Classic Bikes Thoughts

[Tango]

Classic bikes are big business these days, but where to draw the line?

I'm gobsmacked at the prices being asked for some bikes because they're "classic". 

Do you think that these prices are justified, or is it just old blokes with too much money and rose tinted specs looking for that nostalgia trip?

[XTreme]

22 minutes ago, Tango said:

is it just old blokes with too much money and rose tinted specs looking for that nostalgia trip?

Absolutely!

You see stuff that never sold well in it's day listed at ridiculous prices. And for Zeds and Kwak triples it's totally off the scale.

Look at this Z1 for nearly £26K HERE! I can remember them new at £1247 on the road in 1975.

 

[Tango]

14 minutes ago, XTreme said:

Absolutely!

You see stuff that never sold well in it's day listed at ridiculous prices. And for Zeds and Kwak triples it's totally off the scale.

Look at this Z1 for nearly £26K HERE! I can remember them new at £1247 on the road in 1975.

 

A mate had a Z1 back in the mid 70's, he sold it quick because he said it kept trying to kill him! Tank slappers, dodgy handling and suicidal brakes! 

I had an RD350B and I had to change the spark plugs every month because the performance dropped right off otherwise and cleaning the plugs wouldn't get it back.

[XTreme]

37 minutes ago, Tango said:

A mate had a Z1 back in the mid 70's, he sold it quick because he said it kept trying to kill him! Tank slappers, dodgy handling and suicidal brakes! 

I had an RD350B and I had to change the spark plugs every month because the performance dropped right off otherwise and cleaning the plugs wouldn't get it back.

I had a test ride on one from the Kwak dealer in 75.......completely blew my mind that a bike could have that much power. I expect it would be a big disappointment if I rode one now though.

I had an RD350B as well.....best handling bike of that period. Didn't have any problem with plugs fouling up though.....probably cos I was thrashing the shit out of it everywhere! 

I always said the best bike of that era though was my GS750.

[Tango]

12 minutes ago, XTreme said:

I had a test ride on one from the Kwak dealer in 75.......completely blew my mind that a bike could have that much power. I expect it would be a big disappointment if I rode one now though.

I had an RD350B as well.....best handling bike of that period. Didn't have any problem with plugs fouling up though.....probably cos I was thrashing the shit out of it everywhere! 

I always said the best bike of that era though was my GS750.

I put ace bars on my RD350 because I didn't really like the original bars, but I thrashed that as much as I could!

A mate had a GS750 and I had a few goes on it and was pretty impressed by it. He then got the GS1000 when it came out. That was pretty mind-blowing at the time too.

But, compared to modern bikes they are a bit lacking in many departments. Yes, I prefer the looks of many of them, but that doesn't justify the price tag on some of them now, in my opinion.

[yen_powell]

21 minutes ago, XTreme said:

I had a test ride on one from the Kwak dealer in 75.......completely blew my mind that a bike could have that much power. I expect it would be a big disappointment if I rode one now though.

I had an RD350B as well.....best handling bike of that period. Didn't have any problem with plugs fouling up though.....probably cos I was thrashing the shit out of it everywhere! 

I always said the best bike of that era though was my GS750.

My mate has a GS750 rusting in his dad's front garden. But it was lovely back in the 80s, he'd bored out the engine to 850, fitted a lengthened swing arm and put some wheels from another Suzuki on it to give better tyre choices. It had big wide handlebars and an Eddie Lawson style seat. He painted it white with 2 tones of blue stripes on the tank, gas board colours we called it when taking the piss. I so wanted to ride that bike, but he wouldn't even let me sit on it.

Then the engine went bad after a few years so a second hand 750 unit was fitted. Then he repainted it in garish dayglo colours and put ape hangers on it. It started winning rat bike prizes at rallies. The only picture I have of it back then has most of it out of view. This is Martin and his girlfriend in approx 1985, he's sitting on the GS, my other mate's Honda Silverwing (500) is behind them.

His dad is nearing the end of his life at the moment and they have introduced a controlled parking zone in his street. Suddenly the tiny drive needed to be cleared so the carers could park without getting a ticket. It took some effort but it moved eventually after sitting under a cover since about 1992.

[XTreme]

23 minutes ago, yen_powell said:

It took some effort but it moved eventually after sitting under a cover since about 1992.

 

So he just left it there for 30 years? 

[yen_powell]

16 minutes ago, XTreme said:

So he just left it there for 30 years? 

Yup. He had one of those multi-bike policies for years, with a 750 limit so he replaced it with a jelly mould GSX750 for a while, then they discontinued the policies so being no longer being limited by engine size he went for a V-Max, then BMW 1150GS, then a series of get to work bikes, XT660, was one I recall. He now has my old Versys for touring/camping and one of those Honda 500s (the half a Jazz engine sort) for going to work.

[XTreme]

Just now, yen_powell said:

one of those Honda 500s (the half a Jazz engine sort) for going to work.

That's the NC750 not 500.

[yen_powell]

11 minutes ago, XTreme said:

That's the NC750 not 500.

You probably know it as a CB500X

[XTreme]

17 minutes ago, yen_powell said:

You probably know it as a CB500X

The Jazz engine is in the 700/750 series Yen.

