Decisions...

[Diggs]

Last night a bunch of us went up to North Yorkshire to enjoy the roads and a beautiful summer's evening. As per usual we swapped bikes. I did 35 miles on my Speed Triple, 20 miles on a Duke 749 followed by 30 miles to home on a 350 YPVS. 3 completely different bikes but all great to ride hard on quiet country roads.

This gives me a problem. Now I'm tempted to sell my old Gixxer750M and buy something lighter. Trouble is, I don't know what to get. The Duke got me thinking about a similar twin as they are so satisfying off the apex whereas the YPVS has that wonderful spot at 6.5k where it hesitates for a split second then 'braaaaahhhhhh'. If you've ever ridden one you'll know what I mean!

Not sure if I have the time to fettle an LC any more, or the disposable to run a Duke. Any suggestions as to what I could buy to deliver the same smiles but with less maintenance?
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Now - Speed Triple, old ratty GS550, GSXR750M
Gone (in order of ownership) - Raleigh Runabout, AP50, KH125, GP125, KH250, CBX550, Z400, CB750FII, 250LC, GS550, ZXR750H1, Guzzi Targa, GSX750F, KH250 x2, Bimota SB6R and counting...

[chickenstrip]

YPVS 350. Do it!

As you discovered, there's nothing quite like riding a decent 2T.

They don't actually need much fettling once fully sorted, and if ridden fairly regularly. I don't remember having to do anything much but put in fuel and oil while I owned one. And besides, they're dead easy to work on. It'll be more a case of what you need to do to any that you buy to get it in good road-going trim to start with these days I suspect, but once sorted (if required), the fun begins! Wish I still had mine.

Oh, and Stephens stage III and Stephens/Lomas (or equivalent) spannies ftw
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Chickenystripgeezer's Biking Life (Latest update 19/10/18) Belgium, France, Italy, Austria tour 2016 Picos de Europa, Pyrenees and French Alps tour 2017 Scotland Trip 1, now with BONUS FEATURE edit, 5/10/19, on page 2 Scotland Trip 2 Luxembourg, Black Forest, Switzerland, Vosges Trip 2017
THERE'S MILLIONS OF CHICKENSTRIPS OUT THERE!

[Jefr0]

I can only comment on the Duc, what maintenance are you worried about?

Get the belts done every 2 years/6000 miles at £160 all in usually.

Oil and filter changes as normal.

I've owned my Duc 6 years and have only had to change the belts
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Rides: Honda XR 125 ('03) Honda CBR 600F ('91), Ducati 916 Biposto ('95)

[Suntan Sid]

If you want a 2T, as Chickenstrip says, they require no more fettling than a 4T and they're a doddle to work on, if you need to.
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"Everybody needs money, that's why they call it money!"

[N cee thirty]

get the rd while they're still under 5 grand
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'00 Aprilia RS50 > '92 Honda CG > '99 Yamaha Fazer > '91 Yamaha RXS > '79 Suzuki X5 > 01' Honda Cg > 07' Honda Cg > 82' Kawasaki Z200 > suzuki gsxr 400 gk73a > honda vfr 400 NC30 Mod 2 Passed 09/06/2011

Jewlio Iglesias wrote: I actually did vote BNP once

[Diggs]

The price of RDs is scary right now. Don't see that many on the road either so I guess folk are hoarding them.

I had a 250LC and 3 KH250s as a youth so remember a bit about fettling them. If set up right in the 1st place they aren't so bad, but looking at t'bay it'd cost me over 3k to buy a half decent one to start with. Its the high price of nostalgia I guess...
____________________
Now - Speed Triple, old ratty GS550, GSXR750M
Gone (in order of ownership) - Raleigh Runabout, AP50, KH125, GP125, KH250, CBX550, Z400, CB750FII, 250LC, GS550, ZXR750H1, Guzzi Targa, GSX750F, KH250 x2, Bimota SB6R and counting...

[chickenstrip]

I've seen half decent looking RD350LCs going for under £3k in recent months, and YPVS 350s for less (although personally I'd steer clear of late Brazilian models). Just a matter of waiting for the right one to come up, but unfortunately, you're right, the prices are only headed one way

Keep one eye on Classic Mechanics and Practical Sportsbikes magazine classified ads - not everyone who advertises a bike in those thinks their bike must be the last surviving Dodo.
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Chickenystripgeezer's Biking Life (Latest update 19/10/18) Belgium, France, Italy, Austria tour 2016 Picos de Europa, Pyrenees and French Alps tour 2017 Scotland Trip 1, now with BONUS FEATURE edit, 5/10/19, on page 2 Scotland Trip 2 Luxembourg, Black Forest, Switzerland, Vosges Trip 2017
THERE'S MILLIONS OF CHICKENSTRIPS OUT THERE!

[G]

My usual suggestion :

https://www.dailymotos.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/beon-lanza-ktm-sx250-gp-todo-tributo-al-2-tiempos-12928639945.jpg

Didn't find my F2 YPVS particularly enthralling.

