What motorcycle do you or would you have?

Zwilling

Kamisori shaver
Its a funny old world.

30 years ago Japanese four cylinder bikes were criticized for being boring, they were called UJMs, Universal Japanese Motorcycle, air cooled four cylinders across the frame, dual seat, large tank, dual shocks, a fair amount of chrome plating and not much plastic, now every manufacturer apart from Ducati has its Retro range which copies the Japanese bikes of the 1980s, no criticism from me as the price of the originals is sky high.
You're right. The look of these bikes is now iconic, and arguably the originals have also stood the test of time in terms of durability.

To be fair, there are a few retro bikes that orient towards classic British bikes, and BMW's retro bikes hark back to their own past models. Not to mention how the cruiser category revives classic American designs. I think everyone is now waiting for classic sportsbike designs to be revived.
 

hotmetal

Legendary Member
For that to happen though, they'd have to fix the roads, get rid of all the revenue cameras and fix the global economy.

I like the look of the Ducati Supersport though, which appears to at least nod to the likely demographic of its potential buyers by not having the ergonomics of a mediaeval torture device. I toured most of western Europe from Denmark to Czech Republic on my mid 90s FZR600R which at the time was a race rep. 5 years later all 600 sports bikes were so focused you would be crippled doing distance on them.
 

HardLight

Veteran
Both in the garage.

’22 Road Glide Special, daily scoot and mile eating warrior on the weekends.
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A beast from earlier years, Honda CR500 2-stroke. I’ve covered a lot of trail systems on this bike. Some pretty gnarly ones at that. They’re appreciating in value since the stopped making them in 2001.
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hotmetal

Legendary Member
Well, I went to Germany. Bike was great. Weather not so much, rained every day! 1000 miles, mostly in rain or on wet roads. Was still good to not be at work, and great to see my German buddies after several years, so I can't moan. But if the sun had shone it would have been ace.
 

karlc

Forum GOD!
ok, so Ive been toying with the idea lately of getting a motorbike (again). I did a CBT back in 2017 (I think it was then) and had a motorbike for a while before I decided to get a car instead.

Has anyone gone down the DAS route, from being an absolute beginner?
Not sure whether to go down this and focus on getting a full licence, or do a CBT, get a 125cc to familiarise myself to riding for a while before going for all the tests.
 

Cheesepiece

Stickler
A CBT and your own 125 is the way I went through but so much has changed with licensing and the schemes to get through to a Full Cat A licence.
I'd still advocate that you begin on a 125, put a year or so under your belt, get the bug and then advance as and when you can afford the time, money, effort. Age restriction is another thing to consider when calculating your moves. When I passed the Cat A at the age of 21, I could have gone straight from the test centre on my YBR125 to part-ex it for a Hayabusa (not that I did) and thankfully I don't think that's a possibility any more.
 

karlc

Forum GOD!
A CBT and your own 125 is the way I went through but so much has changed with licensing and the schemes to get through to a Full Cat A licence.
I'd still advocate that you begin on a 125, put a year or so under your belt, get the bug and then advance as and when you can afford the time, money, effort. Age restriction is another thing to consider when calculating your moves. When I passed the Cat A at the age of 21, I could have gone straight from the test centre on my YBR125 to part-ex it for a Hayabusa (not that I did) and thankfully I don't think that's a possibility any more.
My idea for now. But being a tall, heavy guy, living in a hilly area, something with a bit more power sounds attractive. Realistically, I would probably go for a 600c naked bike as a first bike. But ill ponder on it for a bit, maybe give the motorbike school a call sometime next week
 

Cheesepiece

Stickler
The only thing for a bloke of your make up would be the Varadero 125. You may just find it comfortable.
But yes you'll find plenty to suit you in the higher classes.
My idea for now. But being a tall, heavy guy, living in a hilly area, something with a bit more power sounds attractive. Realistically, I would probably go for a 600c naked bike as a first bike. But ill ponder on it for a bit, maybe give the motorbike school a call sometime next week
 
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