Reply With QuoteI love my 2012 Bonneville! The mag wheels are not as nostalgic as the spokes but they are more practical for every day transport. Just coming up on 9000 miles.
I just sold my '06 Scrambler about four months ago. Great bike and I was sorry to see her go.
"Disinterested intellectual curiosity is the life blood of real civilization."
--G. M. Trevelyan
I love my 2012 Bonneville! The mag wheels are not as nostalgic as the spokes but they are more practical for every day transport. Just coming up on 9000 miles.
When I got "back" into motorcycles, I bought a basketcase 1970 Trophy 500 in 1994 that had not been started in 5 years. Sold my bike to go off to college in 1977.
It did not have original pipes but those from a Daytona model. I had a blast restoring that to ride & did British in the Blueridge rally in North GA.
I wish I had some photos of it. Would love to get another Trumpet someday.
I do have a 1979 Honda CB750L 10th Anniversary Edition.
Deputy Swoopy, Crease Police - Mounted Division, Fedora Bureau of Investigation - Icon Defender
I won't be wronged, I won't be insulted, and I won't be laid a hand on. I don't do these to other people and I require the same from them.
WAR = What is it good for?
This thread is killing me. I rode dirt bikes in the early 70's but I have never had a road bike. Seems like the new "vintage" Triumphs might be a relatively easy and safe way to get back into the sport. On the other hand, I can only imagine the statistics for accidents involving riders who at 50+ decided to get a motorcycle.
Lots of them doing it every day.Originally Posted by Doublegun
Take the MSF course to refresh your skills & learn new ones.
Ride safe but RIDE!
Deputy Swoopy, Crease Police - Mounted Division, Fedora Bureau of Investigation - Icon Defender
I won't be wronged, I won't be insulted, and I won't be laid a hand on. I don't do these to other people and I require the same from them.
WAR = What is it good for?
Much as I like old bikes, I have a BSA 650 of 1964 vintage, I also have a Suzuki Hayabusa. I have done more miles on the Suzuki in 2 years than in nearly 12 on the BSA mainly due to maintenance issues. I would like to try Triumphs Speed Triple or maybe even a Daytona 675 though the retro Thruxton is nice looking as well.
Hmmmm(thinks) maybe a trip to the showroom in Dunmow may be worth a quick trip out.
On this side of the pond, here in the UK, we call this group of middle aged men ''born again bikers''. A while ago British Police were puzzled by the number of motorcyclists who just went off the road and were injured (some even killed). The bikers were all men who had returned to biking after a long break. Some had ridden old British bikes and then jumped on high performance Japanese or other modern bikes.
These born again bikers were a real hazard for a while and now the phenomenon is known there is more education for these returning bikers.
I am a 50 plus biker and have sold my original Triumph retro scrambler for a more all round Suzuki V Strom 650cc. But I did love my Triumph! Still love the original Bonneville which when it came out in 1959 was a real style icon!
Casper
PS here is an old BSA ad from the 1960s.....
Last edited by casper; 06-24-2012 at 01:49 AM.
As time goes by...
http://casperbordercollie.blogspot.c...pear-from.html
Well as I said , I went from a BSA to a Suzuki Hayabusa. I approached this knowing the power of the modern bikes compared to the older motorcycles but having kept an interest in motorcycling I looked at the Suzuki and treated it with respect.
Maybe some of those born again bikers thought they could still handle a bike like they were teenagers, no, it takes years of constant riding to retain the ability and riding up to date motorcycles to gradually realise what they are capable of and how you keep in touch with their(the bikes)modern technology.
I went out and gradually became familiar with my bike, instead, had I just got on it and opened the throttle then jammed on the brake I could have killed myself stopping it just as easy as making it go fast. Now though I am no Sunday morning Rossi(a derogatory name for an old sports bike rider) I know how to go fast and stop safely, how much I can throw it about which is not easy on a long bike like the big Suzuki and get the most from my bike with my own ability.
Newer riders or older 'Born again' riders need to stop and think before buying a style of bike they are not familiar with, read a few magazines and talk to people including the dealers. They should not really sell you something unsuitable for your needs, then again the ploddiest modern cruiser is probably twice as fast and handles better than most older bikes.
Also said in my previous post, the older bike scene is now full of nit picking with owners more interested in originality and how much original paperwork comes with a low milage bike rather than how to keep it on the road, or even what modifications or improvements you did for your continental adventure.
JTee
Bonne by name, bonnie by nature. That's a lovely bike, Casper.Before that the standard 790cc road Bonneville.....lovely bike in Cardinal Red and the Norman Hyde cans or mufflers !
It's not whether you win or lose, it's how you play the game.
I am also outing me as a rider of a retro Triumph:
The 900cc Scrambler. Love this bike.
Last edited by Zaxxon; 06-25-2012 at 06:26 AM.
“The horizon of many people is a circle with zero radius which they call their point of view”
Albert Einstein
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