more bike porn

[KhaoYai]

3 minutes ago, Justgrazing said:

400/4 H .. Weren't sure about these when they came out as they had  flat solid colours no candy or metallic two tone jobs or striping liked we been used to from the Japanese but it turned out to be a good bike though you had to rev it to oblivion to go anywhere .. Bloke one year up in school from me did the Fizzie then RD200 to lose the Ell plates before buying a 400/4 in 1976 but he rode it like he'd stole it everywhere and unfortunately one afternoon that glorious summer in the lanes he took it too far and came 2nd in a head on with a Land Rover .. 

500/4 was always overshadowed by its bigger bro' but then went downhill with the 550 .. My older sister's first proper boyfriend had a 500/4 when I was about 13 an' I'd try and impress him with facts and figures out of my books and mags on bikes not realising he had other things in his mind than answering some annoying kid's questions about his bike ..

Ahh the 400/4.........another brilliant bike in that era.

[KhaoYai]

8 minutes ago, KhaoYai said:

I've just got to stop it spinning up the back wheel when I'm thrashing it from a standstill.  I couldn't believe it at first and could have sworn the clutch was slipping.  It's got plenty of grunt but not that much, I guess its the weight of the back end that's the main problem. My ZX9 would have almost snapped the chain before the back would spin up - a much heavier back end. I feel some suspension adjustments coming on.

Just to add to that, it spins in 1st and if I continue thrashing it, it will spin in 2nd too!!!

[thaiguzzi]

7 hours ago, KhaoYai said:

I was never a fan of the LC.

Me neither. Still to this day never owned a water cooled bike.

Might change before i pop it, but might not. My middle name is Luddite.

I'd outgrown the 2 stroke 350's by the time the LC's (Elsie) hit the markets.

7 hours ago, Justgrazing said:

400/4 H ..

Only good thing about that sewing machine was the 4 pretty downpipes design. Not popular (like most Hondas) with the teenagers.

The thing even had considerably less torque than an RD 400 fer Chrissakes.

7 hours ago, Justgrazing said:

500/4

Now that bike pictured is one pretty motorcycle. Occasionally, very occasionally. Honda did get something right.

[Neilly]

6 hours ago, KhaoYai said:

I was never a fan of the LC.

I was...and still am. It was absolutely nutz, and went like the proverbial scalded cat. There was nothing that could live with it on A and B roads. I was 19, had no fear and a complete hooligan on it...to this day it's the only bike I've managed to do rolling stoppies on...on purpose.

 

The first ones had serious issues with carburation and wouldn't pull into the power band if you just rolled thru the gears. Also the header pipes used to crack (I had the exhausts replaced twice under warranty)...I lost count of how many times they 'updated' the jetting in the carbs.

 

For some reason I decided to chop my white/blue LC in against a new XJ650 (it'd just been voted bike of the year if I remember correctly)...I wore the rear tyre out on it before it's first service...the mechanic at my local Yamaha dealer said it was the first time he'd ever replaced a rear tyre at a first service...on any bike!

 

I think I only stuck with the XJ for about six months...I had to have anther LC! And so I did, black/red/orange that time...it was bliss...until I came off and the front wheel hit a curb. I replaced most of the front end but it was never the same after that accident. That's when I moved onto Yam XS1100's...and that's a whole different story LOL

 

I probably don't want one now because it would spoil my memories of that bike and those times...I'm a heck of a lot older and wiser than I was then!

[Justgrazing]

3 hours ago, Neilly said:

I was...and still am. It was absolutely nutz, and went like the proverbial scalded cat. There was nothing that could live with it on A and B roads. I was 19, had no fear and a complete hooligan on it...to this day it's the only bike I've managed to do rolling stoppies on...on purpose

Always thought it was a brave move by Yamaha to release a brand new range of performance 2 strokes at the time when Suzy and Kawa went all 4 stroke and from what I remember a change in the learner law down to 125cc ( was that 1980 ? my bloody memory don't work that well anymore ) but what a bike I had a 2nd hand one 85' ish and it could shame bikes twice the capacity on any road bar a motorway .. Besides the well known issues about cracking 'zorsts , bending wheel rims , sticking calipers and carburettor issues was  trying to find one that hadn't been stuffed or messed with especially  Stan Stephens wannabes setting about the barrels with a dremel in the hope of matching Stan's ability to get daft power out of 'em .. and failing .. Oh and their nickability .. Weren't they top of the list of nicked bikes in the early 80's which was a serious problem at the time with tea leafs using the pull up in a Transit and just chuck it in the back onto a couple of mattress's tactic .. Elsie carried on till mid 90's ( Brazil ) under different guises and spurred the rest to revisit the sporty 2 stroke sector for a short while again with NSR's , RG's , KR's .. But for sure love 'em or hate them they were one of the bikes of the 80's 

[Justgrazing]

60's Kawa 250 , Bridgestone 350 and Suzuki 500 twin .. check out the bar's on the Bridgestone .. 

