Bikes you have been disappointed in

[the Ferret]

In my old couple and young couple thread in my last post I related how I came to buy my Kaw 1000 after being disappointed after a test ride on a BMW.

In 2006 I again was disappointed on a test ride. I loved my FZ-1 and wanted a dedicated sport touring bike with fairing and hard bags. To me, a FJR was a logical choice. Off to my local Hon- Yam shop for a test ride. Wife and I took a good long ride, about 60 miles. On our way back to the shop, we stopped at a McDonalds for a cold drink and a discussion. I said to my wife " what do you think?" She enthusiastically replied she loved it and thought we should buy it. She was ready to write the check. What did I think ? She asked. Well, I hated it. The clutch was so stiff my left arm was cramping. The throttle was so stiff my right arm was cramping. It felt very top heavy, and I had no confidence leaned over in the corners. I decided not to buy it. Instead when I got back to the shop I told them to order me a Honda ST1300 without even test riding one. Turned out to be a good choice.

BMW R90s and 2006 Yamaha FJR 1300... Two bikes which I wanted which disappointed me badly.

So anyone else think they wanted a certain bike...until they rode one? Or worse, ought one and discovered after you got it home you made a mistake?

 

[pcb01_imp]

KTM Duke. Worst bike ever. As I was walking out the door with the BOS in hand, the shop owner said, "geez, Bowman, I didnt think even you were crazy enough to want that bike!"

And I've owned 3 Nortons -- at least they kept me intrigued. Oh, and a Trident. And a BMW inline 4. Oh, and a Concours (not the current model. God, I've owned some awful motors. Never disappointed in a Honda though. They helped me keep the faith all these years.

 

[the Ferret]

Lordy, an Austrian bike, 4 British bikes and a Beemer experiment...you are a glutton.

 

[pcb01_imp]

HAH!!! Didn't even mention the Laverda triple, did I? At least it was lovely to look at...[/QUOTE]

 

[bronx boy_imp]

Wow ferret, I had a 2006 fjr that I rode around the USA... 10,000 miles in 27 days ( but I actually rode 21 days), and very little highway riding. It did have a high center of gravity, but i think that it made it more comfortable in the saddle. I was riding 10 to 15 hours a day no leg cramping or back problems. It was really a good upright riding position. I am 5'8" so it made it interesting to stop and get my toes down. I fell a bunch of times, but i put over 40,000 miles on the thing in three years, and loved it so much that I bought another one. It really is a long distance ride.

I had a royal star that I absolutely did not enjoy. The cruiser thing doesn't work for me.
Uncomforable after about an hour on the road.

 

[the Ferret]

Laverdas are neat to look at.

Wow ferret, I had a 2006 fjr that I rode around the USA... 10,000 miles in 27 days ( but I actually rode 21 days), and very little highway riding. It did have a high center of gravity, but i think that it made it more comfortable in the saddle. I was riding 10 to 15 hours a day no leg cramping or back problems. It was really a good upright riding position. I am 5'8" so it made it interesting to stop and get my toes down. I fell a bunch of times, but i put over 40,000 miles on the thing in three years, and loved it so much that I bought another one. It really is a long distance ride.

I had a royal star that I absolutely did not enjoy. The cruiser thing doesn't work for me.
Uncomforable after about an hour on the road.

The FJR was probably a wonderful bike just not for me. I did read online that a common fix for the strong throttle was to remove 2 of the 4 return springs. for 2008 or 9, Yamaha reengineered the clutch and throttle I've been told ( plus the trans and front brakes which were fine for me) . also did not care for the windshield moving itself every time you turned off the ignition. this year Yamaha fixed that. BTW Im shorter than you.

 

[bronx boy_imp]

Yeah, I had to get my toes stretched to use it.
And I couldn't ride it around the city...stop and go.

 

[6.5kev_imp]

Ducati ST-2. Doesn't like to run under 3000 rpm which is a hassel around town. Can't seem to get comfortable on it. Raising the bars 1/4 inch and new grips helped but not enough. Best handling bike I've rode though.

 

[thumper_imp]

Wow Ferret, you opened a can of worms on this one! But, here goes:

2006 Yamaha FZ-1:
This was the first year of the newly-styled, fuel-injected version. It was touted as a comfortable FZR-1 rocket ship. Uh, no. The fueling on the bike was absolutely horrendous, with many magazine testers saying they couldn't believe the bike was brought to market in such a condition. The throttle was like a light switch--either gas on, or gas off. And the powerband was non-existent until 7,000 rpm. The bike was absolutely gutless in the bottom end, and you had to slip the clutch a bunch just to leave a stop light. The suspension was a mess--abrupt everywhere, and the bike would absolutely stand-up while trying to turn and brake at the same time.

2005 Yamaha Vmax:
I was in high school when the original Vmax debuted. The Vmax, along with the Honda CBX many years prior, is the bike that set the hook in this kid as being crazy for motorcycles. I'd always wanted a Vmax, but couldn't afford one. When I finally found a nice 2005 20th Anniversary Model in beautiful Shift Red paint, I bought it up. I just knew it was going to be the most wonderful bike in the world. After all, I'd had twenty years of fantasies building up! Well, again, no. For a big bike, the seating position was very tight. The brakes felt like they were being grabbed by wooden brake pads. The gearbox had a long, heavy throw like a tractor. And, don't expect to find Neutral at a stop light after the engine warmed--wasn't going to happen. And even though I never could find it, I swear there was a hinge somewhere in the middle of the frame, 'cause that bike would wallow and wiggle like nothing I'd ever experienced. The bike was beautiful to look at, but that's about where its good qualities ended.

