Motorbike worst decisions and best decisions after buying

Skill Magill

As I've gone from bike to bike for the last 25 years or so, there are few bikes that I regret buying, or having a go on, but there are some that I would never consider again, the 1st is the 600 hornet, the worst handling bike I've ever come across, I think it had 17inch wheels or something like that; next would be a vespa, didnt own it but drove that brick for a mate, he got rid after a month,

So, onto bikes I like and have bought :
The cg125 = it just goes till you crash it
Gn125 - as above
XL 250 - you can wheelie that boy
Bros 4oo - great engine - shít chain tightening
Revere 650 - bigger engine than the bros - shaft driven

Bikes I've looked at and after a spin changed my mind :

The Tl 1000 and a couple of blades, my back was wrecked after about a 100km

D3V!L

None, I've every bike I ever owned like it was my own flesh and blood !! :pac:

Wonda-Boy

I had a CG125 "back in the day" and my god it really would go until there was no road left in the world. Out of the 3 bigger bikes I have owned I dont regret any off them....so I have been lucky.

I have rode an awful lot of bikes from test rides and open days and just popping into McCallans etc. and there have been a few I hated and a few that were a bit meh.

One I really did not like was the KTM 1190 and the Kwacker GTR1400 stand out, and the cbr600rr. That was a terrible revy ****in yoke.....

Krusty_Clown

Been meaning to put a list of my previously owned bikes / pictures for future recolletion.

1989 Honda CBR250R - The one that started it all. Great little bike, but so much potential to go wrong. It tried to kill me in the end so had to go.
1994 Suzuki RF400 - beautiful bike but under-powered for the weight. Prone to over-heating at traffic lights and pissing coolant all over the road, I only kept it for 6 months before trading up.
2001 Suzuki sv650s (old style) - First ever new bike. Loved it - did my test on it, wish I could've kept it, but the allure of a more powerful engine was too strong. Couldn't recommend this bike enough, for someone getting into biking.
2003 Suzuki SV1000s: Fantastic bike. Loved the looks, the power, the noise from the twin exhausts. But, I had a hope of doing some touring and the SV1000 just didn't strike me as a comfortable touring bike, so....
2005 BMW R1200GS: Like so many others, I fell in love with the idea of adventure and touring, but ever since that very first bike, I'd always wanted a GS. Despite never popping my touring cherry, I kept this bike for 10 years and after 120k miles, it felt more like an extension of my body. The Irish weather wasn't kind and after 10 years (and some neglect) it started to show the signs of wear and tear, so I had to change up before it started to get even more costly than the typical (independent) service costs.
2010 Honda VFR1200 - which brings me to today. Bought partially out of necessity (I really wanted a Yamaha MT09 - but they're like hens teeth), I wasn't completely sold by the vfr1200's looks, but again, had always wanted a VFR and the low-maintenance driveshaft eventually won me over. Didn't love it at the start but it has really grown on me, particularly after getting rid of the horrific exhaust. After so many years on the GS, the handling took some getting used to (had fallen out of practice with proper counter-steering), but it's not all been plain sailing. The tank range is a rather frustrating 200 kms, and it's a heavy bugger (particularly with the top box fitted), but it has rekindled thoughts of touring again.

Next up - Probably go for MT10, or maybe an Aprilia Tuono in the next year or two.

Wossack

Ive only ever bought 3 bikes
and I still own 2 of em

GBX

First YBR125 - Brand New - then wrote off by a dozy cow 6 months later. . Deadly bike .. furgal.
Fazer 600 - Restricted but great comfort and nice step up from the 125.
VFR800fi - Lovely bike to ride - comfy!
FZ1 - Love it and hate it at the same time. Drinks like a fish but great fun.

toyotaavensis

Fzx750 stolen and burned out
Cb500 destroyed in dispute with car
Fazer 600 now

Tzardine

Italjet Dragstar 50cc - Fantastic looking ( No front forks) , rare and fast compared to the other 50cc mopeds. Wrote off within about 2 months of buying it new when an uninsured driver t-boned me.

Kawasaki KMX 125 - First proper bike. Great fun. Went through pistons like a demon. Easy to work on though. Learned a lot tinkering with this bike. Like most KMX's it was stolen on me and burned out.

