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

[rmcnelly]

Multistrada 1000

Absolute hoot to ride but the instrument panel quit working after I washed the bike the first time. Discovered this was a well known problem. I was lucky it worked again after taking it apart and letting it dry out. Then I discovered the rest of the problems. Rear sub frame would crack on early ones, and I never felt secure riding it any distance waiting for the plastic gas tank to expand from ethanol fuel. It finally expanded leaking gas in my attached garage and I had to put the bike in the backyard due to the fumes in the house. Dreaded getting the tank replaced because it was sure to expand again. The local Ducati dealer bought it off me when I brought it in to see if they would replace the tank.

New girlfriend had trouble climbing up on the Multistrada so I was looking for more of a 2 up bike and found a '98 Valkyrie on Craigslist. This thing handles surprisingly well and is a blast to ride. It has such smooth torque it will pull from less than 1500 rpm up a mountain switchback in 5th gear, fully loaded for a week's ride with two people aboard.

[Forde]

my 2002 ZX6R just didnt feel at home on it, yet on paper it was perfect for me.. only kept it two weeks

[cls]

Originally Posted by davidji

Even when they both like the same bike. For example, I love that bike, but I can't imagine riding mine that way. Aren't you lugging it at 35MPH in 6th?

If you want to accelerate hard, all you need to do is downshift...4 gears.

If I want to accelerate hard, I take another bike. The V is enough to have fun on and it handles nicely. It thrives on practical, economical, versatile, fun. Low revs and light throttle equal almost 60 mpg. It's athletic feeling and offers a great view of the road and it's cheap enough that I'll take it and leave it anywhere w/o worrying about it. Kick it down a gravel/fire road and have a blast. Great public road bike. The fact that it bubbles up torque right off idle, yet still has enough oomph to have fun and feel practically strong in the mid-range, seals the deal. All while being comfortable, nimble, inexpensive, and economical. Great bike...as long as you take it for what it is.

[cls]

Originally Posted by cls

If I want to accelerate hard, I take another bike. The V is enough to have fun on and it handles nicely. It thrives on practical, economical, versatile, fun. Low revs and light throttle equal almost 60 mpg. It's athletic feeling and offers a great view of the road and it's cheap enough that I'll take it and leave it anywhere w/o worrying about it. Kick it down a gravel/fire road and have a blast. Great public road bike. The fact that it bubbles up torque right off idle, yet still has enough oomph to have fun and feel practically strong in the mid-range, seals the deal. All while being comfortable, nimble, inexpensive, and economical. Great bike...as long as you take it for what it is.

And, no, you're not lugging it, as long as you're not putting much strain on it from the lowest revs (Hill climbs or crazy throttle openings when it's in mpg mode.). It's all very laid-back and efficient and it sounds really nice. I love riding the V like that. And opening it up and playing w/the handling. Very easy and fun.

[davidji]

Originally Posted by cls

Low revs and light throttle equal almost 60 mpg.

Way better than I've gotten in 20k miles. Unless you were talking imperial gallons :)

[Murphy Slaw]

What?

Nobody ever hated an SV ?

[Carter Pewterschmidt]

Speed Triple

This was my favorite looking bike for the longest time. Rode a brand new 2012 model and it just didn't do it for me.

[FadedGenes]

Wow! After reading through this thread and really wanting to contribute, I've decided my old Kawasaki Mach III was terrible. Wheelied all the time, got me in trouble with the law and shook like a drunken lap dancer.

[OtterChaos]

Originally Posted by L.B.S.

2009 BMW F800ST

Many parts failed, it vibrated so badly that it numbed my hands to sleep within a few short miles.

***snip***

Never again BMW. I wouldn't accept a BMW if I was given a brand new one for free, and delivered right to my door.

I lost my shirt trading the hateful thing in for a Honda NC700X, but the relief and happines I felt riding away on the Honda was worth everything to me.

Other than that how was the play Mr Lincoln?

[davidji]

Originally Posted by OtterChaos

Other than that how was the play Mrs Lincoln?

Fixed

[MOzarkRider]

Wow, great variety of bikes listed there....

One of my freinds rode an 05 drz 400sm. He always scooted around on it easily and just rode the snot out of it. It looked super fun and honestly bad ass!! So one day on a trip I asked if we could switch bikes for a little while. We did and i was quite excited to try it out. After around 30 minutes of backroad twistys and in town riding I finally pulled over and asked to switch back. The bike sat up higher than I thought and leaning it over through the corners felt strange. The acceleration was weak and the bike overall had no pep. Just not the same image I had in my mind when I see him buzzing around town.

He was riding my 93 Yamaha XJ600 Seca II and told me it was actually a joy to ride it around. He reluctantly switched back to his bike lol... He also swapped with a different person on the ride to ride his Souped up R1. My friend with the SM sold it not long after.

[squish]

Only two I really regret since they didn't work out for me.

I got a Ducati 750 sport dark and a cb700sc nighthawk.
Made money on one and lost a loot on the other. Didn't enjoy riding either.

[orangebear]

for me it was a klr650c i read all the stuff on line about them being the best bike ect . found one at a dealer in OZ for a good deal had a look on line and seen it was the offroad model (i guessed it be the ligher than the road model )i went for it.
then found out it had a tiny 12l,
burned oil so i had to full up the the hole view glass thing to the top.
the max weight of the bike was to much so when i dropped it i had to get a help to pick it up.
ran bad at main road speed.
plus i lost money when i sold it.

i did hope some one would steal the bike but no luck.

[DandM]

My 1996 Triumph 900 Trident.
I almost dropped the son of a bitch attempting to pull into a parking spot.
The handlebars had so little movement side to side that it took forty acres to turn around.
Driving it slow was almost impossible to turn and balance.

[Pork-Chop Express]

2003 GSXR750. Most of this is due to the fact that I had never ridden a full on sportsbike before and didn't understand that while they're great for the track they don't make for ideal street bikes. The riding position was beyond uncomfortable and the bike had zero low rpm torque. High in the revs it was screaming fast but down low it felt (to me) like a Vespa. I know the GSXR 750 is a legendary race bike and it deserves all the praise in the world as such but as a streetbike (for me) it was a big disappointment.