Bikes with character... | Page 6 | GTAMotorcycle.com

Bikes with character...

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Im a bit bias, but I do love the Hayabusa - I have a 2000 and a 2010 and would like to eventually get a 3rd Gen as well and keep them all. Not sure if it's all about the character but the notoriety is without question. I've ridden Yamaha, Honda, Kawasaki, Suzuki - even had a Harley Night-Rod briefly but never turned too many heads. On my Busa anytime I stop to fuel up people always want to give you that nod' or have a ton of questions - the usual how fast does it go!? or they are just excited to see it after hearing about one. It feels like an exotic super car among bikes when in actuality its really not that uncommon in the riding community. Or someone asks what you ride and you mention a Hayabusa and instantly people have heard of the bike even if they don't ride. You can say you ride 2010 CBR Honda -RR, and most people look confused and tell you that they also have driven a NINJA, and its super fast.

And with all that being said gimme a Dodge Tomahawk lol.
 
Dr.Manhattan said:
Im a bit bias, but I do love the Hayabusa - I have a 2000 and a 2010 and would like to eventually get a 3rd Gen as well and keep them all. Not sure if it's all about the character but the notoriety is without question. I've ridden Yamaha, Honda, Kawasaki, Suzuki - even had a Harley Night-Rod briefly but never turned too many heads. On my Busa anytime I stop to fuel up people always want to give you that nod' or have a ton of questions - the usual how fast does it go!? or they are just excited to see it after hearing about one. It feels like an exotic super car among bikes when in actuality its really not that uncommon in the riding community. Or someone asks what you ride and you mention a Hayabusa and instantly people have heard of the bike even if they don't ride. You can say you ride 2010 CBR Honda -RR, and most people look confused and tell you that they also have driven a NINJA, and its super fast.

And with all that being said gimme a Dodge Tomahawk lol.
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Thanks for posting this! I didn't have the nerve, but I totally agree!
I've only had two (09, 13), but I catch myself looking at ads for '22's on a daily.......looking for a silver/red in particular.
The original '99, copper colour oozes character!

1999_GSX1300R_slv-bronz_450.jpg
 
Was speaking to a '21 owner yesterday and he said a redesign is coming for next year? I haven't looked it up yet.
 
Gary said:
Thanks for posting this! I didn't have the nerve, but I totally agree!
I've only had two (09, 13), but I catch myself looking at ads for '22's on a daily.......looking for a silver/red in particular.
The original '99, copper colour oozes character!

View attachment 61091
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Did you ever test drive the Gen 3 Gary? I still haven't had a chance but all Ive heard is good things.
 
Dr.Manhattan said:
Did you ever test drive the Gen 3 Gary? I still haven't had a chance but all Ive heard is good things.
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The 1st one that came in at Sturgess was built, but still in the basement.
Sitting on it was identical. The owner fired it up, so I "demo" rode it about 18 inches, and back.....lol.
I'd like it better with the instrument panel they loaded into the GSX1000GT.
Not having TFT on my fjr dulls the enjoyment.
 
mimico_polak said:
Always love these responses thanks everyone!

Guess I’m the problem ☹️

And … you got me @sburns minimum second thread on this…stupid sexy Sportster.

Although I’d be lying if an older Monster 696/796 didn’t catch my eye.
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I really think you should take the 48 for a quick rip around the block. Im telling you though, its a bar hopper and nothing more.

Next time we meet just say "yes"
 
Lightcycle said:
At the end of the day, motorcycling is just a hobby. Although this may be an unpopular opinion on a motorcycle forum (and honestly, we are all just a bunch of enablers on here), I think real life pragmatism should come first. I wouldn't put yourself in a precarious position financially because of it. It's a luxury, not a necessity. If you're not in the right place for an upgrade right now, then wait until the time and circumstances line up.
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Not sure it's a hobby for this fellow, his modest motorcycle is his primary transportation.

