The ones that got away?

[BigInSeattle]

Do any of you have a list of bikes you might have owned over the years that you wish you never got rid of?

Ones that got away

2000 Valkyrie Standard - Basically my 1st bike
2004 Rune - I sold it to buy a boat "for the family", talk about dumb
2017 Harley Sportster Roadster - Just a cool little bike but it liked to cook my giblets
1994 Yamaha GTS1000, ultra rare - just a cool looking and very smooth bike
2007 Suzuki Hayabusa - I really loved that thing. So powerful and it scared the crap out of me

Others I'm indifferent about

2017 Indian Roadmaster - Don't get me wrong, a very NICE bike but I never got into it. I lost my job unexpectedly, freaked out and sold it. I got a new job a week later 

2002 Goldwing - Nice bike, never really felt it
???? Suzuki M109R - Cool bike, very uncomfortable
???? Yamaha Roadliner - Cool bike, kinda generic, awesome motor

[The emperor has no clothes]

1971 Yamaha R5B 350
1978 Honda CR250

[f6gal]

1974 Honda 750 four.  My first bike.

[old2soon]

          1973 Honda CB 500/4 and a 80/90? something Yamaha 920 Virago. The Virago had a bad habit under Hard acceleration of the pinion climbing the ring gear. The back end would Rise! And my old old motocross bike-Yamaha YA5 125CC single. Rotary valve! RIDE SAFE.

[f6gal]

          1973 Honda CB 500/4 and a 80/90? something Yamaha 920 Virago. The Virago had a bad habit under Hard acceleration of the pinion climbing the ring gear. The back end would Rise! And my old old motocross bike-Yamaha YA5 125CC single. Rotary valve! RIDE SAFE.

In 1973, wasn't is a CB 550/4? 

[BigBod]

Suzuki GT 750 Kettle, the only 2 stroke I ever owned and loved it. They sell for silly money now.

And my GL1200 Aspencade. Owned it for 9 years, had just about every conceivable extra on it, took me and the Wife all over Europe many many times. The wife cried when the new owner rode off on it. It was immaculate... The guy I sold it to wrote it off in less than a month ....

[J.Mencalice]

The 1979 Yamaha XS11 Midnight Special that I sold for a song because we were moving.
The 1984 Yamaha Venture Royale the we lost in a barn fire; awesome motor and good ride.
The 1965 BMW R65 lost in the same fire, was undergoing restoration, would still be riding it  
A 1990 Moto Guzzi 850 LeMans set up as a cafe racer, painted race orange and just slick tricked as could be.  Sitting at the Concours d'Elagance in Steamboat Springs with a reasonable sale price.
My buddy said that "You should buy this, it'd be a fun ride and very desirable down the road."
Dumb, dumb, dumb, dumb.

[Sorcerer]

1977 Triumph 750 Bonneville.

[Avanti]

Honda 550 4 that I got my license on, great short distance bike, sold
1958 Harley-Davidson FLH Panhead found in the basement of a bar, restored and sold.
1947 Harley-Davidson Knucklehead engine I built a custom bike with and sold to soon.
2006 FJR 1300 sold it so I could continue to live (survive) to ride!

[Rams]

78 KZ1000, fun to ride and was a kick ass bike of the time period.

Rams

[signart]

          1973 Honda CB 500/4 and a 80/90? something Yamaha 920 Virago. The Virago had a bad habit under Hard acceleration of the pinion climbing the ring gear. The back end would Rise! And my old old motocross bike-Yamaha YA5 125CC single. Rotary valve! RIDE SAFE.

In 1973, wasn't is a CB 550/4? 

cb550 came along in 1974, but who in the world would buy one with a cb750 sitting in the same room?

[signart]

1974 Honda 750 four.  My first bike.

The best motorcycle ever made, Valk a close second.

[..]

Velocette LE200

Laverda Jota

Kawasaki GPZ 550

First Valkyrie

[old2soon]

          1973 Honda CB 500/4 and a 80/90? something Yamaha 920 Virago. The Virago had a bad habit under Hard acceleration of the pinion climbing the ring gear. The back end would Rise! And my old old motocross bike-Yamaha YA5 125CC single. Rotary valve! RIDE SAFE.

In 1973, wasn't is a CB 550/4? 

500/4 and it was titled as a 73. And sad to say I do NOT have any pics in my possesion of that bike or the others I've owned. Divorce causes ya to lose some "stuff"!  RIDE SAFE.

