Your worst bike ever,

[Redman]

2001 BMW R1150RT


2015 (5th day riding it)
Transmission shaft & clutch hub stripped out



Had the bike in SanDiego to ride once or twice a year when visting daughter and SIL there.


2019 on ride-it-home cross country trip.
Final Drive Failure in central Mossurri.
THis was ride home from there.

[tlg1100]

Kinda bad to say worse bike ever, but if I was to say it would be a red 1977 Honda 400 four.

I had just sold my Yamaha DT400 to a friend that made me several offers that I had declined, then he slid 8 one hundred dollar bill on the table and I let it go, in 1985 and I'd just bought it six month earlier for 300, but it was nice.


So went by kawasaki dealer, they always had dozen or more used bikes, they had a 82 gs1100 at the time but wanted $1500 for it.

So I bought the cb400 four for $225 , it ran good, think it had electric start that didn't work but had kick starter and remember it starting easily.

It ran great but when friends are out on bigger bikes like the Gs and kz or even 1150 ha ha ha, I kinda just used it for going back and forth to work.

But after having it for a month I put it on the kickstand and the kickstand mechanism broke and bike fell on its side.
And the bike was now hard to start, as kick starter was harder to move.
It would start but it just wasn't the same after the drop and I honestly don't know what happened to it.

It was really a neat little bike with its four into one pipe

[Big Block]

I always wanted one of those 400 fours as well. I agree, that pipe made the bike.

[rphillips]

Me too Block, I knew little about bikes back then but the 4 cyl and 4 into 1 probably made it seem more robust than it may have been. tig should know if he's been there.

[GS1150Pilot]

xr1000 is what it was and his was absolutely mint. xr1000.jpg

Ah, an Ironhead. Those are definitely tinkerer's bikes. Interesting bike, that particular Sportster.

[LAB3]

Those are definitely tinkerer's bikes.

For me the tinkering brings as much joy as actually riding which is why I prefer "classic" bikes. Truth is though, the tinkering aspect is even more enjoyable when it's affordability is factored in, a persons passion needn't cause financial hardship!

IMG_20250212_151120_(480_x_480_pixel).jpg

[trevor]

Ah, an Ironhead. Those are definitely tinkerer's bikes. Interesting bike, that particular Sportster.

"Tinkerer's bike"....interesting way to put it....lol

[MikeLyon]

Harley unreliable....who would have thought....lol

I rode my girlfriend at the time 650 Yamaha v star to gets some parts from motorcycle junkyard few miles away.
When I got there some 6'4 Guy on a sportster pulled up and parked right next to me.

He looked at me funny , because the star was purple and had personalized plates with girls name. I shook my head, said it's my girlfriend's bike.

We camE out of junkyard at the same time, the 650 v star looked so much bigger that the sportster, he goes "yeah, I should've bought a bigger bike, but i was just wanting to get into the harley scene as inexpensive as possible to see if id like it"
I said my brother's got a sportster and he loves it, he added a lot of things to it., told him it was nice looking harley.

[Big Block]

Yeah; I actually like the look of a classic Sportster but I sat on one once and it felt like a toy. I am 6 foot and I don't think they're the perfect fit for sure. That and 40HP or whatever they have isn't exactly inspiring.

[Jedz123]

"Tinkerer's bike"....interesting way to put it....lol

Haha my thoughts exactly!

[GS1150Pilot]

"Tinkerer's bike"....interesting way to put it....lol

Trev, do you have any classic bikes that are not Japanese? The term I used is very appropriate. I suspect many folks love GS bikes because they generally run with little more than an oil change, spark plugs and valve adjustments (which, BTW, is how Harleys are now, too, by and large). But show me an owner of an old 650 Bonnie or a Norton Commando, or a BSA Lightning, and, like the owner of an Ironhead Sporty, I'll show you a tinkerer, because it is more than simply looking at a service schedule: It is having a relationship with the machine, developing a sense for anything that is out of fettle, and coming up with solutions to problems that the world has largely forgotten.

[GS1150Pilot]

Yeah; I actually like the look of a classic Sportster but I sat on one once and it felt like a toy. I am 6 foot and I don't think they're the perfect fit for sure. That and 40HP or whatever they have isn't exactly inspiring.

Well ... mine has just about 90 hp and over 80 lb ft of torque. It is a visceral bike-not fast, because it tops out at about 120, but very quick, with roll-on power that always brings a smile.

[GS1150Pilot]

Haha my thoughts exactly!

Spoken by a tinkerer. There's irony there (and a pun).

[trevor]

Spoken by a tinkerer. There's irony there (and a pun).

I think he was agreeing with me....lol

[Baatfam]

Trev, do you have any classic bikes that are not Japanese? The term I used is very appropriate. I suspect many folks love GS bikes because they generally run with little more than an oil change, spark plugs and valve adjustments (which, BTW, is how Harleys are now, too, by and large). But show me an owner of an old 650 Bonnie or a Norton Commando, or a BSA Lightning, and, like the owner of an Ironhead Sporty, I'll show you a tinkerer, because it is more than simply looking at a service schedule: It is having a relationship with the machine, developing a sense for anything that is out of fettle, and coming up with solutions to problems that the world has largely forgotten.

I had a '78 iron head for many years, and I agree with you.