Okay, for all of you that have sold a bike in the past that you really wish you had kept instead, let's hear what they are, and why.
Mine was a Honda VTR 1000 Superhawk. Underrated bike in my view. The motor was fantastic with torque everywhere. With suspension
work it was a decent handling bike as well. Just suffered from bland styling, but great on the road.
Wish I still had my first bike, a Suzuki GN250. I didn't sell it though, it was stolen. It was just an all around sweet bike. Perfect for tooling around.
The bike I wish I had kept is a Triumph Trophy 1960 i used it for green lane riding, but found it a bit heavy for the tracks we have in the UK, but it made a super road bike, it would be worth a fortune now.
I've had many, many bikes in the last 50 years and have liked most all of them. The bikes nowadays are so superior mechanically I don't miss most of the ones from years past. But if I had to pick one for nostalgia's sake I'd like to have the Ducati 350 single cylinder I had while living in Italy in my early 20's. It was kind of a "proto-cruiser" and I doubt that many were imported to the US. This one is similar:
I've had many, many bikes in the last 50 years and have liked most all of them. The bikes nowadays are so superior mechanically I don't miss most of the ones from years past.
I miss my '71 R50/5 race bike. Built it up from bits, spray bombed it flat black, and raced it in AHRMA for the better part of a decade. But now that I reflect on it, I guess what I miss is the vintage bike racing experience and not necessarily the bike itself.
I guess I better rebuild that crashed out Honda 350 I have lying in pieces and get it back in track-worthy condition. Life is short and its time to get crackin'....
Let's see. It would be easier to say what bike I wouldn't want back. Should I have kept my first bike a 1965 Honda? It actually came in a basket. Maybe. Ace 90 Hodaka? 90, 150, 350, 400, 500 CC Hondas? A few of each. 3 dirt bikes? Yamaha. Suzuki. A Dream? The one that I wished I had back is my CL-77 305 Honda Scrambler. It looked nearly new. 305CC. Dual carbs. High pipes. 4 speed. Terrible bike to bike. Now that is. Back then it was sweet. But my Bonnie beats them all in all ways. First bike I rode was a 175 Bridgestone. Rotary shift. 1 2 3 4 then 1 again. Scary.
My 1980 Honda CB750F Supersport. I bought it in really bad shape, spent the fall working on it, and then accidentally left it running in the garage to warm up a few weeks before Christmas - it warmed up all right, got hot enough to melt the dipstick and the electronics inside the left side engine cover, which finally killed it. Spent the winter and spring with it torn apart down to the block, cleaning out melted plastic and replacing components, finally got it running in late spring, and then sold it in the summer when I joined the Marine Corps. I spent so much time on that motorcycle, and then practically gave it away... LIKE AN IDIOT. That was 12 years ago, and I've kicked myself every day since then.
I found a very clean '71 Honda CL450 Scrambler in 1992 that's only flaw was a '72 non matching tank...I replaced that tank with the last NOS proper '71 tank in the official Honda parts list…Blue with a black swoosh...ran beautifully (surprisingly fast) and I sold it a few years ago…IDIOT. I also loved my '82 GL1100 Goldwing Aspencade (!)"Standard" I bought in '93…no bags or windshield like the original 'wings, and that damn thing went like a friggin' jet. No regrets really, and I only have room for one bike at the moment anyway which is my '12 t100…all the bike I need.
BSA Dandy my first bike 50 years ago I'm sure that with the knowledge I've accumulated in the ensuing years I could finally get the blasted thing to run right . As for all the rest I would have kept them all but for the need to trade them in , and the lack of an aircraft hangar to store them .
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