From: zeleny@husc10.harvard.edu (Michael Zeleny)
Newsgroups: rec.motorcycles
Subject: Re: OK, what should I get for the twisties?
Date: 21 Dec 92 19:41:24 GMT
Organization: The Phallogocentric Cabal

In article <1992Dec17.231918.9391@adobe.com> 
cjackson@adobe.com (Curtis Jackson) writes:

>I was very grateful for, but disappointed by, the review of the
>GPZ1100 posted here by "Dave not James". So let me tell you what
>I am looking for:
>
>I already have an '81 Maxim 650. It has highway pegs, and I've added
>a windscreen and a good-sized trunk, so it is a more-than adequate
>commute bike.
>
>BUT I WANNA HAVE FUN!
>
>So I'm looking for something along the lines of a cafe racer. I want
>something that will be fun in twisties, that simply wants to lean
>into those corners of its own volition. But I don't want to ride
>with my knees directly below or behind my ass; no crotch rockets.
>I want a goodly amount of low-end power, but an absolute top-end of
>about 120 mph would be more than plenty; probably less would do.
>
>Lastly, I'd like to get something for around $3000 or less after it
>has been fixed up in tip-top shape (including tires). And I'd prefer
>that to have < 10000 miles on it.
>
>What does the great DoD/Wretch.Moto crowd recommend? Am I being
>unrealistic? I don't believe in the Bike Fairy, I want to know what
>is reasonable and what isn't reasonable about the above.

I am inordinately fond of Italian motorcycles, so bear it in mind as
you consider the following.

My latest bike is a 1986 1000 Moto Guzzi LeMans, bought for $2000, and
put in top shape for another $35 (a speedo cable).  It has 17K miles
on the clock, and feels like it will go for another 100K with nary a
hiccup.  The handling is a bit quicker than my other bikes have led me
to expect, but I am getting used to it.  The shaft drive makes it into
something less than a sport bike by my definition, but it certainly is
put together rigidly enough to behave like one, and will save you $$
for chain and sprocket expenses.  Guzzis are undervalued, and seem to
be superior in every respect, save the paint finish, to their
gravitationally challenged, hinge-framed, softly-sprung and
ill-dampened, undertuned and undercarburetted, BMW R-series
counterparts.

Since I prefer heavy, powerful, slow-steering sportbikes, I favor
Laverda triples.  A 1200 Mirage similar to mine can still be found for
a little over $3000; given regular oil changes, these bikes will give
reliable service for a very long time, and are far superior to their
Japanese contemporaries in handling, while being at least on par in
power output.  For my frame (6'1", 205#, 36" inseam in boots and
leathers), the Laverda with low bars and rearsets is a perfect fit.
It does call for a heavy steering input, but I like the exercise, and
the advantage in handling with a passenger aboard.  With a modicum of
experience, you ought to be able to scuff the tire tread all the way,
whilst enjoying remarkable stability in the corners, a genuine 80 rear
wheel horsepower, 140 mph in a straight line, and a Gatling-gun
exhaust note.  The post-82 models with off-side ignition will have
slightly more curb-side ground clearance, but require crashbars for
the same reason as a Honda CBX, -- danger of crank damage in an
ignition-side spill.

Avoid bevel Ducatis, which are fantastic bikes, but require more money
and effort than someone in your position could reasonably be expected
to spare.  (I own a 1980 900SS, and speak from experience.)  If you
would like a middleweight, consider a Cagiva 650 twin, which should be
available for a bit over $1200.  It is not too fast, nor possessed of
a surfeit of character; however the engine is quite pleasant, and the
frame -- perfectly adequate.  Every once in a while, I see the newer
Ducati 750S available for circa $3,500; if you are lucky, you should
be able to get a good one for under three thousand.  Personally, I
would go for liter-class bikes, which are far more versatile.

>Thanks,

Good luck.

>-- 
>Curtis Jackson  DoD #721   '62 Yankee Brunette "Dorothy"    '81 Maxim 650
>cjackson@mv.us.adobe.com   '91 Black Lab "Studley"  '92 Collie/Golden "George"
>  "They that can give up an essential liberty to obtain a little temporary
>   safety deserve neither liberty nor safety." -- Benjamin Franklin (1759)

cordially,
mikhail zeleny@husc.harvard.edu
"Le cul des femmes est monotone comme l'esprit des hommes."
Newsgroups: rec.motorcycles,rec.autos.tech