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At the risk of sounding boastful, I have no hesitation in jumping on any of my modest fleet and going a fair distance.
My modern bikes are the long distance runners and seem like they will run forever. My vintage bikes are well maintained and (before the virus) I often go for a 100+ mile ride and have never had an issue in 20+ years.
One of our club Sunday rides is about 175 miles return, and either the Triumph or the BSA handle that with ease. But there was none of that last summer and we're looking forward to a much better 2021 season.
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(04-17-2021, 03:19 AM)LakeWylieJoe_imp Wrote: My last bike, an '86 CB700SC Nighthawks S that I restored to factory spec was as care-free as a sporty bike can get. Maintenance free valves, hydraulic clutch, shaft drive, no water pump, no fuel pump (gravity feed). Very, very easy to maintian.
Its performance was comparable & top speed was a good bit higher than the CB1100 as well. If parts weren't so hard to find, I'd have kept it forever.
It grew a crowd wherever I went, too. :-)
That is a beautiful motorcycle.
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(04-17-2021, 03:19 AM)LakeWylieJoe_imp Wrote: My last bike, an '86 CB700SC Nighthawks S that I restored to factory spec was as care-free as a sporty bike can get. Maintenance free valves, hydraulic clutch, shaft drive, no water pump, no fuel pump (gravity feed). Very, very easy to maintian.
Its performance was comparable & top speed was a good bit higher than the CB1100 as well. If parts weren't so hard to find, I'd have kept it forever.
It grew a crowd wherever I went, too. :-)
I had the '84 CB750SC Nighthawk S in Blue-Black. It was an excellent lookin' bike and about as "maintenance free" as a Honda motorcycle could get.
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(04-17-2021, 03:44 AM)Rocky_imp Wrote: At the risk of sounding boastful, I have no hesitation in jumping on any of my modest fleet and going a fair distance.
My modern bikes are the long distance runners and seem like they will run forever. My vintage bikes are well maintained and (before the virus) I often go for a 100+ mile ride and have never had an issue in 20+ years.
One of our club Sunday rides is about 175 miles return, and either the Triumph or the BSA handle that with ease. But there was none of that last summer and we're looking forward to a much better 2021 season.
It is not boasting when you do that kind of riding!  You give me inspiration to keep riding and don’t dwell on the possibilities that my riding days maybe limited because of my age! Thank you that! ...and 175 miles on vintage motorcycles! I’m impressed!
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(04-17-2021, 05:11 AM)suhawk305_imp Wrote: (04-17-2021, 03:44 AM)Rocky_imp Wrote: At the risk of sounding boastful, I have no hesitation in jumping on any of my modest fleet and going a fair distance.
My modern bikes are the long distance runners and seem like they will run forever. My vintage bikes are well maintained and (before the virus) I often go for a 100+ mile ride and have never had an issue in 20+ years.
One of our club Sunday rides is about 175 miles return, and either the Triumph or the BSA handle that with ease. But there was none of that last summer and we're looking forward to a much better 2021 season.
It is not boasting when you do that kind of riding! You give me inspiration to keep riding and don’t dwell on the possibilities that my riding days maybe limited because of my age! Thank you that! ...and 175 miles on vintage motorcycles! I’m impressed!
It is not boasting when you do that kind of riding! You give me inspiration to keep riding and don’t dwell on the possibilities that my riding days maybe limited because of my age! Thank you that! ...and 175 miles on vintage motorcycles! I’m impressed!
Thanks for that 
If your health and strength is good, don't let age slow you down or quit riding - and don't talk yourself into thinking you're too old.
That said, it all comes down to health, strength and stamina so use common sense and I'm sure you will know when time is up.
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I have 123,000 miles on my 1976 Honda CB750F. It's been in storage the past 20 years now. This bike never once failed to get me back home. Other than several flat tires, the only issue I had with it was a broken clutch cable. I was 2 miles from home when the clutch cable broke and I was able to make it home. I put the bike in neutral when I came to a stop light, but when the light turned green I pushed it up to speed before jumping on and clicking it into gear. I put new clutch plates and springs in it, rear wheel bearings, fork seals, and the LH lower fork tube that wore out (no fork bushings in these older bikes, and the forces caused by the single brake disc on the LH side caused higher loading on the LH side).
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(04-18-2021, 12:11 AM)Dave_imp Wrote: I have 123,000 miles on my 1976 Honda CB750F. It's been in storage the past 20 years now. This bike never once failed to get me back home. Other than several flat tires, the only issue I had with it was a broken clutch cable. I was 2 miles from home when the clutch cable broke and I was able to make it home. I put the bike in neutral when I came to a stop light, but when the light turned green I pushed it up to speed before jumping on and clicking it into gear. I put new clutch plates and springs in it, rear wheel bearings, fork seals, and the LH lower fork tube that wore out (no fork bushings in these older bikes, and the forces caused by the single brake disc on the LH side caused higher loading on the LH side).
That's an impressive number of miles
Years ago I had been out for a long day ride on my then Honda Hawk NT650.
As I pulled into my driveway and pulled in the clutch lever, the cable snapped.
Considering how far away I had been that day, I was more than lucky - but two miles from home isn't bad either.
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(04-16-2021, 04:11 AM)The ferret_imp Wrote: (04-16-2021, 02:35 AM)Gone in 60_imp Wrote: I tried to go "care free" when I bought a BMW. Shaft drive, single-side swingarm for easy wheel removal, and cylinders out in the breeze allowing for 30-minute valve adjustments.
It was carefree until the electronics went wonky, and the recall notices started rolling in. When care free became careful, I went back to Honda.
BMW ...Been Many Warnings
Erhm, wasn't that Bring Me Workshop ?
Well, can't really complain as I rode a K1100RS more or less carefree for 19 years. But the last year...
However it brought me home over more than 100 km with a hole in piston no. 3. Then I got the cb1100.
The new BMW models are not made for me. I don't like the boxer characteristic and the other models are over engineered for me.
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