Sunday, July 06, 2014

Robobikes...

Because period of time from the late '80s through the '90s was the height of my motorcycling years, those are the bikes that look "normal" to me. Earlier bikes look "vintage", and newer bikes...

Well, Ducati is still Ducati. This Streetfighter is just a dead-sexy mo'cycle, but...

...this R1200GS, heir to the great tradition of dual-purpose boxer-twin Beemers, looks like it's going to turn into a giant robot and run from Paris to Dakar on its hind legs.


@

9 comments:

  1. Firehand8:49 AM, July 06, 2014

    My comment on some sport bikes has been 'Damn thing looks like a beetle.'

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  2. roland12:11 PM, July 06, 2014

    I'm with you on this, for the same reasons.
    I still drool at old GSXRs, duc 916's, and Honda NSR racebikes. This despite the fact the new bikes are so much more capable.
    The bikes of our era just look right.
    Kinda parallels the guns. Carry Austrian Tupperware, collect beautiful steel and wood.

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  3. Sidheshooter12:20 PM, July 06, 2014

    First street bike in '87; last (until 2011: yaaay midlife crisis!) was in '95. I feel your pain. Hard to believe that, until very recently, one's choice for a "standard" standard was Bonnie, Guzzi V7 classic, or used.

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  4. Paul12:31 PM, July 06, 2014

    Similar thoughts on bikes and forms, although my active years are a decade sooner. Course I still have one in the garage and if I fix the carbs it will be ready to ride.

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  5. Gewehr985:20 PM, July 06, 2014

    It took me a long time to get used to the sound of that Ducati dry clutch!

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  6. DaveFla5:53 AM, July 07, 2014

    The GS looks as if it is either owned by an sensible adult, or it hasn't yet received the circumnavigation-wannabe treatment. Given the economy and the prices in the Touratech catalog, it's probably the latter.

    It's true that every styling department seems to believe that the Stealth look is the ne plus ultra of sport bikes. Regardless, I experience do want for at least one of whatever Buell happens to be selling in any year.

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  7. Firehand9:22 AM, July 07, 2014

    Son used to have a Ducati 748. First time I saw it fired up(long story), if he hadn't warned me about clutch noise I'd have sworn it was about to blow up.

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  8. roland12:33 PM, July 07, 2014

    My GSXR7/1340 has 41mm FCR flatslides that rattle at idle. Once you get straight with the fact the bike isn't disassembling itself, they sound kinda cool.

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  9. The Big Guy1:29 PM, July 10, 2014

    Rented a 1200 similar to that one in Oz last year.
    Damn thing was smarter than me...
    Love the Beemers, just wish I could afford one myself.

    Re: Feels weird to talk about Paris/Dakar when it's not Paris to Dakar anymore... Argentina-Chile-Bolivia doesn't have the same ring to it.
    TBg

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