My first motorcycle is too - that's how I get around. Additionsl bikes, cars, and power toys would be "hobby"
Dr.Manhattan said:
Im a bit bias, but I do love the Hayabusa - I have a 2000 and a 2010 and would like to eventually get a 3rd Gen as well and keep them all. Not sure if it's all about the character but the notoriety is without question. I've ridden Yamaha, Honda, Kawasaki, Suzuki - even had a Harley Night-Rod briefly but never turned too many heads. On my Busa anytime I stop to fuel up people always want to give you that nod' or have a ton of questions - the usual how fast does it go!? or they are just excited to see it after hearing about one. It feels like an exotic super car among bikes when in actuality its really not that uncommon in the riding community. Or someone asks what you ride and you mention a Hayabusa and instantly people have heard of the bike even if they don't ride. You can say you ride 2010 CBR Honda -RR, and most people look confused and tell you that they also have driven a NINJA, and its super fast.

And with all that being said gimme a Dodge Tomahawk lol.
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I had a 09 Busa, I wish I kept it. It was fun to ride, but the respect factor is over the top. Even cops are nice to you.
 
MaksTO said:
)Now onto my Triumph Scrambler. The bike sounds AMAZING with the Arrow 2-1. Air cooled adds some simplicity over the KLR liquid cooling. Nice oomph without threatening to kill me every time I twist my wrist. Trade off is now I'm messing about with EFI tuning, and the bike currently runs rough likely due to out of spec valves, a job which is now 3+ weeks into parts wai...
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865cc air cooled, isn't it? What's there to mess with EFI? Didn't you straighten out your fuel map ages ago? Should be "one and done".

And what parts are needed for a valve adjustment? The valve cover gasket and spark plug seals can almost always be reused. Shims? Shame on Triumph if they're back ordered. Whatever the case, any 25mm shim will work. A number of older Japanese bikes use them, notably the air cooled DOHC Honda inline fours, among others. They shouldn't be hard to find.
 
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mimico_polak said:
Was thinking about this recently and as I'm only used to Honda with literally ZERO character or 'wow' factor in my F/X/Rebel experience.

How would you define character in a motorcycle? What do you look for?

Sound?
Speed?
Comfort?

What do YOU look for?

I'm at the stage where I love riding, but I think I do really need a changeup to get me excited again. Otherwise, the X is just sitting there. And while it's a good bike for what it is...it's not great at anything except being reliable and cheap to own.

Unfortunately my budget is fairly limited so 'character' may be out of reach regardless of which route I go! LoL
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Moto Guzzi V7. Inexpensive, cheap and easy to service yourself, similar power to your 500X, dripping with soul.moto-guzzi-v7-I-II-2.jpg
 
Jayell said:
Moto Guzzi V7. Inexpensive, cheap and easy to service yourself, similar power to your 500X, dripping with soul.View attachment 61137
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Thanks for that! The Guzzi is something that's on my radar also.

Not looking for speed, actually just a bike that will take me for a 1-2hr ride easily. With the possibility of 1 or 2 >500km rides / season.
 
I did a Chinabusa fairing conversion, I really didn't like the Orange/Black on my '08. Not as easy as I had hoped. The Chinese fairings were pretty good, but needed a ton of clearancing work and a bunch of rejiggery on the internal tabs and connection points.

I also changed out the gigantic exhaust cans for a pair of custom-made (baffled) moto-gp style shorties.


IMAG0190.jpg
White conversion




OrangeStock.jpg
Original
 
When someone says "bike with character", I think of one that's sitting in a shop, and will be for a long time, waiting for parts and attention.
Oh and it's usually something Italian, or has British electrics.
Some Hondas had character in a different way.
The NC700X first gear was so short, I thought about not using it.
The Honda VF1100C you could just leave in second gear.
 
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It seems most follow members are attributing "character" to flaws. I disagree. My friends say I'm good at that. JK, lol, I don't have friends. :cry:
For me, it's more about uniqueness. If you can pull your bike up next to another identical model and there's nothing that sets them apart, than it doesn't have character, imo. However, as the years go by, and you repair this, upgrade that, add these accessories, and so on, the bike starts to show character.
Of course, this is only one way a bike gains character. Any customization ads character, but remember that not all "character" is good. And if you are adding all the same mods as every other of that model, you aren't adding character, your following the herd.
 
Is rebellious a character?

This is a Mexican Scrambler.
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