The Bikeshite Thread

[Sir Chocolate Teapot]

2 hours ago, castros_bro said:

In case there's any here  who likes Honda 50/70/90 n Mopeds look at the Jan edition of Iceni Cam.

http://www.icenicam.org.uk/

Much thanks for that, never knew it existed.  That is this evening's reading sorted. 

[andyberg]

I had a 1994 vfr, the model to go for. I took it to the Isle of Mann TT and to the nurburgring. I'm not a racer by any means but the bike more than kept up with my mates on bikes including an R6 and a ZRX 600. I was comfy and the sound going through the tunnels near nurburgring was awesome!, much nicer than a straight 4 howl. IMHO a good choice of bike to get, will do monster miles, reliable, comfy, sound good, and look great, especially in red. 

[LostnotFound]

I'm smitten with my 97 it has an addictive sound, loads of flexibility in terms of letting you be in any gear which helps me as a new rider, but also chases up to the red line in a way that puts a smile on your face. 

It also has clip ons / looks like a 'proper' bike without needing to be a contortionist to get on it.

The only real downside is that as the model was only made for 3 years there isn't a cheap supply of Chinese vplastics as there are for cbrs etc... But you aren't a twat like me so won't need them.

For around a grand for an average one or slightly more for a very nice example it's a heck of a lot of engineering for your money. When I looked at things like sv650s for the same money they might have been newer but were still well used and were built down to a budget to start with.

I can't comment on the other two, although I can't help feeling any v twin cruiser that doesn't have 'the badge' would always feel like a stop gap to me. 

[castros_bro]

2 hours ago, Sir Chocolate Teapot said:

Much thanks for that, never knew it existed.  That is this evening's reading sorted. 

They have a lot of the articles of the  past 50ish Iceni Cam copies and an archive etc to take up a few months of lockdown.

And this magnificent picture "going coast to coast" 

not the Ducks Deluxe version..

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-6fegotswzs

 

[Jerzy Woking]

This was the GS650 that was parked up in the basement at work for years. Around 15 or 20 years, and after 2 or 3 years of asking around, I finally found out who owned it and bought it for £50

Mentioned it to my mate, and he said he had a GS650 when he first met his wife, and wanted it to fix up for their wedding anniversay. So for £50 it was his. It had 80,000 miles on the clock, and had numerous issues, but being in a dry basement all those years ot wasn't too bad.

Think it took him six months for a full nut and bolt restoration. It was like new when it was finished. He didnt keep it long as his wife preferred the pillion seat of his V-Strom.

[New POD]

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-04-08/tvs-is-said-to-mull-bid-for-classic-u-k-motorcycle-brand-norton

 

Did someone mention Spondon? 

[They_all_do_that_sir]

If I had some actual money I think I'd like a V4 tuono. They seem like all the bike you would ever need

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[Barry Cade]

I seem to be the only one who isn't a vfr fan. I found my '96 a bit "meh" . Didn't particularly do anything well, didn't make me want to go for a ride, or want to clean and polish it. Never had a Honda yet that I've liked. Just me?

[andyberg]

I have had a few hondas, the VFR suited me at the time, yes it didn't excel in any one area but for a bike you could just get on and know it would get you somewhere in relative comfort, go like a whippit if you needed or potter it ticked my boxes. I had an Italian import nsr 125 about 12 years ago, bought cheap, should never have sold it, the most uncomfortable bike I have owned, but boy did it make me smile when it came on song. Now I have what most would describe as a ' boring' bike, a CB 250, bought from this forum. I love it, it does all I need in comfort, at a speed I am happy to potter along at.  I have had others too, and some Kawasakis and Yamahas and Suzukis. Personally I have never enjoyed a Suzuki. I guess different people have different tastes. My favorite bike I have owned? Kawasaki GPZ 500, I have had 3! I was going to say my RD350LC that was my first big bike, but its been 30+ years since I last rode one, would love another chance one day. 

[Cavcraft]

Despite having 3 Hondas, have to join the 'meh' club. Some (CB250N/CG125 for example) were brilliant if not exciting bikes. That's probably Honda all over though, reliable but dull. Have found Yamahas too unreliable (and not especially well built) but Suzuki and Kawasaki seem to have the best looking/more exciting bikes, in general. 

[They_all_do_that_sir]

I've had more Hondas than any other brand of bike. Not really on purpose, it's just went that way.

This however is most un-honda like. It's lumpy and angry, sounds like thunder and begs to be ridden like a tit. Aftermarket exhaust helps - standard cans hide a lot of the character.

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[hairnet]

carrickfergus bai?

to reply to billy hondas have character - your ped fetish means you overlook that

 

[Jerzy Woking]

21 hours ago, They_all_do_that_sir said:

If I had some actual money I think I'd like a V4 tuono. They seem like all the bike you would ever need

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They are just fantastic. Even come with a built in restrictor so that 100mph + cannot be maintained for long. The fully faired RSV is great, but it needs the rider to be as tiny as it is. 

