Motorcycles?

[Mesa]

Originally Posted by gt40fran

I went to look at the new 1098 Duc last night.......there were twoF4 MV 's there also.....
Then there is the Brutale......wheelies and tickets here we come...."again"
......

Place your orders early ........ You'll want to include a little extra for the "Get/keep Fran out of jail fund" if you expect your RCR to be delivered on time

That new Duc 1098 is a sexy looking beast, the Brutale - extra manly :-)

[David Morton]

After the new in July 2007 Desmosedici RR there is possibly another new Superbike Duc coming out in 2008 or 2009 (so a reliable source tells me as he has 17 Ducatis and lives in Imola) - will it be a '1099'
check this out: - the first Evoluzione Testastretta 1098 that I've heard as damaged:
1098 DOA... PIX @ 1098 DESMO.com

Also:"The RR is scheduled to arrive on the market in July 2007 with
Ducati 999R owners receiving delivery priority".
It's a pity I din't have the R version.....

Mesa- every Ducati is 'sexy'. They never moan, never have headaches,
and are always ready to be turned on. And they are lovely and warm between your legs.......

[Bill Hara]

I've still got my 1972 CB750 K2, I'll be rebuilding that in the next few months. Also in the driveway is a 78 Triumph Bonneville and an 1980 Z250 Kwaka.
All are great fun (well the Z250 can outrun lawnmowers ) and I just love the sound of the CB SOHC although the neighbours don't...

[woodz428]

Since I worked in the Bike business from 1969 (Triumphs,BSA'a and some newcomer named Yamaha) on and off until I opened my own business in 1997, I'd participate too. As long as the forum isn't overrun with bike topics and stays on the GT40 focus.

[Ron Earp]

Originally Posted by Mesa

His response - "Oh that thing probably shit itself again".
He was riding the Factory Harley that year......

I was always pulling for them to make a go of the race efforts in the 90s and saw them at a few tracks around 93/94 or so as I recall. Cool bikes and they had some good talent on there too. How'd you end up fairing through those years?

I like those CB750 SOHC bikes. Here is a picture of one I had in grad school, 73, all original, that I bought for $400 and all it needed was a new clutch and some other minor work. Had 11k on it, rode it another 15k and sold it on, wish I hadn't. Sweet cycle.....rode that thing to Daytona Beach, St Louis, all over the place.

Ron

[Mesa]

12 years old .... at the local Texaco gas station I would sit at o'dark thirty folding my newspapers ..... some guy would fire up his Honda SOC 500 (?) four cylinder day after day....... MAN ! I thought that thing sounded like a Ferrari (what did I know about what a Ferrari sounded like).

I've never forgot that sound, maybe that's why I ended up with a 360 Modena engine in the garage as the likely engine for my project car.

[Doug Sainlar]

Originally Posted by Mesa

..... some guy would fire up his Honda SOC 500 (?) four cylinder day after day....... MAN ! I thought that thing sounded like a Ferrari (what did I know about what a Ferrari sounded like.

Don't know how long ago that was, but it might have been me. I still have my '73 CB500 in my storage building. It's been modified a bit through the years (got rid of the Honda exhaust system for a Hooker system, added a backrest/rack and front bars/pegs), but all in all it is still in very good shape and definitely restorable.

"Myrtle" is her name.


Doug

[Ron Earp]

And here is a picture of the new one, although the color is going to change as soon as I can get around to doing that. XB12S Lightning model and I hope to get some sort of little box mounted on it for communting. I like the weight, it is light at around 400 lbs or a tiny bit less, and no waiting for torque - just twist and zip away. It certainly isn't the fastest thing around but it seems very nimble with the limited riding I've done on Buells.

When is Myrtle coming out to play?

[Chris_K]

Jeeze Ron, got enough front rotor on that? Cool!

[Mesa]

Cool Ron
That puppy should make a nice commuter, but what do I know I have not ridden the street much in the last decade.

Chris- Those rotors look like the bomb I agree, in fact I wanted to try some. The probelm'a with them is that they created too much gyro at racing speeds making the bike hard to steer in high speed corners. At least that is what the buzz on the street was.....I never did test any.... and they are not a factor in racing today.

[Ron Earp]

Nah, they don't do anything on the steering, at least nothing that folks have reported or testers have noticed. They are extremely light, and since the hub of the wheels doesn't have to put up with larger torque loads that a more normal rotor (two for most bikes) would generate in the center of the wheel, the wheel is light as well. They are very thin in width compared to a normal rotor but might not be too good for racing with heat etc. They do stoppies all day and look cool - I think that is the biggest reason Buell chose them!

There are a lot of neat Buell features such as gas stored in frame (not new, but just not in use much these days), oil for dry sump in swing arm, muffler located under bike (some 600s are getting into this now) instead of pipes up high, belt drive - no more chain to adjust or lube, and some other "light" things. Certainly no sportbike by Japanese standards but a cool torquey ride for ripping around and communting.

R

[jnielsen]

I have had several bikes over the years also. I had a 71 CB750, 70 Honda CBX, a Suzuki GS1000S Wes Cooley rep with a turbo, a 86 GSXR750R limited and I now have 2 vmax's and my ProStock Chassie Suzuki dragbike. A few others. I love to ride

[Pete.]

I'm also a bike freak, over the years I have owned B.S.A,Triumph,Ariel, Norton, Yamaha, and Honda My current ride is a Harley Softail Deuce.

Pictures are the Honda Vtr1000 and Harley.

[Mesa]

I asked this question in the TMT thread but since there are brother motorcylists in this thread I thought I ask here too.

As a MC racer I am very familiar with dog boxes. I have never noticed them to be difficult to operate, in fact I can upshift and down shift without the clutch all day long. I have no experience with a dog box in a car...... why would a car box be any more difficult to shift (street or track) than MC box?

[John]

How about old school? I'm sure some of you will remember.

[Big-Foot]

John - very nice sNorton!!! I had a 76 850 Commando. What a torquey scooter that was..

Ron - I had a 73 K3-750 also. My wife and I went on our first date on that bike.. Doggoned SOHC Hondas are about as bullet-proof and easy to work on as they get...

I've had BMW's, Harley's, Triumph(1), Norton (1), BSA (1), Hondas and my Victory. So far the Victory has made me the happiest overall..

[Fran Hall RCR]

I am looking at buying a Brutale or an Aprilia Tuono...great wheelie machines...(whoops already have a ticket for that)......

[roaldin]

Best bike I've owned was a GSXR1100. Wish I'd never sold it. Only got dirt bikes now.
One day, I keep telling myself, one day...

Tim.

[Fran Hall RCR]

I have a 1973 ex-factory Honda built for the IOM ....cool little bike...I have vintage raced it here in the States and it gives a period TZ350 a run for its money....I also have a little hotrod Manx style cafe racer...featherbed wideline frame with twin disc brake front end and a Schell Thuet flat track race engine......just gotta find the time to get it on the road