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Motorcycle Thread

OGRipper

back alley ripper
Feb 3, 2004
10,647
1,116
NORCAL is the hizzle
Calling all monkeys who like to twist the throttle! Let's hear what you ride, stories, etc.

I've been riding for around 13 of my 51 years, so came to it pretty late. Had a DRZ 400 SM for several years but sold it and got a 2015 Yamaha FJ-09 not too long ago. (They call it the Tracer these days.) Fun and reliable bike but my gaze is constantly looking elsewhere. Most of my riding is in and around SF but I occasionally get out for longer days in the twisties. Hoping to pick up a plated dirt/enduro bike to fool around with in the mountains, but I have a remarkable ability to crash a motorcycle off-road, so we'll see. Let's hear it!
 

stevew

resident influencer
Sep 21, 2001
40,494
9,525
uncles 70 ish xs 650 should be coming home this week...after 40 something years of sitting...

may ride it around brothers backyard...
 

jdcamb

Tool Time!
Feb 17, 2002
19,799
8,383
Nowhere Man!
I have a 2012 Yamaha WR450F. I use it in mostly in the woods and on trails. It is fast, agile, and very reliable. I can ride all day on it. It is street legal. I could ride it to the trails. But I don't. I have fun on it. I have yet to hurt myself on it.
 

buckoW

Turbo Monkey
Mar 1, 2007
3,777
4,699
Champery, Switzerland
I like motorcycles! Here are a few I’ve had over the years. @OGRipper Plated dirt bikes are so good!

KTM Freeride 350 his and hers
EF5D4C69-02CF-4E74-A0A4-36311522F662.jpeg


I loved this old GasGas EC300 2t
EFF4C12A-5DF6-4B89-AE5F-6E0D1F3F8C46.jpeg


No flats but seats the tire on the rim. I like the grip in the wet roots with these.
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My mom a long time ago
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Little Beta trials bike for trail building
EBB062AA-A6A2-41ED-BD55-30F738992C27.jpeg
 

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OGRipper

back alley ripper
Feb 3, 2004
10,647
1,116
NORCAL is the hizzle
Once again BuckoW wins the internet! Those bikes are rad and your Mom looks like a badass! Is that an old BMW?

Those 350's look like pretty much exactly what my girl and I want for the mountains, nice pair, and I'd love to have a trials bike to mess around on. Way to do it.

I'm starting to lust over a new supermoto to replace the FJ-09.
 

KenW449

Thanos did nothing wrong
Jun 13, 2017
2,704
329
Floating down the whiskey river...
I only have about 12k miles under my belt so far.
first bike was stolen, 2012 Suzuki Boulevard S40. learned to ride on that.
now i have an 07 Hyosung GV650. bought it 2019 with under 2k miles, about to hit 9k.
Have only ridden in AZ.
 

jimmydean

The Official Meat of Ridemonkey
Sep 10, 2001
40,939
13,133
Portland, OR
I haven't ridden in forever, but I am selling the car this Spring and getting a 450cc fuel injected something with both super moto and dirt wheels. A sled kit would be cool, too, but bike first.

The wife no longer wants on the back, so a cruiser is out. Another crotch rocket might not be a good idea at my advanced age, so a semi legal dirt machine is it.

I am partial to Yamaha, but it will be the newest bike I can afford.

I had about 50k miles on the FZ1 and 35K miles on the R1.
 

KenW449

Thanos did nothing wrong
Jun 13, 2017
2,704
329
Floating down the whiskey river...
I haven't ridden in forever, but I am selling the car this Spring and getting a 450cc fuel injected something with both super moto and dirt wheels. A sled kit would be cool, too, but bike first.

The wife no longer wants on the back, so a cruiser is out. Another crotch rocket might not be a good idea at my advanced age, so a semi legal dirt machine is it.

I am partial to Yamaha, but it will be the newest bike I can afford.

I had about 50k miles on the FZ1 and 35K miles on the R1.
What kind of car? Did you give it the Jimmydean special?
 

4xBoy

Turbo Monkey
Jun 20, 2006
7,014
2,847
Minneapolis
I have been without a bike since kid happened, never thought I would be without a bike in my life but here I am.

Did most, trials, MX, supermoto, rockets.

Now I would be getting a Ducati, not sure what, not sure I ever will.

Life priorities have changed.
 

kidwoo

Artisanal Tweet Curator
Plated dirt bikes are so good!
Breaking the law and running from cops is gooder



I bought a 2018 KTM 150sx last spring and undertook learning how to ride one of these fuckers with zero background.

