Bikes we've owned

[Moto63]

Really enjoyed reading Matt's list of bikes he's owned over the years on the "high mileage thumper" thread so thought I'd start a fresh thread on just that...here's mine, not necessarily in order and I may possibly forget a couple as I've had a couple (of beers
Honda SS50
Honda XL125
Honda cb250rs
Honda xbr500 x6
Yamaha ty250 x2
Montesa 200
Honda cb77
Benelli 350 four
Yamaha xj900
Honda vf500
Kawasaki 750 zephyr
1 triumph 509 speed triple
1 triumph 955 speed triple
1 triumph 1050 speed triple
Laverda jota
Loved pretty much all of them except the cb77, looking back I think I was to young to try the "classic" thing back then. Absolutely loved all the triumphs, brilliant all round road bikes, loved the jota, the one that got away so to speak. Unfortunately just couldn't afford to keep it at the time (just bought my first house) the xj900 was IMHO a very much underrated bike, did a fair amount of Europe on that one with a pair of throw over panniers and a tent. The vf500 was fast (for it's time) but fairly boring.
Anyway I'm at the risk of being boring, told you I'd had a couple 
Cheers, Michael

[Moto63]

How could I forget my Suzuki tl1000s....wot a bike that was, like all the press releases said it didn't handle,  not at all but wot a motor, stonkin engine 

[timbo]

Blimey Charlie! That's amazing Michael. Some list of bikes  I think this will be a great thread, with some fantastic stories. So don't be shy 
For now though, I'm off to bed.

[johnr]

im not sure i have enough words to list mine, ive always been a bit of an obsessive, so, in no particular order, heres my list, im going to list by capacity cos its easier to remember them by cc.
ss50, ae50 katana, cb100, gp 100, bantam d1 125,  gs125, xl125, cb125, cg125, ts185, gt200x5, xs 250, c15, cb250n, cb250g5, rd250lc, cb250rs, xl250, montessa 250 cota, sp370, sp400, gn400, cb400n, cb400/4, wm20 (x2) xl500, sr500, xl500, gl500, cx500, gs550e, gs650kat, gs850, gs1000e, cb900f, cb550, gpz550, gsxr750 (x2), xs1100, gsx1100katana (i think ive either 4 or 5 of these) bmwk100, bmw r75, bmw r80, bmw r100, bmw r100rt, bmw k1100lt, bmw r1150gs, bsa m21, triumph t100a, triumph 5ta, cr500, dr650 (x2) gs1000g, gl1100 goldwing (x3), vn1500, gt750, ive had probably 8 or 9 sidecars as well, some on these bikes here and some that i cant remember what they were hung on, though i remember the chairs, ive also had a couple of vw trikes and a couple of reliant engined trikes and some chinese mopeds, im sure that others will spring to mind as soon as i post this.

[johnr]

oh, dr750big, ts250x(only brand new bike i ever bought) honda anf125 innova, honda c90, i think thats yer lot.

[mthee]

Thanks for this, it jogged my memory about the GPZ550 I owned and left off my list. I took a train from West Wales, where I was living at the time, to Bristol and matey boy dealer wheels this £500 (my *******!) heap down the ramps off his transit. It needed new plugs from a local shop to fire, he was suitably embarrassed and I got it for £300 with a short MoT. Front end soon sorted and it was a really sweet ride!

And hey, another ss50 speed freak!

[johnr]

the little gpz550 motor was an astonishingly good little engine and when you think about it the engine had been used for a long while in a lot of bikes. z500, z550, gpz550 (in two incarnations) gt550 with shaft drive, 550 zephyr, that takes it from the late 1970s to the early 2000s not too shabby for a middleweight aircooled budget commuter/runaround.

[spooky]

Too many bikes to list for me, between 60 and 70 i guess, but i have had some odd ones :  in no order
sanglas 500
indian brave 250 (brockhouse)
1947 HD el knucklehead
sportsters x 5
cooper islo 250
moto guzzi stornello 125
gilera giubileo 98cc
simson schwalbe

[mthee]

Taking Michael up on his invitation to include bikes that got away or lemons, as a spotty teenager who knew nothing about bikes, I went to see a Fantic Cabellero. I think it was a 125, but may have been a 50. Anyway, I only went because of the exotic name! I had this idea that it would be cool to tell the local chicks who were bound to ask what I was riding (they didn't, not even once) that it was, "A Cabellero. A Fantic Cabellero." I completely blame my dad - too many westerns and James Bond films! 

[Moto63]

Ha ha ha....now that's a funny story ....

