Favorite '80s bike?

[wheatonFJR]

my favorite '80's bike is my 1980 XS1100 G. i bought it back in '84. its the only '80's bike i have owned..

cadman

Mine too! Bought it new in spring of 1980. Kick my self for ever letting it go. Great, great, great granddaddy of the FJR.

I'd say that was mine, too...but mine was a 1979 Eleven Special. So although it isn't an 80s bike, I'll still chime in. I loved that thing...after it was stolen from me, I could only get an XS850 with the insurance money. Although the 850 had a nice sound, the 850 had no grunt...I never thought I would ever get a bike as fun as that Eleven...until I bought my FJR.

With that ELEVEN, I was goaded into the one and only "unauthorized performance demonstration" by my college soccer team buddies on a frontage road (with the access controlled by my so called buddies). I went against a soccer teammate on his 1978 Suzuki GS1000 who had been bragging about it all day. Well, I'm not a dragster type and didn't loft the front wheel...but I reeled him in at about 136 mph...just below red-line of the top gear. He nipped me at the second pass...but that was because I shut down after I realized that my "buddies" didn't provide enough room at the end to stop. The road did a 90 as the frontage road went under I-90 at the Fox River near Elgin, IL. We ended up going side-by-side around a curve at an elevated speed...higher than my feeble skills liked. Somehow, we both didn't hit each other or low-side around that curve.

Never raced again...never wanted to. But it was nice knowing the bike had the "grunt" when called upon.

Glad I have the FJR now...I am now addicted to long sport-touring trips to these places that various Forum members share. Love the curves...love the miles. But I still have a place in my motorcycle heart for the motorcycle that others took from me. The Eleven.

 

[Big Sky]

83 Seca 900 anyone had, or still have one ? Mine is sitting in the basement in great shape, except for a rusty tank. 62K miles

When I bought my '83 CB 1100 F, my buddy bought the 900 Seca. He said it would outrun the "F". Boy was he pissed when he found out the truth - the F left the Seca for dead...every time. The Seca had a really soft front end, too, if I remember right. He also snapped the drive shaft...twice! doing burnouts. The dealer wanted to kill him. But that was a good, tough engine and a really nice look. They must be very rare.

 

[dean]

FJ-1200

well, it's about time someone mentioned that bike, considering this is the [SIZE=36pt] FJ[/SIZE]R forum.

( :

dean

 

[Hit the Road Jack]

(both pics from bikes at the museum at Barber) were the Suzuki GSX 1100S Katana (actually, an '82 GSX1000SZ)

The Honda CBX

Sorry to steal these photos, but I previously owned both of these models. Same colors too.

The '82 Katana was awesome and I did alot of sport touring on it in the mid eighties. Had a Kerker 4-1, jetted carbs, K&N single filters and an Earl's oil cooler.

Had a '79 CBX most recently, just prior to my '06 FJR. Again, an awesome bike with the best engine sound ever ( a poor man's P-51). Poor mileage and range (27 mpg / 125 mi) w/ 6 Dyno-jetted carbs and Kerker 6-2 headers.

 

[Hudson]

FJ1100. Wanted it so bad in college and could not afford it. Bought a used one in the nineties.

 

[Bearly Flying]

Still going strong....

 

[scubapilot2000]

1986 FJ1200 !! I just sold these two last week in preparation for getting the new FJR.

 

[Ari Rankum]

1984 CB700SC Nighthawk S, Black w/Blue was very sweet.

I still have my 1985 CB700SC. One of my favorite bikes OF ALL TIME. I just love that thing. Mine is the blue and black one, but the red and black one appeals to me just as much.

It happens to be the only bike I was ever really provoked into spanking a Harley with. TRUST ME, he had it coming.

 

[vabrzn]

1984 kawasaki gpz 900

 

[Spook]

1986 FJ1200 !! I just sold these two last week in preparation for getting the new FJR.

Should have kept at least one of them. When I sold mine it had a 130,000 miles on it and needed a top end job and second gear was starting to give problems. I would own another if I could afford two bikes.

 

[kansas transit]

FJ-1200

Positively FJ1100/1200

 

[dean]

1986 FJ1200 !! I just sold these two last week in preparation for getting the new FJR.

scuba,

did you happen to sell them to a guy named randy? does legends racing? he's on the fj list, and despite being a legends racer (which do use the fj engines), he said he bought two fj's, one for him and one for his wife, recently. just curious.

dean

 

[BobbyBlue]

I couldnt afford my favorite bikes back then...funny how things come full circle, cant afford 'em now too ! I ran an '81 Honda CB750K into the ground and then some....speedo broke at 78K and I rode it for 3 more years ! Also miss my '80 CR250 Elsinore...first bike Honda built ( assembled ) in the US at the recently demoted Ohio plant, former birthplace of many a wing, production moving back to Japan. I lusted after damn near every bike mentioned previously..especially a CBX, but I really wanted to trade one of my kids for an '85 Suzuki GSXR 750...or a Guzzi 850 Cafe...or an FJ...or an original CBR900... or..or.... We are so lucky to have lived and be living in the golden age of motorcycles...wheelie lucky ! :yahoo:

Blessed,

Bobby

 

[Andy Kirby]

This was the one to have in my neighbourhood .... ... .. .

Andy

 

[Capt. Bob]

Wow,

After reading three pages of posts I realized just how poor I was coming out of the 70s and going into the 80s.

I drove a 67 MGB (occasionally)and rode a 78 SR500 just about always (at least when I really needed to get somewhere).

Like they say...good things come to those who wait. :yahoo:

 

[turbodave_98]

my favorite '80's bike is my 1980 XS1100 G. i bought it back in '84. its the only '80's bike i have owned..

cadman

Mine too! Bought it new in spring of 1980. Kick my self for ever letting it go. Great, great, great granddaddy of the FJR.

Gunny on XS 1100Gs, 1980 vintage. Have two of them, bought ist one new in 1980 and second one 3 years ago wirh 13k original miles. Still ride both of them often.

 

[Wolfhound]

I had a V65 Magna along with my Harley back in '85. It was a hoot !

 

[Kevin Daly]

I have to say that the honda 650 Nighthawk. it was reasonably priced, well built, well balanced and very nimble and responsive shafty. And it looked just hot! I put 40k on that sucker and never had a problem. then i had to leave it behind when I moved across contry. That was a regretful choice.

 

[dean]

while shopping for parts for my 81 yamaha xs400 special II (and yes, boy was it special, with two drum brakes and only a left hand mirror), fell in love with the 82 (i think) seca 650 turbo. i just remember thinking at the time that that bike looked so cool. i can see some similarities in styling between it and the fj.

then when i was reading all the mags, yamaha put out the fz750. the first year's model. black wheels, (mostly) blacked-out engine and frame. i thought it was so cool. it was that bike that i was looking for, in 1997, when i bought my first fj.

 

[Fubar]

A friend just asked me: "For decent power and handling, what was your favorite '80's bike?" Now that's a heck of a question... I think for me it's a tie between a Honda CBX and an Suzuki RGV 500 Gamma. I think that inline-6 was a work of art, and typical Honda over-the-top engineering, and the RGV was about as close to a 500GP bike as you were going to get. What do you think?

I would have to go with the CBX for power, but handling not so much. It nearly threw me off one day riding the corners on the Sacandaga Resevior in NY. Went home put it in the barn and didn't ride it for a week. I really thought I was going to fly off the ridge that day. Had to dirt track it around the corner in the overlook pull-off. :dribble: