| Author | Message | ||
     Rick_a |
1) 2007 Aprilia Tuono R On this one everything just felt right. Just enough power and a great delivery. Handles as if on rails. 2) Ducati Streetfighter R Aside from knowing the price tag, felt right at home. Good handling with impressive power from the bottom on up. 3) BMW K1200r Incredible power, handling, and brakes for such a big, long, heavy bike. Power delivery is very electric-like smooth. 4) Ducati Monster 1000 (very tricked out) Tuned with pipes, clip-ons, rearsets, steering damper, and suspension mods. Like my own Buell just refined, prettier, more expensive, and harder to maintain. 5) Ducati Sport 1000 Great looks, nice ergos, and good handling though slightly anemic in the power department. My wife has a thing for these bikes and I can't blame her. 6) Kawasaki ZRX1100 (in Lawson colors) Just a cool, big, fun bike with a big lump of an engine. A little soft and wallowy, but great nonetheless. 7) Triumph Thruxton Throwback style, power, and handling, but a lot of fun and great ergos for spirited riding. Weezy engine promotes flogging. 8) Triumph Street Triple R (race system) Simply the most telepathic handing bike I've rode with decent power. Without a full race system and some tuning they are a bit lacking. 9) Triumph Speed Triple Awesome engine but just a little too much weight to be perfect. 10) Harley Sportster 1200 (current model) Surprisingly good handling and great grunt. Run it hard and you're hitting the limiter just as it's getting good. I can see the potential for a cafe racer or street tracker. The above are rated by "fun quotient" only, as that is always my main criteria. Yes, I've cheated on my Buell many times. | ||
| Malott442 |
Man, I've loved almost every bike I've ever ridden! 1) 2004 Kawi ZX-6R (636). Ballsy for a 600, stable like a tank, yet flickable. Plus it became an excellent stunt bike 2) 2002 Triumph Daytona 955i. Great ergos, very stable. Deceptively fast. 3)Husqvarna TE610, 2006. Best dual sport I've ever rode. I sold due to high maintenance costs. (Well, the looming costs due to mileage that is) 4)R1100GS. Great all around do it all bike 5)R1100RT/1150 Trans swap. My frankenbike would get 50mpg at 70mph, and with the suspension upgrades, was a terror at the gap. 6)1290 Superduke. Light switch fast, good for about 100 miles of smiles. 7)1190 Adventure R. Almost perfect. Except the chain drive. Lack of dealer support locally. The ridiculous felony producing power was too much temptation. 8)Triumph Thunderbird Sport. What every standard bike should be. Pretty, comfortable, snot rocket fast. The above aren't really rated. Just my picks out of the herd. Funny thing, I kept wanting to put a buell out there. I've had 7 now, and have LOVED them all. Well, except my Uly. It had a problem with the fueling that I never resolved, so I never grew to love it. My 1125R still haunts my dreams. That thing is my heroine. I'll die on it, but I'll die smiling and drooling. Must be why I sold it  | ||
| Jaimec |
My favorite bike of all time probably would be my first BMW, a 1985 K100. That was the PERFECT motorcycle for me. I could attach the hard, locking luggage and ride it cross country comfortably, and just as easily remove the luggage and do track days. It was as much fun commuting on the highways as it was blitzing backroads. The funky monolever shaft drive FORCED me to ride, shift, and throttle smoothly in order to manage the chassis-jacking endemic to all shaft-driven bikes of that era. I put 158,000 miles on that bike in ten years until it was stolen from me from the train station one day. It was never recovered. My M2 Cyclone came CLOSE to that bike's versatility... but it was never anywhere NEAR as reliable, and it didn't have available locking luggage. My current favorite bike would be my 1999 BMW K1200LT. Just turned over 181,000 miles on that one. For a big, heavy luxury tourer, it handles as well as today's "Sport Tourers" but provides all-day comfort for cross country rides for my aging body. I just wouldn't THINK of doing a track day with it (though I have seen K1200LTs on the track). The 2000 M2 Cyclone was probably the favorite of the three Buells I owned in terms of comfort and ergonomics. I just wish it had the reliability of the XB12Ss and the 1125R that I had afterward. I really didn't "gel" with either one of those bikes though they were fun in their own way. I would've probably LOVED the S3 Thunderbolt. | ||
| Pwnzor |
2010 KTM Super Duke 2008 Triumph Speed Triple 2000 Honda XR650L 1986 Yamaha FZ600 1984 Kawasaki GPz 550 1976 Honda CB750F1 There have been many others to be sure, but these jump right to the front of my mind. Of course, I think I had the most fun overall on my 2004 XB12R. | ||
| Slaughter |
My first, 1968 Yamaha 80. Got it when I got my learner's permit. My first feeling of independence on a motorcycle at age 15 1/2. That was back in 1970. There have been others since but none like the first. | ||
| Pwnzor |
I'm with Steve. Nothing can ever replace my old '76 CB750F1... "the bumblebee" | ||
| Hybridmomentspass |
harley electra glide putting thousands of miles on one in comfort while listening to mp3s, yeah, im into it | ||
