Thread: Motorcycles

Originally Posted by chuckpo

I currently ride a 2007 Triumph Speedmaster.

Good choice! Sigh... I am bikeless right now. But once we get the wife's care paid off it's back in the saddle again!

I love the classic brit bikes, and even the modern copies. I started on a Kawasaki Concours. I am drawn to large touring bikes, but I mostly like kicking around the back roads, so I try to stick to middleweights.

I also enjoy maxi-scoots, but they're just not as inspiring

Next bike will be a Triumph Bonneville or Bonneville America.

I love the roads out in the hill country southwest of Austin.

There is nothing like the open road. I used to love going on the back roads in western connecticut. It is beautiful.I WANT ANOTHER BIKE.I was looking at a Harley cross bones. If only the wife would say yes we can afford it.

Originally Posted by foundlingofdollar

Next bike will be a Triumph Bonneville or Bonneville America.

I was looking at the 2010 Triumph Thunderbird as my next bike. I have been nothing but happy with the SM so far. Specs on the T-Bird are still waiting to be firmed up, but at the least it will be a 1600cc parallel twin. That should be a good step up, not quite to the 2300cc beast they sell.

Originally Posted by chuckpo

I was looking at the 2010 Triumph Thunderbird as my next bike. I have been nothing but happy with the SM so far. Specs on the T-Bird are still waiting to be firmed up, but at the least it will be a 1600cc parallel twin. That should be a good step up, not quite to the 2300cc beast they sell.

Well, if you get the T-Bird and have to give the speedmaster away to a worthy cause, you know how to contact me

Last week I went for a ride on my soon to be son- in- laws Harley vrod. That is a nice bike.

Word,
got to say I enjoy the vintage scooters much better than the now "classic" '89 Hawk Gt I once owned. Best stories I have are the looks I get from guys riding stretched out ghetto crotch rockets who realize i'm doing 65 mph, or who can't really out run the scooters in some tight twisties on or near the blue ridge parkway. Best time I had was my friend breaking down outside meadows of dan, va and meeting hippie bruce and checking out all his old harleys. We were literally 100 yards from his driveway. He was welding up a pipe bracket in his driveway when I rolled up for an old 60's shovelhead for a guy, original owner, that was planning to take it out to the salt flats. While we were still working on the side of the road, atleast 10 cars and about 20 bikes all stopped to ask if we needed help. It was great, because around town, in greensboro, nc, no one ever waves.
aaron

1969 vespa spirnt veloce

and
1961 Lambretta Li 125

How solid does that Vespa feel at 65? I'd be a little afraid of going that fast on a Vespa.

I always said if I owned a scooter like that though that I'd soup the thing up to be a little demon

I've had a bunch of old Italian Scooters (Vespa's and Lammy's). They're kinda sketch at speed, but you gotta just put your head down and have some faith. Except for getting caught by crazy side-winds, they're not terrible.

I had an old kitted 190cc Lambretta that I used to ride up around the 80mph mark, often. It did surprisingly good. You just gotta keep a finger on the clutch in case you seize.

+1 what bjorn said. You really got to ride one to find out, but it depends on what you are used to riding. It is made of steel, vibrates some, and drives straight, is fun to drive, the wind blows on you just the same, and cagers still suck.
65mph on the vespa or lambretta is not as bad a 85 mph on 101 south on my honda hawk 650 from san francisco to san jose, however it just is not as bad as you might think, you just dont take the interstate unless you need to, back roads are much more fun anyway.

Both of my scoots have mild upgrades, the vespa has P200 engine and the lambretta has a 175 jug with a 24mm mikuni

aaron

Here is an old picture of my brother and my first two F2 race bikes. We had been racing RZ350's for a year before that, and it was time to move up to some F2 bikes (TZ250's).

These were John Kocinski and Cal Rayborn III's bikes from the '87 AMA season. John Kocinski won the AMA F2 championship on that foreground bike right before we got it. Cal Rayborn was his teammate racing for Team Nordica Roberts.