ugly motorcycles

weaselbeak said:
I loved the look of the early V-Max, not so much the 2nd version.
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I agree. Although i do still like gen 2. Vmax is just bad ass all around.

In all honesty. I dont love the look of any of my new motorcycles...besides my 2014 triumph bonneville. But once you long distance tour its sooooo hard to go back to the basics. My touring rig is a honda st1300. I just love it on the open road. Slow two lane or interstate or twisties. It does it all. 120hp counter balanced v4 is just a gem. 85mph is nothing. Hardly any wind or noise.

Im 34...and going to california and oregon for a month

I bought it last year with 103,000kms on it. All i did was do the valve clearnaces this summer. New fuel pump (same one as a honda accord)
And grease some pivot points and the steering head and its ready. I did banish the homely trunk and bought a nicer givi though. Did utah with it too.

I think some of you really need to experience modern tech to appreciate it. I think its good looking for its intended purpose kinda way. Well enginnered i spose...

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But it still does everything that is fun to do on a bike and i get to be on the open road doing what i love to do. Camping and motorcycling.

Like i said. Almost impossible to go back to the bare bones when you get used to having it.

Another total plus is the 60a car alternator between the cylinders. It will run my heated gear and just about anything else i could possibly throw at it.
 
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Yup - STs are definitely mile-eaters and can just about do it all. My only quibble is the weight for around town riding - they're just SO heavy.

Pete
 
And compared to the full goldwing i rode i was happy!
I sure like the goldwing f6b though!!!!

The st carries its weight low so i dont notice it in low speed situations. And its light on its feet when your flying. That being said. I dont use it in the city much. The Triumph handles that.
Im dissapointed i didnt get the power windsheild now. Hahah.
 
Yeah - the windscreen is good but I really only put it up in the rain. The rest of the time, it's down all the way.
 
the st 1300, and 1100 are 2 bikes that never got the respect they deserved.They have a unique powerplant.many last well beyond 200,000 miles. You can tour or ride intown with speed or comfort for a moment or all day.None of the sporttourers have sold well.Perhaps the fjr 1300 and the concours 1400 have done well, but they followed 25 years of failures of low consumer purchases.I never understood that. I had a 900 pound goldwing.Good in a straightline.A behemoth intown or a parking lot.The st/gt style bikes seem to do everything well.
 
I won't call my Concourse 1400 beautiful or ugly but it is such an amazing bike. It handles like a much lighter bike in the city and on the highway I've never ridden anything that can eat up the miles like this machine can. And of course there's the power, in spades! I love taking solo camping trips through the Rockies. I bought it new in 2008 and I can't think of another machine that I would buy to replace it except another C14. 60000 km with zero problems,

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My xs is pretty ugly, keep on having people saying how good it looks but just can't see it myself, more a question of function than form.
 

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MacMcMacmac said:
Virago starter problems were cured by installing the later 1100 case halves so the improved solenoid equipped starter could be used on the older engines. I believe you had to swap out the stator, rotor and flywheel. Apparently the 920 has a hole bored in it's case so that the later starter can be used with much fewer mods. The Euro TR-1 which was based on the same generation motor had the solenoid equipped starter from the get-go, but North American Viragos had to make due with the old XS spiral gear and wishbone spring setup.

yamaha_tr1.jpg
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no.the 920 did not have a hole in the case.I owned an 82 model.It had the same pos metal grinding starter system.
 
Some did, some did not. Late 82's you could convert, only if the hole is present. The normal fixes were a 4 brush starter (factory was 3) and really good grounds were critical. The best fix was a good carb tune so the bike starts like it's supposed to instead of cranking forever. They start at the touch of a button like mine did (and my GS850 does) and there is no problem at all. I generally did not use the electric starter on my 650's because they weren't all that hot. One kick, maybe two.
 
weaselbeak said:
Some did, some did not. Late 82's you could convert, only if the hole is present. The normal fixes were a 4 brush starter (factory was 3) and really good grounds were critical. The best fix was a good carb tune so the bike starts like it's supposed to instead of cranking forever. They start at the touch of a button like mine did (and my GS850 does) and there is no problem at all. I generally did not use the electric starter on my 650's because they weren't all that hot. One kick, maybe two.
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I was on viragotechforum.com for about a year.The only variation on a 920 were some had chain drive.I never saw one with a hole.The hole would have no purpose anyway.
 
Oh, I dunno. It's just weird enough to appeal to me. Some low bars, a round headlight and some normal gauges. I think it would be well on the way to a pretty standard style of bike. There's about 5 for sale around here right now in various states of (dis) repair from $500 to $1800. Sorely tempted! The later style always looked to me like they had had a frontal collision with something, whereas the 920 just looks like it has taken an uppercut.
 

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