| Jayvee |
SR500 yamahaha | ||
| Sifo |
2006 Triumph Sprint ST. Nailed the sport touring class just about perfectly IMO. Great power plant, and very good comfort while still being kind of sporty. Triumph Daytona 675 is a great sport bike. The triple sounds great and has good torque. Triumph Street Triple would be a top choice if the seat wasn't a 17th century torture device. KTM 1190 Adventure R if you want great comfort and lots of tickets. Triumph Tiger 800 if you want less tickets. Ducati Monsters are sex on wheels IMO. | ||
| Daddio |
Current garage mate to my Uly: Victory Cross Country Tour; all-day comfy like my Harley Electra Glides, but with a suspension, horsepower and legroom. | ||
| Etennuly |
Any of my former three wheelers and a special dirt bike and a new street bike and a at the time super street bike. First most fun: '79 Yamaha TT 500, total adrenaline rush = hill climbing rocket and a bone crusher. '84 ATC 200X won many competitions, loved that machine. '86 ATC 350X beastly version of 200X, I could wheelie it through the gears while smoking a new four wheeler Honda two stroke racing bike.....CR 250 something or other. '79 Honda CB 750F ss. My first new road bike. Beautiful machine but it had high frequency vibes that caused numb-butt at 50 miles or so. We complain about belts, this thing needed a chain and sprocket at every 8,000 miles and rear tires never made more than 2,500 miles, damn the drag strips!  . '85 Honda V65 Magna. Fast powerful smooth. It could pick and carry the front tire going through third gear to 80+ MPH. Comfy riding position similar to Uly. I only rode it in Florida so I have no idea if it would corner. It would do over 150, but reading the speedo beyond that point was out of the question, it was a big naked bike. Several others.....but you said "favorite".  | ||
| Ceejay |
mini bike with a wooden plank seat, 5hp briggs with a bad recoil, and a paddle on the tire "brake." No shirt, pair of cut off shorts, and trax tennis shoes riding through the ditches, yards, and not fully grown corn fields surrounding my home when I was 10. Kawi KZ 650 - like has been stated before, there's something about your first street bike, cue Phil Collins and go for a cruise around town at night... Now it's any bike that someone is nice enough to let me borrow as I'm currently bikeless... | ||
| 7873jake |
Spent a long weekend once back in 2003 with a nearly new Aprilia RST 1000 Futura. It was borrowed but I shoulda bought one. I was livin' in the Keys at the time and felt like death was only one ride away on that thing. It was flat black, had a great seat, ran like an Allegheny locomotive and could swallow up two hard cases worth of weekend crap. It sorta felt like a two wheeled F-117 Nighthawk. <sigh>  A leggy Italian with classy luggage and a willingness to travel...what's not to love. | ||
| Rick_a |
Holy cow, I forgot about those. They were all over the place when I was a kid. Quirky, but cool bikes. This is good stuff, guys. Keep 'em coming. Sitting in the cockpit of the KTM 625/640 Supermoto and Duke II feels as natural a place as can be on a motorcycle, next to my S1. The opportunity to ride one has not presented itself. | ||
| Tombo |
Honda Z50 just for the memories. XR75, felt very potent at the time and liked that it was both a 4 stroke and purposeful (as opposed to dual purpose). Suzuki RL 250 (or any of several vintage trials bikes). Baja 100, a lot of bike for a vintage 100 and really liked the design. Maico 250, liked the handling and liked the unique tank and rough sand cast engine. RM 370, first long travel bikes were such a dramatic improvement. Laverda 750 sf, elegant and solid (except for the electrics). Yamaha Vision, one of the few sport oriented V twins of the time (perhaps the only one from Japan). Surprisingly fast even with the shaft and the sound of that bike at 10,00 rpm was incredible. Harley Fat Bob, my favorite cruiser and surprisingly good handling. I like the riding position for when I just want a relaxed ride yet the drag bars help it still feel aggressive. Unless you have ridden one it will sound odd to say that it feels like a fat S1. You may not want a fat S1 but the passenger can appreciate it. I can ride this bike all day and not want to get off of it. | ||
| Preybird1 |
My favorite bike still is my 1st generation Kawasaki ZX10R 2005. Zero restrictions and no electronics Just raw out of control power! Also my 1991 kawi ninja 600rr I was 17 and a soft-more in high-school and had a full time job and a fast jap bike and i only weighed in at 95 lbs man i was a fast kid then! Here is the bike!  And here is my favorite bike now.   One other bike i liked was the 2006 Kawasaki klr650 "A BIG DIRT BIKE"   I love motorcycles so much that i cannot stop riding and enjoying the damn things! Here is my first real bike and i was 6yrs old! Well of course later i had painted the whole thing black.  I am now have 32 years of riding these "Machines" and cannot fathom not having or riding one of these Mechanical beasts. I almost feel sorry for people who cannot really understand what it is like to experience this. To all who who are in the "know" be safe and never stop riding and infect as many people with the motorcycle bug that you can!! Life is to short to not ride! | ||
