You Got Rid of that Bike and Regret it.

[SGTBORING]

I had a R80 GS In the early 90's I bought in England for nothing and rode it for almost 3 years all over the United kingdom and Europe. When I was leaving England I sold the GS and my car a Austin Minni to a Master Sargent for $2,000 Dollars. I could have had it shipped one or the other home for free but my ex-wife talked me out of it. We were separated 2 months after I got home and I went with out a bike for 3 years! I manged to put enough cash together to by a 650 Suzuki that served me well (I still Own) for over ten years. After College I bought a K75 and have moved onto a RT1100. Great Bikes! But I miss that old white GS. It Carried me through Rain and Ice from the Streets of London to the Scottish Highlands, across Holland, France, Spain, Denmark, Ireland, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, and Italy. The bike was always faithful and started conversations with strangers every place I went.

I have since lost all my photographs from that time period but will carry the memories with me until I die.

What Bike have you gotten rid of and regret?

 

[hlothery]

1972 Honda CB350. Gold and Brown color scheme. Would love to still have that bike!

 

[Rapid_Roy]

Sorry, but none. I bought 3 beemers, I have 3 beemers.

 

[FredRydr]

Rosebud.... Dark red Raleigh 26" with gold decals, Sturmey-Archer 3-speed, Dyno-hub, leatherette saddle bag, brazed lugs, and all the accessories. Weighed a ton but was guaranteed for life.

Like you, we sold the '62 Mini 850 when we left England.

Oh, you meant motorcycle, didn't you?

Fred
'07

 

[darrylri]

My second BMW was a brand new 1985 R80 that I had the dealer set up with an S fairing and bars. I rode that all over the place, had it shipped to Europe one summer for 8 weeks of riding around. In 92k miles, the diode board failed once 35 miles from home.

In 1994 I bought an R1100RS, got an excellent deal. My wife told me I had to sell the R80. (It's ok, things have worked out between us... I have 7 bikes now!) I sold it to a coworker.

A year later, I got a call from the coworker. He was moving out of state and had never registered the bike; and now he couldn't find the title. Would I meet him at a notary to sign a bill of sale? Yes, you bet I would.

While we were waiting for the notary, he told me that he was in the middle of a divorce. He was quitting the company and had no real plans. He had taken the bike completely apart, and had some very odd ideas for modifications and changes.

The more he talked, the less I wanted to hear, because I could easily see that the bike that had been so reliable and so much fun for me would never be together again.

 

[sachiwilson]

1969 Norton Mercury. The last of the Featherbeds, and the very best non-racing bike Norton ever made.

 

[LTLJOHN]

1983 HD XLH 1000, I know it vibrated, did not handle all that well, but it did not leak oil, was pretty reliable and with the stock exhaust was pretty quiet. It was my first and only new bike and for 2 years it was my only transportation. Lots of sentemental value. I sold it to buy my '02 R1150 RT. I love the RT but I would like to have the HD too.

 

[sjbmw]

'85 Suzuki GS 1150E. Sold in 1991, after 6 years and 80k+ miles. Life went to crap for 7 years until I bought another bike. Never again will I make that mistake. If I could buy another one today I would.

 

[srb]

Once bought a nice little '03 F650GS 'for the wife'. When her interest in riding didn't pan out I sold the bike. I don't really regret that one too much though, because the funds from that bike went to the '81 G/S purchase. The one that still turns my stomach is the '74 R90S I sold (it wasn't pretty, but is was a '74 R90S). I had too many bikes and not enough money, I'm still facing that problem.

 

[PHMARVIN]

Hi, All,
I had 2 bikes I wish I had never sold. Both were bikes I bought new and rode a number of years. The first was a 1972 Dunstall-Norton 810 MkII. Ths other was my first BMW bike, a '76 R90/6 on which I mounted an "S" fairing and the dual discs. This bike served me well from North Carolina to Arizona and from Ireland to Spain. Why, oh why, did I sell it?

 

[Gravity]

Cut my teeth on a R1100R, 1998 version with 3k miles. Put another 3k on it in 3 months and then bought a K1200GT which I currently sorta own. Then I bought a 2006 GSA Rll50 anniversary edition....thinking of selling it too.

