I think this forum needs a post! Also, I'm sitting in a hotel room with nothing to do.
I started out riding in 1982 on Honda 110 ATC.
My first "nice" streetbike was a '85 700 Sabre. This would be in 1988 or so. Put about 20K on it, rode it to the west coast once. 4400 miles in 9 days with 2 buddies. Slept on the ocean beach and picnic tables along the way. Was a blast.
Then I bought an '85 700 Nighthawk S.. in a box. Motor was blown up (spun crank bearing - common for those bikes) and dismantled down to the gear sets. It was completely, I mean completely taken apart and thrown in a pile. It had also been wrecked. I bought a service manual, got the crank rebuilt, and my cousin and I rebuilt it. Put a couple K miles on it, but never trusted it :-\ so traded it and the Sabre in on a wrecked 1987 VFR700. This was probably in 1990? (Still in college and broke, hence the all the wrecked bikes).
Fixed the VFR up and rode the crap out of it. 35K miles, trips all over including another to the west coast. Summer of 1991 I wrecked it hard.. got turned into hamburger (see other post somewhere around here). Totalled it. But still in college and broke so I fixed it up again.
Summer of '93, finally out of college and have 2 nickels to rub together, so I traded the '87 in on a BRAND NEW '94 VFR 750. Great bike. Up to the KTM (That's not a Honda so I'm not allowed to talk about it here.) it was by far the best bike I've owned.
Got married 2 years later.. riding slows WAY down. Sell the VFR (mistake!). Couple years later get the itch and get a new (carryover) VTR996. Fun bike, motor like the KTM, but not nearly as good all around as the '94. A year later start a business and have first kid. Riding amount goes WAY down.. again.. (now its pretty much zero)... sell it and am pretty much bikeless until the KLR (That's not a Honda so I'm not allowed to talk about it here.), other than a brief stint with an 85 900 ninja (TOP GUN BABY). That's also not a Honda so I'm not allowed to talk about it here.
My wife and I also bought a pair of XR250L's right before we got married. She learned to ride on hers. We moved to Wisconsin and lived right next to the Chequamagon national forest, which had some really fun trails. She dropped it a couple times in the mud and that was the end of her riding interest.
So. That is my history with Honda. I'm sure no one gives a sh!t, but like I said I don't have a lot to do sitting in a hotel in TN.
Lets hear about your Hondas. Civics and Accords (had one) don't count. ;D
'89 Honda Shadow (way to small for me)
'02 GL1800 (Wife loved the back seat, like a damn recliner!)
'03 Element (just bought about 2 months ago)
honda's rule. all things being equal, i would rather have a honda than any other cycle. never mind their cars that get awesome mileage and last forever, their cycles are even better.
started on the old 300cc 3 wheelers. they will not die. roll them, jump them, skip them, drown them, run them out of oil, but you just can't kill them even with 0 mainentence. then we moved to 300cc 4 wheelers on the farm. just as bullet proof, but a little more utility to them.
i've only owned 1 honda motorcycle myself, and it is my current street steed. 2002 honda cbr1100xx. 160hp, 38-40mpg, 6.3 gal tank, super comfortable, super fast (i've seen 159mph actual on it), great motorcycle. i put 15,000 miles on it each year the first 2 years i had it. this last year, the klr is taking some of the miles off of the blackbird, which is good cause they aren't making them anymore and tires, chains, sprockets all cost much less on the klr than the honda. i am planning on having the blackbird forever (but you know how that goes).
i've also got a 2007 honda rancher 4x4. it is 420cc, water cooled, fuel injected and a lot of fun. it is an updated version but it still feels like the old 300cc fourtrax four wheelers that i have spent so much time on in riding pastures, fixing fence, working cows, and spraying thistles.
my brother has a 90 cbr600f1, an 83 honda gl650 silverwing. both are pretty fun rides.
after watching "dust to glory" i would love to have a xr650r. maybe someday.
Had a Honda VTX 1300s (2005). It got poor mileage and was a rough riding bike compared to any kawasaki cruiser i have owned a 750, 800 classic, 1600 meanstreak. I laid it over on the paved portion of Cottonwood pass in CO going about 45 mph. Afterwards it had a terrible shake that two different Honda dealerships could never figure out so I got rid of it for my 08 KLR and couldn't be happier with the change.
