The One That Got Away

[Nachodaddy]

Speaking of "Other Bikes," I am reminded of my favorite bike I never had, but ALMOST did, a Vincent Black Shadow. I am sure some of you have had a bike you just missed getting, or had the chance to, but didn't. The Black Shadow came into my life, almost, in about 1971, when Scott Guthrie a friend who had a small bike repair shop in Tallahassee, put me in touch with his friend who had a Vincent Black Shadow and needed $300 quick. He rode the bike to my place and I really liked it. I had the money but we were expecting a baby any minute and that money would pay the hospital bill. Could have borrowed it, but needed a day to think about it, so I told him I'd get back to him tomorrow, but by then he found a way to get the cash and he kept his bike. Remember, in those days $300 was a month's pay for a lot of people. We were paying $65/month on a 1968 VW we had bought NEW for $1720 (it had an FM radio!). I thought about naming the kid Vincent, but she wasn't a boy, so I didn't even get that. So, what are some of your bikes that got away?

 

[GoldOxide_imp]

A [then] new 1985 Yamaha Maxim 750X.

I simply didn't have the extra stash.

 

[Gordo_imp]

The one that I had and had to let go was a 1975 CB750f in Sunburst metalflake orange. The economy got slow as well as work. We needed the money and it had to go. I look on the usual CL, ebay and the market place for one to come up. Ironicly my brother in law sent me Gas Monkey Garage, Richard Rawlings bought the Denny Kanninburg collection and is auctioning off the collection not far from the house on Sept 10 and 11 in Auburn In 25 min from the house. There was a 75 CB750 in the orange in the collection. I might just have to go to see it slip thru my fingers again

Titus 2:13
2013 HONDA CB1100

 

[LongRanger_imp]

Mine was an ‘82 R65LS just like this one. I had to have it. The BMW dealer allowed me to take one for a demo ride, which led to a traffic infraction and visit to the county judge. The bike’s MSRP was $3995, which I didn’t have, and as a 22-year old with meager wages, my bank laughed when I asked for a loan. So, no R65LS for me, but I still think they’re stunning.

 

[tod.branko_imp]

Funny enough, I think about "the one that got away" often, but I'm also probably not old enough to actually have the one that got away because in perspective I still have a good 30-50 years of riding ahead of me, and so far the only bike I ever regret selling was my Tiger 1050. If a decent one ever comes along in the market I'll beg steal and borrow to pick it up, that bike used to fit me like an A-starts XXL glove.

I do have a bucket list though which is somehow filled with a bunch of VFR Hondas (rc30, vfr750f, vfr1200F) there is a CB1300 on it, Yamaha MT-01, Kawi Zephyr 1100, Suzuki DRZ400, and a KTM SuperDuke GT.

Quite contemporary I have to notice, but then I just barely stepped over 40, so that's to be expected. Intersting fact also is that I've only ever had 3 motorcycle posters hanging on the walls in my room as I was a kid - Moto Guzzi California 850 with a ridiculous headlight setup (there were like 8 full size headlights, loved it), 1988 GSX-R 1000, and a Transalp 600

'14 CB1100 STD 5 speed

 

[Phadreus_imp]

In 1992 I found a 1990 Honda RC30 that was left over, didn't sell, at a Honda Dealer in Ohio. I lusted after this bike since I first saw it in a magazine in '89. I was working on a deal with the dealer and just could not get them to come down to a price I could afford at the time. I was still early in my career and the dealer wanted a price that was over three quarter my annual salary. I just couldn't swing it.

Nearly ten years later, I came across another one in pristine condition for sale that was nearly twice what I was going to pay in '92. Coincidentally, my annual salary had doubled, but the price of the bike was still out of reach. Ugh...

Still drooool all over every time I see a pic of that bike today.

 

[peterbaron]

Great looking bike...alway loved a round, double headlamp fairing set up =

 

[Houtman_imp]

I had a RC 30 in the late nineties , bought from a friend of mine in Scranton PA , great bikes ,sold when moving to NC and by that time I had bought a RC 51 Nicky Haydn Edition , also a great bike .

 

[peterbaron]

John, it looks to me that you had more bikes than girlfriends... is that right?

 

[GoldOxide_imp]

 

[Nachodaddy]

So many great bikes, so little time.

 

[tod.branko_imp]

I was actually looking at one of these back in March, the guy seemed to have "customized" it a little, and that was a turn-off, I wanted to be the one to customize it

Great sound that bike

'14 CB1100 STD 5 speed

 

[misterprofessionality]

For me it's my 2014 Vstrom 1000. I only got to enjoy that bike for a precious few months before it was smashed by a fertilizer truck in reverse. People that own good examples of these simply don't sell them, and when I did find them for sale they were very far away. I now have another bike tp take its place so I'm not in the market for one, and I fear I will never be both in the market for a bike and have one available at the same time...not before they become too old to be worth owning. I just have to enjoy what I have

 

[Phadreus_imp]

I had a RC 30 in the late nineties , bought from a friend of mine in Scranton PA , great bikes ,sold when moving to NC and by that time I had bought a RC 51 Nicky Haydn Edition , also a great bike .

