Cool, Unique and unusual Bikes you have had.

[Outlaws Justice]

So lets see some of the Cool, unique and even unusual motorcycles you have had. I am a big fan of some of the bikes that were only in production or at least in the states for a very limited time. I have owned many over the years and would still own a lot of them if money and space did not always seem to be a problem. Of course a move across the country did not help either.


Here are a few That have spent some time in my garage.


Honda Nighthawk S, I have owned six of these over the years. Only built for three years.





A red version that I owned (Most of mine were red although I liked the blue better)





Some of you might recognize this one, Kawasaki Eliminator, But this one is a 250cc. It was only here for four years and used the Ninja 250 engine and trans. Was pretty cool and I had two I also used them for teaching new riders.





How about a Honda VT500 Ascot. We got it for my Nephew and after a couple years he upgraded to a nighthawk S and I ended up with the Ascot. Hard to find now days!

[Outlaws Justice]

A few more, The Yamaha Fazer 700 We loved this bike and my cousin rode it along with his Vmax for several years.





How about an Original first generation Ninja 250, only for two years!





A Honda CB1, Yes I loved this cool little bike but needed money so I parted with it after 3 years of ownership.





Honda Magnas are not rare, but this model AKA as the Super Magna with its solid looking disc rear wheel and upswept pipes still has a cult following. Only made for two years.





A Honda Hawk GT, Around for four years and with such a strong cult following they cost more now used then when they were new. I have had three of these and still regret selling the last one!

[Outlaws Justice]

How about a mini Interceptor, yes a VTR250. Had less than 3,000 original miles and I used it for Basic rider training, thank goodness it never got dropped.





Suzuki GT185, yes a two stroke. I had a pair of these and I ended up taking them to Nashville where they still reside. I even rode one in one of the Total Control Classes there!





How about a GS700E. I bought it and fixed it up for a Budget Bike race in Indiana. We had to have less than $600 total invested and the bike had to be 1985 or older. Not enough people got bikes ready so the race never happened. Was a fun project.





I still have this one as you can see it is on the shelf in my garage in New York. an Original 1980 Suzuki TS100 and it has 394 original miles. I got my First TS when I turned 16, it was a TS185 and I rode it everyplace.








An all original 1972 Honda ATC 90. They came out in 1970 and we had them on the farm. This one I restored completely and had several others in various stages when I sold them all to a collector in MASS. The tires are worth huge amounts alone!

[Outlaws Justice]

One more! How about a 1984 Honda VF500F. I got it for my youngest after she completed her BRC, of course she had also been riding dirt. Now I wanted to go to the track so why not take it and have some fun. We later sold it when I got the SV650S that she claimed for hers.

[normkern]

Fun Stuff! Thanks for sharing.

Norm Kern

[fartymarty]

I don't have a picture of mine (that I can find) but the my Bridgestone 350 GTR has become pretty rare and restored ones are going a a pretty penny. For those that have never seen one they look like this. Rotary valves, chrome plated cylinder bores, six speed two stroke with (IIRC) through shafts for the rear brake and shifter so you could swap them left for right as you desire. They always look kind of wimpy in the photos because of the rear tire being only 3.50. I put a 4.00 on mine and it really improved the looks as it was a somewhat larger bike than the it's peers at the time with 19 inch wheels front and back. I doubt it did much for the handling but I wasn't a good enough rider then to be able to tell. That and and my CZ400 are the two bikes that I wish I would have never sold, however I never would have owned the CZ if I hadn't sold the Bridgestone so....

Now I have a GT750 Water Buffalo that is becoming rare but isn't anywhere as rare as the Bridgestone 350 GTR is.

[Tigger]

I regret selling my CB-1, to this day...

[RIDEMYST]

As with many firsts, I'll never forget my first bike back in 1969, a 350 Bridgestone. You could order them from Sears catalog and they ran pretty much like what you would expect from a mail order bike.


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[touringman]

When I got back into riding in the late '80's, the first bike I surprised my wife with (I don't recommend this method) was an '82 Suzuki GS 650E. It only had 800 miles on it, and it was pristine. It wasn't the fastest bike around, but I was measuring it by the Honda 305 Scrambler I'd ridden in the past. It was fast enough and smooth enough to make me wish I'd never paused in my riding addiction to help raise our four kids! It wasn't long before I started looking for another addition to the stable. While riding out in the sticks to look at a farm, I glimpsed a blue reflection from an open barn door, and curiosity got the best of me. The reflection was from a pristine (but dusty) 1978 R80/7 BMW with only 10,000 miles ( after translating from kilometers). The owner said he loved the bike, but didn't have time to ride it. I made an offer, and he wasn't sure he wanted to sell it. After exchanging numbers, I went on with my business. About two weeks later, he called, and told me to come and get it. It had Krauser bags, and a full faring, and thus became my first real touring bike. It was a wonderful piece of machinery that I rode for some time. It was sold to a lobbyist from DC, who rode the bus down to ride it back home. Other bikes owned include, but are not limited to: 1978 GL1000 Goldwing, 1983 Suzuki GS 1100E, 1982 Honda CB900C, 1983 Yamaha XJ 900 Seca, "96 Triumph Sprint 900, '06 Wee Strom 650, '93 Seca 600, '97 Bandit 1200, '01 SV650, '02 R1150R, 2012 Wee Strom 650, 1981 GL1100 naked Goldwing (still have this baby), '04 Aprilia Scarabeo 500 complete w/detachable hard bags, '09 Piaggio MP3-400, and my mind fogs up after that! The Aprilia, Piaggio, and GL1100 still reside in the garage, along with a new '15 model motorcycle, the pedigree of which I won't divulge until Staunton. I prefer to be ridiculed in person!! Wish They were all still in the garage!! Syd

[touringman]

By the way Jim, I wouldn't mind having the Bridgestone, or what I assume is a Nova behind it!! Syd

[RIDEMYST]

Thanks Syd. My Dad worked for Chevrolet and a small job perk was a new car each year at cost. I got to put in my vote when I got my license and my Dad kinda ordered the car except it was not a four on the floor 350 but a three on the floor 307 but still very cool.


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[Patmo]

Syd, Syd Syd you dog!  What did you get now?  Are we allowed to gues?  Hmmmmm, what could it be?


For some reason I've got this picture in my mind of something unusual, but easy to ride, cheap to buy, and rural in nature......does John Deere still build pedal tractors?  Nah, to much work.....unless they have one with a scooter motor in it!   That's it!.......you got a Moto Guzzi, didn't you!? 

 

[touringman]

Sorry Pat , nothing as stimulating as a Guzzi! This will be considered mundane by MSTA standards, but the inherent comfort really impressed me. I bought it, and added the standard "Syd Stuff" to it to save the comfort, but make it otherwise fun and competent. Time will tell!

[fartymarty]

You could order them from Sears catalog and they ran pretty much like what you would expect from a mail order bike.

So yours didn't run very well?
Mine ran like a scalded cat, and out ran a lot of the bigger bikes back then. Seemed like Triumph 650s, BSAs and Nortons were the fast bikes back then (before the Kawa triples came out) I never out ran a Norton on mine but Triumphs and BSAs many times. I wouldn't have gotten rid of it except the Moto-X bug bit me and I traded it for a Husky 250. 
Then looking at your photo again, it appears you are/were a big guy. I doubt I weighed more than 130 lbs when I was riding mine, probably a major factor in our different recollections on performance. 

[NinjaBob]

The bike that started all this:



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