I bought one for my dad and really like it. Had a chance to ride a yamaha xt450 I think and really have the itch for a dirt bike:) so an xr could get added to the stable sooner than later for trail riding:)
You guys gotta stop getting SMALLER bikes! Me and Jason are gonna be stuck alone on the "old-man" trails before long. ;D
You just need to ride that pig how she was meant to be ridden.
Quote from: fringefan on October 14, 2008, 05:29:23 PM
You just need to ride that pig how she was meant to be ridden.
If you'd spend any time at all reading Orange Crush over on ADV you'd realize that I already ride the pig in the dirt a lot more than most of them folks! ;D Got the suspensions mostly sorted, hoping to show a bit more confidence on our next ride...but there's no way I'm trying to keep up with a 250cc dirt bike!!
I started with A SL70 as a kid. then years later got a XL175 from a cousin. That led to a CB750C for the road. then the 175 turned into a XL250R (dual sport) which later was traded with the CB750C for A DR350S (Susuki) in the meantime I got a GL1100I then traded to a GL1500SE which in turn has been traded for a GL1800 which is due to be traded in (100000+ miles). After I hd the DR350S for a while I added a XR600R (Plated) which I still have & the DR350S has been traded for the XR650R (plated also) and in the back corner is an old CR250R.
The Wings have been used to tow the Dual sport bikes out west (and east to Ashville NC once) mostly to Colorado & a few trips to the Black Hills over the years.
The next trip is to the southern Black Hills in May. ;D
i started on a CM400E. I told my pop that I wanted to buy a skateboard. (this is back in waaay back in highschool 'bout 1985) he said, "why would you buy a skateboard when you could buy a motorcycle?" well, i said.....
that became way to small way too fast as a sixteen yearold pimply faced punk. i moved onto a 83 VF750F. now that was a bike. wish i still had it now. then i found all things outdoor while in college. i.e. climbing. jump to 2006 (wow that is lot of years). about 14 years...i bought my KLR new. Gus had bought his and i was on the fence about what kind of bike to buy. i really wanted a 900 hornet. then gus comes with this...."Stove, you can buy that and ride 400 miles of ashpalt with every other chrome plated yahoo out there or you can buy one of these and ride 6,000 miles of two-track with me." that was the end of me buying a honda again.
Quote from: hayduke.klr07 on February 28, 2009, 08:52:24 AM
"Stove...
There's gotta be a story behind that nick-name, out with it! ;D
I had a Honda big red three wheeler once. Does that count ???.
My first "real" bike was a 1972 honda CB or CL (?) 350. The one with the up "enduro" pipe. Rode it everywhere, and in my memory it was fast! The gear shift lever got spun somehow on the transmission. I remember tightening it with a pliers. Eventually it wouldn't hold as I had stripped all the teeth form the lever. I took it off and clamped a vise grips and used that to shift for about a year.
From there it was a 78 Yammy XS650 which I rode through college and all hell that bike went through. Odometer broke at 35K and rode it a couple more years after that. Eventually the chain was so loose (and I had no money) that it would slap against the swingarm and throw sparks when I slowed down. There was a brief 57 panhead chopper that would blow the carb off the side of the motor if it wasn't happy being started. The gas line would come off, and it would fly tethered to the throtle cable and end up by the front wheel. I ended up in treatment and the bike went away. It took a couple of years to get back to reality, but my next bike was a 1978 BMW R100RS. Beautiful. Put alot of miles on that one. Limited edition version, euro model, long story. Wish I had it back. Along with that I bought a 1981 Ducati 900SS Darmah. Probably the sexiest sound of any bike I've ever heard. Then came a 1998 Harley Road King (now up for sale)(email me), a honda xr70, and a DR650 which I still have. Also, there is the 2005 R6 which I own but my son thinks is his. Finally the KLR from Hank which now is bugging me for Spring to appear.
Cheers!
Quote from: loingrader on October 10, 2008, 12:04:14 PM
.. drown them... but you just can't kill them...
