My Suzuki VZ800V Marauder, 1997 model. The first bike I`ve ever bought brand new. I kept it basically original apart from ...... Dynojet Stage 1 kit and K+N filters. EBC Pro-lite front disc and Goodridge stainless hose with HH sintered pads. Altered gearing by moving down from a 48 to a 47 tooth rear sprocket for better cruising. Fitting of an electronic tacho ( not fitted to standard Marauders). The nose fairing is a GS 500 model. The sports rack is made from a couple of office chair legs cut and welded together! Then powder coated for a beer! I owned this for 5 years and it never let me down once. |
"D-Day". My Honda CB550F. This was bought in 1984 from a student in Winchester for £220. I owned it for 14 years during which time it went through various rebuilds. After nearly killing me in 1987 it ended up looking like this. It finished with a Yoshimura 610 conversion, high-lift cams, Dynojet stage 3, Goodridge hose, drilled disc, Koni rear shocks, and too many other modifications to list. The "Red Period" was taken at the 1986 Kent Custom Show. It`s also been Black, Silver, Beige and several colours in between! Sold her in 1998 for £400. |
"Basket Case". My BSA B40 350cc Single. Was bought as a basket case for £200. It was great fun building this as I had the CB550 at the time just in case I needed to ride anywhere! The build-up you see here is mild compared to the finished article in coolstuff! |
Chalk and Cheese? Yin and Yang? Depends on your point of view. |
My standard Honda CB400F. Which ,apart from the nose fairing and rear rack ,remained that way until I sold it in 1983. No name, no history, just a very good bike. And a "classic" today. |
My 1972 Honda CB 250. Bought for £35 and rebuilt behind the sofa at my parents house with a lot of help from my father. See history. This was the bike I took my test on, when I turned seventeen, in the pre-CBT days. |
My first motorcycle. A 1976 Yamaha FSIE. The "Fizzer or Fizzy" was the bike to have when you were sixteen. I blew it up several times and rebuilt it again. I passed it on to my brother who continued riding it for another year and then it faded into history. |
I have owned other motorcycles then these but for various reasons these have had
the greatest impact on me. |
My Buell M2 Cyclone. Basically standard apart from me fitting the belly pan off the X1 Lightning , a fender extender off a Suzuki 600 Bandit, and carbon fibre sheet to protect the vunerable parts of the paintwork. I sold it after 5 years as I was`nt riding enough and it seemed a shame to leave it sitting in a garage. She should be cruising around the streets of Malta now enjoying the sunshine. |
The newest edition is the 1200 Bandit bought as a replacement for the Buell. In remarkably good condition for a "T" reg
and with 14k on the clock.Apart from the usual Rethal bars/Goodridge hose and
a few tweeks it`s going to remain standard..........for now. |