CBR 250RR - What I would not give for one of these again. What can you say about a bike that revs to 20,000 rpm. Sublime. Never gave me any trouble. Traded in for ....

VFR 400 (NC30) - Legendary handling , peach of an engine. A sound like no other.

Bandit 600 - Bought new and loved it. My first "big" bike. It was restricted ( for about 1000 miles lol ). Engine was very reliable but the build quality / finish was rubbish. After about 1 year it was looking a bit rough already. Sold it when I moved abroad for a while. Bought another (used) one when I returned . Had it about 3 years until I got a company car so I sold it.

And now, for the past 3 years I have gone back on two wheels and got myself a Bandit 1200s. I love the engine but build quality and finish is the same as the 600's . i.e shocking. They really deserve their reputation for being bullet proof though. I have put 80,000km on it during this time and it just keeps on going. ( But she does need to be serviced every 3700 miles)

Pan Euopean might be next on the list.

Skill Magill

Tzardine - not a truer word about the KMX's being on thieves Christmas lists, I was going to get one but was advised against it precisely because it would be robbed. Went for the XL 250 instead, same style, bigger engine and probably not as fun as the 2 stroke, but you could lift it no bother!

arybvtcw0eolkf

Ok I've no real 'stand out' bikes.

I'd a few RD's (125 & 350) and a DT, blew the crap out of all of them.

One of my absolute best bikes ever was my Vespa PX200. I came home from service in Lebanon with a wad of cash, went into town to buy an R1 and rode home that afternoon with a brand new PX200E and fecking loved it to bits.

For comfort I'd say my CBR1000F.

Fun was a few trailies, particularly a Dominator 650 ~ I'd some craic on that yoke.

I rode a BMW for four years, while it was a fun bike (R1100S) dealing with Joe Duffys n Finglas left me with a sour taste in my mouth and I'd never own another BMW.

I've a Vstrom 650 since Febuary, and I'm not joking when I say its fast becoming my fav bike. Its comfy, very cheap to run, slow as fook but it does what I want it to do. Lovely bike.

Very worse, a piece of sh*t to be honest ~ the Bandit 600, horrible things altogether.

Worse dealers, Joe Duffys (BMW). And best, I know I'll be kicked in the nuts for this one ~ but Bike World has never let me down!.

Skill Magill

Mak,
I think the domi had the same engine as the revere/ntv and you could swap out parts, like the cam chain, great bike

CJhaughey

Skill Magill wrote: »

Mak,
I think the domi had the same engine as the revere/ntv and you could swap out parts, like the cam chain, great bike

Dommie have a RFVC 650 single, the NTV/Revere/Deauville use a V-twin not the same engines at all.
Transalp uses a similar engine to the Revere/NTV maybe thats what you were thinking of?

Skill Magill

CJhaughey wrote: »

Dommie have a RFVC 650 single, the NTV/Revere/Deauville use a V-twin not the same engines at all.
Transalp uses a similar engine to the Revere/NTV maybe thats what you were thinking of?

yeah you're right cj, would I be right in thinking I swapped a cam-chain tensioner from a dommie to a bros? I'm mixing things up, twas a long time ago man!

pudzey101

Ive only ever bought 1 bike

Kawasaki zx6r ( First bike ) i know madness .... better to start big than small though

Hasnt once gave me a second trouble ( YET ) .

Dread the day i see her go , will probably move onto her bigger sister the zx9 at sometime

batman_oh

Most things were exactly what I wanted really so nothing I regret other than one or two of them giving me a bit of trouble. The worst for issues was the Honda RVF400 I bought (3rd bike). It had a good load of abuse behind it but I was fairly new and just wanted one so much I didn't really even look at the thing!

Started on a 3 months old Aprilia RS125 and had it for almost 2 years thanks to crucifying insurance quotes below 25 back then (around 2001/2002). Brilliant fun and learned a lot. Next up was the natural progression to an Aprilia RS250. I wish I had kept this until now. The RVF400 followed, then a K5 GSXR600. After that the first new bike I ever bought was a K6 GSXR1000. I topped it up with a K1 GSXR600 for trackdays/commuting.