Bought a spring fork from an xcw, dropped the cylinder for more compression, changed out the carb and generally enjoyed working on a 2stroke that isn't inside a damn snowmobile.

moabmotocrop.jpg


I pretty much became obsessed and quit mountainbiking last summer after the hoards started showing up


RR_stanley.jpg



you 100mph street guys are nuts
 
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jimmydean

The Official Meat of Ridemonkey
Sep 10, 2001
40,939
13,133
Portland, OR
was it a bubba type that did it?
The first time it was an old guy in a HUGE RV pulling a Jeep. He was trying to squeeze past my car and crushed the drivers mirror into the side of the door.

The second time was a dude in a beer van trying to back into a spot and buster my passenger mirror off.

Both times I was yelling at them to stop while watching the carnage.

The front is just horrible parking skills? To back over the front to my hood seems like a miscalculation.
 

junkyard

You might feel a little prick.
Sep 1, 2015
2,601
2,303
San Diego
398DC4AD-9D65-459F-98E7-AD667430E44D.jpeg
6BB5E381-488D-4D43-AB56-47A1D83DF225.jpeg

Here is a couple of mine. I also have a Coleman ct200u, a Honda sl350 and a Yamaha BW350. I never ride the 350s and need to just sell them. I really like the small displacement bikes. I want to get one of the new Honda ct125, got a deposit on one but it might not show up until summer or next year. I’ve thought I would really like a tw200.
I don’t like riding on the street much around here with the way people drive. So I mostly ride dirt and near campgrounds.
 

KenW449

Thanos did nothing wrong
Jun 13, 2017
2,704
329
Floating down the whiskey river...
The first time it was an old guy in a HUGE RV pulling a Jeep. He was trying to squeeze past my car and crushed the drivers mirror into the side of the door.

The second time was a dude in a beer van trying to back into a spot and buster my passenger mirror off.

Both times I was yelling at them to stop while watching the carnage.

The front is just horrible parking skills? To back over the front to my hood seems like a miscalculation.
again... people suck.
 

Westy

the teste
Nov 22, 2002
54,232
20,015
Sleazattle
I have had a number of streetbikes, Yamaha Seca II(garbage first bike), VFR800, SV650s and currently have a Triumph Tiger 800. I got it primarily for commuting, I saved 30 minutes a day between HOV lanes and closer parking. Haven't ridden it much this past year between working from home and multiple injuries.

Really the best of both worlds in regards to practicality. Powerful enough for anything I will do on public streets, agile enough to be fun in the city while handling shitty roads and speed bumps but also sporty enough for me to take out to some twisties.
 

eric strt6

Resident Curmudgeon
Sep 8, 2001
23,187
13,447
directly above the center of the earth
I rode motorcycles all around Europe (small displacement). I rode a Honda 350 around Los Angeles until I ended up in ICU for 10 days and almost lost my leg. That kind of killed the buzz for me. If I was to get a new bike it would be one of the smaller BMW GS bikes
 

buckoW

Turbo Monkey
Mar 1, 2007
3,777
4,699
Champery, Switzerland
Once again BuckoW wins the internet! Those bikes are rad and your Mom looks like a badass! Is that an old BMW?

Those 350's look like pretty much exactly what my girl and I want for the mountains, nice pair, and I'd love to have a trials bike to mess around on. Way to do it.

I'm starting to lust over a new supermoto to replace the FJ-09.
Haha, winning! Nice.....

Yes, I think it is an R75/5 but could be older because that looks like a linkage fork? I dunno. They sold that bike before I was born. She is a badass!

Do it! We’re having a wonderful time. I normally ride a KTM 300 exc but I recently got a Freeride 350 for when I go with the extreme enduro guys who are a lot better than I am. I still try and ride everything on a big bike but those little things are so easy to ride when it’s steep, technical and wet. My wife started progressing and riding a lot more once we found the right bike. They hold their value and are very easy to sell around here.

