Your best and worst bikes

[Good_CO]

I thought I'd help start the motoring forum rolling with the first motorcycle thread.

I have to put forward two candidates for my worst - I can't decide. The first was the legendary 'Fizzie' (Yamaha FS1E - a sort of moped that was supposed to look like a real bike but a real bike with 80% of the engine missing). "Get a Fizzy boy" said my dad - what a nightmare! It looked terrible, ran terribly, ate pistons and spent most of the time in bits and generally made me the lauhing stock of my DT50 riding friends.

Second was the TZR250. Having not learnt about the delicacy of 2-stroke from my fizzy, A few years later I bought an ex race TZR250. It looked terrible, ran terribly, ate pistons and spent most of the time in bits. My friends were by this time a bit different though and thought that having a garden full of stripped down hi-tec motorbike was 'very cool'.

The best:

Best fun: GSXR600 (a late 90s one). Now I wouldn't want to ride to the south of france on one, but that was really excellent fun to ride. I bought it cheap because of a serious gearbox problem that was fixed by giving the gear lever system a 15 minute clean. Great.

Best looking: ZX7R

Best, best: VTR1000, except the seat and the tank range. Fortunately the two complemented each other quite nicely and it was truly great for touring petrol station cafes.

 

[Deleted 7]

My only bike - Kawasaki ninja 600, 1999. Served me well of all of 8 months. Had some chav type dude clip my back wheel, I went flying and the bike, well, was ok, just scared the cr@p out of me and I never got on another bike again.

 

[brazenhussy]

Had a K2 GSXR600-- lovely bike- race can, tiddly indicators, single seat conversion etc-----------

broke my heart when I had to sell it after second kiddie appeared!!

 

[rod-gearing]

Had a Honda 70, got knocked off by a badger.

Changed to a MZ 125 ETZ, got wiped out by guy in a Ford Cortina.

Gave up Donnorcycling, chose life.

 

[sgtpepperband]

First bike: Suzuki Bandit 600cc - written off on the Eastern Road, after some uninsured chave clipped me. No claim... but great bike.

Current bike: Ducati Monster S4 914cc - typical Italian bike; behaves like a typical women. Looks fantastic, but needs constant attention. Turns head when it screams... :wink:

 

[Patriot_Paul]

My worst was prob my Lambretta Li 125 that i passed my bike test on many years ago.Constantly breaking down,usually in the middle of nowhere.Used to keep me fit pushing the bloody thing though
Best is the Honda Valkyrie I have at present,best bike I've ever owned by miles.Only thing that lets it down is the fuel consumption,but it does everything else so well that you can live with it.

 

[chrissz]

Worst bike was a Honda C90 - best (by far) was a seriously played with Suzuki GSX1100 Katana

 

[Stripey_G]

Kawasaki VN800 Classic, Yamaha Virago 535, and a BSA 250 Starfire...all good bikes... the BSA drips the old oil as it should!!

 

[angry_mac]

My current steed is my avatar, owned from new, 5yrs old now and 42000 miles in all weathers,so....

Best Value for Money, ZX6R
Bike I want next , GSXR750
Best looking Bike, the new R6/R1
Iconic Bike, Tie between 916/ZX7R
Most Disappointing to ride, Ducati 748 Bip
Gut wrenching Ugly Bike, GSX600
Blandest bike, CBR600F
Craziest Bike Ive ridden, FZR400RRSP (my first which i lowsided at 5 legged stag corner near Bere Regis)

Do apologise if Ive dissed your PAJ but its my opinion

 

[janner]

Honda 50 Sport whilst living in Johore Bahru and travelling across to Singapore when alongside.

Great sport, mid '60's most RA's had them to travel to and from work on, the half a dozen that lived close together would meet up in the morning and take off, kicking fcuk out of the packs a wild dogs that tried to bite you bare legs. Rig of the day being shorts, short sleeved shirt and sandels.

Every now and then the local Constabulary would go around shooting the dogs to keep the packs down to a reasonable size.

 

[jambosun]

Had a Honda 70, got knocked off by a badger.[/b]
.

I can't stop laughing at that image!! Did he run up and push you off or just clip you as he was overtaking? :toothy7:

 

[lamptramp63]

After beemers ( boxers and Ks) I eventually upgraded to a VFR 800 which I still run and even tho its 9 year old it will still do the manufacturers top end.
Worst bikes were the three Polis boxers which I killed and the one which commited hari-kari leaving a trail of valves and engine internals on the dual carriage way.

 

[chieftiff]

I had a Suzuki 100B, for a month but what a month!
Came a cropper on day 1 cornering a country bend to discover that cowshit is really slippery.

Week 2 decided to play around with some in helmet entertainment, sony walkman in the ears, accidentally turned the volume up full and in an attempt to turn it down I hit the back of a parked Volvo at 40, that hurt, but the bike was OK.

Week 3 got rear ended at a roundabout and ended up going backwards through a vauxhall viva winscreen, that hurt...... but the bike survived.

Week 4 sold the bike, I don't like motorbikes anymore. :threaten:

 

[FlagWagger]

My worst bike was a Yamaha SR125 (only by virtue of being a learner bike in all honesty). My best bike would have been a Suzuki SV650S, but only after I'd put on a lower fairing and fitted decent suspension. After these mods had been done, it inspired confidence and had more than enough power for a relatively new rider. I traded this up to a Triumph Sprint ST - while this was a far more comfortable cruising bike, the SV still had the overall edge (having said that I'd happily make room again in my garage for either!). Currently looks like I'm unlikely to return to 2 wheels following successful conclusion of EX FLEE BLIGHTY 06 - the insurance is crippling here in Canuckistan

 

[general_jumbo.]

my worst ,but not because of design or build quality but because looking back it was cursed ! it was my third bike a ducati 250 monza , bought new in 1970 from bill Hannahs in liverpool, I think it was one of the first in the country as you had to wait for a crashed bike to come back before you could have spares. I used to crash this bike weekly , slip on oil, run over dogs, I even ran it sideways into an armco , crushed my foot,not a mark on the bike, it met its end six months later when I was doing about seventy and a moggie minor turned in front of me from the oposite direction, bike went through the door i went over the roof.My best is my current , a heavily modified early vfr 750, been used proddie racing, looks a bit like an x6, trouble is it can do much more than I'm capable off !