[chickenstrip]

[P.addy]

Supermono... such awesome

[G]

Paddy; note above is a 2 stroke based on a KTM250SX - should be revvy and VERY light.

While they do offer a fairing, if I was going that route, I'd be tempted to forgo it for ultimate lightness .

Chucking a load of money at not-that-great bike like YPVS doesn't really make sense to me. It's not even pretty like the LC.
Prefer to go for an RS250 or similar and sort the suspension a little.

[chickenstrip]

Certainly looks like it has potential. Maybe if it had a seat...
I'd put at least some kind of nose cone on it (admittedly a personal taste thing). Don't think the weight would be that significant for a road bike. Then a paint job to tie everything in, and I reckon it'd be reet.

But how much to put something like that together? And OP has already said he doesn't have the time to be fettling all the time, so unless he could find something similar already done for sale (unlikely?), I doubt that he'd be wanting to build from scratch?

[MCN.]

KR1S. Much quicker than a YPVS and chassis from another planet.

[Diggs]

RS250's seem to be going for 3.5k for a mk1 and 5k for a mk2. I could possibly stretch to a mk1. I've heard that they are very fragile though...
____________________
Now - Speed Triple, old ratty GS550, GSXR750M
Gone (in order of ownership) - Raleigh Runabout, AP50, KH125, GP125, KH250, CBX550, Z400, CB750FII, 250LC, GS550, ZXR750H1, Guzzi Targa, GSX750F, KH250 x2, Bimota SB6R and counting...

[Suntan Sid]

[MarJay]

I might consider selling my KR1S if you're interested?
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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.

[Suntan Sid]

[stevo as b4]

It would be Ducati 749/999 for me every time over even a nice YPVS 350. Reason being is that I love the styling of these Ducati's and yet most people don't and or don't rate them. That alone makes them a fantastic buy to me!

The only thing I don't agree on 100% with the YPVS 350 advice, is about avoiding the late Brazilian models completely?

Yes sure they will never look as cool or be sought after, or have quite as much build quality (not that RD 350YPVS's did anyway)

But with the fettling money spent on them you can with work get them to go and handle as well as a Jap one, and they will always be much cheaper to buy, as purists hate them! Which again to me is another good reason to get one!

[chickenstrip]

[N cee thirty]

not sure about these brazillian bikes, it's what, 20 years odd that they've been out, most people would probably have upgraded them over time to keep up with the f2's etc
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'00 Aprilia RS50 > '92 Honda CG > '99 Yamaha Fazer > '91 Yamaha RXS > '79 Suzuki X5 > 01' Honda Cg > 07' Honda Cg > 82' Kawasaki Z200 > suzuki gsxr 400 gk73a > honda vfr 400 NC30 Mod 2 Passed 09/06/2011

Jewlio Iglesias wrote: I actually did vote BNP once

[stevo as b4]

I kind of agree with much of what your saying, however:

1, How twisty are these Devon back lanes and how much is handling, enjoyment, fun, speed or value important? I.e if a Ducati 749 is much too much bike for such roads to enjoy, then would something light but simpler and a lot less powerful like a Honda XBR500 not be even better maybe?

2, I have heard lots of the don't go near the Brazilian 350's folklore too. But how many of the people that say they are shit and aweful mistakes have actually owned one first hand though? I know that the modded 350YPVS you linked would be way out of cheap bike budget money, and so would sorting out most of the downsides of the Brazilian machines too. But my point was more I guess that anything can be fixed with enough spent, and I'm not exactly sickened to death by the looks of the RD350R, so a fully improved/sorted/pimped one could be a decent bike for less than an F2 done to the same standard etc.

3, I kind of see your point about you liking and wanting the best bike you can get, and one that you like and sod it if everyone else likes them too. But trends and popularity are expensive, so getting something less sought after these days really appeals to me.

I'd like an RD500LC, but will never buy one, as there are too many people out there with deep pockets that want the biggest LC too, many just to say they have got one.
TDR250's have gone a bit like that now too, it's never going to be an off beat bike that's off two stroke nutter's radar's.

At least the Ducati 749/999 is still off many Ducatisti's most wanted list, so that's in part why I like them so much. Same story with the Laverda 750S Formula, everyone will say buy a 748 instead, but then it means there's less competition when a nice Formula 750 pops up, and less popular/classic tax on them too!

[G]

[chickenstrip]

[G]

I just saw the stickers, lower fairing bit thingy etc - however on further observation I see they've stuck a load of higher spec suspension kit on the outdated frame.
Just get an RGV250 .

[Diggs]

It would be as well as the Striple. Purely for fun...
____________________
Now - Speed Triple, old ratty GS550, GSXR750M
Gone (in order of ownership) - Raleigh Runabout, AP50, KH125, GP125, KH250, CBX550, Z400, CB750FII, 250LC, GS550, ZXR750H1, Guzzi Targa, GSX750F, KH250 x2, Bimota SB6R and counting...