help). The wind protection is laughable. It is too wide to filter confidently in narrow london streets (I found the bulky VFR easier) and the seat is so high that at 6'1" I can only just flat foot one side at traffic lights and my 5'10" wife can only just get a toe down. I'm going to trade it in again for a Speed Triple....

[slowlydoesit]

[MC]

Was wondering why there isn't a review section, would be better than MCN reviews which seem entirely dependent on the mood of the reviewer, and you'd get a long term view on what a bikes like to live with.

Honda XR 125 - slow, annoying manual choke and took ages to warm up, crap instruments (no rev counter etc.), bars vibrated really badly.

Comfy seat, you can fly over road humps with the bike, and I found the handling quite 'fun' although tbh that was probably more to do with it being my first bike.

Cheap to run but some parts are surprisingly expensive, for example a new exhaust on the 2004-08 models (so all years except 2003) are £300, vs £90 for the '03 model.

Yamaha MT-03

Not had this bike that long so it's more a short term review. The engines torquey, engine braking's really aggressive, power deliver is jerky at low speeds. Also find the gearbox really clunky.

Fuel economy's pathetic, I get about 40mpg around town, <90 miles before the fuel light comes on. Also the underseat exhaust means you can get stupidly hot on the bike, good for winter, think its gonna be torture during summer tho.

Despite all the above the bikes a lot of fun, it feels really stable, and the loud exhaust that pops when you come off throttle leaves a smile on your face. Being a big single it's a bit vibey, but nothing compared to my XR. Seats comfy, handling's fun, just think if the gearbox & engine was smoother it would be a much nicer bike.
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Yamaha MT-03 '08 (crashed)
Honda XR-125L '04

[Howling TerrorOutOfOffice]

[from another thread]

By all accounts I should've loved the CG125 BR-K. I didn't. It handled like crap, the brakes were wooden and it kicked back ( I crashed it..possibly on purpose).
The first love was a XL125 (1983) a bike with similar power output but actually gave me confidence.

The XL125 was how I (started) to learn what to do with limited grip etc. Carting an extra 5ltrs of fuel and messing about in an old quarry is not to be underrated.

CB250RS (1980) Love is blind. Any shortcomings are overlooked because as a complete package you won't find many better.

ST2 (2000) As above but you can find many more that are better as bikes. I love it because at this moment it offers me everything I need. It's reliable, affordable to run. Easy to service. It hauls ass just fast enough for me to feel in complete control. Handling is predictable, brakes are great..including the rear. It sounds like a Ducati should. Loud and Brash with a faint whiff of tractor.
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Diabolical homemade music Bandcamp and Soundcloud
Singer songwriter, Artist and allround good bloke Listen to Andrew Susan Johnston here
The Harry Turner Project

[m3-paul]

1986 RD50MX2
Had an autisa 65cc kit, K&N etc etc. Great into in to bikes. Did a genuine 50 to 55mph, crashed many times, was a bit like Triggers Broom in the end, heat seized once but never actually let me down, brilliant.

1983 RD125LC
Hilarious, K&N, ledar kit and micron bean can exhaust. Again, never let me down, fast, fun and I would love another just for the hell of it.

1986 RG500
The ultimate road going 2T in my opinion. Stupidly fast, horrific on fuel and oil, best bike bar none for thrills. Will 100% own another at some point. That sensation as it hits the powerband and just goes crazy is something you never forget.

1990 GSXR1100
Sold the RG for the GSXR. What a let down, big and bulky, went well but just not for me. Never got on with it - flogged it after 3 months.

Break of a good few years for partying, then marriage and kids

1990 TZR250
The bike I will NEVER sell. Just brilliant, handles so nicely, great buzzy engine, sounds immense, keeps ups with bigger machinery on the twisties with ease, smells like heaven. I think it looks incredible as well. For a 250cc bike, when it hits 7000rpm it goes nuts and is very quick - keeper for life this one.