Trials bikes with long range tanks and sticky rubber enduro tires are so much fun between DH bike laps and for shuttle retrieval. This Scorpa was a blast and rode so much better than it looked. I recently sold it to pay for part of my Freeride 350.
B04BB861-915A-415A-A628-1E0D7F2CAB5F.jpeg


My wife is on the right and my main trail builder/filmer buddy on the left. We have to be careful riding with him. He only wants to ride stuff that seems impossible. Like riding up creeks n stuff. It’s fun only if I’m ready to pinch my back and get sweatier than playing ice hockey.
40C9122D-B38D-48C7-9AA7-6257F1D7F248.jpeg


Corinne loving her lil Freeride. That’s a Lada Niva in the background. I bet @StiHacka knows those?
AE8886BC-4503-4A8C-8ACB-E5EE287C0B2E.jpeg



My high school friend Anthony owned this Harley for a few years. It was so rare and expensive that he only fired it up once to sell it. I think it was one of the only original complete bikes. I think there might be 1.5 more besides this one.
C0D986AF-2B4F-411C-A723-3435AC951533.jpeg


@kidwoo We have 5 bikes currently and 2 sets of plates. There’s plenty of outlawin.

Baltimore Bill, my younger brother. Loving life with no.....
5C8DA663-D821-4737-B7DB-D15EF30E2F06.jpeg
 

buckoW

Turbo Monkey
Mar 1, 2007
3,777
4,699
Champery, Switzerland
View attachment 155580View attachment 155581
Here is a couple of mine. I also have a Coleman ct200u, a Honda sl350 and a Yamaha BW350. I never ride the 350s and need to just sell them. I really like the small displacement bikes. I want to get one of the new Honda ct125, got a deposit on one but it might not show up until summer or next year. I’ve thought I would really like a tw200.
I don’t like riding on the street much around here with the way people drive. So I mostly ride dirt and near campgrounds.
Those Trail 70s are sweet! I have a friend around here who restores them and he rides wheelies for ever on them.
 

buckoW

Turbo Monkey
Mar 1, 2007
3,777
4,699
Champery, Switzerland
He is! He grew up in a junkyard and always came over with a “new free car.“
Anthony Ribeau - Tucson Classic Motors
You would enjoy him. Tell him I sent you and I bet he will take great care....

Also, do you ride any of the competition sticky rubber tires or any softer carcasses at the contact patch?
 
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Pesqueeb

bicycle in airplane hangar
Feb 2, 2007
40,138
16,537
Riding the baggage carousel.
If I was to get a new bike it would be one of the smaller BMW GS bikes
I loved my f650gs. Rode it for almost a decade after I got hit on the scooter. Great commuter, but big enough for multi-state trips and enough low end torque to get into places in the dirt I had no business being in. Finally sold it after sitting at a light one day and realizing every single person I could see was fucking around on their phones. As much as I miss riding motorcycles, I just can not imagine riding on the streets again, not while I have a kid and a wife.







 
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Atomic Dog

doesn't have a custom title yet.
Oct 22, 2002
1,207
1,340
In the basement at Weekly World News
I've got one of those bikes that monkeys love to hate.

I bought it from my Dad in 2009, who bought it new in 1999. Doesn't go fast and I don't need it to. It's taken me on some great trips with my Dad all over the country and it just keeps trucking.

 

dump

Turbo Monkey
Oct 12, 2001
8,194
4,419
I've got one of those bikes that monkeys love to hate.

I bought it from my Dad in 2009, who bought it new in 1999. Doesn't go fast and I don't need it to. It's taken me on some great trips with my Dad all over the country and it just keeps trucking.

My uncles have always had bikes like these. Always enjoyed them. Didn't really ever entertain anything else but were aware of them.
 

jimmydean

The Official Meat of Ridemonkey
Sep 10, 2001
40,939
13,133
Portland, OR
I've got one of those bikes that monkeys love to hate.

I bought it from my Dad in 2009, who bought it new in 1999. Doesn't go fast and I don't need it to. It's taken me on some great trips with my Dad all over the country and it just keeps trucking.

I was going to build a Road King cruiser but now with 3 dogs, the wife has zero interest in a bike trip. They are great road trippers.
 

OGRipper

back alley ripper
Feb 3, 2004
10,647
1,116
NORCAL is the hizzle
Yeah can't say I'm personally a Harley guy but the family connection can't be denied and regardless, whatever floats your boat...

Some cool bikes under the monkeys here, good to see it. For my next main bike I am definitely vacillating between a new supermoto and one of the mid-size adventure bikes, but (go figure) I think I'll be better off with two, one for hooliganism on the pavement and a plated dirt bike.
 

dump

Turbo Monkey
Oct 12, 2001
8,194
4,419
One of said uncles made a chopper years ago. Called it the steamroll'r. Steam punk and steam roller inspired. Did all the fab, paint, etc. It's wild. My other uncle bought a 1930s indian and brought it back to life. Very neat projects.

steamroll'r-DSC_0411.JPG