21 hours ago, Barry Cade said:

I seem to be the only one who isn't a vfr fan. I found my '96 a bit "meh" . Didn't particularly do anything well, didn't make me want to go for a ride, or want to clean and polish it. Never had a Honda yet that I've liked. Just me?

Had  P reg VFR750 at work that was kept on by the fleet manager way past its age and mileage replacement, because it was liked by most of the riders for its ability to remain comfortable for 12 hour stints.

The VFR800's that followed weren't so well liked, and for God's sake, don't mention the VFR1200. The three we had were unanimously voted the most hateful, unreliable and ill handling bikes we ever rode.

[They_all_do_that_sir]

VFR750 nailed on future classic. Not the most exciting ride but you can't ignore the engineering that went into them.

Now a VFR (or RVF) 400, thats a proper special bike. Or the CBR250RR with the 18k redline....

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[They_all_do_that_sir]

carrickfergus bai?
to reply to billy hondas have character - your ped fetish means you overlook that
 

Yeah, I live there. And that photo was taken last year, the bike is tucked up at the minute



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[hairnet]

I did this

 And this needs sorting but nowhere open

Got started yesterday for first time in two weeks

if id have been allowed out id have been hooning it from sligo about now

[hairnet]

11 minutes ago, They_all_do_that_sir said:

VFR750 nailed on future classic. Not the most exciting ride but you can't ignore the engineering that went into them.

Now a VFR (or RVF) 400, thats a proper special bike. Or the CBR250RR with the 18k redline....

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looking at buying a hornet 600 or 250 (20k redline) when do nz again

 

[They_all_do_that_sir]

looking at buying a hornet 600 or 250 (20k redline) when do nz again
 

Both great bikes. A mate has a pretty tidy hornet (newer shape) and loves it. Sounds good and goes like feck

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[RED2stroke]

What ho chaps, I suspect like many of you, I have spent the last few weeks, mowing the lawn to within an inch of it's life, painted everything that keeps still long enough and fixed all the stupid stuff on the car. So in true AS fashion and having competed every job that "er indoors " could find I have now retired to the garage, to indulge my lifelong passion for resurrecting two wheeled shite........

I have managed to get a couple of easy fix bikes running again and now I have started on a third bike, all my bikes are CZ, Jawas or other eastern bloc shite (beauties). Anyway I thought that this one might be of interest to fellow bikeshiters. It's a 1976 CZ 175 Sport (eastern bloc humor), I bought it along with three other bikes locally, this particular bike was for some reason dismantled and stored in the guys loft for many many years. I think that its all there but I can't be 100% sure as there are so many boxes, jars and marge tubs it's impossible to tell. Any way it's about 75% assembled and I have attached a couple of small pics to whet your appetite. I am getting close to firing her up and stripped the carb just to check everything, as this model has a separate oil tank the carb was very clean, no gone off petroil mix that smells like a bag of mouldy potatoes left in the shed and sticks like shite to a blanket. The carb had been wrapped in oily rag and when I took it apart I was amazed by the condition of the float, just look at that after 43 years of off the road!  Check out the supplying dealer sticker on the rear mudguard and the one and only tax disc that the bike has ever had.

I will update as and when if anyones interested?

[andyberg]

Since I turned 40ish,too long ago now, I always fancied an MZ or something, I love the simplicity and the agricultural styling. But I never indulged and now the prices are rising quite quickly. So good luck with this and keep us all posted. 

[RED2stroke]

Yes you def right about prices I used get given CZ bikes or evenpaid to take them away, but I have been amazed by the interest shown in some the bikes that I sold recently, I think that most people don't have deep enough pockets for the Japanese stuff anymore and although the eastern bloc stuff is not in the same league it's an affordable way to get that nice two stroke noise and smell.

[andyberg]

2 minutes ago, RED2stroke said:

Yes you def right about prices I used get given CZ bikes or evenpaid to take them away, but I have been amazed by the interest shown in some the bikes that I sold recently, I think that most people don't have deep enough pockets for the Japanese stuff anymore and although the eastern bloc stuff is not in the same league it's an affordable way to get that nice two stroke noise and smell.

Yeah, I agree. But I also like the way they look and the very MZ/CZ ding ding of the exhaust ? I'll keep looking, maybe I'll find one one day..... 

[RayMK]

7 minutes ago, RED2stroke said:

What ho chaps, I suspect like many of you, I have spent the last few weeks, mowing the lawn to within an inch of it's life, painted everything that keeps still long enough and fixed all the stupid stuff on the car. So in true AS fashion and having competed every job that "er indoors " could find I have now retired to the garage, to indulge my lifelong passion for resurrecting two wheeled shite........

