do the young ones like older sport bikes

[123repeater]

I am 29 just bought an 81 550t this spring with 6500 miles and have put just shy of 9k miles on it this year, it was inspiration for my friend to go out and buy an 83 kaw all our friends like our bikes but we are in the smaller percentile.. most guys our age and younger like the super fast crotch rockets.. I knew relatively what I wanted when I bought mine (older model japanese, flatter profile) then I found theGSR, another story all together... I do get comments from all kinds of people but mostly from the older guys that know how old it is and can't believe the shape it's in.. my favorite comments have been the guys that can't help but ask me about it while at the stop light or the guys that walk all the way across the parking lot to ask..

[hvfracingwilly]

Hmmmmmm, what's under that cover in the garage? Could take a pretty good guess, but I'd rather you showed us.

1972 chevelle

Not mine though it is the neighbors we worked out a garage deal for winter

[Kcwiro]

1972 chevelle

Not mine though it is the neighbors we worked out a garage deal for winter

Let me guess... you get to sit in it and start it rev it a few times and keep it clean?....

My driveway if I had one... with a car like that would have a permenant burn out done on it

[rudy]

1972 chevelle

Not mine though it is the neighbors we worked out a garage deal for winter

I knew it was a Chevelle, was stumped on the years as it was under the cover. A buddy of mine had a 396 SS back when he was in high school that he restored by himself (he's a body and paint guy now). He still kicks himself for selling it. We had a 454 drag car at my high school. That sucker was LOUD!! Dual 4" straight pipes. It was ridiculous.

[BentRod]

I'm 21, and I got my first GS when I was 19. when I told my friends I had bought a Katana, they were confused/dissapointed when I told them it was an 82 (rather than at 92).
I find I do get some recognition from younger riders, but only if they have some reason to know about bikes from befor their time, other wise older ujm's are just not common enough on the market for most people to bother learning about. I rarely notice young riders giving me trouble though.

Where i do get a lot of flack is from the twits working at the local suzuki/honda/kawasaki/triumph dealership. these rather arrogant riders (25-35) seem to be under the impression that if it isn't a dirt bike, and it is smaller that 600CC, then it is not a real bike.

[Geoff4130]

I like the look of most older bikes. The ones I do not like are those choppers coming out of OCC and the like. They all look the same, and that huge back tire is gross! The other week I was out and a guy on a bmw, looked like it was about 20 years old, pulled up next to me. We both checked each others bikes out, gave a nod and left on the green light. Crotch rockets are ok, but are kinda like choppers, all look the same to me.

I think I really like the 70's-80's bikes cause my dad had a Honda 750 and we went everywhere on that, so it's what I grew up with. Oh yeah, I'm 31.

[Tarbash 27]

Im 21 and hooked on GS's, My basement and my shed are full of parts. I love the old stuff, the older the better. I plan on keeping my gs750 forever and never buying a new crotch rocket or harley. Not my type. I dont care what people think of my bike at all. I always have a huge grin on my face riding my bikes. I plan on building and vintage road racing a GS1000 next. defiantely not really ino the new stuff. I dont like new cars either. My friends all have the honda's with the vtec crap ricer cars. I bought a 70 ford torino, I love it.

[dardoonk]

I've been surprised with how many people notice my bike as not being some old piece.

I get more nods from the HD guys than I do the crotch rocket crowd. A number of them finally give in and admit they used to have a UJM. That has got to painful for them, but at least I know they appreciate an older bike.

[mcloud]

1972 chevelle

Not mine though it is the neighbors we worked out a garage deal for winter

Why would anyone drive such an old car?....

[FreuderLocks]

I like older bikes 24 here. My 80 gs gets tons of attention, especially from the older set and a bunch of hippies for some reason (myself being one of them). Def turns heads all day long.
-FreuderLocks

[catbed]

i appreciate the older bikes. maybe because i have one.

[kickstart79]

I guess I am another one of those young ones that does not fallow the crowed. I am 21. I don't really like the looks of the new Rockets, Harley's are OK but not my cup of Joe. What can I say I like the 60's and 70's UJM's. All of my old friends from high school are riding 00 + Rockets. They ask me why I ride that old crap. I try telling them that, "If it wasn't for this old crap you wouldn't have your new crap!" Then they usely do a burnout and pop into a wheelie leaving me were a stand.
But there are couple of my friends that went the other way like me and they got old japs. One has a 65 Honda CB500 twin, the other has a 81 Honda Nighthawk 550. I currently have a 79 gs 550 L. I dont know if I am going to sell her or not this summer. I might but only if I could find a 78 gs 1000 E. That's my dream bike.

[mighty13d]

I'm from 78 & I like them... My skunk has the same birthday as me!

LMAO my bike is 2 years older than I am... and it's an 82!!! Good thing I'm not riding my parts bike because that's even older!

[Smokinapankake]

Interesting thread...

At 36 I'm neither old nor young. And, much like most of the other members here, I'm not too interested in the new plastic stuff. But I'm not too interested in the older stuff either. I like the interesting stuff. Hence, the two Katana's, an 82 1000 and an 84 750 from across the pond. Neither are very common nor are they usual. Check out www.katanacentral.co.uk for more info.

Yeah, the UJM's were good bikes, and they can lay claim to the ancestry of modern uberbikes, and I also list the 82-83 GS1100E as one of my all time favorites, but they are fairly ordinary.

Guzzi's are interesting. Older Beemers are interesting in an ugly sort of way. Water buffalos and Rotarys are very interesting, at least to me, anyway.
But new plastic fantastic bikes are dull and ordinary, not to mention they all look the same. Same holds true for Hardleys and those abomination OCC chopper things.

Last summer I saw the most beautiful old Ducati Cafe racer. Don't know what year or model or whatever but what caught my eye was the phenomenal workmanship and the fact that the rider appeared to my uneducated eye to be wearing period correct attire. VERY interesting!

[Eli69]

the definitive generation gap is between my 19 year old kid and me. he has the '08 gixxer 1000 and i the '78 gs1000. it's a constant battle made worse by the fact that at his age he knows everything and i am a senile old fool. we taunt each other constantly on and off the road. usually the insults are in good humor. his >100 mph wheelies scare the crap out of me though. i think deep down he respects me and my old bike but just can't admit it at this point of his life. i had some serious ammunition when his brand new gixxer was in the shop for almost a month with an electrical problem and he needed to borrow one of my gs's to go to work.