Well.. I dropped my 200X at full operating temp into a creek that had just thawed (deep enough that it floated upside down by the tires), and I did manage to warp the head and cause a head gasket leak.
That probably falls outside the design parameters though. ;D
Quote from: The Yeti on October 14, 2008, 03:13:36 PM
You guys gotta stop getting SMALLER bikes! Me and Jason are gonna be stuck alone on the "old-man" trails before long. ;D
So much for that.
Quote from: Dr psyko on February 05, 2010, 11:32:13 AM... The gear shift lever got spun somehow on the transmission. I remember tightening it with a pliers. Eventually it wouldn't hold as I had stripped all the teeth form the lever. I took it off and clamped a vise grips and used that to shift for about a year....
I've welded the shift lever to the shaft on at least two bikes, back in the day when I couldn't afford to fix anything properly. Funny how I now naturally check that the lever is tight about every oil change... Once they get too loose.. you're screwed. Its always fun when it lets go for the first time. You're racing your buddy, grab that next gear, and the shift lever hits the stator cover and you almost blow up and wreck when you either end up in a false neutral or stay in first!!
Why am I quoting 16 month old posts? ;D
Every once in awhile I really want a hyabusa really bad. I think though at 52, my survival instinct is beginning to kick in. Another Ducati will probably happen, I have a real weakness for the 1990's 900's, paticularily the yellow ultralight. Cycle World Bike show this weekend here in Mpls.
I just bought a 2004 CRF230F and rode it this weekend. What a great bike it is the near perfect for the old, low and slow riders like me.
Wait it's me that is old and slow, the bike is plain simple and fun. Kinda like a very good play bike. Really good in tight bush trails good suspension for moderate conditions. The low part is great for those of us who are vertically challenged because most dual sports I'm on tip toes which means a slight hill or small hole under foot and over we go. Motocross and competitive bikes I can't even get on in the showroom little lone on a hill. This kinda bike is why I started riding in the first place,let's you just tear around for the fun of it.
Gravity is my lest favourite natural force.
Tailgunner
KLX250S
DR250
CRF230F
I know I'm thread dredging but I've gotten some more Honda's
I'll keep it short since my boy spilled water on the computer and I'm typing on a virtual keyboard.
To start my 2 wheeled passion- A 1970 Mini Trail 50. I delivered newspapers on it 8)
some non-honda's
A 1985 Atc 200
some non-honda atv's
A few honda cars
A 1986 XR200
...but in the last few months I've picked up 3 non-running Honda's
A 1975 XL250....running now...my main scoot while other brand awaits repair.
A 1981 XR200..given to me.maybe it will get some love this winter
A 1975 CB400/4 Supersport....given to me.Fixin it.http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=705375
love the honda's
;D
i love old bikes, especially hondas.
if those carbs give you trouble when you get it road worthy (stalling, hesitating, coughing, etc), i've got some tips.
buy a can of carb dip from napa or your auto parts place of choice. remove all plastic and rubber off the carbs and soak them. remove and hit every nook cranny and passage with compressed air. then boil the carbs in distilled water for 20 minutes or so, remove and hit with compressed air again.
this is the only thing that would get the carbs on my old 83 silverwing working like new. i bet i pulled those carbs off a dozen times before i finally got all the crap out of them.
i don't envy you with 4 carbs to mess with and sync, but it will run awesome when done and that header is a work of art.
Thanks Bret
I'm waiting on new tires before I know how it will pull under load.
I've never used a syncing tool.Might need to get one.
I had good results with vinegar in the tank so I used it to soak the carbs.It works very quickly on aluminum.Something less aggressive might've been better.
We shall see.I'm excited.
....off to polish that header ;D
Pictures?? its even too hot to work in the garge.....
I have a pretty cheap gauge type syncing tool that works well. I synced both the 83 interceptors I (temporarily) had this spring and my blackbird and my bro-in-law's blackbird this spring. It's really easy.
If you don't want to buy one, I'd send you mine, although I think I only paid around 50 bucks so it might be a worthy investment.
I just read your ADV 400 thread, looks like a real find!