1990 FZR600
Got my second ever 4T bike, was alright, quite a decent chassis, could throw it about and it was reliable. I fixed all the annoying little bits with it and with decent tyres kept up with the modern stuff with no issues but I got bored very quickly as I was always wringing its neck and I knew I would kill it pretty quickly

1997 918 Fireblade
Possibly another keeper for life. It is mint, absolutely perfect and goes damn well. The only bike I would sell it for would be a 98/99 white and red R1. The blade has a superb engine, revs all the way in all gears, sound fabulous with its ART exhaust and is a very good handling bike. Quick steering with the 16" front wheel and awesome build quality. I like the way it can be ridden like miss daisy just using the torque to plod along or if you feel like it, ride it like you stole it.

I am not a fan of newer machinery. I am a fan of carb fed bikes, I love the early to mid 90s styling which is evidenced above.
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Yamaha TZR250 - love the smell of TTS!!!!
CBR900RR Fireblade - so much fun

[J biker]

KH125 Okay I suppose, just used to get test

Z550 Sounded awesome with 4-1 Yoshi system. Went well

GSX1100f Engine unbelievable power. Crap handling and comfort

VFR750 Comfy, bland, hit rev limiter far too often, notchy gear box

FZR600 Fun little bike at the time Decent handling to a point..

FZR1000 genesis Warp factor 10! Handling rather slow and very easy to run wide on corners

FZR600r Quickish. Nearly seized the motor at Croft..

VFR400 Should have started with one of these! Awesome handling, easy to ride fast, absolute gas. Not something for long rides due to seat being an instrument of torture. Seemed a bit thirsty for only 400cc

2000Srad GSXR750 Superb. Fast. Handling good. One of best ever rides back from Hartside..got off like a laughing, gibbering monkey lol
Recommended bike if you can find a good one.

03 Ltd ed R6 Fast, good handling. Really need a steering damper if used as intended.

06 R1 Blistering. Care needed with throttle as the back could spin up easy. Best ever accidental wheelie on overtake. Hope it looked deliberate. A rather hot bike to ride in sunny climes due to exhaust/cat under rider. Very high first gear. Good economy for a big bike. Well built bikes.

FZ1s 08 US import. £5995 from Taz, doubt we will see prices like that again. Superb bike. Replace back shock as standard unit crap. Very good handling, great fast tourer. Thirsty. 18.5k miles on this one and had to take a cheap trade in due to finances at the time;

ZXR636r 05 Ex track day bike. Great handling. Fast. Dubious history due to being used/slid down various tracks.

GSXR 1000 k8 08 Flat bar conversion. Very quick bikes. Easy to ride quick, way more fore giving than the R1. Don't think I ever got the tyres to break away, unlike R1 where both ends could be made to slide (Pirellis?) Wish I still had the k8, cant justify two bikes..
BTW, my only ever breakdown on the Suzuki. Caused by corrosion in fusebox (at 4000 miles!!) beware, clean the contacts and acf 50 or similar. Take action to prevent further corrosion as I was told it is a huge bill to replace fuse box (under left hand fairng panel)

MTS1200 13 Superb for me (older now you see..) with dodgy knees and shoulder lol. These really are a do it all. Scratch. Tour etc. Alps last year two up and still fun. One up this year = more fun!

[Shaft]

This might take a while

1981 TS50ER: First road bike, bought brand new. Tuned it, crashed it (multiple times) went to the moon and back on it, totally reliable, even after 35000 miles. Kept it long after I'd passed my full test, due to 'first love' syndrome. Eventually used as a deposit for one of my GS550s, turned up later with a mate, terminal crash with around 60K on the clock.

1980 RD250: Bought for next to nothing after the impending 125 limit was announced and values went through the floor. Heavier and slower handling than the later LC, but more predictable and still blisteringly quick, especially compared to a 50!

