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I will say it is interesting to see the modern Panigale and BMW SS1000 do the crazy speeds. Much more bike than I ever had, though the lithe racing literbikes after about 1998 (the R1 came out about then) were dangerous, twitchy, but super competent critters on the knife's edge from becoming unstable and pitching the rider for any or no reason. Friend of mine busted up his R1 not once but twice, a 2002, and I do believe he upset the geometry just a little too much in both instances. He was a good rider, btw, and my track buddy until a very serious accident in 2004 or so put him in a cast and traction with a multiple-fractured foot for God knows how long. Nothing to laugh about, and he seldom rode again. Maybe never.
This. I went over the bars on my FZ6 when someone hit the brakes on the interstate for no apparent reason in front of me. Thankfully I had witnesses who stopped, because the concussion I had was bad enough that I don't remember that day at all. I remember waking up in the hospital the next day. I was found not at fault, never found the other driver. I bought the GSX-R600 afterwards and it was a much different bike than the FZ6 and was much easier to throw through the corners, but if you twitched your wrist in the wrong direction you'd find yourself going faster than you wanted. The GSX-R1000 was even worse - I always laughed at guys who wanted a liter bike as their first thinking they knew what they were doing. I rode for years before I thought about a supersport, and I traded it in after 2 years because it was too much bike for how I rode. You could corner on a dime and give a nickel for change but one wrong move and you'd be dead before you knew what happened. It was fun, but I didn't need it. My Ducati is much better for how I ride.
Blondebaerde: Yes, still have my '87 'Cane 1000. Bought it new way back, it has ~ 50,000 miles on it, (I have always had 3 m/cycles so none have huge mileage.)
With its infrequent use the past couple of years, the carbs are gummed a bit, (even using copious amounts of Stabil/running it through the system before parking/storage), and as there is really only one mechanic in entire western NC area I would trust with the carb(s) rebuild, I am in his 'line'. I have done auto and m/c carbs over the decades, but 4 carb rebuilding and synching isn't in my wheelhouse these days.
It is still in exc shape, goes like hell, runs well even with gooped up carbs...I almost bought that H Blackbird in the late '90s as my orig NY area Honda dealer that sold me the 'Cane, had a black 1150 BB sitting on his floor collecting dust. Alas, I passed...
But, as I noted in previous post, I ride very infrequently these days, (stricken with a rare/PIA neurological disorder 2+ years ago, a predecessor to MS), so my plan was/is to off the Hurricane and maybe my Goldwing Aspencade to a deserving nephew who is v mechanically inclined/resto young man and could use the post fix dough.
I will probably keep my '75 HD Shovelhead: my first 'new' Harley, and still starts on one kick and putts all day, with ~75,000+ miles on it. Not fast, doesn't carve corners, but it is not common, looks good, and makes me smile, riding it.
Our '02 Vette Vert, Z51 6MT is our go to vehicle for fun/golf trips, etc. Runs better than my Rolex with ~70,000 miles on it in the past 18 years.
M/Cs, cars, toys/stuff: they are all fun and good hobby. I have met many interesting people through m/c and car clubs, but most of us are pushing time. At 73, I keep at it as rigorously as I can physically, but fading strength/energy/vigor ain't helping or is it kind.
Keep it under a buck and a half and between the fences...
GL, mD
The GSX-R1000 was even worse - I always laughed at guys who wanted a liter bike as their first thinking they knew what they were doing. I rode for years before I thought about a supersport, and I traded it in after 2 years because it was too much bike for how I rode. You could corner on a dime and give a nickel for change but one wrong move and you'd be dead before you knew what happened. It was fun, but I didn't need it. My Ducati is much better for how I ride.
Yeah I've been riding 30 years... mostly on 500-600cc bikes and purchased a new 2018 GSX-S750 last year which is to date the biggest bike I've ever owned. It's all I need for how I ride... which is safe... not stupid. The ABS and TC are nice features to have as well... something I didn't have obviously on my older bikes.
I've ridden a friend's 1000cc before and even did a short ride up the street on a 'Busa in the past... and it's just too much bike for me. Don't need it.
I laugh at the new riders that say "I bought a Gixxer 750 but it's weak, I need a liter bike!" Ok bro... just don't kill yourself.
Yeah I've been riding 30 years... mostly on 500-600cc bikes and purchased a new 2018 GSX-S750 last year which is to date the biggest bike I've ever owned. It's all I need for how I ride... which is safe... not stupid. The ABS and TC are nice features to have as well... something I didn't have obviously on my older bikes.
I've ridden a friend's 1000cc before and even did a short ride up the street on a 'Busa in the past... and it's just too much bike for me. Don't need it.
I laugh at the new riders that say "I bought a Gixxer 750 but it's weak, I need a liter bike!" Ok bro... just don't kill yourself.