[Justgrazing]

We all love an XS don't we .. Still a good looking bike now near 40 yrs on .. The red one has had a bit of Hageman treatment I think .. 

[Justgrazing]

6 hours ago, thaiguzzi said:

My middle name is Luddite

Hahahaha ..

 

6 hours ago, thaiguzzi said:

Only good thing about that sewing machine was the 4 pretty downpipes design. Not popular (like most Hondas) with the teenagers.

Yea sure folk were a bit hesitant at first I think from the styling more than anything because though quite compact and petite it weren't really a looker apart from the swerving curving headers but they began to sell I think for a couple of reasons :- As we have all ruminated on strokers were gutsy on fuel and oil and when petrol kept going up with the oil crises's of the 70's folk were ready for something that was perceived as a bit more economical and it was a 4 pot bike that was affordable to Herbert's who had just done the test but couldn't afford 650/750's .. even if the reality was somewhat different as fast they weren't nor that good on gas when caned which was most of the time .. Towards end of 70's used to see quite a few out on runs and rallies especially the later model with a bit of striping on the tank ..

But yeah Honda's of the mid 70's on were bland and fat apart from the CBX1000 which personally I think is one of the best looking bike engine's of all time .. Honda had no right to be able to squeeze 6 cylinders across the frame but managed it at the same time almost turning the lump itself into a work of art .. Unlike Kawasaki with the abominable Z1300 .. 

[DILLIGAD]

First time I ever went 125mph on the M25 on my mates CBX. (Obviously pre ‘bloody speed camera’s)


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[Neilly]

 

3 hours ago, Justgrazing said:

Always thought it was a brave move by Yamaha to release a brand new range of performance 2 strokes at the time when Suzy and Kawa went all 4 stroke and from what I remember a change in the learner law down to 125cc ( was that 1980 ? my bloody memory don't work that well anymore ) but what a bike  .. But for sure love 'em or hate them they were one of the bikes of the 80's 

They were at that...wouldn't have missed it for the world.

 

I had to look up when they switched to the 125cc limit...obviously my memory is no better than yours, it was earlier than I thought...

Up to February 1983 learner motorcycle riders could ride motorcycles with an engine capacity up to 250cc. In February 1983 the law changed limiting learner motorcycle riders to 125cc.

 

1 hour ago, Justgrazing said:

We all love an XS don't we .. 

 

Yep...the XS1100 could be ridden fast, just so long as you didn't have a faint heart or back-off in a bend (that shaft drive played merry-hell with the handling)

 

Got a second hand XS1100 the same as this first

 

 

 

And then got a new XS1.1...think they even called it the Sport ????...me in my scruffy oik days

 

 

And the last road bike I owned before leaving Blighty for Thailand

 

[DILLIGAD]

First time I ever went 125mph on the M25 on my mates CBX. (Obviously pre ‘bloody speed camera’s)


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Justgrazing]

14 minutes ago, Neilly said:

 

They were at that...wouldn't have missed it for the world.

 

I had to look up when they switched to the 125cc limit...obviously my memory is no better than yours, it was earlier than I thought...

Up to February 1983 learner motorcycle riders could ride motorcycles with an engine capacity up to 250cc. In February 1983 the law changed limiting learner motorcycle riders to 125cc.

 

Yep...the XS1100 could be ridden fast, just so long as you didn't have a faint heart or back-off in a bend (that shaft drive played merry-hell with the handling)

 

Got a second hand XS1100 the same as this first

 

 

 

And then got a new XS1.1...think they even called it the Sport ????...me in my scruffy oik days

 

 

And the last road bike I owned before leaving Blighty for Thailand

 

The black one with you in the pic' is that a Midnight Special ? 

FJ underrated bike for sure .. 