The GSA is the bike I wanted to ride to Alaska next summer. The summer after that I was considering a ride to Ushuai. Divorce makes you do some shitty things with your stuff. Louisiana makes you wait a year now too.

I hate selling my toys.

Gravity

 

[BOKRIJDER]

125 Penton
360 husky
1947 Triumph T100 Tiger Scrambler with factory high pipes(no heat shields) and a hard tail - nice looking, but with an abysmal comfort factor, a forgiving spine and asbestos trousers required.
1974 R90S
Bakker C-Rocket powered by BMW oilhead.


Motard

 

[aerialfilm1]

84 Kawasaki GPZ 550
My first street bike. Bought it new and learned to ride. Took it with me when I moved from FL to NYC. I learned a lot about life on that bike.

After moving back to FL some years later I took it to the local Kaw dealer in Longwood Florida for service. While they had my bike in for service the Feds raid the place in some murder for hire thing between the owners and seize all the inventory and property. No customers could touch or claim their bikes until the feds sorted out who owned what. Even the local police had bikes in for service and they couldn't get at them . So my bike sat there for a year and a half outdoors full of fuel. When I did get it finally, it had deteriorated beyond my ability to repair. I sold it to someone with the skill and the money to bring it back to life. Watching that guy load my bike on his trailer was like dropping a dog off at the pound

 

[kbasa]

Tina's 1975 CB400F. It was perfect. I sold it to a Japanese collector, so it's probably in someone's living room right now.

I almost started crying when I sold my 1983 R100RS (Alaska Blue, if it matters).

I regret those two.

I periodically have pangs of desire to replace my Mandarin R11S.









And no, Bubba, I don't want yours. MrsK says I'm on a bike acquisition moratorium until she gets a new kitchen.

 

[bobs98]

1980 Yamaha XS 850 Special. In line triple, shaft drive, smooth as silk. Rode it 8000 miles cross country and back in the summer of '81. Sold it in 1988, I think, to a good friend who sold it in '93 or '94. Got him back into riding, which is a good thing, we ride together a lot. Am I looking for a second bike? Heard it might be available again.....Boomerang?

 

[MOTOR31]

I miss almost all of my previous vehicles including my motorcycles. That doesn't mean I regret the change at all. The vehicles I have now are better for what I use them for than were their predecessors.

 

[belquar]

My first bike was a 2000 R1100R. I don't even have a picture of that bike. Wish I would have kept it. It was a great bike. Then I got a CLC. Another great bike. I miss some of those comforts. But I really love my GS. It does it all. I wish I could have them all though. But doesn't everyone?

 

[21941]

Sold mine in the midst of a divorce . . .

1979 R100RT Red Smoke . . .

What a nimble (<600 lbs) machine. Always enjoyed spinning her 180 degrees on one side of the center stand to get it out of the garage.

BTW I don't have that garage anymore either!

 

[Gil]

1972 Honda CB350. Gold and Brown color scheme. Would love to still have that bike!

I also had that bike. I had the two cylinder version (323 CC) and loved it. There was a 4 cylinder version of that 350 engine. I only saw it in books.

I also miss my 1982 CB900C with dual shifter. 5 low speeds and 5 high speeds. It's practically, a 10 speed bike. I miss that bike.

And finally, I miss my Honda Express. Two stroke, 50 CC, two speed automatic and full of foam in the muffler. That two stroke engine can produce some nasty build up in the exhaust.

Gil

 

[Polarbear]

My '82 R80GS

Its the one I miss the most and I have the same pangs everyone else has here! Stupid and why always comes to mind...I bought it in CA and it stayed here, although long gone from my garage. The 800GS has to be one of the best ever built and soooo simple to fix if anything did ever go wrong. I do have another long lived love in my R100/7 since new and you bet I'll never sell it. Only one mistake per lifetime, I say! I am looking for another GS Airhead as I type this and have found none, at least nearby the west coast worth going after. Happy Trails, Randy13233