Car or Motorbike?

[T9 man]

I was wondering earlier, just how many of you own a motorbike as well as a car. I don't have a bike myself as I promised mum that all the time she was alive I would never ride one, bless her!

So if you do own both, which one gives you the biggest buzz?

 

[gladrags]

I used to run motorbikes years ago but never since I got a car. It's a great thing to ride a bike first, it teaches you about balance, centre of gravity and how to brake properly. Every day you see drivers wrestling their cars around corners, junctions and roundabouts with the brake lights on, they would benefit from a few hours qualified tuition to make them safer drivers.

My nephew and his partner have cars but he still has a Kawasaki 4 cylinder 750cc which can go at frightening speeds apparently and it worries her sick every time he goes out in it.

 

[Yugguy]

I wouldn't mind one for fun, but not to commute. My father in law, 74(?) now, zips around on his 125 happily.

Good thing about bikes is you can get decent quality late model ones for just a few grand, Honda CBR500 and the like, that'll give you all the buzz you need.

Mind you I nearly fell of my chair when a chap at work here said he'd just put down a deposit on a 21 grand Ducati. I had no idea you could spend that much.

 

[gladrags]

Mind you I nearly fell of my chair when a chap at work here said he'd just put down a deposit on a 21 grand Ducati. I had no idea you could spend that much.

MMmmmmmm a Ducati, with desmodromic valve gear no doubt. I always dreamed of being good enough to change a cylinder head gasket on one of those. But 21 grand ffs.

 

[T9 man]

I assume Ducati in the bike world is like Lamborghini in the car world. With the exception of those handcrafted bike specials i see made on American Chopper i had no idea they commanded that kind of money.

 

[obi_waynne]

I too was banned from owning a motorbike by my parents and the ban still hold true in my mind even though I've lived out of home longer than I've lived in it now.

I would go for a Japanese sports bike with lots of power if I had one though.

 

[TCJBOLDIE]

When I was 18 I had a Triumph Tiger 500 that was raced and I converted it back to a street bike by adding a headlight but kept the reversed gear lever which ( allowed the rider to lay down on the tank) meant that a kick start could not be used so I used to run along side to jump start it like the racers did.

I was called "a temporary Australian" but fortunately by sheer luck or the grace of God survived.

I had a regular race fuel order (due to the high compression ratio) at the local servo and collected a 20 litre drum every Friday and if I run out and needed fuel mid week I filled with super/methyl benzine 50/50 mix.

 

[Yugguy]

Aye. There is a Ducati race replica bike, road legal, 61 grand.

To service it costs 1000s as the entire bike is basically bolted round the engine so you have to completely dismantle to get to the engine.

 

[Lunchmoney]

 

[SLEEPER]

Stangely enough I used to be obssesed with bikes as well mainly because I couldnt drive a car untill 17 and by then of course I was hooked .
Ended up racing a ducati 250 and later a lee framed rickman 600 triumph in my

The road bike I ended up with was about as silly as the stagea.
I had a norton domiracer frame with an original cb750 honda engine shoehorned in (couldnt avoid modding even then )
I probably should add it had a 900 kit and cams in it so it would still be considered very lively even now. Then (very early seventies) it was the dogs because the z1 kawasaki wasnt out yet.
Will try to sort out a pic but it did come 2nd in the mcn special of the year competition in 1970.

 

[TCJBOLDIE]

I had the hots for a Norton Featherbed a Vellocette Venom and a BSA Gold Star but not the funds to buy one of them.


http://www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C574560

http://www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C792100

 

[obi_waynne]

The classic bikes sound great but don't really do much for me if I'm honest.

 

[TCJBOLDIE]

Obi San they were not classics when I was a lad .They were the latest things to hit the road.

 

[Torque]

Biker family, third generation.
My car is useful but I couldnt live without my bike!

 

[turbonutter69]

The classic bikes sound great but don't really do much for me if I'm honest.

You would be very surprised if you saw them race round a circuit.
Some can really really shift. And for what they look like. You really wouldn't expect it!

 

[obi_waynne]

I'm out of touch with bikes. I guess like cars they've got more and more powerful.

What are the hot bikes at the moment for performance?

 

[turbonutter69]

Not that up to date myself really.

Although I do love the sound of bmw's S1000r.
The noise off throttle is great imo.