New or old

[Black Knight]

Although the latest bikes out are really something special I find myself more attracted to the bikes of yesteryear.

The so called 'streetfighter' style new bikes such as the speed triple, MT01, GSX1400 all seem a little plasticy to me. Im sure they would all scare the hell out of me at full whack but they just don't have that evil glint of the pedigree machines.

Its not just limited to naked. Sports bikes have also become more refined. Look at the original Fireblade to what we have now.

I saw a old GSXR1100 for sale the other day, I looked at it and just thought - that thing is an bloody animal.
I look at the latest Suzuki offering and although amazing, just doesn't exite me nearly as much.

The latest bikes seem to say 'I'll give you the ride of your life, you'll have fun with me'

The old uns seem to say 'Just try it - Wind me up and I'll F***** defile you'

So which do you prefer and why?
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Where does a turn end? 'Where you can do anything with the gas you want to, where you are brave again, where your attention is free from the turn, where you are sure you can do it better next time; that's the end' - Keith Code.

[Kram]

going on sports/naked bikes:

All the newer bikes are the same..
sports bike - twin headlights/fairing everywhere/small r sends/race cans/ colour coded everything/high performance engine.

whereas all the older bikes have some sort of variety and all have different characteristics(sp?), so you can have a more personal bike, instead of driving down the road and seeing 5 of your bike.
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FS1E -> SR125 -> CB400N -> CB650 -> FZR600 Genises -> VFR400 NC21 -> CBR900RR Fireblade -> Renault Clio 1.4

[Method]

[Kram]

my CB400N superdream, which i rebuilt by hand, was a lovely bike. I never saw another one anywhere. I bought my FZR600... see thousands now, takes some of the fun out personally
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FS1E -> SR125 -> CB400N -> CB650 -> FZR600 Genises -> VFR400 NC21 -> CBR900RR Fireblade -> Renault Clio 1.4

[map]

I think I know where you're coming from.
The Fireblade now is said to be a toned down pussycat compared to the original. The same can be said of the R1. Mind you, when these first came out they blew their rivals away so would have a mean reputation. That said I think riders have become more sophisticated and expect more control (less skill/experience required). It could well be that the makers have toned the bikes down deliberately to avoid all those born agains killing themselves at the first set of sweeping bends.

The older bikes, it's said, couldn't hold a candle to the new ones and would be beaten every time. However, in the real world you don't use the roads as a track ( ) and IMO it's about the riding, being a very personal thing, doing what you want on your bike. I think I'm also remembering when some of the mags (Bike, Ride, whatever) did side by side road/track tests of new models and those a few years older the riders nearly always chose the older bike.

I'd also say the older bikes had more character and quirks. The engineering is simpler and less intimidating. There's also a greater pool of knowledge from bikers who've been there, owner that, tweaked the other and will let you know all about it
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...and the whirlwind is in the thorn trees, it's hard for thee to kick against the pricks...
Gibbs, what did Duckie look like when he was younger?

[TOM M]

persoanlly i prefer newer bikes but i do admire the styling etc of the older ones
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Now owner of a 1200 Bandit

[Zoffo]

I think it's the bikes reputation tha influences the way you see it.
The GSX1100 was a monster in it's day so that's the way we see it now. Same with the TL1000, had a reputation for being a widow-maker and it took on the appearance. Still looks mean to me now.

One trend that I think changed the way bikes looked was the change from the big wide bulbous front ends (like the early GSXr750) to the more aerodynamic narrow front ends of the present day sports bikes. I always found that fig fat front end aggressive looking.
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https://hyperbikes.forumsplace.com/

[Kram]

older bikes, have alot less to go wrong with... none of this fancy digital fuel injection malarky, and fuel mapping... good old carbs . but it is nice to own a 5 thousand pound motorbike that is the fastest thing in fast land, that you will never use properly
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FS1E -> SR125 -> CB400N -> CB650 -> FZR600 Genises -> VFR400 NC21 -> CBR900RR Fireblade -> Renault Clio 1.4

[G]

[Bendy]

I think most brand new bikes are pretty ugly, angular styling does nothing for me.

Now in theory I should be swayed past the looks by the performance, but I'm not good enough to fully exploit a modern sportsbike so this ceases to be an issue for the most part.

So, for the moment, I like the slightly older bikes. Not that old, just far enough back that curves were favoured over straight lines.

Really depends on the individual bike in the end though. Haven't really ridden many 'old' bikes to be able to judge by.

[Black Knight]

[stinkwheel]

I'm going to design the latest, bestest superbike.

Right, needs to be about a litre capacity, to be safe lets make it 8cc bigger than last years model. Now what sort of engine do I want? Well we have all these crankcases lying about so it had better be an inline four. Ok now send it to the fuel injection boffin to squeeze another 5bhp out of it. Good, that's the engine sorted.

Ok, chassis. What size rear tyre is the competition using? Right make ours marginally wider. That's knacked the handling good and proper hasn't it? Ok stick a couple of degrees more rake on the front end.

Looking good. Now squidge the fairing mould in a bit and put a couple of lumps in here and here. Slap a couple of different stickers on and Bob's your uncle.

Now, parts bin, parts bin, what have we in here. Aha! A load of spare corrugated ducting and some aluminium mesh. So drill a hole here and look, ram air! Best come up with a four letter acronym for that, we can put a sticker on.

Right, final touch. Lets engineer a major fault into a non-seviceable part that we can flog replacements for at 50 times the cost price in a couple of years. Best make it some sort of black box. Good.

Ok, finished. Make another 10,000 like this, the silly buggers will trip over themselves to buy them. Bung a couple at the bike magazines but overbore the engine by another 200cc so they think it is the fastest thing they have ever sat on, they'll have got used to the standard model of last years bike by now.
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“Rule one: Always stick around for one more drink. That's when things happen. That's when you find out everything you want to know.”
I did the 2010 Round Britain Rally on my 350 Bullet. 89 landmarks, 3 months, 9,500 miles.

[mchaggis]

I prefer old bikes. Every bugger else seems to have a new one. As their fairings are plastic, I don't imagine they've got quite the same excuse as car manufacturers for bringing in style changes*, but the rate of improvement must surely be approaching a plateau now?

Lighter, more powerful? Do they really need to be? Not with our speed limits and scameras. I think Stinkwheel's got it right.

*Car manufacturers bring in new styles because their stamping dies wear out.
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I must not be a troll...
Mmmm, Guinness
Discovering the delights of Hammerite and a 3/4" brush.

[Zoffo]