After that it went, 2007 Yamaha R1, KTM 660MC, 2008 Fireblade, 2003 Kawasaki ZX6R for track, 2009 R1 that I had for 5.5 years and added about 10k of bits! A KTM950SM was bought in 2010 to go alongside that and replaced with the 990SMR I still have in 2013. The Ducati replaced the R1 in June 15. I'm pretty happy with these two as nothing else really appeals above them. I might try a 1290 Superduke in a while but think next up might be a decent track bike.

No regrets in purchase terms yet!

mamax

Have had too many bikes, the only regret is living in this fecking country with the sh!tty weather we get !

Bushmanpm

My worst would have to be the H.D. XL1000 Ironhead. Had it for about five years of which half of that was in the shop for "repairs" ;-)
Only redeeming memory was a trip around the Scottish highlands, especially Glencoe, even though at that point I only had 3rd & 4th (out of only 4!) gears!
Best one is my current '99 Speed Triple 955i although it was a bit painful on a recent London-Kilkenny-Dublin-Kilkenny-London jaunt! My poor ar5e!
Brilliant daily rider and performances wise, in a different galaxy to what I'm used to!

Hotblack Desiato

The 955i is a great motor

TheAlkaline

First Bike - Kawasaki ER5 (Excellent first bike, straight sitting position behind the bars, fast enough and decently looking).

Second Bike - Honda CB400SF (One of the most amazing inline engines I have heard, excellent power and handling, loved it!)

Third Bike - Kawasaki XJR400 (I didn't like it so much, only had it for about 3 months before selling it, felt like downgrade from CB400SF, didn't sound as nice and clutch basket making noises was very common in them, mine was also the troubled one)

Forth Bike - 04' Suzuki SV650S (Incredible sound, Low-RPM acceleration and general looks, I didn't like it as much as everyone says though, I didn't feel confident enough as I would on Nakeds. Maybe it's just me.. on the other hand even just looking at it would make my heart beat faster. I didn't have it for too long, college fees had to be paid and I sold it..)

Fifth Bike - In the coming months I'll be looking to buy a Bandit 600 or similar for a road trip to Alps this summer.

Hotblack Desiato

TheAlkaline wrote: »

Kawasaki XJR400

That's a Yamaha

clutch basket making noises was very common in them

I put 60,000 miles from new on a CBR600, after a while it started making the rattly clutch noises and I imagine a lot of bikes do. It only happens in neutral (disappears when you pull the clutch in) and doesn't do any harm, when I sold it the clutch was still in perfect condition despite the noise. Dry clutches like Ducatis are just noisy anyway.

I didn't feel confident enough as I would on Nakeds. Maybe it's just me..

Funnily enough I was the opposite, getting onto fully faired bikes made me more confident, it feels like there is more bike around you, although not being able to see where the front wheel is pointing felt a bit weird at first!

Fifth Bike - In the coming months I'll be looking to buy a Bandit 600 or similar for a road trip to Alps this summer.

Just do it, I did my first trip to the Alps on a GS500E, no ball of fire but it was still good fun in the twisty passes.

TeaBagMania

Worst Decision: POS Kawasaki
Best Decision: BMW and Harley

rustynutz

After years on sportsbikes, and starting to get aches and pains on longer spins, I sold my 08 R1 for a ZX12R. After the first spin I knew this relationship was doomed. The thing handles like a tank compared to the R1, all it wanted to do was go in a straight line, there a tiny input on the bars of the R1 would have you tipped into a corner the ZX12 needed wrestling, it wasn't much faster either, the R1 seemed to pull harder all the way to 170mph where the ZX seemed to have a little more top end. The thing drank fuel like a wino too, it was gone in 3 months!

I replaced it with a SP1, then a RC8, had a Superduke 990 for a little while along with the RC8 and then changed both bikes for a big bang R1 for the road ( one of the nicest power deliveries of any bike I've had) and a cbr600rr trackbike.

I still have the cbr, its all the bike I need for the track, if a little slower than the more popular R6, still love it though.

I ended up changing the R1 for a Ducati 1098s, I had never had a Ducati so wanted to try one, it was in need of some TLC which it got and I became attached to it, the thing looks and sounds beautiful, handling is good once set up properly and it has serious torque. I usually keep bikes for no longer than a year but I have this one almost 3 so it must be a keeper!

