New motorcycle sales dropping - dealers shutting.

[Morrisman]

Youve not missed much apart from the new bike buzz, wears off fairly quickly

I bought a 1200 Sportster many years ago, on a whim. 4 speed, last of the solid mounted engines. The vibration was brutal, medieval, and I sold it fairly soon after. The only thing I liked about it was the exhaust tone, not too loud, but very Harleyesque.

 

[premmington]

I bought a 1200 Sportster many years ago, on a whim. 4 speed, last of the solid mounted engines. The vibration was brutal, medieval, and I sold it fairly soon after. The only thing I liked about it was the exhaust tone, not too loud, but very Harleyesque.

Yeah "medieval" is such a good description...

I like the noise a Harley makes - I do - I really do...

But no - I would never own one.

 

[Erie Fred]

Yeah "medieval" is such a good description...

I like the noise a Harley makes - I do - I really do...

But no - I would never own one.

My motorcycle friends say the Harley idle is "Potato Potato potato"...

Used to sit at a light (several times BTW) where this full dress Harley
pulled up next to me (must have had the same schedule) the front tire
rolled forward and back (the patch contacting the road) at least 2" at idle....

 

[addjunkie]

Yeah "medieval" is such a good description...

I like the noise a Harley makes - I do - I really do...

But no - I would never own one.

Yep thats a good description of the old ones, I had a shovelhead Id have described in the same way. I had a Fat Bob for a while, twas a fun thing, but not suitable living 1 mile along an unmade road. Each to their own and all that, but wasn't impressed by the quality either, for the money should be much better. Im now bike less for the first time in a long time having sold my XJR 1300 a couple of weeks ago.

My next one may be Chinese if my local dealer ever gets a CF Moto 450 mt for me to touch and feel!

 

[jmp49]

Ive messed with chinese stuff a little for other people trying to help them out, and I cant bring myself to like them. Mostly because when I've worked on them the quality of the materials seems completely naff.
So pulled threads everywhere, even on stuff that you know hasnt been butchered by someone previously. I dont know if they've improved, or I've just worked on really bad examples because the good ones never needed fettling but I'd much prefer a older japanese build bike than a new chinese one...

 

[Bornfree]

My cousin had the wayward predecessor to that, the GPZ1000RX. Fantastic looking but evil handling, he managed 170 on it - I would normally be inclined to think it was a tall tale but it was corroborated by the old bill followed by a stay at her majesties pleasure

I had a GPZ 900r fitted with a 1000rx engine back in the day. That bike was a rocket.

 

[daleyd]

I had a GPZ 900r fitted with a 1000rx engine back in the day. That bike was a rocket.

Good choice, the 900 was pretty decent handling but the RX had a reputation! By the time the ZX10 came out they had got rid of the 16” front wheel iirc

 

[Gragson]

I had a GPZ 900r fitted with a 1000rx engine back in the day. That bike was a rocket.

Back in the day I had a GPZ1000RX fitted with a GPZ1000RX engine
It was like riding a very fast lorry in a straight line, looked amazing when they first came out but those little 16" wheels took some getting used to.
Great engine, precarious handling.

 

[daleyd]

Back in the day I had a GPZ1000RX fitted with a GPZ1000RX engine
It was like riding a very fast lorry in a straight line, looked amazing when they first came out but those little 16" wheels took some getting used to.
Great engine, precarious handling.

They still look good even today! Very tidy styling

 

[Gragson]

They still look good even today! Very tidy styling

Missed your earlier post about 170mph, I wouldn't doubt it, had 150 "indicated" on a dual carriageway and was still pulling before I bottled it.
Was the first fully "faired in" bike I ever had, sold it for next to nothing once the ZX10 etc came out.

Had several ZX750 Turbos, they were a right laugh, 2 stroke acceleration to 130, and would make mincemeat of the RX on any thing with bends, however one still owes me a foot .

 

[daleyd]

Missed your earlier post about 170mph, I wouldn't doubt it, had 150 "indicated" on a dual carriageway and was still pulling before I bottled it.
Was the first fully "faired in" bike I ever had, sold it for next to nothing once the ZX10 etc came out.

Had several ZX750 Turbos, they were a right laugh, 2 stroke acceleration to 130, and would make mincemeat of the RX on any thing with bends, however one still owes me a foot .

Those 750 turbo would be getting rare now, you never saw many of them even when they were current

Think they were about the only stab at a turbo bike, other than the Honda cx turbo? Can’t think of many more that came out?

 

[Munkul]

Part of the reason why new bike sales are dropping, is the high interest rate and people having less disposable income. A bike, especially a brand new one, is one of the very first luxuries that pretty much everyone can do without.

