Who rides motorcycles?

[CalG]

Nice Wee, and great picture..... that looks like a road I could ride to the other side of the nearest Galaxy.....

You were probably joking, but it's funny how Can/USA folks consider anything less than a Litre to be "small"...... I was forever cured of that view, after reading a verryyy long thread on ADV about a Korean guy who toured the USA on a Honda Fiddy...... truly, an Epic Tale.....

Rgds, D.

I might have mentioned this before, but "in my younger days" , during the oil crisis and 55 mph speed limits, I rode Miami to western Montana and return ON A VESPA! Up through the Eastern Dakotas , and down via SLC and Denver etc. Over 7000 miles in three weeks time. I did it because I read an article in Cycle World about some European who came over here and rode up through Appalachia on a Lambretta .

I had some time and declared the rider a WUSS and I would do it right. ON A VESPA

My rear end will never let me forget that episode ;-)

 

[sd455dan]

Nephew brought by the 465

He told me the Last time brother fired up the 465 He was in summer shorts, flip flops, No helmet wearing a t shirt with the sleeves torn off, first spring day after a long rain, pulled a wheelie for over a block on the old yz and it was still muddy out.
Yep, that was the way my brother rolled and rode.

Still in the trailer and after a good wash
Couldn't remember whether the bike was the 80 or 81 model . It ended up being the 81 with bigger 43mm forks and slightly detuned softer hit 465

 

[deserteagle71]

Nephew brought by the 465

If memory serves me correctly my IT-465 was a 1982.

 

[blacktruck]

I might have mentioned this before, but "in my younger days" , during the oil crisis and 55 mph speed limits, I rode Miami to western Montana and return ON A VESPA! Up through the Eastern Dakotas , and down via SLC and Denver etc. Over 7000 miles in three weeks time. I did it because I read an article in Cycle World about some European who came over here and rode up through Appalachia on a Lambretta .

I had some time and declared the rider a WUSS and I would do it right. ON A VESPA

My rear end will never let me forget that episode ;-)

Just my opinion, anyone can gas up a $40K HD or BMW and travel long distances without a problem. I follow and have great respect for those who take an unsuitable piece of equipment and do the job with it. I sometimes ride a big scooter and in a lot of ways, enjoy it more than my bigger bike.
Congrats on what must have been a true adventure.

 

[JasperFrank]

Been one hell of a good bike for 43 years.

 

[blacktruck]

I don't remember that model but it is a classic. At the time I was riding a 175 Yamaha. funny how in those days, a bike like the one you pictured would have been considered a big bike where I came from. Oh to be back riding like we used to.....

 

[Darth_DMack]

My first street bike was a 1981 Yamaha Maxim 550. Little inline 4 cyl, nice bike, rode the piss out of that thing. Had a 4 into 1 exhaust with a supertrap muffler on it. Put close to 60,000 miles on that bike.

 

[CalG]

Just my opinion, anyone can gas up a $40K HD or BMW and travel long distances without a problem. I follow and have great respect for those who take an unsuitable piece of equipment and do the job with it. I sometimes ride a big scooter and in a lot of ways, enjoy it more than my bigger bike.
Congrats on what must have been a true adventure.

Everywhere I went there were comments and support. The moms with kids at the grocery stores were by far the most rewarding. "You rode that thing here from Florida?".

Scooters are fun, Now I want to get one of those Honda Trail bikes, The big bikes are getting heavy, and I don't enjoy highway travels.


The one in back is what I have been riding since 1999.
The one in front is for my grandson...he turns 3 this week. ;-)

 

[TractorTYMe]

I just put 350 miles on this 1983 Honda XL600R, bought it with 4800 miles recently.

 

[deserteagle71]

I just put 350 miles on this 1983 Honda XL600R, bought it with 4800 miles recently.


View attachment 818396

Those old Honda XLs were wonderful bikes! Awesome low end torque, extremely dependable, and got 70+ mpg. Mine was the previous version, only a 500cc, but I put thousands of trouble-free miles on it in some really remote places. This pic was taken in 1986 at an elevation of about 13,000 feet in California's White Mountains. Almost a moonscape up there at that altitude - nothing much would grow because of the cold and wind. The US Navy had a High Altitude Research Station up there!