Into motorbikes?

[MickCheese]

Just got back from ten days touring northern Spain and Portugal with eight friends on my new Triumph 1050 Tiger Sport. White of course as they are faster. (That's not nine on my bike they had their own )

Weather was fantastic, everything is much cheaper than the Alps where we have been a few times before. I was struck by several things, there seems to be a lack of people and traffic on the roads. The road network is just amazing, as I said no traffic, smooth as race tracks and awesome for riding a motorcycle.

Stayed in some great hotels that were very reasonably priced and never felt I was being ripped off like you do in the UK.

Have had the bike since the end of March and now done 4000 miles on it, still got my Fireblade and I also have a VFR400 NC30 but my wife wants me to sell at least one of them.

The Triumph is a great bike except for the enormous panniers, very nice to have luggage space but do they really need to be 4" wider than the handlebars on both sides?

Anyone else do any motorcycle touring?

Mick

 

[Phil Pascoe]

Foxtrot Oscar!

 

[MMUK]

I used to do a lot of touring. I had a Thundercat for 8 years. It was stolen in 2007 with over 128k on the clock (it actually read 28k but it had gone round the clock). It only had 541 miles on when I bought it in 1999 :mrgreen:

I'm hoping to do a bit more touring next year once I've sorted out the FZR 8)

 

[woodfarmer]

Yes, I try to do at least one trip a year. Really like travelling on the Spanish side of the Pyrennees.

generally go alone though sometimes to meet up with people at a rally. been to Spain and couple years ago did a trip to SE France, mont blanc, then into N Italy and up into the Austrian Alps. along to Czech rep and to see the "Flytrap" in Poland. came back through Germany (Colditz), Holland and Belgium. want to see Peenemunde and Stalag 3.


The Alps, just inside Austria over the border from Italy.

 

[Boxer]

Love bikes but the fast ones scare the hell out of me !
Had to post a photo of my favourite .... The Bullet.
I've been riding this one on and off for a few years on regular visits to South India. Costs £3 a day to hire.

 

[JustBen]

I one rode from a Derby to London via Grantham on my 50cc scooter......

It topped out at 65mph so wasn't as painful as you'd imagine.

 

[Graham Orm]

I've had over 30 bikes over a 35 year period. The last 4 were 2 Pan Europeans and 2 FJR1300's. Been to every corner of the UK, Scotland and Ireland with the wife on the back, (Ireland is great, empty roads, no cameras), but never made it to Europe. I envy anyone who has!
We still have time to do it, the wife would sell the kids to get another bike if I said yes. Truth is we can't afford one now. The last FJR had to go in 2008 when my business crashed (after 20 years). We also had to down size and make a lot of compromises. The FJR's have to be my favourites. Turbine like smoothness, 140bhp so plenty of umph for 2 up touring. Sat here staring into space with a tear welling.

I used to do a lot of touring. I had a Thundercat for 8 years. It was stolen in 2007 with over 128k on the clock (it actually read 28k but it had gone round the clock). It only had 541 miles on when I bought it in 1999 :mrgreen:

I'm hoping to do a bit more touring next year once I've sorted out the FZR 8)

MMUK One of mine was an FZR1000. That was a beast, the needle would climb to 140mph as fast as you could change gear. I kept that about a year and got rid when the current Mrs O came along 14 yrs ago. I then bought the first of 2 Pan Europeans and a 600 Honda for track days, ended up in hospital with that one, which wasn't ideal with a business running so flogged it and stuck to touring. Happy times.

A few of the many......it's not a wig!

Honda Varadero 1000cc V twin. Didn't like this bike, great for one up posing around town, not the tool for 2 up distances. Had a rear puncture with 90mph showing on the clock on a busy motorway on this bike with the wife on the back. Back end slowly fishtailing I drifted across to the shoulder with hazards on. Thankfully the traffic made room for us. When we eventually stopped it was completely flat.

Pan European 1100cc V twin. Proven tourer, used by the police until the 1300cc version developed high speed stability problems, 2 cops were killed and several civilians. The police tried to sue Honda but it didn't happen for some reason. They switched to Yamaha FJR's.

This was our first FJR1300 (Across the frame 4 cylinder) Everything you could want from a tourer. 140bhp, electric screen, shaft drive, superb handling. This was the 2007 model we bought new. It was a new model that year and had been tweaked to meet new emission laws. This meant that it had a problem with an occasional cutting out problem just as the throttle first cracked open. This nearly had us off in front of oncoming traffic when turning right once. I went through a lengthy process during which the bike went back to Yamaha and was found to be 'perfect'. After speaking with people in several countries via the American FJR forum I found that it was a world wide problem. The dealer said that he was aware of the comments on the American forum as the bike is a huge seller in America and Yamaha were monitoring it. Eventually with 5000 miles on the clock I got a full refund! I have to thank the USA forum for that! I then went out and bought the blue FJR which was a 2005 model but unsold because the new model had come out. It ran perfectly.

Yamaha FZR1000.....wicked!

 

[Flatlander]

Easter 2015 is my 50th year of riding bikes, so I think it might be reasonable to say I'm into them! during that time, I've lost count of the bikes I've had, as well as the amount of visits to various countries. Farthest away was Greece. I did a bit of racing in the 70's as well.