Speaking of old Hondas...I have a 1980 CM200T Twinstar and when it runs, it runs like crap. I have narrowed it down to the coil, which fires on the left cylinder, and once in a while on the right cylinder. I want to change the coil, but this bike has a 6 volt system and I can't find a replacement. I am not a Honda guy, so if anyone could help me out, I would appreciate it.
I am also wondering if anyone has experience in changing a 6 volt system over to 12 volts, with a new battery, coil, lights, but I don't know about the battery charging circuits.
I had a '70 SL175 ALL style.
Have '01 XR650R (suewweeeee pigpigpig pigee!)
Quote from: plumber mike on July 17, 2011, 10:39:02 AM
I've never used a syncing tool.Might need to get one.
a tool free way that i have used to get me close (enough for my taste) is to hold the carbs up to a bright light and adjust each one until you can just see the light come thru under the slide/butterfly at the exact same time as you open the throttle.
this works for a pharmacist but probably wouldn't work for an engineer (Hank)
might just work for a plumber ;D
Quote from: loingrader on July 18, 2011, 04:23:55 PM
Quote from: plumber mike on July 17, 2011, 10:39:02 AM
I've never used a syncing tool.Might need to get one.
a tool free way that i have used to get me close (enough for my taste) is to hold the carbs up to a bright light and adjust each one until you can just see the light come thru under the slide/butterfly at the exact same time as you open the throttle.
this works for a pharmacist but probably wouldn't work for an engineer (Hank)
might just work for a plumber ;D
I have a manometer for gas work...I just need to learn how to use it for this application.
First, the carbs need to come out (only 2nd time) for a boiling and an initial baseline setting. The bike is running now....but not well.
Got thinking about my Honda's today as I'm tooling around Fargo on the Transalp. Hadn't thought about it before this post.
Starting at the top:
'74 - CB360 Sunburst Orange. Dads. He used to let me squirrel around the field across from our house when I was 13 or 14. It was a clean bike and I never laid it down. Dad had a matching orange metal flake helmet with a smoked full-face bubble shield.
'74 - CB750 Chocolate Turd Brown. My first one. Got it through a series of non-bike horse trades when I was 15. Would fish-tail it down the gravel road in front of our house 85/90 with road tires..... Stuuuuuupid.
'78/79 - XL 185S. Got 2-3 in a pile that needed putting together and repair. Was 18ish. Sold blue one to a priest and a ..... had an altercation with a pedestrian on the white one. Spent nervous afternoon at the CopShop.....
'83 XR500R. Honda Red. This may have been my all time favorite. Got it when I was 20. Had it for 3 years. Plated it. Ran it in the winter. Wiped it out hard one fall day and didn't ride again for many years.
'80 CT110. Honda Red. Bought it from my brother. Maybe put 100 miles on it. Didn't like riding it cause I felt like a GIRL.... sorry Joni
'89 Transalp XL600V. White. Current ride. Bought it in my mid-40s. Wanted one in college because I thought they were awesome; dealerships couldn't give them away back then even with 25-35 percent marked off. Didn't matter because I didn't have the $$$. It's V-Twin and I dig the sound.
Have had 3.5 non-Hondas but they don't count (besides, I've seen how you guys pick on the Shriner bikes!)
Brad
My Magna is really making me want a VFR ???
Can a Magna be made more Viffery, or is that just putting lipstick on a pig?
99 Magna. A good friend with bad wrists gave me this gem with only 10K on it :o I knew nothing of the Magna. I thought it was just another bloated metric cruiser.....but WOW!!! V4 power rocks!!!! I LOVE THIS ENGINE!!!!
....but I don't really love the cruiser riding position. I don't love the ultra low seat height, and I'm not very impressed with the handling.
I think I want a VFR, but I've got a Magna. Let's discuss the pro's and con's of each. I live on a dirt road about 5 miles from pavement. Will a VFR survive dirt roads regularly? The Magna is fine on the dirt. I was thinking of fabbing up a skidplate to protect the oil filter.
