Modern bikes. You have one?

No modern bikes, but the "old" '89 FJ is my long distance favorite.
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I made the mistake of riding Madness right after the R1200GS, oh crap........

The International Motorcycle Show used to come to Phoenix every year and all the major brands would bring a fleet of their bikes for demo rides. Three days of unlimited demo rides on just about anything you could want.
One year I rode my ‘77 BMW 100/7 and after spending a day on new modern machines I didn’t think my old BMW would hold up very well, but to my surprise it did! That bike was smooth, fast and comfortable.
The next year I rode my ‘76 Triumph Bonneville up there. And……it felt like an absolute dinosaur after riding new bikes all day! :laugh2: Tickling Amals and getting gas on my fingers, kick starting, vibration that made the front wheel hop up and down at a stop light. But oh……I did love that dinosaur. :cool:
 
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My 1993 Honda ST1100 is far from the cutting edge in new bike technology...but it is still light years ahead of my XS650...V4 engine and shaft driven and smoother than a baby's bottom..add all the comfort farkles and its all day comfortable...so easy to be spoiled by it...
 
Do you mean Built This Millenia as Modern?
Have a 2004 V-Rod with over 75k miles as my go-to cruise bike, had one each of early 2000's Suz DL1000 and SV1000.
At my age can't handle the bent knees of the SV and the DL while a fine road bike is too big and heavy to consider a practical "Adventure" mount.
Been considering one of the more recent Triumph mid-size triple ADV bikes, the 800 was available with ABS, which will be a prime consideration in my next road bike.
 
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As they say..... we all need a bike that doesn't need us...... I can't praise this machine enough. But today my other half and I are going to take out a 2014 V7 Guzzi....( less then 7000 on the clock, ask'n $3500.oo ), factory bags and windshield.... test ride it.. solo and 2 up. Had to give my 71' Ambo to my machinist to cover his 2 years of work on my 29' Motobecane project...The old Ambo was our 2 up ride.... MY Interceptor is... mine for solo pleasure. :)
 
View attachment 199958 As they say..... we all need a bike that doesn't need us...... I can't praise this machine enough. But today my other half and I are going to take out a 2014 V7 Guzzi....( less then 7000 on the clock, ask'n $3500.oo ), factory bags and windshield.... test ride it.. solo and 2 up. Had to give my 71' Ambo to my machinist to cover his 2 years of work on my 29' Motobecane project...The old Ambo was our 2 up ride.... MY Interceptor is... mine for solo pleasure. :)
Guzzi V7.jpg Took the V7 out for a rip.... Really hauls for a shaft 750.... discovered it has a rev-limiter. Handles well.... brakes great. Returned after my solo and picked up the wifey.....She liked it except the seat " could have been wider "... I avoided the obvious reply. But.. owner now wants $4500.oo, over 8000 miles. I'm on the fence... and the seller isn't in a hurry to sell... O'Man Winter is just down the block.....
 
Great bike motormike, keep telling my wife I'd like one but it's not going to happen unless I win lotto. The bmw was the wifes idea for trips away. View attachment 200010 View attachment 200011
I just did a road trip out west.. in my truck... Seattle, Albuquerque .... 5200 miles. Out west they allow big rigs with 3 trailers... takes forever to pass one..... I've seen PBS stories about the " land trains ... Down Under ".... Pass'n one of these must be an adventure..... particularly on a dirt...dusty road.
 
Naturally another Yamaha. Absolutely cutting edge all the latest tech like carbs,fairing mounted choke and fuel tank switch, a vacuum adv. ign. 1988 FJ1200. Got it 5 years ago. I'm the 2nd owner. It's about to roll up 30,000 K's (18,000 miles). I lucked out here. original tool kit,owners manual,warranty book and sales receipt from Western Yamaha under the seat.Push the button and go,. Love the old beast.
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Naturally another Yamaha. Absolutely cutting edge all the latest tech like carbs,fairing mounted choke and fuel tank switch, a vacuum adv. ign. 1988 FJ1200. Got it 5 years ago. I'm the 2nd owner. It's about to roll up 30,000 K's (18,000 miles). I lucked out here. original tool kit,owners manual,warranty book and sales receipt from Western Yamaha under the seat.Push the button and go,. Love the old beast.

150k mi. on my '89 and it's never been apart, the clutch is still the original. Make sure to check and clean the connections on the generator. Mine failed and shorted at about 100k and it was an (expensive(!) fix, Other than that, it has been reliable and fast and I still own it.

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That's a beauty Mick. Thanks a lot for the generator heads up. These things seem to be almost bomb-proof according to
long term owners. Other than basic maintenance and replacement the routine wearing parts like fork seals,brake pads,
master cyl. rebuilds etc. So many great looking bikes in this thread. All brands. I don't get on the site/forum that often. But every time I do I find that all the folks here are just a great bunch of like minded people and willing to help each other out
just because. A tip of the hat to all of You.
 
^^There are two guys I know that own the new Guzzi small-blocks and actually ride them. No horror stories and good reliability. Nearest dealer is an hour away, though.
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