Anyone interested in motorbikes?

I'm big into bikes (especially the spannering) and have owned over 50 from my  initial CG125 to GSX1000 Katana, GL1000 Goldwing and finally a rather rare 1970s Moto Guzzi 350/4 (a knock off of the Honda CB350/4).

All long gone unfortunately as my wife didn't like the time I used to spend on them (mostly buying as basket cases and restoring to good working condition or better) so in the interests of a quiet life I gave up and sold / gave them all away.

I'm now looking at getting back into them now I am semi retired and want to do a YouTube channel on buying and restoring affordable bikes from the 80s an 90s - something along the lines of Mustie1 (YouTube channel) but much more aligned to good everyday bikes that are affordable (Suzuki Bandits, early CBR600, Yamaha Diversion) but with the odd bit of relative exotica thrown in (VF1000F, CBX750 etc) that are still affordable.

The autistic collecting trait in me has resulted in me building up a huge collection of service manuals for any kind of bikes I can find and I've been slowly learning more skills on YouTube that I need to get hands on practive with (spray painting, welding, soda blasting etc)t hat will come in useful.

Nothing is likely to happen in a hurry as I don't think I will get back to the UK for the next 2 years and here in Brazil where I like, you are highly likely to have your bike stolen at gunpoint at the traffic lights. I've seen a few and it is aways the big bikes that are targetted as they are quite high value here.

What bike are you restoring? 

Hello, yeah one of my interests are bikes since I grew up with my mum and stepdad riding motorbikes so I have naturally been into them. I have got one I'm restoring and I want to get a new one to ride on myself I'm looking into riding a bike over a car cause I feel like there is going to be more freedom on a bike than a car. 

When I was a kid some guy outside the chippy got on one of those and gave it the beans up the road, and I was hooked! It was SO quick compared to anything else I'd seen pull away from me.

Some years later I got the 250 version that had been modified for track use, it had the loudest expansion pipes on it, and was satisfyingly fast, but too loud for the police. Eventually I got stopped by a copper who'd stopped me before, and he promised to really do me good, if I didn't change 'em. So I did, bought a pair of LC pipes (they were after all semi expansion pipes) and the phantom welder made 'em fit real nice. I'd gotten used to the hideous racket making me pretty invincible in overtaking situations, like everyone knew exactly where I was, particularly as I hit the power band and so it turned out. Robbed of my invincibility, I soon found myself destroying the motorcycle (and the mini it hit) during a particularly ADD inspired overtake. 

Pity really, it was the only motorcyle to inspire a loose woman to walk up to me and say "You must be Steve, I do like your banana", and then prove it in a most agreeable way! (How she knew we called it that I have no Idea..) 

Before it's demise, one day coming back from Grantham in about 1985 I was giving it the beans, hanging on for grim death at about 80 leaning as far as I dared, and some guy on a red and white machine sailed past making no effort at all...

THAT machine turned out to be the super rare and valuable RD500YPVS. In turn the YPVS 500 frame got fitted with their FZ750f motor, and the Yamaha Genesis was created. I test rode one of those once, around the lovely Redditch ring road system, (also an ex proddie racer) and it felt so easy to overtake and so stable, I believed I was doing about 90, however, when I glanced at the clocks It turned out I was doing ~134, at a nice stable lean, just sailing on down that road.

The Japanese abruptly learned how to make good handling motorcycles in the early 1980's and those late seventies RD's whilst not fog producing death traps like Kawasakis triples or possessed with the psychopathic attitude towards road holding of the Suzuki GT250, still needed a bit of care. These 250 bikes are all pretty rare now, I can tell you, because so many seventies 17 year olds got straight on these, after fitting shiny new L plates and threw them into hard objects, seemingly posessed by the "Divine Wind" from the east. Once they started making them handle safely, it was all over for the British motorcycle industry...   

OF course the trouble with good handling motorbikes is that when you finally manage to fall off, you are likely to be going considerably fast...