[RainMaker]

One that got away - 1971 Honda 350CL.  It was a basket case I bought in 1976 for $75 and rebuilt on my apartment porch.  Then had to take it through the apartment and out the door (didn't think it through when I started the project).  Fast enough for the highway and fun to ride.  Let a friend borrow it who crashed it 2 years later.  Too expensive to repair then, but wished I had kept it until finances were better.

One that is still here and a "will I ever get to it" project - '73 350 Four, in the shed, mostly intact.  Bought it for $100 with intentions to rebuild, just haven't gotten to it yet.  (It didn't get away and won't be trying in it's current condition!)

[sandy]

1965 Ducati 200 Elite Cafe Racer.

1967 Ducati 250 Scrambler.

Both models are in the Barber Museum in Alabama.

Wooda cooda shooda.

[old2soon]

         Other folks owned these But I was able to ride both of them at one time or another. Those Wicked FAST Kawasaki 2stroke triples-500CC and 750CC. Course Now long distance touring I'll stick with Phatt Ghurl!  RIDE SAFE.

[msb]

I don't have a lot of regrets in terms of past bikes that I've let go. Although I've been riding for over 4 and a half decades, I never really became attached to any particular  bike... until my Valkyrie, which I've now had for over 19 years and will never have to be in a position to let it go.
I guess the closest I came was my 1980 HD Shovelhead... not because it was a great bike (it was literally a collection of parts that broke, fell apart, leaked, etc. even though I bought it new), but because it represented a time where I committed to put my biking days on hold for a bit after getting married to buy a house and have kids. Turns out, when I got back into riding full time with an 84  Wing, there were no regrets after all...had a lot of fun on that HD, but what a pile of crap they were back then.

[Smokinjoe-VRCCDS#0005]

79 Yamaha XS 1100
72 Honda 750/4
78 Honda 750F SS
85 ZL 900
03 Suzuki Bandit 1200S

[Willow]

My list of bikes as I remember is:

Honda 150 Dream
Honda 305 Superhawk
Honda S90
Honda CL125 (Iwakuni, Japan)
Honda CL450 (Iwakuni to U.S.A.)
Honda Shadow VT500CD
Honda Magna VFR750
Honda Valkyrie GL1500CD
Honda Valkyrie GL1500CF
Honda Valkyrie GL1500CF
Honda Valkyrie GL1500CF
Honda Valkyrie GL1500CT

I still have three Valkyries.  The only bike I sold that I wish I still had is the '98 Magna.  I had good times on all of them.

[hubcapsc]

My last dirt bike was the awesome 97 CR-500. Even if I still
had it there's no place to ride. We went to nearby places and
rode all day, single track, gnarly hills, power lines... all gone.
The most remote "dark corner" of Greenville County is a
golf course community on Glassy Mountain now.

I think it would be cool to get a KTM exc 500 (street legal, but
a 240 lb full-on dirt bike) and ride it down the road to all the
access points around Tellico Plains... but even there, there's
probably not a bunch of single track and gnarly hills...

-Mike "I'd break my neck now, so there's that..."

[klb]

My last dirt bike was the awesome 97 CR-500.

One of my last was a 01 KX-500. Had to sell it fast for worry
of Great Bodily harm..
Never owned a CR-500 but rode a few. The big bore 500's
were kinda like riding in fast forward.
The XR-600 was a bit more calm for me.

[cagrote]

 78 suzuki gs 750e full fairing and bags
  80 honda 400 c
81 cb 900 c really enjoyed this bike

[cookiedough]

1984 honda magna bought 1988 sold 1998 to have kids and buy a used fishing boat.  bought for 1500, sold for 1500 and still if in good shape today be worth 1500 with the extras I had put on it.  I cried when it left and wish I would still have it today for they worth near as much money used now as in 1988.   Never listen to the wife again...   My kid would be riding it today for last year he just bought a 1985 honda v30 500cc magna which he says is so buttery smooth and fairly quick for such a small displacement engine.   I had to drive it a few times and did not fit me well at all need to be tad bit smaller but ran well.

[hubcapsc]

The big bore 500's were kinda like riding in fast forward.

Nail it off the line, go through the gears flapping the clutch and never letting
off on the throttle throwing a rooster tail... I tried shifting just one gear (4th to
5th maybe?) that way once on the Valkyrie... not a good idea  ...

