Author Topic: OK, Get Yer Photies Out! (Read 15712 times)

Hedgetrimmer · « **on:** 19 July 2013, 06:09:41 pm »

What've ya had, what else ya got, whad'ya like, whatcha see when out the other day? Not a Fazer thread. Go on, indulge...

Yamazer-92 · « **Reply #1 on:** 19 July 2013, 09:02:22 pm »

1st pic is me at 16 having passed my CBT on my first bike. It was a brand new geared 50cc chinese supermoto called a Skyteam ST50. Main reason I got it was for the gears, I love the off road looks and I was struggling to fit on mopeds. It was gutless, (if you look closely you can just about make out the engine

) weighed about 1000 tonnes and the suspension was all for show but having transport and freedom for the first time was awesome as I was cycling everywhere before. It maxed out at 34 downhill on a good day! It remained completely standard and restricted for the 1 1/2 years I owned it, I didn't mess with anything and it never let me down even though these chinese bikes get really bad press. Liked that bike a lot.

2nd pic is my Yamaha SR125. Not really a lot to say about this bike, it was alright but I didn't own it for very long. Bought it when I was 17 before doing my big bike test to get some experience on something that was a bit more powerful. The forks were dreadful so it bounced along everywhere, the seat was rock hard and too low for me and it had some electrical faults. Sounded quite nice though and looked pretty cool. Sold it on for as much as I bought it for so can't complain.

3rd pic is my old GS500e which was given to me for free by my dad for passing my bike test first time. It was his old one that he had owned for several years but it was getting pretty tired and had a lot of problems. He had just bought an SV650 and was going to break the GS for spares to sell but I said we should do it up. So over a period of a couple of months we worked on it and bought a donor bike off ebay for something silly like £150. We stripped it to the frame which I hand painted with hammerite, took me absolutely ages but actually looked pretty decent. I did the swingarm too. We transplanted in a new engine from the donor bike, which ran very sweet compared to his old oil burner, plus quite a few other parts like a refurbished rear caliper. We then sold a load of spares and remade the costs of everything we bought and I ended up with a completely bombproof Suzuki GS500 that was fun to ride and cost barely anything at all to run. The only mod I did was get rid of the awful clip ons and drill through the top yoke so that it would accept renthal bars. Unfortunately though it was physically a tad small (see the pic and me next to it) and would get too uncomfortable for me on longer journeys. It was also restricted to 33bhp so fairly slow. I eventually sadly sold it, but for more than my dad initially bought it for years before! It was the first bike I got to 100mph on though and the first bike I did a long trip on

.

Last is my current bike, my Fazer 600. I bought this last year because I was missing my GS500 and motorcycling badly and after planning on getting a car changed my mind. I had a long time to research what I wanted, a reasonably priced all rounder that was fun to ride, reliable but accomodated my spaghetti legs. Pretty much a better version of my GS500. The usual cheap middleweight suspects came up, Bandit 600, SV650, Honda Hornet and ye olde Fazer. I don't like the hornet. My friends owned bandits and I didn't like how they looked, the tank and back end look awful and they're just ugly versions of the beautiful GSX 1400. They're also a bit common and I wanted something different, most reviews had them as "good for the money, but uninspiring". My dad has an amazing looking SV650 and it's a brilliant bike, loads of fun but I didn't want to copy him again after having his GS500 and knew I wouldn't get a nicer looking one than his. That that left the Fazer.

All reviews were great, fun and sporty enough yet useable everyday were ticking all the boxes for me. The stats nerd in me (we all appreciate a bit of stats) also liked the power figures, the average mpg, the brakes it used and the good balance of torque and horsepower. I wasn't a mad fan of the looks but after owning it for a while actually really like mine now, even the looks. Did I pay slightly too much for it? Yes, probably because it wasn't problem free and has cost me about £500 to get it running great. Unfortunately bikes are expensive in the south west and at the time it seemed a fair deal. Is it a great bike? Yes, however the statement "the only bike you'll ever need but not necessarily want" is spot on because I always find myself looking elsewhere at supermotos and stuff. But then I get back on the Fazer and have an absolute blast and think I'm such an idiot for even considering selling it. I have 2 options now. Selling it, taking a bit of a financial loss and getting a 650cc supermoto. Or, keep it and get mechanical noises etc (could all be in my head) looked at to put my mind at ease. Get carbs balanced. But most importantly get the seat padded out to increase seat to peg distance for my knees, get wider bars and jack the rear end up. Nicer sounding can would be nice too

. It's just taking so much time in my weekend job to fund all that and realistically a supermoto may be more fun for my day to day use.

TL;DR
1) Me @ 16 trying to look hard on my 50cc
2) Yamaha SR 125 - Meh
3) My GS500e - Class bike, cheap and fun but too small physically
4) My Fazer 600 - Love it, but find myself wearing mirrored sunglasses so it doesn't catch me looking at other bikes out the corner of my eye

Kosmic Kartman · « **Reply #2 on:** 19 July 2013, 11:46:28 pm »

Just a few of many.