 

[the Ferret]

Dang Thumper..those first year Gen 2 FZ did have horrible FI and Im not sure Yam got it straightened out until 08 or 09. The Gen 1 was such a better bike, much more comfortable, much better range, and the carbs were spot on and smooth....and although you could ride around at 2500 in 6 th, it really did make most of its power from 7K north. I had 2, and found them to be excellent bikes, however when they changed them in 06, they ruined them for me.

I have ridden a Vmax, first year out, and in a straight line it was awesome, but I never took one thru a curve. First bike I ever got tunnel vision on. I always figured it was too fast to turn lol. seating was cramped and if I remember correctly there wasn't much space between seat and foot pegs. Hard to remember though it's been it's been like 24 years lol.

 

[HondaJon_imp]

2010 Harley V-Rod - total disappointment all around - No matter how much $$$ Harley spends to say it is a "Performance" bike, it is not. Watch it get smoked by a 1983 GS 1100E here:

 

[the Ferret]

Never ridden a V rod but would like to. That was actually a very close race. Having had a GS 1100E Im surprised it was that close.

 

[ApathyCurve_imp]

'99 Shadow 750. The thing was gutless. It topped out a bit over 80 mph with just me (200 lbs) and a trip pack (30 lbs) on it. Which for a cruiser isn't necessarily a game-ender, but many of the people I rode with at the time in the Southern Cruisers were on considerably more powerful bikes. On long road trips, 80 was the bottom end of our over-the-road cruising speeds. Don't get me wrong, it wasn't a bad bike at all, just not what I had hoped it would be. I replaced it in 2002 with a CBR600 F4i, my last hurrah on sportbikes. That one didn't disappoint me at all, but it did scare the crap out of me (and my girlfriend) a few times. I wasn't too broken up when it was stolen -- and my girlfriend breathed a huge sigh of relief. XD

 

[the Ferret]

My son had a Shadow Spirit 750. yep gutless.

 

[Yoyodyne_imp]

2001 VFR800: Everyone said this was the best all-around bike in the world/history of humanity, etc. but I just didn't get on with it. Heavy, mediocre linked brakes, not much torque down low...it just wasn't much fun to ride below 70 mph. The engine sounded incredible above 6000 rpm (like a small-block Chevy V-8), but to me the vaunted gear-driven cam whine just sounded like a badly-grounded car stereo that was picking up alternator noise. I am in the distinct minority in my disdain for this bike, but I never, EVER have regretted selling it.

 

[ChipBeck_imp]

I'm probably gonna get a lot of disagreement here but I really wanted a BMW 1200GS until I rode one. Lots of vibration, very high center of gravity, and I thought it was uncomfortable. I went to the dealership prepared to buy one and almost didn't take a test ride. But after I did go for a test ride I didn't want to buy one.

Chip

 

[Aussie_imp]

2001 VFR800: Everyone said this was the best all-around bike in the world/history of humanity, etc. but I just didn't get on with it. Heavy, mediocre linked brakes, not much torque down low...it just wasn't much fun to ride below 70 mph. The engine sounded incredible above 6000 rpm (like a small-block Chevy V-8), but to me the vaunted gear-driven cam whine just sounded like a badly-grounded car stereo that was picking up alternator noise. I am in the distinct minority in my disdain for this bike, but I never, EVER have regretted selling it.

On a similar note - disappointed in a 2005 VFR800: Heavy, high centre of gravity, even with Heli bars I was still too bent over, seat wasn't the best, heavy clutch...hmmmm. Sold it within 5 months of buying it.

 

[Jim21680_imp]

2007 BMW F800ST...The worst bike in the history of motorcycles (no, really. It was).

After 14,xxx miles, 3 months out of warranty...

Piston slap

Wheel bearing failure in the open swingarm

Perpetually unresolved stalling issues and dead batteries

Ignition switch failures

Tail light bulb sockets corroding

Result: "We'll supply the parts if you pay for the labor" (for a complete engine & swingarm rebuild on a relatively new bike)

Could there have been ANY trial testing period for those bikes? I'm doubting it, but it was the last dime I'll ever spend on a BMW product. Their arrogant, conceited, and condescending customer service and dealer network is almost criminal in nature.

 

[thumper_imp]

2007 BMW F800ST...The worst bike in the history of motorcycles (no, really. It was).

After 14,xxx miles, 3 months out of warranty...

Piston slap

Wheel bearing failure in the open swingarm

Perpetually unresolved stalling issues and dead batteries

Ignition switch failures

Tail light bulb sockets corroding

Result: "We'll supply the parts if you pay for the labor" (for a complete engine & swingarm rebuild on a relatively new bike)

Could there have been ANY trial testing period for those bikes? I'm doubting it, but it was the last dime I'll ever spend on a BMW product. Their arrogant, conceited, and condescending customer service and dealer network is almost criminal in nature.

Rode-along in the truck with a couple of friends earlier this week, one of whom was taking his GS for an oil change. He asked the service advisor to have the mechanics clear the electronic "Service" light on the dash. The advisor told him, "We can't clear the light unless we perform the full service on the motorcycle."

Yeah, I'm with you. I'll stay far away from BMW's (and Ducati's).

 

[the Ferret]

I'm surprised about the VFR. They generally get universal praise from owners.

I'm also a bit surprised about the Beemer. They seemed to be liked quite well, as well.

Thumper...how crazy is that? Black tape time!