[xbally]

Right - here goes : Tiger Cub(when i was 15) Fizzie (at 16) GT250(L) Honda SS125 (anyone remember them?) Kawa Z750 twin (brand new at 18 with mother as guarantor!) CB77  RE Crusader 250 Yam DT175  Honda C92 Yam RD250C Suzuki GS1000 BSA C15(2 of) Sun Autocycle 98cc Suzuki TS 250 Honda CB 400/(  owned about 3 or 4 of these) Suzuki GS 750 (2 of these) Suzuki GSX550EF Suzuki FR70 (the only step thru and i hated it) Matchless G80  250 Superdream (2 of these) MZETZ250 BMW R65  Honda XL185 Yam XS1100 Kawasaki Z250 Kawasaki KH250(about 10 of these  as i used to auto jumble them) KH 400 ( a few of these) S3(400)  Kawa S2 Kawa (350)H1A Kawa GPZ500S several Kawa S1s  Yam Thundercat GS550  Yam FZ750 Kawa GPZ900 600 and 1200 Bandits Kawa KH500 600 Hornet Honda CB900 Kawa Z1R Suz GSX1100 GT250X7 2 Fazer 600s and a Fazer1000 Kawa ZRX1200 RD200DX Yam YPVS350 Suzuki Sv650 Moto Guzzi V11 Sport Moto Guzzi Griso 1100 Honda CB500T  Kawa Zephyr 1100 RD400Cand E VFR750 and 800 XBR500 (3 of)  RE Bullet 500Electra RE Bullet EFI Ducato Monster 620ie Honda CB250 RS (about 3 of) RD250LC Kawa ER6(F) Honda VT500 Moto guzzi Breva 750 Honda CBR600 Kawa W650...phew think tha's it..sorry if i missed any or duplicated any......The best one?Don't really have a favourite as they are all different to ride and all have their virtues-some more than others though...And i've commuted for over 40 years and still do but not much in the winter but i do ride all year round doing about 5000 each year......

[timbo]

I was a late starter, at 24 years old, apart from a shared field bike as a kid. Compared to some of the lists on here, you could write mine on the back of a postage stamp. Started with a Suzuki GP100, then Z250 Scorpion, C90, Kwak GT550s, Katana 750 engined hard tail chop, FJ1200, then a Fazer 600. Then lost interest for a bit, plus I was building our house.
Became a thumper convert when I bought a 650 Dommie, which I still use, and reckon is probably my favourite of the lot. In recent years I've owned and sold on, two XBRs, BSA C15, RE Bullit Electra X, Honda CB500, Honda Vigor, and a BSA C12. But also in the last few years, I've went a bit mad, and have amassed a collection of all sorts of projects, and bikes bought cheap. Six XBRs, three GB250s, 2002 RE Bullit, 1953 RE J2, Armstrong MT500, HD MT350, Ural 650, Dnepr 650 outfit, Jawa 350 outfit, two MZ 250s, three Minsk 125s, Guzzi Nuovo Falcone, and I own half a 1953 Matchless 500 twin 

[mthee]

V11 sport and Griso...drool! 

[Rossco500]

Well, here goes :-

1967 Lambretta 150 Special (sold in 1980 to Rod the Mod for £40 - probably worth £3k now!)
Honda C70 field bike
Kawasaki KE100
Honda CD175 x 2
Yamaha XT350
Honda CG125
Honda XBR500 x 5
Harley 883 Sportster
Yamaha XS650
Suzuki Bandit 600
Honda CB500R
Yamaha SR500 x 2
Honda CD175 (Sloper)
Honda NTV650
Kawasaki W650 x 3
Moto Guzzi Spada 1000
MZ Skorpion Traveller
BMW R80G/S
Moto Guzzi Le Mans II
Harley Superglide Custom
Kawasaki W800
Triumph Bonneville (2010)
AJS 16MS (350)
Yamaha XT225 Serow
Gilera Arcore 150
Honda CB200
Matchless G9 500 (the other half!! Lol)

I think that's the lot - nearly all singles and twins. Still have some of them. Mostly ok with a few exceptions. The Sportster suffered a major engine problem which cost a mint to sort at the time.
Probably covered most miles on the XBRs and the W650s. The Honda CD175 was a great wee bike - slagged off as a mere commuter but I did 30k miles on mine including 2 trips to the Kent Custom Bike Show from Northern Ireland in 87/88.
Would have been worth holding on to the Lambretta, the BMW R80G/S and the Guzzi Le Mans for the pension fund but hindsight is a wonderful thing!! 

[timbo]

You missed out your DR 350 Rossco