I still own and ride a bike, but not as much as previously. Getting into classic cars a bit more now though, which causes a problem. Should I take the car or the bike to Germany in two weeks time? :duno:

 

[nev]

Touring was anywhere over the Severn bridge (many years ago) on one of these..

my first bike, built in my bedroom when I was seventeen (1980's)

Current re-introduction into riding 20 odd years later

 

[woodfarmer]

Love bikes but the fast ones scare the hell out of me !
Had to post a photo of my favourite .... The Bullet.
I've been riding this one on and off for a few years on regular visits to South India. Costs £3 a day to hire.

My bike in the picture above your posting is also a Bullet ideal for pottering along at 50-60 mph. Surprising how many miles you can do in a day, I find somehow I average more on the Bullet Than I used to on my BMW. Comfort and not having to stop for fuel help.

 

[XT500fred]

"The Triumph is a great bike except for the enormous panniers, very nice to have luggage space but do they really need to be 4" wider than the handlebars on both sides?"

Get some wider handlebars mate.

I've got 7 bikes at the moment: Honda XL250S, Honda XL500S, 2x Yamaha XT500G, Suzuki DL650, Honda CB750F2 and a Buell S1WL.
Have had: several 1970s Honda C90s (rode one across france the day after I passed my test), Honda XL185S, Montessa Cota 247 & 348, 1968 Triumph TRW250, Ducati 748 and 916.

Currently using the DL650 as the touring/shopping bike as it has topbox and panniers. all my touring is France, mostly from here in Jersey down to my friends place southeast of Tours. They are so bike friendly over there, and the roads are relatively traffic free if you stay off the motorway and avoid big cities.

 

[MickCheese]

Started something here.

The FZR1000 brings back very fond memories. I seem to remember the brakes were not up to the speed of the thing but my first proper sports bike.

Mick

 

[Graham Orm]

"The Triumph is a great bike except for the enormous panniers, very nice to have luggage space but do they really need to be 4" wider than the handlebars on both sides?"

Get some wider handlebars mate.

I've got 7 bikes at the moment: Honda XL250S, Honda XL500S, 2x Yamaha XT500G, Suzuki DL650, Honda CB750F2 and a Buell S1WL.
Have had: several 1970s Honda C90s (rode one across france the day after I passed my test), Honda XL185S, Montessa Cota 247 & 348, 1968 Triumph TRW250, Ducati 748 and 916.

Currently using the DL650 as the touring/shopping bike as it has topbox and panniers. all my touring is France, mostly from here in Jersey down to my friends place southeast of Tours. They are so bike friendly over there, and the roads are relatively traffic free if you stay off the motorway and avoid big cities.

Wow great track record Fred. My first road bike was an XT, see below (note maltesers bag as rear lense broke riding off road). I borrowed a mates 250 to take the test on. This was followed by wait for it...a CB750 K6. The F2 was the yellow one wasn't it?
View attachment 7

 

[lanemaux]

All this nostalgia is killing me. Rode for years up til I got married and for a decade or so after. One thing or another , money mostly being another , meant no bike for 20 years or so. Damn I miss my RD 400. I once rode the vibratory 2 stroker from Toronto to Ottawa and back in a day. Sore butt ,back and clawed hands by the end , and I never felt better in my life.

 

[rxh]

I took a couple of European tours in the early 1980s. One took me to Greece, visiting Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany, Swizerland, Lichtenstein, Austria and Yugoslavia (as it was then) on the way there, and Italy, Monaco and France on the way back.

The other tour was in Scandinavia: I got the ferry from Newcastle to Bergen then rode all the way up the west coast of Norway to the North Cape. Then I rode the length of Finland, got a ferry from Turku to Stockholm, then rode back to Bergen via Oslo and took the ferry back to Newcastle.

Great times. I still have the same bike I used for those trips: a BMW R80/7 but I don't take it very far these days.

 

[markturner]

Aaah,....happy days. I used to do 2 Alps or Pyrenees trips a year with the lads on the sports bikes, then switched to doing foreign track days only. I have knocked the track days on the head recently, due to cost and a sense of having pushed my luck pretty far....my two lovely track bikes sitting here under dust sheets. I have a Ducati 998 with full world superbike spec chassis and a KTM superduke race bike.

I used to really love the road trips, some completely awesome scenery and really terrific fun with a group of lads. previous to that, me and teh wife did a couple of tours of France and Spain on my Harley, more sedate, but then I moved on to sports bikes....

Considering moving back now!! Just been watching "Worlds greatest motorcylce rides " and also, We were in Italy on the Amalfi coast earlier this year, and came a cross a group of Austrian guys on Harleys, must admit, had big pangs of jealousy and a little voice inside said.." maybe you should get another...."

 

[Phil Pascoe]

Aaaaahh...the little voice inside the head!!!!!
:lol:It never goes away, does it?

 

[MMUK]

Started something here.

The FZR1000 brings back very fond memories. I seem to remember the brakes were not up to the speed of the thing but my first proper sports bike.

Mick

YZF Blue Spots are a mahoosive improvement, as long as you swap out the master cylinder as well that is :lol:

 

[Tinbasher]

My BMW R1200c with hand controls and Klictronic gear shifter.

 

[MickCheese]

My BMW R1200c with hand controls and Klictronic gear shifter.

Not sure that's a motorbike but I love it.

Mick