1979 RD400: As above, only more so.
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UJM - Universal Japanese Motorcycle: competent, but unexeptional.

Middleweights:

Honda 250/400 Super Dream, Suzuki GS550E, Honda VT500, Yamaha XJ650/750, Honda CX500.

Heavyweights:

Suzuki GS850/1000, Suzuki GSX1100E, Kawasaki Z1000J, Honda CB900F, Yamaha XS1100.
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1983 Honda CBX550F: Should've been brilliant. Loved this as a bike to ride, revvy engine and you could chuck it around like a moped. Severely compromised by the inboard twin discs, which made changing a front tyre like a task from the Krypton Factor. That and too many stories of early top end failure made me get rid.

Kawasaki Z1100R/GPZ1100 B1: I lumped these together as they are essentially the same thing, big old bruisers that actually had something close to what you might call handling. For me, either fits the bill as the ultimate 80s muscle bike, although the R will always shade it on looks alone.

Honda CBX1000: I'm probably alone in thinking this wasn't the bike everyone reckons it is. Prior to the arrival of the super sports bikes (GSX1100R etc) this was meant to be ultimate result of the 70s/80s power race, with the bike wholly dominated by that massive engine. It was quite quick at the time, not great handling or brakes though and it was really at it's best when it got a big fairing and became a tourer. Overrated.

Kawasaki Z1300: By comparison to the above, I loved this and it's the bike I really wish I still had. Even smoother than the CBX and no real sporting pretensions (there was a bloke called Arto Nyquist who did wild things with them though, look him up on Youtube) it took some concentration to really press on, but it was so lazy and comfortable.

Honda GoldWing: I had a 1200 Aspencade first, which was pretty much what you might expect it to be; smooth engine, but a bit lardy and not the most confidence inspiring handling. However, the GL1500 is a different kettle of fish.

It's popular to call it a two wheeled car, mostly by people who have never even sat on one, but don't believe the hype; super balance (you can trickle it along at walking pace) far better handling that it has any right to have and IMO the ultimate super tourer, nothing else comes close. I haven't ridden an 1800, but if it's better than the 1500, it must be fecking superb.

Honda Pan European: I did a newspaper review on one when it first came out and I liked it; seven years later I bought one for commuting and wasn't so impressed. Thousands of couriers/coppers/paramedics/AA men might think differently, but I thought it was pretty average, I'd probably choose a BMW K instead.

Yamaha XJ900F: Now we're talking! Pound for pound the best all rounder I've ever had. Cheap, comfortable, quick enough, good handling, stone reliable and even a decent fairing. An ongoing back problem means I need something even more upright, otherwise I'd buy another one like a shot.

Most recent:

1983 Z750 LTD: US import with open slash cut pipes, which were the best bit of the bike; fantastically noisy, there was no chance you were going to be missed, but typically 80s wayward handling and a bit gutless, even though the smog shit had been removed.

1983 Z1100A3: More more my kind of thing; torquey IL4, smooth shaft, comfy riding position and I like the semi custom styling, sort of cruiser meets muscle.

1983 Suzuki GS650 Katana: 650GT middleweight luxo barge in a sharp(ish) suit. Looks are a bit marmite and it's not fooling anyone that it can cleave through the air with the speed and precision of a Samurai sword, but it's a fun thing to ride and it's a talking point.

1986 Honda XL600LM: I really like this. Terrific as an in town commuter, it's great for filtering and you can go everywhere at full throttle, without getting yourself into trouble. Super comfy suspension and riding position, with an extra cylinder and a bit more grunt, it would be almost perfect.

