What was your worst motorcycle?

[WildWilly]

I think everybody has owned at least one "what-was-I-thinking?" motorcycle. Mine was a 1996 Buell S1 Lightning. Cycle World Magazine described the seat as a suppository on a frame. They were being kind. It vibrated like a paint mixer, had oppressive engine heat, mediocre suspension, grabby brakes and and a frame so short the front and back wheels almost touched. Why did I buy it? I liked the yellow color. That's my story, what's yours?

[Gunther]

I've always loved Buell bikes, so be careful...
Worst bikes were GPZ500S and SV650
Inexperienced rider when I had the first, simply idiot when I rode the second one.
GPZ had a 16" front rim which was even too agile, it was kind of unstable and the rear brake was almost inexisting. SV was a good bike, actually, but I rode it without technique and lot of anxiety. Sometimes I think of buying another one, of the firts serie, with aluminium frame, and modified it, just to see what I've learned in the past 20 years of motorcycling

[Richard230]

I can't say that I really appreciated the hand-me-down 1958 Alstate (Puch) 125 motorcycle that my cousins gave me. The fact that it had a squashed rear wheel and no rear suspension might have had something to do with my disdain. My 1962 Vespa 125 (also imported by Sears Roebuck) scooter wasn't all that great either, as it was very tail heavy, the suspension had no damping and it would need its points cleaned of oil every 50 miles.

[Capt Sisko]

Mid 70s Honda C2B50G5.

What can I say, the most unreliable 'thing' I've ever owned. It chewed cam chains & tensioners, the cam shaft broke, the gearbox went AWOL, the silencers rotted in months and in the wet the spark plugs arced to your knees if they got to close. As for the handling, brakes and speed, everything was just lacking.

It's only saving grace was that after languishing in my parents garage for the best part of thirty years (as nobody would buy it when i moved on to betting things and at the time even the scrap yards said it would cost more to break than the bits were worth), I discovered the front end was identical to that fitted to the 70s Honda 400/4. I'm not going to say it paid for a good holiday, but a straight 400/4 front end (even if it did need refurbishing) was worth something to the restorers.

[Speedy23]

Regarding the CB250 G5.....I always used to laff when people used to praise the handling of the 400/4....the cycle parts (frame etc.) were identical to the CB 250/350 which had a less than stellar reputation (I know - I had one...)

[Richard230]

Regarding the CB250 G5.....I always used to laff when people used to praise the handling of the 400/4....the cycle parts (frame etc.) were identical to the CB 250/350 which had a less than stellar reputation (I know - I had one...)

The first motorcycle that I owned that I thought had good suspension and handling was a 1983 Kawasaki KZ750-L3. Prior to that it was all bump and weave around corners since I started riding in 1962.

[notacop]

I guess my Aermacchi Harley Davidson 125 Rapido was the worst. Funny, they are worth some bucks now...if you can find a buyer.

[Elizdad]

1979 yamaha sr500= absolutely nothing wrong with it - other than to me it was boring as heck - it was one of my "between" bikes - my first 2 bikes were in-line fours and i liked going fast - this sr with it's what, 12hp, was anything but fast - see ya -

[BoxerBits]

Without doubt a 97 Funduro 650 ST, lovley looking little bike, handled well but not a very reliable one. Bought it on a whim needing a change from an old R80RT.

Amongst other things, despite replacement fuel tank cap several times under warranty, it let water into the petrol tank every time it rained heavily causing all sorts of problems as you'd expect. Consumed steering head bearings on a regular basis. Had a wiring harness that continually needed repairing due to been poorly installed. Had a top box that filled with water even in a drizzle.

Wouldn't have been so bad on an old nail, but it was a new one. We parted company after a year or so when I exchanged it for another lovely 95 R80RT last of line which I've still got, and will be resurrected one winter.