Liter bikes are fun, don't get me wrong, but they're unforgiving beasts. My Ducati is 937cc and puts power down in a much different fashion than my R1000 did, better for how I ride. Has ABS and TC too. It'll still get up into the triple digits if you wind it up, but it's not like the Gixxer where I was in 2nd or 3rd gear doing highway speeds with plenty left over before I'd have to shift. It got great gas mileage though, loafing it at 70 or 80 in 6th in the HOT lanes. I rarely got out of second or third running around town.
I've seen the new riders crowing over big bikes at the dealer. Most of us in there just look at them and laugh. Figure we'll be reading their obituary soon enough if they think they can start off on something that big.
I don't ride as quickly as I did, back in the 1970-80's.
Been having too much fun riding trials now. I find it more challenging to ride backwards, than forwards fast.
Besides, the MSF frowns on their ridercoaches whom break the law.
Yawn. I was hitting 140(+/-) on my R6 last weekend at Utah Motorsports Campus (formerly Miller Motorsports Park)....and there were still folks on R1s and Ducs blowing by me in the advanced group.
This. I went over the bars on my FZ6 when someone hit the brakes on the interstate for no apparent reason in front of me. Thankfully I had witnesses who stopped, because the concussion I had was bad enough that I don't remember that day at all. I remember waking up in the hospital the next day. I was found not at fault, never found the other driver. I bought the GSX-R600 afterwards and it was a much different bike than the FZ6 and was much easier to throw through the corners, but if you twitched your wrist in the wrong direction you'd find yourself going faster than you wanted. The GSX-R1000 was even worse - I always laughed at guys who wanted a liter bike as their first thinking they knew what they were doing. I rode for years before I thought about a supersport, and I traded it in after 2 years because it was too much bike for how I rode. You could corner on a dime and give a nickel for change but one wrong move and you'd be dead before you knew what happened. It was fun, but I didn't need it. My Ducati is much better for how I ride.
Well that's too bad. Knock on wood, 33 years of riding (though very little past c. 5 years) I never had a serious street wreck. Minor lowsides, more than a few and those suck but I walked away from all, each and every time.
I was an AFM roadracing card-carrying licensed Expert, reciprocity to AMA (though never ran an AMA race: "almost") and WSMC member in SoCal, and figured you'd have to have your head examined to ride a GSX-R1000 on the street. Track, maybe: They were bad enough there; as I said my buddy's '02 R1 tossed him not once but twice, and he was my equal on lap times (I had a ZX636 the years we rode track together: now THAT was an impressive piece of kit, but too slow). My 1995 GSX-R750, later racebike,was the best compromise track bike I ever rode. Fastest laps: tossup between that and the 636, I think. The 1000s had more potential, and the absolute fastest guys were usually on one, but that knife's edge got a whole lot thinner on literbikes.
On the street, I've had tons of literbikes, five I can think of. They work fine, they're lazy and that's good in traffic: twist the wrist, most of not all gears, "you're out of (there/here)". Not a one of them was a hyperbike, R1 / Gixxer / ZX-10 / BMW RR / etc.
"You could corner on a dime and give a nickel for change but one wrong move and you'd be dead before you knew what happened." -- Now that's a good line, and I might liberate for my own nefarious purposes. I had so many buddies, smart guys all, end up in the hospital and/or with wrecked literbikes like Gixxers, R1s, Honda 1000F, etc. Those bikes have no time...none...for mistakes.
Pondering hard my next steed, and it's an amusing decision. Leaning towards BMW GS 1250, a '19, but they're spendy. We shall see, never owned a BMW despite their loathsome quality automobiles (I've owned two of those). They're fast, but it's the multiple capabilities that interest me and those twins are controllable on the street as well as dirt. Five minutes on a fire road, you understand why twins rule in the big-bike offroad arena. In my un-scientific (ie opinion), Adventure-style bikes handle better in the rain and we get lots of that in the PacNW. I like the ability to stand up, and do light gravel roads with street tires. I am living proof BMW GS's can be ridden thousands of miles on African roads and while it tears them up (Africa eats vehicles), they do hold up if you have the right tires and change them every 3K miles or so.
Nyuk nyuk nyuk: me and my little furry friend, Namibia a couple years ago. That's a '15 GS 1200, and the electronics (traction, ABS, cruise in-particular) are something to experience first-hand on craptastic roads: it's supernatural, but all of those magical electronic aids work on gravel.
One thing I discovered many years ago, is that riders that train on/in the dirt, can develop further with regards to road riding/racing. A lot of the very top road racers DO train by riding dirt. Controlling a motorcycle by conquering "surface appraisal" estimations is a skill that's needed in most all racing. Car/truck/moto.
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I had so many buddies, smart guys all, end up in the hospital and/or with wrecked literbikes like Gixxers, R1s, Honda 1000F, etc. Those bikes have no time...none...for mistakes.
