Bikes you didn't like nearly as much as you thought you would.

[DrZrider]

Honda Passport C70. I wanted one of these for a long time, ever since reading a Peter Egan article about his road trip on one back in the day. I was enchanted with stories of it's indestructibility and ease of use, I thought it would be fun to run around town on..and maybe one day take a overnight trip with it just because.

Working on it was just painful though. I had to fix something simple, I forget what, but it involved removing the rear wheel, shocks, exhaust, etc. I thought it would be a relaxing project, but it was way more frustrating than my DRZ or Tiger. And because it was 70cc, insurance would have been just as much as my other motorcycles.

It was fun to ride around the neighborhood and through the yard, but next time I'll just get more modern moped if I feel the need.

[Mambo Dave]

Originally Posted by YJake

I'll sell you one.

-Jake

Sounds like a good one, lol!

[Stromtrooper246]

The ST1300 was so boring I traded it in for a Tiger 800!

[Cat0020]

Originally Posted by DrZrider

Honda Passport C70.
Working on it was just painful though. I had to fix something simple, I forget what, but it involved removing the rear wheel, shocks, exhaust, etc.

What were you working on exactly?

[DrZrider]

Originally Posted by Cat0020

What were you working on exactly?

I can't remember now, this was a couple of years ago. Maybe I was just removing the rear tire? I know I had to remove the exhaust to do that. I remember removing the rear shock to get the chain guard off as well...maybe that was just part of the rear tire removal too? Everything was just pancaked together, to get to one thing you had to remove a million other things. I thought it was ridiculous for such a simple bike.

This might not be in the spirit of this thread (the bike was still fun to drive around), but it was such a pain to work on I just wanted to get rid of it. I've had a few other Honda's from this design era (Super 90, CB160, SL350) and they all seemed to be frustrating to work on. Not that they were impossible, I just didn't enjoy that aspect of ownership as much as I do with my DRZ or Tiger 955i.

[bogboy]

Originally Posted by UnsureFooting

55 miles on a 2 gallon peanut tank? That's what, a gallon and a half to reserve? Wtf did you expect? Mine had the 4.5 gallon tank, and it would do 180-220 miles between fills.

I Fn' expected better mileage actually

[trrt]

Sent from my ADR6350 using Tapatalk 2

[UnsureFooting]

Originally Posted by bogboy

I Fn' expected better mileage actually

It's 36 mpg. Not horrible, but I got 45 avg out of my 1200.

[Bill Lance]

2008 MG Norge.

For me---no 'soul'---weak---etc.

[jhonny ro]

Liking any bike is a state of mind.

The 2011 CBR250R does what it was designed to do and does it well. A 25hp commuter powerplant in a small cheap sport bike package. Minimalism.

I really wanted another SRX250 for occasional 8/10s but low actual speed blasts around the White Mountains of NH. Also to regain my lost youth misspent during those SRX days.

As it turns out I like a bit more of a hit than the CBR offers. 40 hp is my new minimum. My former GS500F offered that in a dirt cheap used slightly larger small sport bike package. Can't outrun soccer moms but its fun to climb that GS powerband.

A tiny sport bike is just plain uncomfortable to start with, for me, even if it is more comfortable than other tiny sport bikes.

Next blast through nostalgia, looking for a later year XJ600s for that same riding mission. The XJ is a very pretty bike, too.

[BMW-K]

2001 Triumph Speed Triple. How can a motor so great be sooo boring? Not enough forward lean, heavy, totally linear characterless motor.

2007 BMW R1200GS. I loved to hate it. Does that count? Too big, too heavy, and even Ohlins couldn't get the suspension sorted the way I wanted it. Didn't stop me from putting 48k on one though.

1995 ZX11. Heavy long assed rocket ship. What a motor! And the rest of the bike just didn't fit me for crap.

I'm loving my Ducati Monster EVO - huge character, great looks, handles like a hummingbird on crack.

[jhonny ro]

Linear is good in a car, "...over 85% of maximum torque all the way from 1500 rpm and up to redline!..." with their automatics and cup holders and TVs on the dash.

Linear is bad in a bike. Am conditioned to feel power increase as rpms climb in a cammy motor. Even if I want a decent amount of grunt down low. My former EX250 did this very well, without the grunt. Pulled increasingly from 2,000 to 13,000 in a steady building rush.

OK back to the bike bash- 1973 Guzzi Lemans MKIII. Owned it for two months in 1984. Could not believe how uncomfortable it was. Suspension was stiff to the point of being locked up. Huge torque pull to the right. Clunky tranny. Pretty but let it go immediately. Wish I had it now for a tenth bike. I would park it next to a Wards benelli 175. Wish I had time, money and space for ten bikes.

[McB]

Honda CX500. Good ideas in a comfortable, reliable package, but didn't do much of anything well besides get you there.

[Lornce]

Do you mean '83 M-G LeMans.

Originally Posted by jhonny ro

OK back to the bike bash- 1973 Guzzi Lemans MKIII. Owned it for two months in 1984. Could not believe how uncomfortable it was. Suspension was stiff to the point of being locked up. Huge torque pull to the right. Clunky tranny. Pretty but let it go immediately. Wish I had it now for a tenth bike. I would park it next to a Wards benelli 175. Wish I had time, money and space for ten bikes.

[lkr57]

KLR650. I wanted to like it, I really did. I have some friends who have them and love them, but it just didn't work for me. The thing was incredibly big, heavy and tall. Really top heavy even with an empty gas tank. If it leaned over more than about 2 degrees before I got a foot down, that bike was going DOWN! I dropped it once in my garage and had to have a friend come over and help me pick it up.

Also it tended to run the battery dead for no apparent reason. I tried three batteries and concluded that wasn't it. The charging system seemed to check out ok, but the battery would just go dead sometimes. I was out on a ride one time, bike was running great all day, stopped to take a photo. Pushed the magic button when I was ready to go - click click click. Had to have a friend come rescue me with his truck. Another time I was going to ride it to work but the battery was dead. I'd just ridden it the day before and all was well. Never did figure it out.

I was never happier to see a bike go away....

Debby