-Mike

[BigInSeattle]

1984 honda magna bought 1988 sold 1998 to have kids and buy a used fishing boat.  bought for 1500, sold for 1500 and still if in good shape today be worth 1500 with the extras I had put on it.  I cried when it left and wish I would still have it today for they worth near as much money used now as in 1988.   Never listen to the wife again...   My kid would be riding it today for last year he just bought a 1985 honda v30 500cc magna which he says is so buttery smooth and fairly quick for such a small displacement engine.   I had to drive it a few times and did not fit me well at all need to be tad bit smaller but ran well.

My 1st bike was a V45 Magna from that era. I paid 400.00 for it after passing the MSF course in Vegas. Two weeks later or so I bought my '00 Valkyrie.

I don't miss that bike at all. It was a basket case

[The emperor has no clothes]

My last dirt bike was the awesome 97 CR-500. Even if I still
had it there's no place to ride. We went to nearby places and
rode all day, single track, gnarly hills, power lines... all gone.
The most remote "dark corner" of Greenville County is a
golf course community on Glassy Mountain now.

I think it would be cool to get a KTM exc 500 (street legal, but
a 240 lb full-on dirt bike) and ride it down the road to all the
access points around Tellico Plains... but even there, there's
probably not a bunch of single track and gnarly hills...

-Mike "I'd break my neck now, so there's that..."

I'd probably break my neck also. But maybe not, I'd probably only be able to go 30 minutes and have to take a break. Around here is almost limitless riding. It's not the wooded enduro riding like you guys have, but the desert does have a lot of varied riding.

[Oldfishguy]

My list of bikes as I remember is:

Honda 150 Dream
Honda 305 Superhawk
Honda S90
Honda CL125 (Iwakuni, Japan)
Honda CL450 (Iwakuni to U.S.A.)
Honda Shadow VT500CD
Honda Magna VFR750
Honda Valkyrie GL1500CD
Honda Valkyrie GL1500CF
Honda Valkyrie GL1500CF
Honda Valkyrie GL1500CF
Honda Valkyrie GL1500CT

I still have three Valkyries.  The only bike I sold that I wish I still had is the '98 Magna.  I had good times on all of them.

Curious, did that CL450 have a kilometer speedometer?  Did you have to convert it to a mph before importing?  Did the bike have a standard VIN tag on the right side of the head???  Any Japanese script???

I have a CB500 that was imported by a vet in the early 70's, some odd things on the machine.  Not a lot of information on the process that happened with these imports.

[AwesomeDad]

Only two,
My first bike Honda trail 70
And my 03 Valkyrie
Every other bike is just me trying to find the thrill those two gave me...

JJ

[Dusty]

Do any of you have a list of bikes you might have owned over the years that you wish you never got rid of?

Ones that got away

2000 Valkyrie Standard - Basically my 1st bike
2004 Rune - I sold it to buy a boat "for the family", talk about dumb
2017 Harley Sportster Roadster - Just a cool little bike but it liked to cook my giblets
1994 Yamaha GTS1000, ultra rare - just a cool looking and very smooth bike
2007 Suzuki Hayabusa - I really loved that thing. So powerful and it scared the crap out of me

Others I'm indifferent about

2017 Indian Roadmaster - Don't get me wrong, a very NICE bike but I never got into it. I lost my job unexpectedly, freaked out and sold it. I got a new job a week later 

2002 Goldwing - Nice bike, never really felt it
???? Suzuki M109R - Cool bike, very uncomfortable
???? Yamaha Roadliner - Cool bike, kinda generic, awesome motor

I've still got a !993 GTS 1000. Smoothest running bike I have ever  ridden and a little different to look at. Like it a lot.

Dusty

[vanavyman]

I've bought and sold several bikes over the years and was happy with the swap except for one.  There was a valid reason to sell it (needed garage room for Trish to get a Trike so she could learn), but I've missed this bike quite a lot.

[BigInSeattle]

I've still got a !993 GTS 1000. Smoothest running bike I have ever  ridden and a little different to look at. Like it a lot.

Dusty

I agree. It is weird how smooth that bike is especially on the interstate. It is even smoother than the Valkyrie.

I didn't have mine for a very long time, less than a year. Since I'm bad with money I didn't have it very long.

Mine didn't have any issues other than the weird fueling issues around town. I'd love to own another one some day but I'm scared of finding replacement parts for the front end, especially that ball joint that isn't available anywhere.

