Hey all just thought we needed a separate vehicle category for motorcycle enthusiasts. Here are a couple of shots of my latest “pimping” of my BMW R1200RT. It’s never going to be the lightest machine, but it can be pretty and very functional. The Wunderlich brake/clutch reservoir covers are gorgeous and the Akrapovic pipe looks and sounds really sweet.
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I didn’t think I was the only one. During the pandemic about all I can do is work, listen to music and go out for isolated Sunday morning ride. This is one of six working covered bridges in Maryland. This one’s around Frederick. I considered an RT but the RS suited me better. It’s considerably lighter than an RT but not everyone’s cup of tea. After years of riding Honda interceptors and VFRs, 5 of them, the RS is a nice compromise if you don’t want to go the full touring route.
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Beautiful bike and photo
I had my days of fast bikes. But this century it has been highway trips and cruising. Did about ten two or three day trips between Texas and Ohio and Ohio and Texas on this, my bike since '08.
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How many miles on that beauty?
46,000–About 22,000 when these photos were snapped.
Doesn’t quite look the same now as I added some fancy parts since but mostly looks the same.
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nice. I love when vehicles get used.
Yes, for five years it was my ONLY vehicle. Then I moved to Ohio. . . .
Only!! That’s an Iron man!
Seems like we had a motorcycle thread or perhaps it buried in another thread?
My time with motorbikes is done but I’ve throughly ridden and worn out about a dozen. Mostly street-legal/plated dirt bikes from Husqvarna (Italian-made), a Honda and Suzuki in there along with a Triumph Street Triple that spent a few days at Streets at Willow giggling madly and many days on back roads scrubbing black stripes around corners.
Of all of them, my favorite
I’d rather ride a slow bike fast than a fast bike slow
Let’s see if I can remember them all:
1970s Honda clutchless 50cc - ~age 8
1994 Yamaha Seca II 650 - was hit on this bike, spent two years recovering, learning to walk again…fun times ;/.
1992 Suzuki DR350 - bought used in 2004
2003 Honda XR250R - used
2006 Husqvarna TE450 - a beast
2008 Husqvarna TE250 - a demon
2012 Triumph Street Triple 675
2008 Yamaha WR250R - supermoto and dirt wheels - used
I think I’m missing one in there but…I rode them all hard, did all my own maintenance and rebuilds including all tires changes even on the street bikes by hand at home.
90% of my riding has been off-road of all kinds except classic motocross from Canada to Mexico (Mex many times) and many places in between.
I’ll die happy knowing I mastered several types of riding on different machines. I’ve never commuted or used any of these for transportation. They were purely for the pleasure of riding.
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There were two periods in my life when I only had a motorcycle, while living in Texas: '80 to '91 and '08 to '13. As you might guess, I married in '90 and lost her to cancer in '07. . . .
I did have a '66 Belair wagon from '87 on to '08 come to think of it. Only used it a few times a month to haul drums to gigs from '87 to '90. Gave up the gigs when I married as well.
When you grow up riding motorcycles as long as you can in Ohio (which usually meant into November and occasionally thereafter on warm winter days) you can handle the worst cold that central Texas can dish out. . . . If the weather got really bad I had a choice of bus routes to get to work and back from a busstop a half a block from my house.
Those were the days. Sometimes I miss them!
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My wife and I use to ride Ducatis (like here at Deal’s Gap aka The Tail of the Dragon). Now we have BMW R 1250 RSs. BMW has the best TFT display in the business as well as an engine they have been refining for 100 years!!! 105 lbft of torque at 6250 rpms doesn’t hurt either.
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I agree about BMWs–I had an R90/6 and an R65.
Speaking of motors, the Triumph 3 cylinder motors are simply magic power plants. Different class than the big BMWs but a fine example of modern engineering and refinement for sure.
The über high strung Husky motors are a blast too but one better be ready! Not as ‘bad’ as a 500cc 2-stroke but pretty quick.
Built this from scratch in my garage in '04, Back b4 the TV shows that made these bikes more well known. Was quite the attention grabber at the local Starbucks!
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Here’s a list of bikes I have owned starting when I was 16 (had my MC license before my auto license).
74 Honda CB360T
71 Honda CB500 Four
82 Honda CB900F
86 Suzuki GSXR1100
94 Suzuki GSXR1100
95 Honda VFR750
99 BMW R1100S
99 BMW K1200RS
14 BMW K1300S
77 BMW R100RS
15 BMW R1200RT
This image was taken by a regular riding buddy while riding (obviously) with a disposable camera. Very sadly this friend Tim is no longer with us. Took his own life several years ago. So sad to think of all the great times and still miss the guy.
Sorry for the poor photo quality, but all I have are photos of photos:
(Note the tail light stencil on the CB360. I was a BOC fan even way back then)
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My 2007 Triumph Sprint ST 1050 sure sounded great winding out. Their triple has nothing on a 1250 boxer with a counter balance shaft and variable valve timing among many, many other technologies. Not to mention the obvious center of gravity.
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