[Justgrazing]

40 minutes ago, DILLIGAD said:

First time I ever went 125mph on the M25 on my mates CBX. (Obviously pre ‘bloody speed camera’s)


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Once quite memorably described by some journo' ( probably Bike as I used to read that a lot ) as a " Block of Flats " of an engine .. Awesome and with an open 6/1 even awesomer .. 

 

[Justgrazing]

58 minutes ago, Neilly said:

Yep...the XS1100 could be ridden fast, just so long as you didn't have a faint heart or back-off in a bend (that shaft drive played merry-hell with the handling)

I never really dug the Yam 4strokes of late 70's apart from 650 twin even though I love the brand .. to me Yamaha weren't sure what way they were going with the TX500 , XS750 and the 11 like you had .. I found they looked awkward though I do appreciate the amount of power the 11 put out at time and its big miles capability .. I might well have done a TX750 as that was a good looking bike but with the reliability issues and the fact they were thin on the ground and dropped from the range mid 70's I elected for a 2nd hand 750 Honda as first big 4 stroke .. Fast , strong , but totally uninspiring and not a looker as by the time Honda's were getting that " European look " adopted on the 400/550/750 fours after the glorious candy paint schemes , 4 'zorsts outta the back earlier models .. 

[Neilly]

2 hours ago, Justgrazing said:

 

The black one with you in the pic' is that a Midnight Special ? 

FJ underrated bike for sure .. 

Nah, the Midnight Special was a sort of cruiser type thingy ????

 

 

Loved my FJ, took it to the IoM TT and did a lap on mad Sunday...went to south of France a few times, Spain once and Italy twice...that thing could eat miles, and apart from blowing out the exhausts on the way back from Spain I never had a single problem with it.

[Neilly]

2 hours ago, Justgrazing said:

Awesome and with an open 6/1 even awesomer .. 

A guy I know runs a dive business out of Brighton and he comes to Samui every winter for a few months. This was his CBX...pretty sure he's sold it tho now

 

 

[kickstart]

19 hours ago, Justgrazing said:

400/4 H .. Weren't sure about these when they came out as they had flat solid colours , no candy or metallic two tone jobs or striping like we'd been used to from the Japanese but it turned out to be a good bike though you had to rev it to oblivion to go anywhere .. Bloke one year up in school from me did the Fizzie then RD200 to lose the Ell plates before buying a 400/4 in 1976 but he rode it like he'd stole it everywhere and unfortunately one afternoon that glorious summer in the lanes he took it too far and came 2nd in a head on with a Land Rover .. 

500/4 was always overshadowed by its bigger bro' but then went downhill with the 550 .. My older sister's first proper boyfriend had a 500/4 when I was about 13 an' I'd try and impress him with facts and figures out of my books and mags on bikes not realising he had other things in his mind than answering some annoying kid's questions about his bike .. 

5

This CB 500 is at a bike cafe near Mortlec, Saraburi, just about original, if that can exhaust system, was for sale on e-bay it would make a fortune, almost impossible to find,

I read somewhere an exhaust system for a Honda 400/4 was for sale at 900 GBP, what they want and what they got are two different things.

A bike I nearly brought, a CB500 but got the Triumph instead . bit like Honda making the CB550 ,not the best move they ever did .

[Justgrazing]

4 minutes ago, kickstart said:

I read somewhere an exhaust system for a Honda 400/4 was for sale at 900 GBP, what they want and what they got are two different things.

For sure .. Replacement 'zorsts for a lot of 70's bikes are a kings ransom if you can get them now .. The most extortionate I've seen is € 2995 for a complete system on a Benelli Sei .. And they were copies not original ( doubt original original would be available for those now ) .. Even though a Sei actually sounds better with a 6/1 on it .. 

[Justgrazing]

Back to the Brits .. Norton looks stunning .. Near perfect in every way .. 

[Justgrazing]

On 11/21/2018 at 1:44 PM, Neilly said:

After 30 something years or working in the middle east I'm fairly used to odd ball driving so it doesn't really bother me...I just treat them all like they're out to kill me.

 

Back on subject...two very different styles...

 

 

Love the wicked 'zorst front pipes on the Vincent .. 

And the Gnome Rhone is cool with the frame part body work around the top and headstock .. And rear hub .. 

Here's another more modest one but with equally fullsome mudguards .. Needs a chrome silencer though the flat silver look don't do it justice .. 

