The Unofficial Motorcycle Thread!

[DonTom]

Post a photo of your motorcycles. I will start with two of my ten, my 2016 MG Stelvio and my 2017 Zero SR with power tank.

I have 8 others to post sometime later.

-Don- Reno, NV

 

[SpencerPJ]

My new to me 2013 Goldwing FB6, next to my 1983 Yamaha Venture.

 

[Tom]

Regrettably, I don't have a photo. But here's the wiki on my 1960's era Velocette Venom. The wiki contains some interesting facts, but the photos don't look like my bike. Mine was painted red, and had a red fairing, but it had that fishtail 'silencer' (muffler), which allowed for hard-over banking at speed.

That 500cc single cylinder engine plopped like a Massey Furguson tractor, giving me the nickname "Tommy tractor".

 

[Great Horned Owl]

Here's what the 650 cc Moto Guzzi used to look like. This was taken on a trip from Chicago to Yellowstone in 1970 if I remember correctly. The bike was about 10-12 years old at the time.

Those funny looking black bars are holding up a makeshift (plexiglass) windshield. The original windshield broke when the tube in the front tire blew out on I-90 in Wyoming. To my surprise, it rode quite well at 75 mph with a blown front tube. Unfortunately, at 20 mph, it became very unstable. I finally lost control while going up an off ramp. I landed on my wallet, which lost a little leather through my shredded back pocket, and my wife skinned her elbow. We got a new tube, and finished the trip. I was glad that I didn't have to pull the rear wheel on the side of the road.

The bike was totaled several years later by a guy who ran a stop sign. Amazingly, I was unhurt, and my wife had a fractured tibia. She never let me buy another bike.

Joel

 

[Oldgator73]

2010 HD Heritage Softail Classic. Had it shipped to England and had to park it in the kitchen since we didn’t have a garage. Sold it to a British guy in 2014. Hope he’s enjoying it.

 

[DonTom]

I now have seven motorcycles at this house, since I had to move three from my sold Cold Springs Valley, NV house (less than 20 miles from here). Here are a bunch of photos of my messy garage (junk from the other house as I wait to have a shed built here):

 

[DonTom]

I have nine out of ten motorcycles posted in my two posts above. My 1983.5 Venture (1984 model that must be registered as a 1983) is at my Auburn house. I will be there tomorrow and I will take a photo of it then.

1984 is when we (USA) taxed foreign large motorcycles to help with Harley-Davison USA sales. My 1984 Venture has a frame date of September 1983 as it was built in 1983 as a 1984 model. To avoid the new tax in 1984, it had to be registered as a 1983. To buy a part for the same bike (and many parts are different between 83 & 84) it was a 1984. So people started calling it the " year 1983 & a half Yamaha Venture".

-Don- Reno, NV

 

[Jeff in Ferndale Wa]

Mine's for sale,so the pics are on Craigslist. Just don't seem to find the time to ride any more and could use the garage space.
Bought it new in 04 after wrecking my 02.rode hard for 10 more years, and have been a lot of places on the west coast.
Focusing more now on the RV.
Sort of looking for a 70s era rice burner, maybe even an early Goldwing just for day rides.

https://bellingham.craigslist.org/mcy/d/ferndale-2004-honda-goldwing-gl1800/7368237282.html

 

[Krazeehorse33]

 

[Krazeehorse33]

08 Ultra Classic (at Ponce Inlet) and an 85 RZ-350 Kenny Roberts

 

[DonTom]

That 500cc single cylinder engine plopped like a Massey Furguson tractor, giving me the nickname "Tommy tractor".

Back in the late 1960's, when I used to ride to work on my little 1967 Honda Trail 90, my coworkers nicknamed me "Daring Don Dipstick".

-Don- Reno, NV

 

[Oldgator73]

08 Ultra Classic (at Ponce Inlet) and an 85 RZ-350 Kenny Roberts

My wife’s family used to have a Mother’s Day picnic at Ponce Inlet every year. I spent a lot of time in the area. Born in Daytona Beach in 1951. Left in 1975. My MIL was a nurse. She worked the MC races at the track in DB for years. My dad worked with several of the early NASCAR drivers; back then they had day jobs like plumbers and electricians.

 

[Ex-Calif]

2006 Yamaha V-Star 650. Here's a couple of photos tent camping. That was my last x-country bike trip. Got cut off 3 times.

The third time was a Karen in a big white Escalade on her cell phone. I had to lay the bike down to get stopped. I doubt she ever saw me as she just turned in front of me and kept on driving.

I only ride local now. 90% of the time this bike is also my toad.

 

[Krazeehorse33]

My wife’s family used to have a Mother’s Day picnic at Ponce Inlet every year. I spent a lot of time in the area. Born in Daytona Beach in 1951. Left in 1975. My MIL was a nurse. She worked the MC races at the track in DB for years. My dad worked with several of the early NASCAR drivers; back then they had day jobs like plumbers and electricians.

We don't go to Daytona without eating at Down the Hatch at Ponce.

 

[DonTom]

Here is my 10th bike. Other nine have been shown, but I realize the garage photo from Reno isn't all that clear on my seven bikes in that garage.

This is my 1983 and a half Yamaha Venture:

-Don- Auburn, CA

 

[SpencerPJ]

Nice venture. Not sure if I’m selling my 83 or not

 

[DonTom]

Nice venture. Not sure if I’m selling my 83 or not

Does it have or has it had the infamous 2nd gear problem? How many miles on yours?

I got the 2nd gear issue at around 60K miles and still has that issue, so I now have to skip over 2nd gear. Not a big deal to me, just a minor annoyance. Not worth fixing, but also not worth junking the bike over, IMO.

Most 83, 84 and some 85 Ventures (until a certain vin number) got that problem before 50 K miles.

-Don- Auburn, CA

 

[Tom]

No photo (again), but my first motorcycle was a 650cc twin cylinder Triumph, geared to drag along a sidecar, but we rode it solo. A friend and I bought it 50/50, and rode it on mountain/forest roads in the UK (we weren't old enough to get a license). When my Dad got home from vacation and learned I had half shares in this bike, he wasn't happy. I reminded him that he'd had 14 motorcycles, and that ended the conversation.

My co-owner's family emigrated to Canada, and he sold me his half for 5 UK pounds ($7).

 

[DonTom]

but my first motorcycle was a 650cc twin cylinder Triumph

What year Triumph?

-Don- Auburn, CA

 

[Tom]

What year Triumph?

-Don- Auburn, CA

Don, we teenagers bought it circa 1963, so I can only assume it was a 1950+ bike. (It started and drove, and we didn't care what year it was). I want to say it was a Trophy, but google searches don't show it as that model.