Cars R OK, but what kind of motorcycle do you have

Hey Jim S.,

I've been a fan of the Hayden's since they burst out on the National scene. Living here in Cincinnati and growing up in KY, of course I'm a Nicky fan. I love hearing his drawl when he does his post race interviews with the motoGP press!

Early this summer my sister was telling me that a new nurse at UK hospital had a brother that raced motorcycles. She thought he was "racing in Europe" or something like that. I asked her the new nurses name and it was Hayden! Turns out Nicky's sister works in the ward with my sister. It was nice that Nicky had his whole family at the last race where he secured his championship. Not bad for a good ol' boy from Owensboro!

BTW, I about jumped out of my shoes when Rossi crashed! I didn't have anything against Rossi, but it was a nice turn of events after that crap Pedrosa pulled on Nicky in the previous race.

Currently bikeless since I don't have a garage. Previously had dirt bikes, then a tricked out RZ350, tricked 1990 VFR750 and finally a CBR900RR. Once I get my new house built I'll probably get some type of cool bike that ain't so fast. I'd really like to have a tricked out GB500 or possibly a small bore 2-stroker. Of course, that yellow Duc 748 looks good too......

Enjoy,

TIC

Hey Tom, nice to hear from you.

You have an affection for 2-strokes too? I got to prep TZ's for a couple of years in AMA and the early Formula USA series. I had never even ridden a 2-stroke before that. Simply amazing performance and straight forward technology. I have been a 2-stroke admirer ever since.

CBR900, what a great bike. Hard to keep the front wheel on the ground though.

The entire VFR series were some of the nicest handling bikes of their time.

RZ350, stock RZ's wobbling across racetracks all over the US and Canada. Those things were dangerous in stock form. Almost got killed by an RZ wobbling uncontrollably across my line out of the last turn at Savannah.

That Ducati is going to put a crimp in your music budget.

Think Nicky can repeat?

Jim S.

Jim,

You are right about the RZ wobbling. I didn't really notice it until I went back to it after wadding my VFR down in the KY twisties. I had kept the RZ and started riding it again after totaling the VFR. I couldn't believe how bad it handled after riding a more modern machine. I promptly sold it and bought my buddy's 900RR.

I don't know about Nicky repeating. There are several other good contenders and it's very hard to stay on top.

Your right about the Duc. It's a bit expensive and a bit fast for my current taste. But it is absolutely beautiful. Honestly, I think the Honda GB500 is the ticket for me. Looks cool, can be tricked to look nearly identical to a 1965 racer, it's relatively slow, sounds cool, blah, blah.

I must be getting old!

Enjoy,

TIC

Tom,

It took me a little while to find the time to look up what a GB500 is. I don't know a lot about singles, but it does look cool. Some of the nicest customs I've seen have been based on singles. There is something about the simplicity and functionality that strikes a resonant chord!

Hope you find one if you decide to go for it!

Jim S.

For Jim or anyone interested in seeing a Honda GB500, here's a link to an ad for one. It is a good photo of a stock bike. Click on the photo to enlarge.

http://adcache.cycletrader.com/5/3/1/87117331.htm

The bummer is that I could have bought a brand new one in the early '90s for about $2500-2800. They didn't sell worth crap at the time of their procuction run and dealers were nearly giving them away. Oh well, I guess I'll get to fuel the economy a bit by paying double when I'm ready for one.....

Enjoy,

TIC