 

[thaiguzzi]

19 hours ago, Justgrazing said:

and Suzuki 500 twin ..

I forgot about the 500 twin. It was still being made when i was getting into bikes as a GT500. Again, more of a tourer than a sportsbike. Not any faster than a GT250 (ie would just about do a ton), slower than the GT380 triple, but oh, the torque. Made more torque than any Japanese 500cc 4 stroke.

17 hours ago, Justgrazing said:

We all love an XS don't we .. Still a good looking bike now near 40 yrs on .. The red one has had a bit of Hageman treatment I think .. 

The black one, same colour as mine, same everything except i'm sure mine was twin front discs.

Jesus this is turning into a Down Memory Lane thread.

Just don't post any photos of a Fantic GT 50, or Garelli's or FS1E's, SS 50's, etc, ok, oh go on then......

[thaiguzzi]

10 hours ago, Justgrazing said:

Norton looks stunning .. Near perfect in every way .

Indeed.

One of the Greatest Engines of all time, 2 or 4 wheel, an absolute engineering masterpiece.

Until you've seen one in the flesh, you don't realize how huge and magnificent these motors are.

Wish i'd bought a street version Inter back in the day. Along with the racing Manx, this engine had a production run getting on for 40 years in various guises.

Still being made to this day by at least 2 different firms, prices start around 10k. Up to near 20k, depending on spec.  In fact the AJ 7R is also still being made, these engines still highly popular in classic racing circles.

[kickstart]

CB 350-4 only ever saw one that was in Denmark 1973 ,I think it was never imported into the UK.

I read somewhere the 400-4 was based on the CB350-4?

AJS 7R ,I was at a bike rally, and a guy fired up one up, what a sound, as TG said they where engineering masterpieces .

[Justgrazing]

3 hours ago, thaiguzzi said:

Indeed.

One of the Greatest Engines of all time, 2 or 4 wheel, an absolute engineering masterpiece.

Until you've seen one in the flesh, you don't realize how huge and magnificent these motors are.

Wish i'd bought a street version Inter back in the day. Along with the racing Manx, this engine had a production run getting on for 40 years in various guises.

Still being made to this day by at least 2 different firms, prices start around 10k. Up to near 20k, depending on spec.  In fact the AJ 7R is also still being made, these engines still highly popular in classic racing circles.

Thats why you gotta stick around Guzz' knowledge like your's about the older Brit' iron is invaluable and to read folks own personal experience about 'em even better .. Carry on Sir .. ( I'll have a look for Garelli's and Fantic's abit later ) 

[Justgrazing]

1 hour ago, kickstart said:

CB 350-4 only ever saw one that was in Denmark 1973 ,I think it was never imported into the UK.

I read somewhere the 400-4 was based on the CB350-4?

AJS 7R ,I was at a bike rally, and a guy fired up one up, what a sound, as TG said they where engineering masterpieces .

Yes mate they were rare .. I've only ever seen photo's of 'em and only with the 4/4 exhausts though that green one looks quite neat with those on it .. If the 400/4 was based on it the 350 must've needed its nuts revved off it to go anywhere .. Quite liked that green colour that H painted their bikes in from that time .. 

[spidermike007]

A few of my current favorites. Unfortunately, it appears Bimota is all but out of business. Oh well. Dreams live on.

[Justgrazing]

5 hours ago, thaiguzzi said:

Just don't post any photos of a Fantic GT 50, or Garelli's or FS1E's, SS 50's, etc, ok, oh go on then......

Never knew anyone with a Fantic so I'm not sure if this is the right one but a boy from the next street up did have a Garyelli as he used to call it .. And the wonderfully slow SS50 which weren't that cheap from what I remember ( but my bloody recall capacity is diminishing a bit now ) .. 

[Justgrazing]

And the Fizzer Bro's .. top dogs of the 16 yo 'ellers .. Purple reign ( s ) .. 

[Justgrazing]

Is this '74 CB175 sim' to the one you referred to earlier Guzz' I do remember these didn't they have 'leccy start .? Of which the RD200 I recall did have and still a good looking machine even now .. 

And GT185 of the Suzy GT clan .. 

[Justgrazing]

C'mon then Guy's here's an idea ..

 

In 20 words or less best bike you've ever ridden ..

20 words or less the bike you wish you'd had but never did ( get one ) ..