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750 triples are bad azz! Too bad the suspension and breaks weren't quite up to the power of the engines.

I saw a restored one on the back of a truck the other night, too bad I didn't manage to get a pic.

Mixing the old and the new can also be cool

Looking back, I wish I had given this 2002 Triumph Sprint RS a better chance.

It was a tall, rangy sport touring bike with 120 BHP, yet only weighed 440 lbs (dry),...which allowed it to reach speeds in excess of 150 mph.

After I swapped out the handlebars with a pair from a Sprint ST it had a reasonable riding position.

Excellent, very neutral handling characteristics. It wasn't as flickable as a 600cc sport machine, but it would roll into a curve and hold the line with hardly any input until you lifted it up out of it,...very smooth.

It had one very bad habit that made me sell it.

Those big Nissan dual disc brakes on the front would lock the front wheel up at the first hint of anything remotely resembling an emergency stop.

You had to be very careful applying them.

I came very close to crashing it twice because of that.

A friend wanted the bike and I sold it to him at a bargain price after informing him of the situation.

At the time, I thought that the braking situation was just the nature of the beast, but now I think it was a flaw that could have been remedied.

I'd like to find a nice, low mileage example floating around for a good price.

I'd give it another try.

1974 Honda CB 750 Four was a great bike. Similar to this one. I loved the sound of the four cylinders perfectly tuned and synchronized. I had aftermarket exhaust, and chicks loved the vibration of the engine!

Not my first bike, but my second was my favorite: '69 Kawasaki 500 triple. Crummy brakes (who needs 'em at that age?), crummy suspension, but twist the throttle and Katie bar the door!!! I had it for three years in the Philippines and boys, I had some real adventures on that bike.

This has to be one of the best, most fun threads here, ever. The trips down memory lane and pics of way cool rides new and old.... Totally diggin it and soaking it all in.

Here you go Butch!
[video:youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=39JM42N7_cc[/video]
Mark, your right, fun thread!

colodog,

I am a Harley guy as is well known, but that 6Cyl Honda DID sound pretty wild. Kind of like a road race car.

That poor guy lives WAY too deep into the suburbs, though. Long video and he never got to open it up. I would go NUTS if I had to ride that far to let my ponies run.

2002 CBR 954RR



2008 KLR 685 with a hefty amount of upgrades....

Death Vally Daze 2012

[img]http://s670.photobucket.com/user/robertham1/media/Death%20Valley%20Daze%202010/MVI_0471.mp4.html[/img]

I've loved them all. Partial list.













[img]http://i108.photobucket.com/albums/n29/birddown/Auto%20and%20bike/1000R.jpg[/img]

Nice. Too bad he never really opened it up though. That screamin' 6 was musical at high rpm. Whoop!

There was one guy in my town that had one, and he would let 'er rip from time to time. Unmistakable.

Those KLR's are amazing machines, aren't they!? After being off of MC's during my child raising years, I started back up with a much used and faded KLR650 myself. Had loads of fun on it and re learned how to ride. Tried it on a couple of really tough or 'technical' dirt bike trails and learned quickly that it was far too heavy for that work. Still, for an all around bike, capable of many things, it was a really good one. Kind of a "Jack of all trades, master of none" motorcycle. Birwatcher has put PILES of miles on his.

What modifications did you do? All I did to mine was lower it an inch and a half with a dog bone bar in the suspension. That made the bike handle better on freeways and in the wind, plus a LOT easier for this stoved up over 50 guy to swing a leg over!

The Kaw triples were awesome motors, but the frame/suspension was evil. Back when I was street racing my RD (streets were deserted at night here, kids. Don't try this now!), there was this guy from Owyhee county who had stripped the extra weight off his 750 triple and added all the goodies. Expansion chamber pipes, Boysen reeds, K&N intake, etc. Friends had seen him around and told me about it. It still handled bad, but it was a rocket on a straight. The two of us met up on the three-lane heading out of town one night, and I recognized right off that I was about to lose a race. Had to egg him on though, just to see it go. The sound, the rush, the disappearing bike......almost made me giddy!

FreeMe,

You are a very good story teller! Had us all right there with you at the RD vs Kawi race that evening.

I need to test ride a triple some day. Looks like a whole bunch of fun there.

Okay, I've always wanted to talk to an XR1200 owner. What's your thoughts on that bike? Looks like a chit load of fun!!

When the Interceptor came out, I got a good dose of how much technology improved sport bikes.

On a windy road, I had NEVER been beat on my Seca 550. In fact, I ate up bikes of every size, from RD400's to GS1150ES'. Road racing is what I did, I could put a knee down through the corners and most others couldn't.

So when the Interceptor came (father of the VFR) it was a completely different bike. Box section perimeter frame, smaller and wider front tire, wider rear tire, better suspension with more ground clearance.

I was on hwy 193 in the Sierra's in California and I was working it. I was knee down in a corner pushing it about as hard as it could be pushed and an Interceptor passed me IN A CORNER like I was standing still. I came out of that corner and gave it everything I had through the rest of the corners and he just steadily disappeared.

That's the day I realized that sport bikes had made a HUGE technological leap and it was a whole new game.

That was the widowmaker!! That was SUCH a dangerous bike. It had far more power than the chassis could ever handle. In a straight line it was an E-Ticket ride. But it didn't have sufficient braking or cornering ability to keep you alive in the twisties. Especially when you started accelerating through the corners, and managed to hit the power band, it would transfer too much weight to the rear tire, from the already too light front end and you'd have a low side crash every time.

But in a straight line, that was one bad hombre. And I always LOVED the sound of a 2 stroke triple; jut bad azz.

You sir, are a man with very fine taste in Japanese motorcycles. What a fantastic list.

Back in the day these bikes were raced in a straight line, from stop light to stop light. Bragging rights started to shift from the Honda's to the Kawa's.

In the early to mid '70's the ONLY thing that would beat the 750 triple in a straight line was the Kawi Z1-900/KZ900, and not every time even then. The 750 triple OWNED the stoplight racing world.

It would be a hoot to get ahold of one of these and run it at our local drag strip. You can run about anything here, so long as it is safe (not leaking, good brakes and tires etc) and you are wearing the proper safety gear. Helmet for the car guys and full coverage Leather or Kevlar with a newer helmet, gloves and boots for us few MC guys.

It seems like a good number of MC riders I have talked to do not like the idea of lining up just a few feet away from a supercharged, wound tight, drag racing car running slicks etc. I find it an amazing rush. Especially when I win! (about 1/2 the time)