Last week's Friday Fun thread about midlife crisis cars revealed a pretty consistent trend - motorcycles (especially Harleys) were mentioned as a midlife crisis vehicle. Now, I'm not about to argue that point (although I will point out that I got my Harley when I was 32, not exactly considered middle-aged...), so I figured I'd roll with it and come out with my list of favorite motorcycles.
1. Harley Davidson Electra Glide Ultra CVO - I've got a 2003 Electra Glide Standard and love the smooth ride, the ability to put on mile after mile, and, I'll be honest, the comfort of a rolling couch. The Ultra Glide has all the bells and whistles - cruise control, ABS, CD player with four speakers, lots of storage, basically, anything you might want for a long haul trip. The Custom Vehicle Operations package adds in custom paint, a 110 CI motor, heated seat, rider backrest, and a host of other accessories to help you put on the miles...
2. Honda Valkyrie - A six-cylinder, 1,500 cc cruising bike. What's not to love? I got to ride a Valk at a couple of Honda open houses back when I had my Magna, and it's impressive as hell. The motor that powers the Goldwing, only in a lighter cruiser, made a lot of rear-wheel power, a fact that was hammered home with each twist of the throttle. The Valkyrie is the only cruising-type bike that's ever gotten me to say "Whoa!"...
3. Kawasaki ZRX1200R - a naked sportbike, what a concept, eh? Kawasaki really outdid themselves with the ZRX line - they took their Ninja powerplant, put it in plain-jane "standard" motorcycle configuration, and offered it for quite a bit less than the fairing-clad Ninja. You got old school cafe racer at a price that could not be beat.
4. Ducati Superbike 1198 S (999 shown)- 170 horsepower in a bike that weighs less than 400 pounds. This is a one-way ticket to license revocation right here, folks, and the only way I'd consider buying one would be if I also owned several thousand acres somewhere in the southwest where I could open it up without killing myself or getting arrested. This is easily the Lamborghini of motorcycles...
5. Indian Chief Vintage - a modern motorcycle that maintains the classic lines of yesterday. Only problem is it costs more than my truck and the nearest dealer is in NJ... However expensive and hard-to-find it may be, it's a lot easier (and cheaper) to get my hands on one than to restore an early 1950s variant, that's to be sure. Plus it's an American bike that's not a Harley, which adds a little extra style to it (and I'm about as big a fan of the orange-and-black as you'll find).
6. 1984 Honda Nighthawk S - two friends have owned Nighthawk Ss, the 700cc configuration, and I've got to say it's one of the best bikes I've ever ridden. Shaft drive, comfortable two-up seating, full instrumentation, and sporty styling all adds up to an affordable motorcycle that made commuting fun. And it doesn't make the list solely because I have found memories of borrowing my buddy's 'Hawk to take out certain delectable co-eds back in the day, nosirree...
7. BMW R 1200 RT - for a sport-touring bike, I don't think there's a finer choice than any of the offerings from BMW. I used to work with a guy who commuted some 50 miles each and every day - well into November - on his BMW tourer, and the new Beamers are even better. Take off the saddlebags and the truck for around-town or commuting duty; put 'em back on and rack up the miles in the saddle. What's not to love?
8. Yamaha YZF-R1 - mainly because the list just wouldn't be complete without a 1,000cc Japanese superbike on it, and I've got a soft spot for ol' blue. Y'see, a 1979 Yamaha XS850 Midnight Special was my first motorcycle, a cranky triple with bad brakes, a dented tank, and a tendency to whimsically stop working at inopportune times. But it was MY motorcycle. My FIRST motorcycle. I've had over a dozen cars through the years, but only three motorcycles. And the Yamaha was the first. Plus you've gotta love a company that can make motorcycles and musical instruments...
9. Royal Enfield Bullet - Speaking of bikes that just had to make the list, there just had to be a standard motorcycle with British origins somewhere. And what better choice than an absolute throwback to the days of the original British invasion? 499cc engine, drum brakes, and 75 mpg in a bike that costs around $5K. If I was going to pick up a small motorcycle for commuting, it'd be a Royal Enfield - might as well rack up the miles in vintage style...
10. Boss Hoss 350 V8. Okay. I've gotta put in one of the Boss Hoss bikes, if for no reason other than the sheer "HOLY SHIT" factor of piloting a motorcycle powered by a GM 350 cubic inch engine. Sure, it's got two gears - around town and "OHMYG-DI'MGONNADIE" highway mode - but that V8 rumble is just as distinctive as the Harley V-twin, and when you realize it's coming from a motorcycle...
So there's my list of my favorite bikes. Obviously this is a subjective list, and I'm certain I've forgotten a couple dozen excellent motorcycles in the list. There's an obvious slant towards newer bikes in the list, and that comes from trying to keep a 20 year old Honda going before I got my Electra Glide (especially as a self-proclaimed "mechanically declined" person such as myself...).
So... I've shared m favorite bikes - let's hear about yours!
That is all.
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12 comments:
Good list. I loves me some Harleys as well!
Hard to beat that Valkyrie though.