Does anyone really know the differences between these bikes? Steering geometry, etc? I think Hank is a V4 lover. Anyone else?
anyone who likes vfr's will be in heaven on a blackbird. they cost about the same. while it is obviously not designed for it, a blackbird (or viffer, etc) will do fine on gravel.
check out the roads where fletch rode his cbr.
http://dev.dakotadualsportriders.com/smf/index.php?topic=620.0
Magnas are perfectly capable bikes and all, but yeah, you probably need a viffer if you're liking the V4. I've owned my share of Honda V4's starting in about 87 or 88 with a 700 Sabre, then a 2nd Gen VFR, then a 4th Gen VFR, then recently a pair of 1st Gen VFRs (not technically a VFR, but a VF750F). I've never had a Magna, but I've ridden nearly every size and iteration of them. A VFR is a far better bike IMO, but then I like sport bikes / sport touring bikes and am not really into the whole cruiser thing.
Of all the bikes I've owned, my favorite two street bikes are my 94 VFR750 and my current 97 blackbird. My buddy Paul, who I take most of my streetbike trips with, has a 6th gen VFR - the last 800cc version. While its a nice bike, I think back to my 94 (the Gen 4) and think it was better. More comfortable, and .. I don't know what.. but I have such fond memories of that bike. Anything from 2nd gen on are really capable. DON'T get a Gen 1.. good for nostalgia and not much else.
If I was looking for a Viffer though, I'd probably try to find a Gen 4. I think that's 94 -97? They can be had for maybe $2500. Throw a good seat and some bags on it and you have a great high speed tourer.
Like LG says though, a blackbird is like a VFR just bigger and better. No lumpy/nifty V4.. but man what a bike. My 97 will likely be for sale next spring as I just found an 03 (97 is the first year in the US, 03 is the last). I don't actually HAVE the 03 yet as the shipping company has been yanking my chain. I'll post pics when I get it.
Edit: ....and I've ridden about a bazillion miles of gravel on VFR's. They'll do fine.
This conversation made me go dig up old pictures.
Here's a pic of my 94, all cleaned up when I was trying to sell it like a fool:
(http://i197.photobucket.com/albums/aa178/jasonh_010/Old%20Hondas/VFR4.jpg)
I think it's the first digital camera picture ever taken, must be from 96 or so. Hence the fantastic resolution. It was probably a .2 MP camera that cost $600.
After that the next bike I had (and last bike I had for quite a long period) was this 98 (I think?) VTR996 "Super hawk". This was a really fun bike to ride, but I never really bonded with it. Great 1000cc V-twin torque, great handling, but horrid gas mileage and range.
(http://i197.photobucket.com/albums/aa178/jasonh_010/Old%20Hondas/DCP_0172.jpg)
I sold it, and was bikeless for almost 6 years. Had kids, started a biz, basically had no time.
Gen 2 thru gen 5 had the gear driven cams, which sound great and are dead reliable. That was one more thing I preferred on my gen 4 over the gen 6.
Here is a sweet, cheap gen 4:
http://fortcollins.craigslist.org/mcy/2641144048.html
Another
http://fortcollins.craigslist.org/mcd/2618646125.html
Bad Hank! :-*
We'll just have to see what's available down that way a little closer to the holidays :P
....at those prices, a guy could add one to the stable rather than replace another. I think I will go take some pictures of the Magna either way.
WOW! 6 years. No bike?!! I'm busy with the fam and the biz, but a guy's gotta ride :-\
Yep, 6 years, no bike. Can't believe I did that now. I rode for 15 years before that.
Not sure if you saw my first response at the bottom of page 1, but in summary I really think the Gen 4 VFR is sweet. Gen 5 was the first 800, and first with EFI, but there are plenty of other VFR heads out there that feel the Gen 4 was/is the pinnacle of the VFR evolution. Gen 6 lost the gear driven cams.
That first CL link has an aftermarket pipe. That bike, with the gear driven cams and pipe would sound insanely cool. My 87 had a slip on 4 into 1 and gear driven cams. That bike still rates as the coolest sounding bike I've ever owned.
Pros Magna vs VFR (IMO):
VFR: How it sits, how it rides, how it looks, how it handles, how it goes.