[yen_powell]

10 hours ago, XTreme said:

The Jazz engine is in the 700/750 series Yen.

They all look the same to me.

[Six30]

11 hours ago, XTreme said:

The Jazz engine is in the 700/750 series Yen.

They do say this , but it’s a bit of a myth, i cut one in half and it didn’t run that well to be honest .

[boboneleg]

All I know is the NC 750 that I had a test ride on was the most boring bike in the world, the MT 07 knocks into a cocked hat 

[XTreme]

2 minutes ago, boboneleg said:

All I know is the NC 750 that I had a test ride on was the most boring bike in the world, the MT 07 knocks into a cocked hat 

It's the commuter/courier bike of choice now as I understand it.

[boboneleg]

2 minutes ago, XTreme said:

It's the commuter/courier bike of choice now as I understand it.

Yes, the plastic maggot is long gone

[XTreme]

38 minutes ago, boboneleg said:

Yes, the plastic maggot is long gone

There was also the NTV and those GT750 Kwaks as well from what I can remember!

[yen_powell]

Everyone forgets about the CX500 replacement now, it was there and then it wasn't. The VT500

[XTreme]

Just now, yen_powell said:

Everyone forgets about the CX500 replacement now, it was there and then it wasn't. The VT500

I never actually saw one on the road!

[Tango]

10 minutes ago, yen_powell said:

Everyone forgets about the CX500 replacement now, it was there and then it wasn't. The VT500

Yes, that was a very popular dispatch bike in its day. Used to see them all over London. 

[XTreme]

Look at this......this is a pisstake!

Nearly 9 grand for a detuned KH250 HERE!

If it was an original S1 from the early 70's........it would be a different matter.

I was going in to put a deposit down on one in Jan 73.......but I got arrested first thing in the morning by the filth as I was leaving the house!

Long story......I was young and a bit wild back then. We've all been there!

Turned out all right in the end though......cos I bought one of these in April.

[yen_powell]

A work colleague (head of Road Safety) had his KH250, a non runner, in his front garden. The little cam that drove the points had worn away or something he said and it had sat in his garden for years.

One night he heard someone trying to steal it. He could hear them trying to kick start it. He told me he let them try for ages, only shouting out to scare them off when they were properly knackered.

[Pedro]

2 minutes ago, yen_powell said:

A work colleague (head of Road Safety) had his KH250, a non runner, in his front garden. The little cam that drove the points had worn away or something he said and it had sat in his garden for years.

One night he heard someone trying to steal it. He could hear them trying to kick start it. He told me he let them try for ages, only shouting out to scare them off when they were properly knackered.

I once went on holiday and left my XR400 caked in mud on my parent’s garage. Every time they would brush against it walking past they’de get dirty and a little bit of dirt would drop to the nice floor, so dad called the local mechanic who owns a washing station to come and take it away for washing, the poor guy kicked and kicked for ages. Eventually gave up convinced I had a hidden switch installed. Eventually I came back, and hearing about this proceeded to start it on the third kick.

Dad still thinks there’s a switch under the tank, where I fidget with the tickover speed before kicking it from cold.

 

[yen_powell]

12 hours ago, Pedro said:

I once went on holiday and left my XR400 caked in mud on my parent’s garage. Every time they would brush against it walking past they’de get dirty and a little bit of dirt would drop to the nice floor, so dad called the local mechanic who owns a washing station to come and take it away for washing, the poor guy kicked and kicked for ages. Eventually gave up convinced I had a hidden switch installed. Eventually I came back, and hearing about this proceeded to start it on the third kick.

Dad still thinks there’s a switch under the tank, where I fidget with the tickover speed before kicking it from cold.

 

You do get to know a kick start bike's own individuality.

When I had my first stent in, I was trying to stay in and not move about too much, but my friend, who should have known better decided he was going to start enduro racing. He was not the fittest of people or in the first flush of youth.

He'd bought a nearly new Gas Gas 4 stroke, a 400 or 450 I think. This thing self destructed at least twice in a very short ownership and had an engine rebuild each time. It would also have a few break downs on the road in that same period.

So I made my way over to Kent to a place called Canada Heights and watched my mate leave the starting line and disappear down a wooded hill and that was the last we saw of him for a very long time. Eventually he appeared over the crest of the hill on foot drenched in sweat. He'd drained the battery trying to restart the bike on the button after repeated stalls and begged for someone else to have a go at getting it back up the hill if he could get it started. As I walked gingerly down the hill I found a man frantically trying to kick start and early DR350 with the manual decompressor thing on the handlebar, exactly the same model I had fallen off a  zillion times whilst green laning. I asked if I could have a go and started it first or second kick, a few years of anger and frustration had taught me the technique for that one bike.

Anyway, we got to the Gas Gas and that was when he gave me his helmet to put on to ride the short distance up the slope. Jesus, I think the entire fluid content of his whole body (and he was a big bloke) was in the lining. It positively squelched as I put it on.

[boboneleg]

Absolutely so Yen, my first DR350 was a peach to start but you had to have that decompresor set correctly.  The worst bike for me was my mates WR400 (first model) , it was an absolute bastard to start when it was hot.  It even had a 'hot' button which I think the Japs had put on there for a laugh.