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One I wish I still had

2K views 4 replies 4 participants last post by  2wheeljunkie 
#1 · (Edited)
This was my first BMW. A 1976 R90/6. Luftmeister faring , Krauser luggage and crash bars.
I purchased it from a dealer in Livermore Ca. Long since gone for 3400. I only rode it to the 35,000 mark and sold it for 4500 in 2008. I had an itch for something new and not enough room for a fourth bike.
That bike was so easy to work on compared to todays bikes. So BMW number two was a 2009 K1300 GT. Way cool except for all the issues it had. Switch failures so many times. Free even after warranty was up. Hot start, hesitation on acceleration, dying when coming to a stop. 33500 miles was enough fun. Number 3 BMW and current is a 2016 R1200RT. I tend to like the touring part of the bike. It is not that much lighter than the K bike but really feels like 100 pounds . Both bikes had been laid down from careless mistakes. I needed help lifting the K bike but the R came right up. Neither was dropped hard enough to put a few scratches. The K I had repaired, the R is fine. Ilium bars saved her.
I still wish I had never parted with my first.
Which one would you like to have back?
 

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#2 · (Edited)
NONE were BMW's. 1972 kawaski 750 triple, 1975 1103cc Z-1 with Lester wheels named Brutus for a reason,78 GS1000E, 79 Honda CBX...my original one, Z1-R Turbo, 1980 GS1100, 1982 Kawasaki 1100 with fuel injection(looked like a red Eddie Lawson replica), 1984 GS1150E, 1986 FJ1200..........those are only the original bikes I owned...many many more were in between and at times 3 of the same model....

last but not least my 1999 copper hayabusa......had several with one set up as a sport touring bike but none did it for me like the copper one.

From a performance stand point I doubt BMW will get on my list although in touring I find the LT hard to beat. Maybe a 1600GT may do it one day. Maybe but after riding a ZX1400 based sport touring bike I doubt it.

Hard choice but best bike I ever owned....no doubt. Kawasaki Z-1. So durable. So tough. Beautiful styling.

The sound, obviously the cbx.
 
#3 ·
My "ONE I WISH I STILL HAD" is not a motorcycle not even a BMW. However it is of German origin. It was a 1956 Porsche Speedster! Bought it off a used car lot in Reading, PA for $750 in 1965, shortly after getting married. It was rough but it ran. Did a bunch of work on it and ran it for several years until the 1st child came along. Seems like it didn't make a very functional Family transport! It unfortunately got sold in favor of a VW Beetle. :frown:
 

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#4 ·
If one should ever doubt the impact that the Z-1 made in the motorcycling world this video should rest all doubts.



Few bikes in my mind make as much impact with none actually exceeding the Z-1.

My list would be the: (performance)
1969 Honda 750
1973 Kawasaki
1979 Honda cbx
1980-83 suzuki GS1100/ 1984-86 1150
1999 suzuki hayabusa
 
#5 ·
I had that same bike, but had a Windjammer fairing and never got around to getting bags. It was a great bike, but it was my 2nd BMW. My first was a 1972 R 75/5, full fairing, side cases, and a top case (not sure the makes) all for $1800.00 Canadian and no sales tax, as I was in Alberta. I bought it in the spring of 1973 and it was a leftover from '72 so I got a great deal on it. I loved both those bikes, but loved the R 75/5 better, mostly because of the memories I had of the trips through the Rockies with it, and a great trip down the east coast of Maine and New Hampshire and into the White and Green Mountains. Now I am going to have one of these great bikes again... same colour, same toaster tank, only fairing and bags are different, and no top case. I am trading my 2014 RT (the BEST bike I have ever owned) for the 1972 R 75, plus some cash. The owner has totally restored the bike and I am looking forward to getting it soon. I am having some gimpy leg issues from an old injury and find I am having difficulty holding the RT up with that leg and worry about dropping it. I wish I had never sold either of the 70's R bikes, they were great all around bikes which are worth nearly 6 times the original cost. I am not sure I like the fairing, may look for another, and may paint the white bags black, but won't do anything yet. Attached photos are from owner.
 

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