The only bike I have ever realy lusted after was the Valkyrie Rune. Just the aesthetics of that thing alone was almost enough for me to get a clunker bike to learn how to ride, and then drop the $15k for the Rune.
Sadly, my wife has other plans for my skin.
Heath,
I had to be careful not to just reproduce the entire Harley line...
I would REALLY like one of the Softail Deluxes. And a Fat Boy. And a Softail Standard to customize. And a Road King (which is actually what I wanted to get when I got the Electra Glide).
And...
:)
Linoge,
Notice there aren't any custom bikes on the list - the Boss Hoss and Indian getting as "boutique" as I can.
Friend of mine has a custom built on a FLST, and while it's an awesome looking and sounding bike, by the time we make the 1.5 hour ride to Laconia he's just about to cry...
Ergonomics rule for those of us who love to ride...
It's also why I won't put loud pipes on my FLHT - I love riding it long distance too much to damage my hearing...
Just goes to show what I know... thought that thing was a production scooter :).
Jay,
I'm at the ripe old age of 50, and I've been riding powered bikes since I first rode and crashed a minibike at age 11.
In that time, I've had 39 states and nearly 300,000 miles go under various saddles; most of them Honda.
Three of those trips were San Antonio to Boston and points north. One via a Chicago detour, (buisness convention) and the third swinging by Orlando to visit my Dad while en route.
I bought my first Gold Wing Interstate, a 1982 model (Indigo Blue) in the spring of 1993. I've had three more since, with the last GL-1500a traded in for 5 screws in my left ankle back in 1998.
Yes, I want another one dearly. No, I don't have the twenny large it'd take to get the bike and gear in proper order.
A side note: My First Gear ScoutII jacket (made by HeinGerke), was under Ike's floodwaters for two days, and unattended in a wet, post flooded garage for a month after the storm.
It's been wet with salt spray from seven years of sailing and living aboard, but it's never been as badly treated as by Ike's floodwaters.
I let it air-dry for another month, then took it to a restoration expert up in Houston. $150 later, it's as good as new. Better, than new in fact, it's a survivor of both road and sea.
And yes, damn sure I carried a Browning BDA-380 on those trips. Some things just never change, eh?
Jim
Sunk New Dawn
Galveston, TX
Dude... you forgot one of THE classic bikes (and, not incidently, what I plan on replacing the 'Potomus with): the Triumph T-Bird.
But I think I can forgive you the oversite... :P
Guy at the office has a Ural, from Russia. He says it's almost better in snow than on clear roads.
http://www.imz-ural.com/patrol/
Cool looking bike, got to say. But don't think I'd want to ride from Moskva to Kiev in it ....
Thanks for the love on the Valk.
Jay - first thing I HAVE to point out to you: For most of my riding career, I rode a BMW R65 - NOT a bike known for it's noise. For the first 10 years I rode without hearing protection - I didn't know I needed it!! Result? I have hearing damage NOT from the engine noise, but from the WIND NOISE - damage enough to be very noticeable when I have to keep asking people to repeat themselves.
Dude... please. Do yourself a favor. Even if you're riding the quietest Honda out there like a little Rebel or something, wear earplugs. You'll be glad you did.
I wish I had.
Now, that said... Couple of bikes you missed: The Ariel Square Four. Never rode one, but OMG... it's like an orgasm on two wheels just LOOKING at it. Beautiful bikes.
And of course, the BMW "airheads". Aircooled, opposed twin-cylinder engines, they're not the fastest bike out there. They're not the most maneuverable. They're not as sheerly plush as a Gold Wing... but they're one of the all-around most competent bikes on the road! They're fast enough for our roads - they can, when ridden by a good rider, embarrass Japanese iron in the twisties - and they're designed to throw a leg over in one state and get off three states away.
I never set out to buy a Beemer back in '86 when I had money burning a hole in my pocket, honest. But the Harley dealer wouldn't even let me test ride one, my buddy's Nighthawk picked the DAY BEFORE I was going down to the Honda shop to buy my own Nighthawk to seize the engine up... and then decided I'd test ride a Beemer. I'd seen them in a Honda/BMW dealer and thought A) that the K bikes were ugly (I still think so) and B - Damn... ONE shock? That can't be safe! The dealer pointed out that my CAR only had one shock per wheel...
So I went to a BMW dealer and test rode an R80.
I bought my R65 the next morning. I have NEVER regretted buying a Beemer for one second in the 22 years since.
When I decided I wanted a faired bike, I went and bought a 21 year old R80RT - basically the SAME DAMNED BIKE as the one I'd been riding for 21 years but with a slightly larger engine and a fairing.
Harleys? Rather ride than wrench:-)
Norton 750 Commando, (Still need the wrench)
Vincent Black Shadow(Need your own game show)
Yamaha RZ 350 in yellow and black. Man I miss that bike, hope the fucker who stole it is fishbait.
Honda CL-350, Suzuki GT-550 (two stroke triple), Harley FXRS-Sp, Suzuki GS-850G. Each has their own stories. The favorite so far has to be the Harley, but sometimes I really miss my GT-550.
No Triumph? Really!? The Scrambler? Or Bonneville?
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