I've managed to get the "Genocide" (of course I ruddy well bought it! Wouldn't you? 130 without even trying? :c) through 20,000 miles of my style of riding. I've had it stolen (and gone and found & recovered it using what appears to be psychic means) twice. (I put my hands out to my sides, palms front, rotate on the spot and somehow just know which way to start walking.. It works, I don't question it!) despite keeping it looking like crap as a deterrent measure. (I keep it mechanically spot on, my life depends on that, but I don't want people to covet the thing) Eventually, I replaced the missing steering lock...

Apart from going off with other people occasionally, it's been a most dependable and surprisingly safe machine to live with, and surprisingly (actually amazingly) economical to own. Admittedly I don't do wheelies, and I let it get warm before turning the taps on properly, (all of which saves you big money on the mechanical side of things) The thing that amazes me is how darn comfortable it is. I can do a 75 mile each way trip and get off the thing still feeling spry. (Although I've not done that for a while now) and that diddy front wheel, although it respects being allowed to find it's own line, seems to make the bike nice and easy to handle even for a streak of **** like myself. Not a good one for the ladies, though, although my eight year old daughter liked the pillion seat for a few years.    

Hope no-one minds me filling up your screen with my ramblings, but I've not ridden for a while, and I think after this evenings reflection that it's about time it moved back up my list of priorities.

when u see it now it is just so cool.  it is like a wasp passing you

my first bike was a yellow RD250 my third was a white 400

there a girl in my town and she rides a very cool bike........ its an RD250 RD200 its like a 1980s yellow yamaha and she wears yellow and black leathers to match ------ she goes so fast on that thing i never get a good look at the bike . She pasted me on a motorway months ago. i was doing  70mph  and she was going past me  with ease -

just love the smell she leaves  from the 2 stroke engine

turns out as shown below there was a 400 as well which explains her speed.

her  bike is immaculate 

If you are still riding, my "cone of hatred" post, might be useful to you.. 

More power also seems to help, as if you are sitting on 100HP, you can get overtakes done much faster. (You are only vulnerable to white van man when he is near you, more power makes those times shorter!)

And tyres, always fit good quality, and de-rate your handling expectations if they get old or close to the legal limit. I had yokohamas on an RS250 once which were the stickiest tyres I ever owned until they got close to the wear limit and I found myself falling off at my favourite low and slow bends.

I fell off a lot when I was a kid, and tyre adhesion changing over time is a pernicious killer. You don't want to find out that you've an age related 25% reduction in adhesion when doing a maximum braking effort to avoid an idiot who pulled across your path, 'cos if you do, (and I know) it ruins your leathers. I found that having done some gymnastics and judo in my youth prepared me very well for the brief sensation of flying, and I was able to convert my landings into a fast "forwards roll" on occasion, which presumably is why I didn't break any bones. Rural riding means a far greater chance of crap on the road, tractors pulling out of fields spilling diesel as they go etc. 

But above all, and I've interviewed a lot of mates who hurt themselves in accidents, if you know you are "going in" due to a surprise situation, remember this (as it vastly reduces the chance of you getting maimed or killed), always, always, keep looking for the way out and work the problem. Hitting that car in the wing, means you get to fly over the bonnet, and if you land right, walk off. Whereas a foot to the left and you gonna hit something real hard and leave the scene in an ambulance. 

Everyone thought I was just a young idiot (including me) but it turns out I was doing life saving research! These tips will serve any motorcylist well.

Yes, ta!

Yes, I've posted on the photography thread already. I'd forgotten I was going to put my bike here. I'll have a go now. Here's my pride and joy: The Beastie (XV1100)

try to keep it to less than 1000 pixels - .jpg works now.

Seems like it was Top Gear, Paddy McGuinness was in a Rolls doing something

Looks like there was some filming going on just past my house tonight, heard lots of bikes going past then saw cars stopped on the road so went out for a look.

try jpg first it is now supposed to work ????

lucky so and so

https://linktr.ee/SupergoodBFA

I have a few bits but I have my own merchandise, flags T-shirt’s hoodies etc I produce through my sponsor with the NAS logo on and my logo... 

yes i have been prevented by a white van trying to take me off on M6 England at 60 mph.

Crash helmets are good isolation pods. 

I've just realised, motorcycling is quite the Autistic experience!

You are far more vulnerable than most other road users, yet they envy us our power. And unless prevented, we get there quicker!