Author Topic: Best handling bike that you have ever owned and why  (Read 34396 times)

Offline slyvestor2

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Best handling bike that you have ever owned and why
« on: February 20, 2013, 11:19:25 AM »
The subject banner above says it all really,my best bike as a kid was an RD250E however it did have limited ground clearance,my' Doc Martens' would wear out pretty quickly on the outer edges,the vfr750 and later 800 could be thrown around without  much in the way of protest but i did find they too would bottom out quite early but they were pretty stable bikes even two up,over to you.

Offline Aquabird

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Re: Best handling bike that you have ever owned and why
« Reply #1 on: May 15, 2013, 05:30:24 PM »
Mine was the 72 Kawasaki 500 H2. Of all the bikes I owned it seemed to out handle the others. Yes, some were more nimble, but did not have the nads to get out of their own way like this bike did.
The best handling bike I think I ever remember riding....now this is for vintage only... was the Kawasaki 350 1972 vintage. That bike was really nimble and very quick.

wetdog

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Re: Best handling bike that you have ever owned and why
« Reply #2 on: May 15, 2013, 08:02:01 PM »
moto guzzi G5 @ 1979 on rails

Offline Bomber

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Re: Best handling bike that you have ever owned and why
« Reply #3 on: May 15, 2013, 09:13:12 PM »
Probably a Norton 99 Dominator... one of the worst was a Kawasaki H2 lol
If iver tha does owt for nowt alus duit for thissen

wetdog

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Re: Best handling bike that you have ever owned and why
« Reply #4 on: May 15, 2013, 10:59:15 PM »
i was surprised to see a Kawasaki 500 H2 in there , is this a joke or is the only other bike hes rode a 1959 bonnie

Offline R

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Re: Best handling bike that you have ever owned and why
« Reply #5 on: May 15, 2013, 11:47:37 PM »
Someone has their kwakas mixed up, the H2 was a 750cc.

Guzzi Lemon Mk1 - arrived at a tight corner doing a lotta knots, very tight corner and big brick wall.
Used all the brakes could find, threw it in, and we came out the other side - thank you Pirellis too.
Wouldn't like to try that on too many older bikes you could name...

Modern sports bikes could do it every day and not even turn a hair ?

Offline Bomber

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Re: Best handling bike that you have ever owned and why
« Reply #6 on: May 15, 2013, 11:54:30 PM »
Yes that's true H1 = 500 H2 =750, I've owned both too  :-[
If iver tha does owt for nowt alus duit for thissen

Offline Aquabird

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Re: Best handling bike that you have ever owned and why
« Reply #7 on: May 16, 2013, 06:23:36 AM »
Sorry I caused such a ruckus about the H1 or H2 thing. It has been about 38 years since I have had it.
It may not have been as good handling as a Norton, but I thought we had to have owned the bike.
 I never owned a Norton. Beat one in a race though.
 British bikes in the 60s and early 70s were very unreliable and parts almost impossible to get within 6 months.
When you live in the north you usually only have about 6 good months to ride in, and the rest is pretty hard core, so who wants to wait on parts on a slow boat from England?

Offline Bomber

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Re: Best handling bike that you have ever owned and why
« Reply #8 on: May 16, 2013, 07:19:56 AM »
I never found them any more unreliable just much more maintenance hungry - Yorkshire lad here
If iver tha does owt for nowt alus duit for thissen

Offline wink

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Re: Best handling bike that you have ever owned and why
« Reply #9 on: May 16, 2013, 10:56:00 AM »
I never worried how it handled, I only worried if it would start to get me home!
You canīt steer a K2 until the front wheel is on the floor.
I never pulled a wheelie on a British bike.

Offline twolitre

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Re: Best handling bike that you have ever owned and why
« Reply #10 on: May 17, 2013, 09:37:54 PM »
Should any of us have ever "pulled a wheelie" anytime? Unless of course we have lots of room to play about off-road.
Jim.
Jim Walker.

Offline Bomber

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Re: Best handling bike that you have ever owned and why
« Reply #11 on: May 17, 2013, 10:23:50 PM »
A K2... Honda 750 sohc?... they never pulled a power wheelie either
If iver tha does owt for nowt alus duit for thissen

wetdog

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Re: Best handling bike that you have ever owned and why
« Reply #12 on: May 17, 2013, 10:44:22 PM »
need at 30 stone pillion (at least) to pull a power wheelie on a G5 , only wheelies pulled now on a beta zero . nice and light

Offline Searchguru

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Re: Best handling bike that you have ever owned and why
« Reply #13 on: May 18, 2013, 11:03:42 PM »
1973 Puch MS50D - Dreadfully brilliant first bike/moped between 1976 and 1980.
1979 Ducati 900SS - Brilliant second bike from 1980 to 85. None of the other bikes I have owned since are as good as these two.

wetdog

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Re: Best handling bike that you have ever owned and why
« Reply #14 on: May 19, 2013, 08:37:08 AM »
from a 50cc puch to a 900ss , i bet that was a shock , i found from c11g to 3ta a leap