12-03-2017, 08:12 AM
I have come full circle in the past ~54 years of street riding.
From 1963 to 1981, my M/C history was 7 Hondas (street) and 3 Yamahas (enduros).
In 2002, after an 18 year hiatus from owning a M/C (rode friend’s occasionally during that time), I was looking at a Honda 750 Nighthawk. The previous year model was black, but the current model (and last year of the Nighthawk) was red and I just was not interested in red, at that time.
Lest I offend red bike owners, I’ve had 4 black, 3 orange, 3 blue, 2 red, 1 yellow, 1 gray, 1 gold, 1 white and 1 dual sport was a desert tan.
I wanted a standard bike, sit up straight, no forward controls, no Tupperware and a new 2003 XLH883 Sportster was perfect for me. Top speed just over 100 MPH, but great for canyon running. It was replaced by a barely used 2002 Sportster 1200 Sport (W grind cams, dual plug heads, dual front discs, adjustable front and rear suspension). Top speed ~120 MPH (not tested by me) and a stock one was timed in the ¼ mile at 13.39 @95.2 MPH. Great suspension and lean angles for canyon running. Both ridden about 1,000 miles per month. Narrow and nimble with an abundance of accessories available, with parts very reasonably priced. Unfortunately, H-D quit making a standard height Sportster.
That was followed by a new 2012 Triumph Bonneville, an excellent machine, great build quality. Due to work travel, it was only ridden 7K miles in a year and sold to offset medical bills for #2 daughter.
Excluding dual sports, that was followed by a 2016 Moto Guzzi V7II, also ridden 1,000 miles per month. Really liked it (5.8 gallon tank, shaft drive, easy to adjust valves, light weight), except for fueling issues and sold it, primarily due to undermined trust in local dealership.
Now I have come full circle back to Honda…and it was well worth the wait!
1172 miles in < 4 weeks…retirement at age 70 (February) is great!
The "problem" with such expected durability is that "help-me" threads are at a minimum. Tough "problem" to have!
From 1963 to 1981, my M/C history was 7 Hondas (street) and 3 Yamahas (enduros).
In 2002, after an 18 year hiatus from owning a M/C (rode friend’s occasionally during that time), I was looking at a Honda 750 Nighthawk. The previous year model was black, but the current model (and last year of the Nighthawk) was red and I just was not interested in red, at that time.
Lest I offend red bike owners, I’ve had 4 black, 3 orange, 3 blue, 2 red, 1 yellow, 1 gray, 1 gold, 1 white and 1 dual sport was a desert tan.
I wanted a standard bike, sit up straight, no forward controls, no Tupperware and a new 2003 XLH883 Sportster was perfect for me. Top speed just over 100 MPH, but great for canyon running. It was replaced by a barely used 2002 Sportster 1200 Sport (W grind cams, dual plug heads, dual front discs, adjustable front and rear suspension). Top speed ~120 MPH (not tested by me) and a stock one was timed in the ¼ mile at 13.39 @95.2 MPH. Great suspension and lean angles for canyon running. Both ridden about 1,000 miles per month. Narrow and nimble with an abundance of accessories available, with parts very reasonably priced. Unfortunately, H-D quit making a standard height Sportster.
That was followed by a new 2012 Triumph Bonneville, an excellent machine, great build quality. Due to work travel, it was only ridden 7K miles in a year and sold to offset medical bills for #2 daughter.
Excluding dual sports, that was followed by a 2016 Moto Guzzi V7II, also ridden 1,000 miles per month. Really liked it (5.8 gallon tank, shaft drive, easy to adjust valves, light weight), except for fueling issues and sold it, primarily due to undermined trust in local dealership.
Now I have come full circle back to Honda…and it was well worth the wait!
1172 miles in < 4 weeks…retirement at age 70 (February) is great!
The "problem" with such expected durability is that "help-me" threads are at a minimum. Tough "problem" to have!