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Kosmic Kartman · « **Reply #3 on:** 19 July 2013, 11:47:26 pm »

A few more

Kosmic Kartman · « **Reply #4 on:** 19 July 2013, 11:48:45 pm »

and some more

Kosmic Kartman · « **Reply #5 on:** 19 July 2013, 11:54:17 pm »

Got a few more but that would mean digging out more old photos and having a scanning session.

mickvp · « **Reply #6 on:** 20 July 2013, 12:06:46 am »

My wee Suzuki VL 125 I just got shot of:

A 1980 Suzuki DR400 I bought in 2008 as a resto project. I bought it for £30 like this:

And sold it a few months ago after having it lie for a few years unridden like this:

Thats all Ive got on the comp, would need to scan in the pics of my older bikes like my 1979 Honda CB50, and 1992 Yamaha RXS100, nothing spectacular though.

VNA - BMW Wank · « **Reply #7 on:** 20 July 2013, 12:07:12 am »

VNA - BMW Wank · « **Reply #8 on:** 20 July 2013, 12:08:18 am »

MEM62 · « **Reply #9 on:** 20 July 2013, 09:09:23 am »

Some of my old bikes. The stand, out bikes for me are the 1981 GS550 and the '98 Fireblade - two of my favourite bikes of all time.

JoeRock · « **Reply #10 on:** 20 July 2013, 11:16:22 am »

Well, my riding experience started about 5 years back with this; a Hyosung GT125. It wasn't at all bad for a Korean bike to be honest, the finish on the downpipes was crap and they rusted through very quickly, but it was bloody big for a 125, was also a v-twin, and would quite happily sit at about 70 on the A roads near me. Had it up to the heady heights of 82mph once down a hill

http://i1213.photobucket.com/albums/cc476/RockJos/29277_402360244280_7653371_n_zpse3540bed.jpg

About 8 months of riding the 125, and I passed my test, and bought my first 600. Mechanic of mate had a hornet in the garage and he let me take it for a test ride and I was smitten, handled and braked amazingly, and as at the time I was riding for fun and commuting to and from school and work, the small tank range really didn't matter. This was also the first bike that got me into modding bikes - I did the first few months on it as standard, had a small non-fault accident so spent some money on it, got a Nitron shock, fitted CBR600F4i forks and CBR600RR brake calipers with a CBR1000RR m/c, and a Matrix steering damper along with a respray. Turned it into a fantastically handling bike - the mechanic I'd bought it from kept begging me to let him take it on track as he loved how it handled!
http://i1213.photobucket.com/albums/cc476/RockJos/Bikes/IMG_2327.jpg

http://i1213.photobucket.com/albums/cc476/RockJos/Bikes/07022011026.jpg

That was interspersed with a brief period of owning a SV650, but that was such a crap bike I don't even think I've got any photos of it - it did handle well, but the engine was lacking power and was boring, and the brakes and finish were shite.

However, once I'd moved up to uni, the faults of the hornet began to very much wind me up. It was quite a revvy engine, which was great for fun riding but wasn't ideal for motorways, it wasn't the most comfy of bikes either, and the tank range was probably the final factor - Kent to Leicester was about 140 miles, and that was almost bang on the tank range I had, so if I got stuck in traffic or something it meant filling up on a motorway!
So after my two year restriction period to 33hp (6 months really, the restrictors fell out whilst cleaning one day!) I started looking at bikes with full fairings. As I was only 19, insurance was the deciding factor, so VFRs, CBRs, etc were all out the window. Then somehow managed to find a decent quote for this beastie - a 2000 plate ZX9R!

http://i1213.photobucket.com/albums/cc476/RockJos/9R%20Build/IMG_2794.jpg

Was a considerable step up at first, it was packing about 140 odd rwhp, and was quite intimidating to start with. However after about a month, I really gelled with it, to the point where I ended up buying another!

http://i1213.photobucket.com/albums/cc476/RockJos/20121108_150606.jpg
By this point my red one was very much improved, I'd managed to pick up a WP shock and ohlins steering damper for cheap on italian ebay, Nissin 6 pot brake calipers and blackshadow wavy discs off UK ebay, and then a friend sold me an akky titanium system for it. Once it'd had all that lot done, it was a truely fantastic bike. Braked and handled like a dream, and with about 150 odd hp it went like a scalded cat. That said, it was still a fantastically practical bike when you weren't "on it", had a motorway tank range of over 200 miles before reserve, I had a topbox fitted to it, and the large fairing and extremely comfortable riding position just made for a perfect mile muncher, until you got to your destination, took the topbox off, and it turned into a weapon.
Was by far and away the best bike I owned, and I will definitely be owning another one at some point soon.
Alas, Christmas last year it was stolen, and I was utterly heartbroken after having spent so much time and money modifiying it, but this was when I ended up coming to meet you guys when I bought my first FZS 1000 in Marchish time last year!

http://i1213.photobucket.com/albums/cc476/RockJos/20130113_125710_zpsf7c05648.jpg