Love the RC51 as well. I almost bought one, in the charcoal paint scheme in '04, but bought the CBR954 instead. Thought the riding position was a bit more comfortable than the 51. That bike was the fastest bike I've ever owned. Miss it sometimes...

 

[LongRanger_imp]

Here's another one. I test rode a 2000 when they first came out, loved the bike, but didn't follow through with the purchase. I later had a change of heart but after they were discontinued after 2001, I couldn't locate a new one anywhere. This disappointing "missed the boat" experience is what prompted me to buy a CB1100 DLX as soon as I had the opportunity.

 

[pdedse]

Here's another one. I test rode a 2000 when they first came out, loved the bike, but didn't follow through with the purchase. I later had a change of heart but after they were discontinued after 2001, I couldn't locate a new one anywhere. This disappointing "missed the boat" experience is what prompted me to buy a CB1100 DLX as soon as I had the opportunity.

Sounds familiar...before I bought a leftover '14 standard, I tried buying a 2000 or 2001 W650 for about a year; I was ready to buy 3 different ones but they sold before I could make an offer. There were another 4 or 5 that were priced too high.

Then the price started falling on those leftover CBs and that made the decision to move on easy.

 

[Rox_imp]

It took some serious thinking... Maybe The Guzzi V11 Tenni.. But I got the Lemans and slapped on a suede seat.. Close enough. The other maybe a 92 Kawi ZX-750r monopost.
Something about those vacuum cleaner hoses going into the tank that I found cool. But no..
Has to be a 95 Triumph Speed Triple. But not just any... A Lucifer Orange Speed Triple.
Sat on a showroom 2 years waiting for me in a dealer in Rockymount, NC. The week I went to get it someone walked in with cash. I was devastated..
But I did wind up getting an SRX600. Similar cool factor but not the same.

 

[cooldrum_imp]

Here's another one. I test rode a 2000 when they first came out, loved the bike, but didn't follow through with the purchase. I later had a change of heart but after they were discontinued after 2001, I couldn't locate a new one anywhere. This disappointing "missed the boat" experience is what prompted me to buy a CB1100 DLX as soon as I had the opportunity.

Sounds familiar...before I bought a leftover '14 standard, I tried buying a 2000 or 2001 W650 for about a year; I was ready to buy 3 different ones but they sold before I could make an offer. There were another 4 or 5 that were priced too high.

Then the price started falling on those leftover CBs and that made the decision to move on easy.

Sounds familiar...before I bought a leftover '14 standard, I tried buying a 2000 or 2001 W650 for about a year; I was ready to buy 3 different ones but they sold before I could make an offer. There were another 4 or 5 that were priced too high.

Then the price started falling on those leftover CBs and that made the decision to move on easy.
In my case, I had owned a W before the CB and sold it. It was one of those " I should have kept it things." The CB checks all the boxes for me, but I really missed the W. Long story short, I found one on FB marketplace 40 miles north of where I live. Checked it out and brought it home. Riding this twin on the backroads also puts a smile on my face too. Easy and enjoyable to ride and reminds me of the simpler times of just going out for a ride with no destination in mind. Good ones are still around, you just have to be patient.

 

[Wisedrum]

I

Here's another one. I test rode a 2000 when they first came out, loved the bike, but didn't follow through with the purchase. I later had a change of heart but after they were discontinued after 2001, I couldn't locate a new one anywhere. This disappointing "missed the boat" experience is what prompted me to buy a CB1100 DLX as soon as I had the opportunity.

Sounds familiar...before I bought a leftover '14 standard, I tried buying a 2000 or 2001 W650 for about a year; I was ready to buy 3 different ones but they sold before I could make an offer. There were another 4 or 5 that were priced too high.

Then the price started falling on those leftover CBs and that made the decision to move on easy.

Sounds familiar...before I bought a leftover '14 standard, I tried buying a 2000 or 2001 W650 for about a year; I was ready to buy 3 different ones but they sold before I could make an offer. There were another 4 or 5 that were priced too high.

Then the price started falling on those leftover CBs and that made the decision to move on easy.
In my case, I had owned a W before the CB and sold it. It was one of those " I should have kept it things." The CB checks all the boxes for me, but I really missed the W. Long story short, I found one on FB marketplace 40 miles north of where I live. Checked it out and brought it home. Riding this twin on the backroads also puts a smile on my face too. Easy and enjoyable to ride and reminds me of the simpler times of just going out for a ride with no destination in mind. Good ones are still around, you just have to be patient.

Yes, you should have kept your first W. I understand why you missed it. If you can afford more than 1 motorbike, it's a cool partner for the CB. As a paralleltwin it has a different engine layout than the inline 4 but is somehow similar with its torque plateau. Easy and enjoyable to ride is true. But this is also true with the CB or my Bullet. But the W looks the way neither no other retro paralleltwin nor any other retro bike these day looks, way better and well portioned. That's a lot in and a treasure for my eyes and not easy to reach.

 

[Tev62]

I let my 1995 Daytona 1200 "get away" from me in 1996 when I moved from England to Ireland, it went through another nine owners and I ended up getting it back, by chance, as owner number 11.