| Preybird1 |
The X1 and the ZX10r are my 2 favorites for the last 5 yrs! They are bunkmates!  | ||
| Cyclonedon |
I like Triumph Bonnieville | ||
| Reepicheep |
CeeJay, there is a KDX-200 in the garage here in Lebanon you can come and grab for a ride any time. The KZ-400 is running now as well, but I haven't gotten plates yet. There are a few dirt bikes for the kids also, who knows which will start. They have been sitting for a few months. I'd offer you the Uly, but it's making some unnatural noises at the moment that I have to track down. | ||
| Ducbsa |
I loved my '77 BMW R100/7 with RS bars for 36 years until I gave it to my son. I wish my XB12S had that bike's saddle and ergos. Mind you, it was in 1983, but I rode 700 miles in 12 hours on that thing and could have easily gone more. | ||
| 99cyclone |
Next favorite after my '96 S1 is probably this bike...  | ||
| Ceejay |
Reep - I'd love to take you up on that offer, but alas it'd be a bit of a haul as we moved to central VA a few years ago...it's a bit of a haul  Stop by if you're able! I'm about 30 mins from the BRP which means I'm currently in a holding pattern for a Uly, plus I have a nifty little "project" I'm tinkering with...I got my kids on 4 wheels currently with a cool racing go-cart I outfitted with a 5hp Honda off a paint sprayer/stirrer thingy. I'm hoping to give my kids the same bug were all talking about, so I had to start somewhere. and not to get too far off track... A Yamaha Virago with those sheephorn handlebars that were common in the late 80's, my girlfriend on the back heading to the swimming hole. Mostly nostalgic stuff currently An 1125r before they were released at Mid-O track day when I had the front tire lofted, leaned over, and "dropping into" turn 8...that was cool and a bit frightening on someone elses ride... | ||
| Badlionsfan |
MY 2011 Bonneville. Favorite bike of all time (so far), for no particular reason. It didn't do anything great, but did everything well. Just a great modern standard with classic cool looks.  | ||
| 86129squids |
Hey Bad- I'm guessing that's cream for the lighter color, is the darker part green? Dude that lives around the corner from me has one of the earlier Thunderbirds, with the triple motor- has the classic looks, with that fun motor... | ||
| Badlionsfan |
It's Phantom Black and Fusion White with gold, hand painted pinstripes. Each tank is initialed by who did the pinstripes, under the front edge of the seat. My next bike will be a Triumph triple, few more cc's than the triple Thunderbirds were....  | ||
| Paint_shaker |
1995/2008 "franken" Ural | ||
| Tpoppa |
2010 CBR600RR ABS Best handling machine I've ever owned. Honda's C-ABS is in a word amazing. They make you feel like Rossi when on the brakes. | ||
| Satori |
Rupp Roadster2 The minute I twisted that throttle and took off, I was in love with motorcycles. Note this is just a random pic from the web, but it's just like the one I had.  | ||
| 86129squids |
OK, my turn... (1) 1983 RZ350- bored .40 over, with Spec II pipes, Boyesen reeds, 1 tooth dropped front sprocket, steering dampener... unfortunately it had the "genetic defect" black box, before I knew about the problem and the fixes. Like getting shot out of God's own slingshot. Now I'm Gshuette's stalker, I KNOW what he's done... (2) 1987 FZ700- kinda like my current project, got it with cosmetic damage, had that fixed, and WOW, what a great bike! Best midrange powerband I'd known to that date. (3) My first "real" MC, a 1981 Suzuki TS125- kept it long enough to café it, changed out the 21" front wheel to a 19", quarter fairing, built the motor out best I could, then at age 16, T-boned an ai$$-hole in the classic left turn against traffic maneuver. Grandpa bought me my first car very soon after that... a '73 Super Beetle. (Customed that out too.) (4) 1982 BMW R65- with the factory option Quicksilver fairing, hardbags, etc. Learned Deal's Gap on that bike. Learned how to RIDE deal's gap on it, had fun smoking various and sundry middleweight rice rockets on it. (5) 1991 (ish) Yamaha Vmax- my best buddy had always wanted one, finally had a proper specimen traded in at Smoky Mountain HD, so I test-rode it for him to check things out... LOOOVE that V-Boost! (FWIW, that bike is for sale now...) (6) 1989 Honda PC800- simply a bike ahead of its time. The first year bike had a 2 tone pearl white paint job, all the later models looked OK, but like turds in comparison. Handled great, plus fully capable to do cross-country touring. Looking to add another one to my stable someday. (7) 1977 R75/7- daily rider at this posting. Just the sheer cool factor of this bike, plus stone anvil reliability, plus running errands with my milk crate, always just dependable FUN. (8) 2002 Triumph Sprint 955ST- my newest acquisition, with the triple... so far, so good! | ||
| Ourdee |
Honda 80, Bennelli 65cc, Yamaha RD250A, Bennelli Panther 125, RD350, Couple of Honda XL250S, KZ750LTD, Honda 550four, XL500S, couple of TW200, the best was an XB12XT. |