[BigInSeattle]

I've bought and sold several bikes over the years and was happy with the swap except for one.  There was a valid reason to sell it (needed garage room for Trish to get a Trike so she could learn), but I've missed this bike quite a lot.

That is one wild paint job, I like it!

[BigInSeattle]

I'll go ahead and post a pic of my Indian. It sure was pretty, I will give it that much...

[bassman]

1979 XS Eleven Special
1958 Cushman Eagle

[F6BANGER]

73 RD350 cafe/drag bike. The little guy I bought it from turned 11.92 quarter mile time here in Albuq. Surprised I'm still alive.

[f6gal]

My list of bikes as I remember is:

Honda 150 Dream
Honda 305 Superhawk
Honda S90
Honda CL125 (Iwakuni, Japan)
Honda CL450 (Iwakuni to U.S.A.)
Honda Shadow VT500CD
Honda Magna VFR750
Honda Valkyrie GL1500CD
Honda Valkyrie GL1500CF
Honda Valkyrie GL1500CF
Honda Valkyrie GL1500CF
Honda Valkyrie GL1500CT

I still have three Valkyries.  The only bike I sold that I wish I still had is the '98 Magna.  I had good times on all of them.

Curious, did that CL450 have a kilometer speedometer?  Did you have to convert it to a mph before importing?  Did the bike have a standard VIN tag on the right side of the head???  Any Japanese script???

I have a CB500 that was imported by a vet in the early 70's, some odd things on the machine.  Not a lot of information on the process that happened with these imports.

Oldfishguy, did you see my PM?

[Willow]

My list of bikes as I remember is:

Honda 150 Dream
Honda 305 Superhawk
Honda S90
Honda CL125 (Iwakuni, Japan)
Honda CL450 (Iwakuni to U.S.A.)
Honda Shadow VT500CD
Honda Magna VFR750
Honda Valkyrie GL1500CD
Honda Valkyrie GL1500CF
Honda Valkyrie GL1500CF
Honda Valkyrie GL1500CF
Honda Valkyrie GL1500CT

I still have three Valkyries.  The only bike I sold that I wish I still had is the '98 Magna.  I had good times on all of them.

Curious, did that CL450 have a kilometer speedometer?  Did you have to convert it to a mph before importing?  Did the bike have a standard VIN tag on the right side of the head???  Any Japanese script???

I have a CB500 that was imported by a vet in the early 70's, some odd things on the machine.  Not a lot of information on the process that happened with these imports.

I don't remember looking for for the VIN tag or Japaneses script.  I bought it from a Honda shop in Iwakuni but am not fully convinced it was a Japan intended model.  It did have both kilometers and miles on the speedometer and the odometer displayed in miles.

I converted nothing on its move to the U.S.  The U.S. Marine Corps shipped it for me. 

[old2soon]

       Carl what you mentioned about The U S M C shipping your bike for free evoked some Memories. After pulling off Yankee Station-Nam-we'd stop in Japan before returning to CONUS. Now an Aircraft Carrier has more room than you'd think. And that room was put to good use transiting from Japan to CONUS we had a Lot of Japanese M/Cs and a Lot of Japanese electronic gear. And in many cases including me-clothing from some rather nice tailors in Hong Kong. And even betta-at that time-tada-Duty Free!  RIDE SAFE.

[Oldfishguy]

My list of bikes as I remember is:

Honda 150 Dream
Honda 305 Superhawk
Honda S90
Honda CL125 (Iwakuni, Japan)
Honda CL450 (Iwakuni to U.S.A.)
Honda Shadow VT500CD
Honda Magna VFR750
Honda Valkyrie GL1500CD
Honda Valkyrie GL1500CF
Honda Valkyrie GL1500CF
Honda Valkyrie GL1500CF
Honda Valkyrie GL1500CT

I still have three Valkyries.  The only bike I sold that I wish I still had is the '98 Magna.  I had good times on all of them.

Curious, did that CL450 have a kilometer speedometer?  Did you have to convert it to a mph before importing?  Did the bike have a standard VIN tag on the right side of the head???  Any Japanese script???

I have a CB500 that was imported by a vet in the early 70’s, some odd things on the machine.  Not a lot of information on the process that happened with these imports.

Oldfishguy, did you see my PM?

F6gal
Permission given, PM me your email address and I’ll try to send it to you from the original.  I’ll look at the message board this time.