1986 VFR750: If it wasn't for my dodgy back, I would love this to bits. In it's day, super sharp handling and bloody quick for a 750 and it's no slouch today. Engine is an absolute jewel, revvy, torquey and smooth, in fact everything good you've ever heard about these bikes is true. If I was 20 years younger, I wouldn't even think about selling it (shameless plug) https://www.bikechatforums.com/viewtopic.php?t=288266

I've probably missed a few, but these are the ones I remember, without checking my profile.
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Things get better with age; I'm close to being magnificent........
20 RE Interceptor, 83 Z1100A3, 83 GS650 Katana
WooHoo, I'm a Man Point Millionaire! https://www.bikechatforums.com/viewtopic.php?t=234035

[pja8]

TS50 ER - First bike some 27 years ago, as such fond memories but boy a sod to start. At the time though a pretend trials bike that did 30 mph seemed so impressive.

KH100EX - Passed my test on this bike after university, also transported my future wife around on this bike. Not sure we would both fit on it now. Loved its looks and it was great around town. And for runs to the seaside.

GS500E - Great commuter bike, mine did not rust so got lucky there, did first Peterborough bike show on that bike plus snetterton 24 hr race with wife and luggage. Camping in the middle of the circuit. Good memories, again never let me down.

Sons come along, no biking for next 17 years.

Son wants a scooter and that gets me thinking. I need cheap transport for work so get a.......

Kymco pulsar S 125cc - Amazing fuel economy better than 100mpg, luv the gear change indicator that is such a useful feature. No good though for wife and me. We are a bit heavier these days. Highly recommend this bike though.

VT750S - my current bike, wife loves it, used for daily commute and weekend jollies. Brings a smile to my face every time I ride it.

As you can probably tell performance bikes have never really been my thing, just love biking and the feelings it gives me when I hit the open road.
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Current - Triumph America LT Previous - Honda VT750S, Kymco Pulse S 125cc, Suzuki GS500e, Kawasaki KH100ex & Suzuki TS50er

[AcIdBuRnZ]

2001 Honda NSR125RR - Awesome; everyone should have one at some point.

Kawasaki ER-5 - Sounded great with new Remus titanium exhaust system. Soon started riding beyond it's limits though due to single front disk.

Kawasaki ZZR-600E - Shed! Leaked fuel all the time. Gearbox packed in eventually so I sold it for spares/repair.

2000 Suzuki GSXR-750Y - Loved this bike, still miss it, would have another tomorrow.

Current: Honda CB400 Project Big 1 (NC31) - new project after being bikeless for too many years. Not ridden it yet since I've a few things to do for it then it needs MOT'd etc.
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Past: Honda NSR125R >> Kawasaki ER-5a2 >> Kawasaki ZZR-600e1 >> Suzuki GSXR-750Y >> Honda VTR 1000 Firestorm
"Chickity China the Chinese Chicken..."

[sidewinder]

1997 yamaha 600 diversion

Had it now for nearly 3 yrs and daily use.and it has been very reliable.fuel efficiency is good 55 mpg and 130-140 mls per tank.
Handling is good as long as you don't push it to hard.very comfy on long runs.only things to go wrong have been just wear and tear items .fork seals pads etc.apart from that great first bike or daily computer they even tour well.....

[gorillaonabik...]

Yamaha FZR400: Loved it.
Kawasaki ZXR750: Loved it.
Kawasaki ZXR600: Loved it.
Ducati 748: Loved it.
Honda CBR600: Loved it, loved it, loved it.
Fireblade 899: Was OK. Was my dream bike. Would maybe have one as a second bike.
Fireblade 929: Was OK.
Hornet 600: Great little bike.
CB1300: Good but got old so would want more of a fairing, comfort etc...

The ZXR750 was the one which I loved. Genuinely upset when I had to sell it.
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FZR400 (blown engine), ZXR750 (blown engine), ZX6R (accident), CBR600 which had engine issues after which I learned to change gear..., CBR900, CBR924 (stolen), CB600, CB1300 (everything blew up), BMW K1300GT (written off, hit from rear while stationary), Bandit 1250 for a couple of months, Triumph Sprint ST 1050 (nicked) and somewhere in there, I wrote off a Ducati 748 at Cadwell.