Ducati Monster Forum

Loving my monster, took a break  to put on a coat of wax and got to thinking about all the bikes I've owned and loved.  Then I started thinking about what wasn't so great............
For me it was a Honda 750F i4  I bought new in maybe '85.  The front end was kind of squirelly right from the start, it had five pressed steel spokes riveted or otherwise attached to the rims.  After a few months I was debating whether to change the tires, the wheels or the forks when I dumped on some wet railroad tracks for no good reason.  I traded it within a couple of weeks for a Gpz, took the loss and never looked back.  No internet back then, never knew if it was just me or what  ???

I first wife.




Horrible ride.

Were her wheels...

square?

at least you got to ride her.  mine had throttle body sync issues.  :P

My not so great bike was my 125cr.  It was fun but wild as hell.

Some friends and I were just talking about this yesterday.

For me, it was my '08 Triumph 1050 Sprint ST. Cheese-us, what a great looking bike! As red as the reddest Ducati.
But the headlights were the worst ever and the mediocre suspension was pretty much unfixable. Had an awesome exhaust note but really lacked personality otherwise.
I still miss her (but not all that much)

I don't know that I've ever had a bike I didn't like - wait there was that ST3 but it's not that it was a bad bike just not good for 2-up which is what I got it for - 1969 SL100 (have to love ur first) 1971 SL350 (lots of miles and first new) 1989 CBR600, 1995 Virago 1100, 1999 Valkryie, 2002 Roadstar, 2003 Roadstar Warrior, 2005 FJR, 2006 ST3, 2007 Stratoliner, 2007 S4RS - doesn't count ex's bikes - liked them more than the ex LMAO  ;D

A radical 1956 Panhead chopper I bought in 1978.

I knew it was a beater when I bought it.  The plan was to ride it home and tear it down for complete makeover.

By the time I finally had a complete running bike back on the road I spent 10 years and a classified amount of money, and the only things I was able to use from the original bike was the transmission case, transmission gear set, timing gears, and flywheels.

I got hosed.

To the opposite idea, the best bike I ever had that I thought was going to be a total looser but wound up loving: 1977 BMW R100/7, purchased in 1985.

Had a CR500 once for about 2 weeks. That thing was trying to kill me. the throttle was a toggle switch that went from off to insane in a millisecond. The only bike that ever scared me.

Also not really in love with a Hodaka trail bike I once had. the shifter went thru the front sprocket and the carnage that came from a missed gear still makes me shutter.

 [evil] My 120 Jota. Heavy, thirsty (very) ,uncomfortable, wayward (very), harsh suspension, bendy front forks when using the superb brakes, and super skinny tyres. However, the one saving grace was the utterly intoxicating exhaust note from the hollow pipes. Spine tingling stuff, and, nice though it is, my Evo doesn't sound a tenth as good!

Honda ST1300

I got it for the wife and I to ride and it was just a heavy boring bike.  I never could get used to the weight of it and it just wasn't fun to ride.  That electric adjustable windscreen was the best thing ever though.

98 Bandit 600 and 99 ZRX1100. 

The Bandit barely had enough power to do anything more than 60 on the highway, however, it was VERY reliable and easy to work on.

The ZRX was heavy and had terrible suspension, however, the power of that engine was ridiculous.  I went to take a right-on-red in 2nd gear, gave her a blip of throttle, and the front wheel came up.  A week later she had a new owner and I collected a tasty profit!

'61 XLCH bobber

I bought it in a box and spent a year building it back.  Had the frame and tank painted nicely.  I did a fine job of building it and it ran well, but it was just an unpleasant ride.  It was my first and last harley.

not that i haven't ridden harleys i liked, i love the XR, but it's just not my taste overall

(http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l309/ducatiz/moto/random/th_4297f938.jpg) (http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l309/ducatiz/moto/random/4297f938.jpg)

Two of my current and favorite bikes are mentioned in here all ready.

My CR500 does indeed scare me....thats what makes it great.

My triumph 1050 ST headlights are the worst worst worst ever, but the rest if the bike is fantastic. Including the suspension which I remedied with simply new springs.

Bad bike-can't think of any!

(http://www.imagepicphotos.com/images/Dogs/1000-gts-yamaha.jpg)


This is what came to mind when I read the thread title.

Funny thing is, in '08 they *improved* the headlights on the Sprint ST! I rode one cross country and back, took me most of the trip to wam up tot he bike, like two thirds. The bike was never fun, it was ok in long sweepers but that's not really where it was aiming I think. For what it was trying to do, it was pretty good just bland. The real shame of that bike is how they made a 1050 triple seem so boring.

I know people who own (yes, present tense) them and love them.

For me, it was my S4RS, gorgeous bike, all the bells and whistles but it wasn't in the best shape when I got it and after spending a year fixing it (and finally getting it working right and feeling good) I just couldn't deal with it.

(http://photos.toshcroft.com/Bikes/07-Ducati-Monster-S4RS/P1030716/471807793_DpNZj-L.jpg)

(http://www.suzukicycles.org/photos/suzuki-history/1986/1986_GSXR1100_450.jpg)


My first personal litre class bike.

Great motor (think diesel truck), wrapped in the worst frame/suspension. I was 20 when i got it and loved it for long road trips. in the twists it was absolute shit. Even with the damper, headshake coming down from high speed was not fun.

To date the fastest I have ever been on two wheels was on that bike.

2002 Moto Guzzi V11 Le Mans.  Completely possesed.  

(http://i195.photobucket.com/albums/z234/n2f/2002%20Moto%20Guzzi%20V11%20Le%20Mans/P1000087-1-1.jpg)

It was a beautiful bike for sure but totally useless when you needed it to run.

'87 BMW K75s that I bought used sometime in the early 1990's.  Somewhere in a drawer I have an old Win 3.1 386 PC hard drive with a full page list of all the parts that either fell off or failed on that bike.   My '66 Triumph is actually more reliable than the Beemer.  I still have the BMW, draped under a tarp in a corner of the shed.

That was a stunning bike. [thumbsup] [Dolph] And yes, it did seem possesed. Wasn't like you and RPM didn't try everything you could. And then some. [bang] Sure would have been a sweet ride for an Arkansas tour!

2005 BMW R1200GS.

Good thing it had ABS, because the shit (but very powerful) power-assisted brakes had zero feel and were easy to lock up. Unfortunately the ABS unit leaked when a rear brake supply tube popped out. Bleeding to repair was a nightmare to do at home...so it cost me $200. WTF. Seemed to me the designers added complexity to that bike for no other reason than to add complexity.

I havent had many bikes, i believe just 5 over 14 years of riding.. but this is the one I wasnt sad to see go. It almost killed me plenty of times. I am not exagerating when I say this. I owned the bike for 2 years. It was stolen from a garage.. and i FELT RELIEVED!!!  This bike had unbelievable amount of torque and the front end was very light, PLUS the handlebars were set real low and swept back. This simply cause this thing to head shake almost everywhere, under the slightest road imperfections.  At the time, i didnt know this was a common problem, that could easily be addressed with some suspension changes and steering damper.  ill never forget that bike.   she was sexy, but like an angry girlfriend.. always looking to make me pay. (http://www.motorcycle-usa.com/photogallerys/02CBR929-1.jpg)