Magna: hmm I'm struggling here. How it looks and how it sits if you like that style of bike I guess.
I'm horribly biased obviously.
Now VFR vs Blackbird:
VFR: Sound, as long as you are talking gear driven cam models (gen 2-5). Fuel economy. Ride (stock for stock)
Blackbird: POWER. Makes the VFR feel like a moped. Wind protection. POWER. Oh and POWER.
Handling is nearly a draw IMO.. Seating position in stock form is about a draw.
Not hard to modify either one for suspension and seating position improvements. You've seen my blackbird build thread. The results of that were incredible in both ride and comfort. Keep in mind I've ridden it over 1000 miles in a day with stock suspension and minor seating mods, but my riding partner Paul did the same on his stock VFR.
Here's a little video clip I made last spring on my bird. A VFR won't do this:
(http://i197.photobucket.com/albums/aa178/jasonh_010/bird/th_1stgear.jpg) (http://s197.photobucket.com/albums/aa178/jasonh_010/bird/?action=view¤t=1stgear.mp4)
And its not even close to running out of steam at that speed.
i've always really like the looks and the manners of the viffers, but i REALLY like those super hawks. nice to know a few of their faults so that i don't have to think as hard about having one in my garage.
those little nt650's trip my trigger too.
for not having owned too many honda cycles (but grew up on the BULLETPROOF 3 and 4 wheelers) i sure do like a lot of them!
My Superhawk ran bone dry w/ 128 miles on the tripmeter about 5 miles North of Miller one time. I think I was getting 26mpg or something. Just 70mph highway riding, although it was a REALLY windy day. Luckily I was with others and one went to get me gas.
I was NOT impressed with that situation!
My wife saw my son and I looking at your vid. We watched it a few times since it was short 8)
She said " I don't know what bike THAT was, but your NOT getting one" ::) OK hon. I'll just get a Busa.
I must defend my little Magna. It umm....well...not really my style.....but....umm... Did I mention the motor? It is rather comfy, and has a very low seat height. It handles OK with the tires at max PSI.
OK. It looks cool in the garage, and it feels like a rocketship compared to my Xco. That is all.
I,ve gotta get some pics as the Honda's are piling up around here.
Thanks for all the info guys.
One last Q. What's insurance like on a Blackbird as compared to say a TeeDub?
liability for me was about $150/yr.
i've never put full coverage on a bike, until the wee. full coverage with $500 deductible is the same price as my xx liability was.
I pay 165/yr for full coverage through Dairyland.
It's a $1K deductible. Pretty much there for major disasters only, or theft. I don't think a $500 deductible was much worse, if memory serves.
well since I can't sleep and the computer is on....
I've had a few Honda's over the years. First one back when I was getting over the theft of my first bike in 1980/81? (a Yamaha) I got a 75 cc Honda. Don't remember a lot about it other than I did run all over around Ensenada, Baja Cal. on that thing....avoiding the policia/feds. Must have been around 1983/84ish? When that one out grew me....I had a couple more Yamahas because they were cheap and plentiful in So Cal. Each one was growing in size. Sold everything around 1987? and was bikeless for quite awhile when a buddy of mine found me my first 1986 XL600 in about 1992 so I would go riding with him. I didn't give it much though and looked at it just as a courtesy since he spent time finding it. I bought it. Couple years later I bought another (1984) so Dad would go riding with me. He did twice...but didn't like that one at all. I rode it about a year splitting time with the 86 until I sold the 84 for the extra cash. Before moving back to ND in 06, I sold my 86 as I never dreamed of having time to ride anywhere. bikeless again when another buddy would help me get my current 1987 XL600 in 15...I just had to commit to wire his workshop for him...in Utah. Hoping to keep this one long term and even add a CBR 600 to the stable--hopefully this year.
Now Hank doesn't have to feel bad for quoting posts from 16 months ago....I'm replying from like 6 years ago. haha
I was looking for a XR650R but decided on a like new '07 XR650L instead. I had both a DR650 and the XR650L for over a year and decided I liked the Honda better. I traded the DR650 for a '15 FZ-07 and put TKCs on it to do gravel and love it. I regard the XR650L as a long term keeper.