Riki5156

If anyone hasn't seen Windy Urtnowski vids on you tube check him out. He has a small collection of beautifully maintained units from 80s to now. Today him and his bud go shopping for a new bike. He got his mind set on a blue MT09 but no dealer close to him has a blue one right now. While they are looking and videoing all these new units I'm looking along with. I really have not seen new bikes in many years and I really don't pay attention to ads for them. I was shocked at what I saw. Except for a retro unit here and there and Harley/Indian styling the rest of the sport bikes looked to be a hot mess.These things look like something thats been pretotalled.Styling lines that go ten different directions,a tailpiece a good 4 feet off the ground,this is the progression that started I think with Honda's Hurricane/VFR. The closest thing I've had to a sport bike was a 2002 GSXF 750 Katana. Too uncomfortable for me and I sold it. Where will it go in the future?





















I'm assuming the styling is geared toward younger people but Windy is 75.

WarpShatner7

Very well put! I'm starting to warm to the newer designs just a bit, but in a few cases it's not easy. Yamaha's Tracer 900 looks like early concept art for the original Alien film. I've decided I like it, but I had to work at it.

DGA

Completely disagree. These look really good to me and I love the look of classic bikes.

307T

I agree with DGA about appreciation of classic bikes. However, I am a bit more of a Luddite. I really like bikes that have wire wheels, frames that you can see through, carburetors, wide bars and an upright seating position. Electric start and disc brakes are nice but there is nothing that you cannot handle with a kick start and drums.

Before I got my Harley I bought this 1966 Triumph TR6 street tracker from the guy who built it. I ended up selling it to a good friend. Sadly, he passed away and the bike went to another friend. This guy is a Triumph fan through and through and so I have every confidence that the bike will be in good hands and thoroughly enjoyed.

Not for everybody and I understand that but it is a classic that I love; just rough enough around the edges to have extra appeal.

WarpShatner7

I like the classic look, and even on contemporary bikes I really prefer to be able see at least some of the engine. Compare the 2007 BMW K1200R Sport to the K1200 S. Essentially the same bike, both well enough faired to reduce drag but only one of them would make me risk my neck to check myself out while slipping past a store window. Pity they only did the badass one for a single year.

Modern, self-consciously retro bikes sometimes aren't done very well. On the one hand, the Triumph "modern classics" in the water-cooled Triple versions from about 1996-2001 were awesome. But the Bobber, OTOH, is trying way too hard: if you're actually disguising structural and engine components to make them look like something other than what they are you're just making a wankmobile. By contrast, the Yamaha XSR900 is an example of how to do this really well.

DGA

What comes to mind is the Honda CB1100. Even though I thought it was a good bike, there were some interesting differences between it and it's old brethren. Having a '74 CB550 project the seating position between the two is really different, along with the heft of the 1100. Things I certainly did not like.

The 1100 never really made it in US and I'm curious why, especially since the CB has always been an iconic and pivotal bike.

bcj

CB11 is too heavy.
Getting to GoldWing heavy.