Bloody good bike, particularly two up with luggage, and it wheelied like buggery which was rather nice, but at the same time I didn't feel it was quite exciting as my Ninja to ride, and I never have been able to get on with an upright riding position very well. That said, I did very much bond with it and probably would have kept it for a couple years until I'd ended up back on another sports bike, but alas an insurance difficulty meant that I ended up selling it for the FZS 600 I now have! (Basically, I got told I would lose my no claims bonus I'd built up, meaning insurance on the 1000 was too much. I sold the 1000, bought the 600, and then got told as the thief of my bike had been found, I actually got to keep my no claims as I'm guessing my insurance company successfully sued him for their losses).
The 6 isn't so bad at the moment, I do like how light it is, but it's understandably a little down on power compared to the others I've had, particularly two up with luggage. Definitely a supremely capable all rounded, but I'm definitely a sportbike rider through and through, so I suspect next year money allowing I'll either be on an early R1, a K1/K2 GSX-R1000, or possibly another ZX9R (or maybe even a ZX12R), depending on money/insurance costs!

Ian-man · « **Reply #11 on:** 20 July 2013, 12:39:13 pm »

Here are mine, in my teens I had a 125 superdream, passed my test and got a 400 superdream.
Fell off a few times and changed to a car.
Got married, had kids, no funds etc.
Twenty odd years later got given a ropey gs500, did that up nd got the bug again, needed something more my size so got the boxeye.
Now on a fazer 1000.

caretaker · « **Reply #12 on:** 20 July 2013, 03:25:50 pm »

my discreet little number...

alexanderfitu · « **Reply #13 on:** 20 July 2013, 04:28:03 pm »

The original Foti diesel bike (1989 400 superdream) Mark 1!

1991 XJ600 aka diesel bike Mark 2 (before I dimantled it!)

2003 Vespa ET4 - The other halfs work in progress

What kicked it all off, the first one, 2009 YBR125

Went from that to a varadero 125:

Had a tatty NSR125 as a play thing whilst still on my L's

And a homemade electric bike:

ChristoT · « **Reply #14 on:** 20 July 2013, 04:35:58 pm »

History of bikes, eh?

Well, here are mine!

Details

Honda Amigo

A Honda PF50-M, dug out of a cousin's shed after 20 years of neglect, I rebuilt it and got it going! My first motorbike, the thing that started it all.

Details

Varadero 125

The Varadero 125, heading off to the Madone des Motards last year. I put 8,000 miles on it in 9 months, crashed it a few times, but loved it. A cracking bike, that V-twin was pretty torquey! I decided to let it go when I thought the gearbox was about to give up. So I swapped it for:

Details

FAZER

The

. A 600, in the fastest colour (BLACK).

I'll have to sell that in September when I go to the US on placement. Who knows what next?

Hedgetrimmer · « **Reply #15 on:** 21 July 2013, 05:59:59 pm »

Strokers Day At H's Café, Dorchester.
About 9 or 10 Yam strokers turned up together at H's today. Lovely sound, lovely smell (Castrol aaaaR!), clouds of blue smoke! Here'a a nice KR 350LC...

Hedgetrimmer · « **Reply #16 on:** 21 July 2013, 06:05:47 pm »

And a couple of RD400s...

Hedgetrimmer · « **Reply #17 on:** 21 July 2013, 06:07:22 pm »

And another...

Hedgetrimmer · « **Reply #18 on:** 21 July 2013, 06:08:52 pm »

Nice Honda Britain style racer too...

Hedgetrimmer · « **Reply #19 on:** 21 July 2013, 06:14:12 pm »

GT750, back again Red98...

Hedgetrimmer · « **Reply #20 on:** 21 July 2013, 06:16:55 pm »

And in the Clothing shop showroom, this brings back memories for me, had one briefly, lovely condition RG500, 35k miles, yours for...£10k. Ahem.

Hedgetrimmer · « **Reply #21 on:** 21 July 2013, 06:18:24 pm »

And sorry about loads of individual posts, can't seem to get a post with more than one photo accepted at the moment. $:\$

ChristoT · « **Reply #22 on:** 21 July 2013, 09:32:16 pm »

Quote from: nick crisp on 21 July 2013, 06:05:47 pm

And a couple of RD400s...

Those saddles look painful for any length of time!!

red98 · « **Reply #23 on:** 22 July 2013, 06:44:26 am »

great pics nick,that guys clocking some mileage on the gt750,getting popular `h`s..never use to do events like that,taking a leaf out of ace cafe`s book me thinks...must get back up there soon.....also i`ll have to dig my own stroker out of the shed and get it mot`d

mr self destruct · « **Reply #24 on:** 22 July 2013, 07:43:35 am »

This is my 2001 XV125 I bought in May last year after doing my CBT:

After my wife had a bit of a breakdown about me deliberately trying to kill myself by not being in a nice safe car, I sold it in October and gave up riding.

She then had a guilty conscience and let me loose on ebay so I bought this 1982 GS125 in February this year:

Not pretty, but ok to practice on until I passed my tests.

And that, apart from a City Express and a KH100 in 1989 is my complete biking history. $:\$