[URL]http://www.wired.com/autopia/2011/08/10-motorcycles-for-our-fantasy-garage/[/URL]
Wow, it took a while for the Hayabusa to catch up: http://www.wired.com/autopia/2011/08/10-motorcycles-for-our-fantasy-garage/?pid=1258
Naah. The Britten is a much nicer bike in the flesh. You can see it a Te Papa in Wellington. And that's not the BMW I would have chosen, but it's hard to argue with the rest. Moike
I actually walked past it with only a cursory glance, not know the history behind it. <repeatedly runs over own foot with the beemer, as punishment>
I have mashed my toes up a few times moving/pushing my bike with the kick stand down while wearing thongs. Now, even if it is only a short distance I put the stand up.
About 10 years ago I moved into a house where I needed to wheel the bike backwards into the garage and park it up against a wall on its left side. As a result of that I learned to always stand on the right side of the bike to move it and now it feels odd and almost impossible to stand on the left side of the bike to move it around. My continued reasoning for doing it this way is that if the bike stand is down on the left side when I'm moving it should it ever get away from me while i was wheeling it I can always just drop it over on the left side and the stand should catch it.[1] [1] The only time it has gotten away from me was when I was wheeling it forwards away from the petrol pump at Balyando Crossing. The stand caught an uneven piece of concrete on the service station driveway and dragged the bike down on the left side. Unfortunately by this stage the stand had retracted. Fortunately the panniers and crash bars ensured the damage was limited to my ego. Nev..
I suppose it's a matter of taste but there are a few bikes that I would have preferred to see on the list that weren't included. The Honda CBR1100. The Original Vincent Black Shadow. The Original "Fondlewhore" (CB750). The Indian 4 cyl. The MV Augusta 500. Just IMO of course.
Hmm. Interesting thoughts. 1: I nearly bought an RC30 in the late 80s, but bought a Ducati 851 Tricolour instead. Wish I'd gone with the RC30. The 851 was a work of art but its clutch was a total **** and I had never-ending problems with the bike. 2. MV Augusta F4. Never ridden one, but this is just design horn. Want. 3. Bimota YB5. Gowanlochs gave me one of these for a week in the late 80s. The thing was totally impractical but **** it was fun. 4. BMW S1000RR. First time in my life I would want to own a BMW. Oh yeah. 5. Suzuki Hayabusa. I hated the style when they first came out but after taking one for a test ride in Melbourne I was converted and bought it. For such a large capacity bike, if you are a big bloke like me and not afraid to haul the bastard into a corner, great fun. 6. NSR400. Had one of these years ago and while my frame is not really suited to a bike this small and my wife got a bit weary of the single seat (as per the 851) it was such fun to throw around. I wouldn't want it as a principle bike. But would be a hoot as one to have in the garage. 7. Aprilia Mille. Only spent half an hour on one, but yeah, noice. Again another one that you would not want to commute on and its riding position sucks, but still another beautiful bit of Italian design, probably with the associated oil loss ... 8. VTX1800 Honda. Pulls chicks like you would not believe. And when you open the throttle it feels like someone is sitting under the seat with a hammer and a brick and trying to ram them up your arse. I recall running with a young guy on his brand new GSXR750 and I could tell by his body language that he was pissed off that this old guy on a cruiser was following him through tight corners for ages. This thing powers out of corners like you would not believe. Downside is that your feet are forward of the gearbox and your boots are constantly hitting the road. 9. Honda NR750. Nuff said. As if. 10. A Brittlen. Just coz. I have a feeling I wouldn't like riding it but it is such a part of motorcycle history that if you are gunna have ten bikes in a garage, it would have to be one of them.
Speaking of the Mighty Mighty Beemer, I was interested enough to go look at some prices. Talk about being raped, gouged and then taken advantage of! At Ultimate Motorcycle: US$13,950.00 http://tinyurl.com/3st9hfu At BikePoint: Three listed new between AUS$23,990.00 and AUS$24,900.00. http://tinyurl.com/3vmloak (Don't know if that link will have expired) "Oh, you're Australian! Just bend over sir, this won't hurt......."("Much"). N/