I've still got my XSR700, but I can count on one hand the number of days I've been out on it this year it's going to go soon, I think.

 

[m_c]

I bought a 1200 Sportster many years ago, on a whim. 4 speed, last of the solid mounted engines. The vibration was brutal, medieval, and I sold it fairly soon after. The only thing I liked about it was the exhaust tone, not too loud, but very Harleyesque.

That reminds me of an old boss.
He inherited a Harley from a mate, and I think he spent longer fixing it than he did riding it.

One morning he walked in carrying the mirror. Apparently it just fell of sat at some traffic lights.
He said there was no indication it was coming loose, as it wasn't rattling or moving, but it just fell off with the vibration

 

[Greeves246]

Those 750 turbo would be getting rare now, you never saw many of them even when they were current

Think they were about the only stab at a turbo bike, other than the Honda cx turbo? Can’t think of many more that came out?

Yamaha XJ650 Turbo, Suzuki XN85 Turbo.

 

[daleyd]

Yamaha XJ650 Turbo, Suzuki XN85 Turbo.

Forgot about the xj, don’t think I’ve ever even heard of the Suzuki

Always thought the cx was a weird choice to stick a turbo on.

 

[Bornfree]

Good choice, the 900 was pretty decent handling but the RX had a reputation! By the time the ZX10 came out they had got rid of the 16” front wheel iirc

I bought it off a bloke who did proddy racing he fitted the 1000 engine to try and keep up with the newer gsxr1100

 

[Gragson]

Those 750 turbo would be getting rare now, you never saw many of them even when they were current

Think they were about the only stab at a turbo bike, other than the Honda cx turbo? Can’t think of many more that came out?

Honda, Yam and Suzuki all made a Turbo production bike of sorts at the time, they were pretty pants, the Kwak 750 Turbo was the last back then and best of the lot by miles.
Mythical things still in many countries, they only made about 8k of them, I had 4 or 5, and 3 at the same time, one in a high state of tune, sold the lot (for a lot) a was becoming unhealthy obsession.

Mint, sold it for £800





Mostly original 750 Turbo



Totally mental one with more mods than I can remember

I've still got my XSR700, but I can count on one hand the number of days I've been out on it this year it's going to go soon, I think.

I'm bikeless but still hanker....

 

[daleyd]

Yeah I’d forgotten about the yam and Suzuki turbo offerings, really never saw any of those on the road. I’ve only ever seen a handful of zx and Honda turbos to be fair…

My cousins had the opposite colour scheme to yours, mainly red with black stripes.

That bottom one with the usd forks looks absolutely stunning!

 

[jmp49]

Forgot about the xj, don’t think I’ve ever even heard of the Suzuki

Always thought the cx was a weird choice to stick a turbo on.

The xj wasnt a great peformer but handled well, the suzuki was the 650 shaftie and a even odder choice, the cx turbo like you say, again a tourer with the plastic maggot final drive to boot, so all very sensible things.
Then along came kawasaki and slapped a turbo on their already sporty 750 and created something rabid and very not sensible indeed...
A interesting thing is they were factory restricted with a overboost hard cut out limiting power, some suggest because a journo died on the launch day test circuit day and their lawyers freaked out at the liability of letting the general public loose on them. But inside the stock ecu hidden away and denied for years is a hidden race mode, that when alter the wiring to turn it on enables enriches the fueling to cope with a less restrictive air filter, disables the over boost limit and makes a unsensible bike into even more fun.

Yes they are rare, I have 2 and have had at least one for over 25 years now, currently one in a martin style space frame, and one in a stock but braced frame with usd forks and big brakes and wheels etc. Motor has a 810 wiseco kit in it and it has a larger turbo and big injectors, with fi by a microsquirt because the stock ecu is not remappable. They make silly noises when you change gear with a dump valve and are highly addictive, and mental two stroke style powerbands, except at really high speeds. When I had a lock up clutch on my previous stock appearance one, it used to spin the rear wheel in the dry at 80 when hard on the throttle and rear tyres lasted 600 miles without burnout antics...
Downside the gearbox is the weak spot when you start to really extract a lot of power out of them, and the rarity and value and collectability has filled the forums with people trying to return them all to stock and ride sensibly...

 

[Gragson]

and very not sensible indeed...

Wouldn't agree with that, stock they were / are a well mannered reasonably good handling bike, and pretty slim, even useable round town, unless you let your right hand twist too far

Downside the gearbox is the weak spot when you start to really extract a lot of power out of them,

OE, it was not designed for huge HP, so not really a weak spot left stock. The race mode (brown wire etc) was old hat even back then and with mechanical boost controller, K&N a crudely manageable mod.

The gear box again, not really weak left OE, had a lockup on my modded bike