I have managed to get a couple of easy fix bikes running again and now I have started on a third bike, all my bikes are CZ, Jawas or other eastern bloc shite (beauties). Anyway I thought that this one might be of interest to fellow bikeshiters. It's a 1976 CZ 175 Sport (eastern bloc humor), I bought it along with three other bikes locally, this particular bike was for some reason dismantled and stored in the guys loft for many many years. I think that its all there but I can't be 100% sure as there are so many boxes, jars and marge tubs it's impossible to tell. Any way it's about 75% assembled and I have attached a couple of small pics to whet your appetite. I am getting close to firing her up and stripped the carb just to check everything, as this model has a separate oil tank the carb was very clean, no gone off petroil mix that smells like a bag of mouldy potatoes left in the shed and sticks like shite to a blanket. The carb had been wrapped in oily rag and when I took it apart I was amazed by the condition of the float, just look at that after 43 years of off the road!  Check out the supplying dealer sticker on the rear mudguard and the one and only tax disc that the bike has ever had.

I will update as and when if anyones interested?

Keep the updates coming. Very interested.

My first proper* motorbike was a 1971 CZ175, bought from F K Sharp the dealers in Lincoln. It cost me £166 brand new. Unfortunately I only took one or two photos of it and they disappeared at least 30 years ago. Mine also had the separate oil pump and, unlike my brother's slightly later model, had a round headlight shell and a large chromed flash on the fuel tank sides. I kept it for many thousands of miles, albeit with a crankshaft failure after about 20K - the tapered end which carried the dynamo and points assembly broke off at the location peg hole. It was a nice handling bike. Many years later I bought a Jawa 350 with sidecar. That was hopelessly unreliable and also broke rear spokes almost daily. I had an MZ Supa5 250 for a while, bought brand new from Seymours in Thame. It was a nice bike but its handling was alarming on greasy roundabouts. Now, I can't even get on my very first bike,* a 1967 Peugeot BB CT moped bought new in Roermond (NL). It sits in my garage waiting for its decrepit owner to be miraculously cured of arthritis.

Anyway, I will enjoy reading about your CZs etc. 

[1duck]

I had a cz bought around 15 years ago for 200 quid with delivery mileage, sat in my garage for about 7 years then sold for pretty much what I'd paid for it. Never thought they'd go up in value tbh. 

[hairnet]

48 minutes ago, They_all_do_that_sir said:

Both great bikes. A mate has a pretty tidy hornet (newer shape) and loves it. Sounds good and goes like feck

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had all models of old shape from 99 to 06 and 2 900s

never had a 07 one

[RED2stroke]

1 hour ago, 1duck said:

I had a cz bought around 15 years ago for 200 quid with delivery mileage, sat in my garage for about 7 years then sold for pretty much what I'd paid for it. Never thought they'd go up in value tbh. 

Yes they still turn up, most will have 4 km on the clock as that was the length of the assembled test ride, saw one for sale the other day still in it's delivery crate ! Many came to the uk long after the factory closed as they mostly sat in containers all over europe after Cagiva , who by then owned CZ  gave up on them, you will find some later models with Cagiva vin plates and engines stamped the same.

[Jerzy Woking]

I bought a 1983 CZ250 twin as a project but simply didnt have any time or inclination to start doing it up. It ran ok when I picked it up.

Sold to Jackytwoshoes but think he moved it on too. Best thing were the instructions in the owners manual for cleaning the exhaust baffles, which was to "soak them in petrol and set fire to them".

Much prefer the MZ TS185 I had a couple of years before the CZ, even though it was a somewhat bizarre cc.

Went to the Jawa Factory Museum in Czechia a few years ago. I forgot how many World Championship winning speedway bikes they made. And their horizontally opposed twin looked really good.

[RED2stroke]

I thought thats how everyone cleaned their baffles......I have a couple of 250 twins, they make a lovely sound, did you know that CZ fitted restrictors inside the air box on 175 singles as they were reputedly quicker than the more expensive 250 twins, removing it requires splitting the airbox which is easy as it's cast in two halves and bolted together........oh god I sound like a right anorak. Cool pic .

[PiperCub]

Takes me back - I remember as a student, a mate and I used to get MZ's, CZ's etc usually for nothing or £5-£10 at most. We got paid once to take two CZ's away, a 175 & a 250 twin. The 175 I got going quite quick, MoT'd it and flogged it on for about £75 which was good money for one of those in the late 80's. We never managed to revive the 250, it went FOC to a local chap who had a truly huge number of old eastern bloc bikes (& a few Ladas) in his back garden as he'd helped us out with spares in the past.  

[andy18s]

Few for sale around here.

Finding 1 with the correct paperwork to allow export is the key though