I still had an itch for a more upright machine to ease the aches and pains (joys of getting older) so a couple of months ago I came across a KTM 950 SMR in the UK at the right money when sterling was low so I bought it. I've only had it out on dry roads a couple of times but it is insane, it feels like a dirt bike on steroids, feels really light ( even though its the same weight as a sportsbike, 200kg approx) and corners like something much smaller. Its early days but I reckon this one is a keeper too.

batman_oh

rustynutz wrote: »

After years on sportsbikes, and starting to get aches and pains on longer spins, I sold my 08 R1 for a ZX12R. After the first spin I knew this relationship was doomed. The thing handles like a tank compared to the R1, all it wanted to do was go in a straight line, there a tiny input on the bars of the R1 would have you tipped into a corner the ZX12 needed wrestling, it wasn't much faster either, the R1 seemed to pull harder all the way to 170mph where the ZX seemed to have a little more top end. The thing drank fuel like a wino too, it was gone in 3 months!

I replaced it with a SP1, then a RC8, had a Superduke 990 for a little while along with the RC8 and then changed both bikes for a big bang R1 for the road ( one of the nicest power deliveries of any bike I've had) and a cbr600rr trackbike.

I still have the cbr, its all the bike I need for the track, if a little slower than the more popular R6, still love it though.

I ended up changing the R1 for a Ducati 1098s, I had never had a Ducati so wanted to try one, it was in need of some TLC which it got and I became attached to it, the thing looks and sounds beautiful, handling is good once set up properly and it has serious torque. I usually keep bikes for no longer than a year but I have this one almost 3 so it must be a keeper!

I still had an itch for a more upright machine to ease the aches and pains (joys of getting older) so a couple of months ago I came across a KTM 950 SMR in the UK at the right money when sterling was low so I bought it. I've only had it out on dry roads a couple of times but it is insane, it feels like a dirt bike on steroids, feels really light ( even though its the same weight as a sportsbike, 200kg approx) and corners like something much smaller. Its early days but I reckon this one is a keeper too.

I bought my SMR 4 years ago, and had a 950 for 2 years before that. There is nothing else that is more fun on the variety of roads that we have. Sure they don't like massive high speed stuff but then that mostly sucks!

Cienciano

My list is as follows:
125 Maurader
400 Virago
650 Dominator
1150 GS
1200 GS Adventure
1100 Hypermotard

TBH, all were great at the time but I wouldn't go back to any. Purely because bike needs change. For instance, I don't commute any more, wouldn't be buying a hypermotard for a daily commute. Never had any real trouble with any of them. Shaft on the 1200 bmw went but got out of it relatively cheaply. Other than that, touch wood, no real mechanical problems.
Hard to know what I'd go for if I was changing again, probably a newer hypermotard or something like a b-king. No desire, or money to change anyway!

TheAlkaline

Hotblack Desiato wrote: »

That's a Yamaha

Yeah I meant Yamaha

It only happens in neutral
(disappears when you pull the clutch in) and doesn't do any harm, when I sold it.

This one didn't go away after the clutch was in..

Just do it, I did my first trip to the Alps on a GS500E, no ball of fire but it was still good fun in the twisty passes.

There is really no point for me to get anything under 600cc tbh, I don't have the bike so might as well go for higher capacity engine. Another thing is that I'm tagging along with my friend on GSX-R 1000, which would make it hard to catch up!

sonofenoch

I almost came close to buying a z750 once (an early 2000 model) , but after a spin no no thankyou....don't know whether it was just this one particular bike but up close looked tacky horrible tacky like a Bandit 600 and just didn't feel right at all to ride

best decisions R6 for all the obvious reasons, and Fazer 600 just a pleasure to ride (I'm sure I'll own it's bigger brother at some stage)

First couple bikes and Eliminator 125 and ER5 served their purpose at the time, decent enough but I'd cringe at the thought of them now........saw a bloke the other week must have been easily 6'3"+ on an ER5 and I thought to myself 'you look bloody ridiculous mate' .....but I'm sure it's serves his purpose at least