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[Bogbody]

CB360G5 - best of a '70s bad bunch.
It went like the 250 should have done.
Handled like it had 2 swinging arms and brakes that would not stop the bike two-up downhill....
Saving grace? lots of bits fit the 400/4 and laughing at 400/4 owners that think the 400/4 a sweet handling thing .... when you know that its frame and syspension are the same as a bendy 360G5 ....

[Richard230]

Without doubt a 97 Funduro 650 ST, lovley looking little bike, handled well but not a very reliable one. Bought it on a whim needing a change from an old R80RT.

Amongst other things, despite replacement fuel tank cap several times under warranty, it let water into the petrol tank every time it rained heavily causing all sorts of problems as you'd expect. Consumed steering head bearings on a regular basis. Had a wiring harness that continually needed repairing due to been poorly installed. Had a top box that filled with water even in a drizzle.

Wouldn't have been so bad on an old nail, but it was a new one. We parted company after a year or so when I exchanged it for another lovely 95 R80RT last of line which I've still got, and will be resurrected one winter.



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I owned a 1997 Funduro (not the ST version) that I bought new in December 1996 and I thought it was a great bike. I never had a problem with the Italian-assembled 650 single, no water in the tank and no engine issues. However, I did have the steering bearings replaced at 8K miles. BMW paid for that work as they said it was an assembly problem where the factory used the wrong type of grease. The engine was quite smooth. It was only after about 10 years and 36K miles of riding that I started having some electrical problems which was making it hard to start at times. Instead of sorting out the problem, I traded the Funduro in on my current F650GS twin.

[ccramerusc]

My first bike was a 92" Yamaha Secca II (XJ600S) known as the Diversion in the rest of the world. I bought it in 99 and sold it in 01 to a friend of mine. It was a good first bike.

It required a bunch of repairs and maintenance and wasn't particularly good at anything. Then again, it made me buy the shop manual and learn to work on bikes. Also, its performance was good enough to teach me how to ride without killing me while I was in my 20s. Looking back, this was by far the worst bike I ever owned.

After that I bought an 01' Suzuki SV650S brand new and rode it for 12 years and 65,000 miles. Best bike I ever had by far. During my time with it I totaled it, but bought it back from the insurance company and fixed it up with all upgraded parts.

I loved the v-twin which steered me towards the parallel twin of the f800. So I finally moved to my current ST in 13' (it was an 08' with 15k miles). It's much more comfortable, but the repairs have been frustrating and consistent. Plus, the the performance is the same as the SV650S that I had. The worst part was that the 5 year old ST cost me the same as my brand new SV650S did.

I know I've only owned 3 bikes, but I've ridden about 130,000 miles on them over 21 years.

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[crna59]

1979 yamaha sr500= absolutely nothing wrong with it - other than to me it was boring as heck - it was one of my "between" bikes - my first 2 bikes were in-line fours and i liked going fast - this sr with it's what, 12hp, was anything but fast - see ya -

Similar.... mine was the 197? Yamaha SC500. Think it was a 4-speed. I almost died on that thing. Way too much power for what I wanted to do with it (trail riding)! LOL

[danomar]

Although I really liked my 1987 Ducati Paso 750, it was a constant source of cash expenditure. The one thing that made me let it go was the seating position: The seat splays my legs apart much wider than I like, and one's private bits get squashed against the tank.



It was stunning to look at, though.

[emlevy]

This will shock many, but my ‘08 R1200RT was a real dud. There was nothing mechanically wrong with the bike but we simply couldn’t come to terms with each other. Top heavy, noisy at speed, ponderous. I kept it all of three weeks.

By contrast, my ‘15 R1200RT is a delight. Go figure.

[Daboo]

My first motorcycle was some kind of Suzuki 90cc bike back in 1980. The headlight was about as effective as holding a flashlight in your teeth. The brakes needed the additional help of dragging your feet as you came to a stop. I learned not to depend on a horn with that bike. If the rpms weren't high enough, the horn didn't work. And when it did, you were more effective shouting at the other person.

Chris