As promised, pics of my current bike.

[AxeYrCat]

Triumph Thruxton 900.






It's faster than the Buddy, but nowhere near as practical, and it's considerably more expensive to maintain/insure. But it makes me happy despite all of that.


That said, I am now much more appreciative of the pragmatic nature of scooters, and I Genuinely [yeah, lame intentional pun] miss having one.

[Keys]

Damn, those are some big wheels!!

--Keys

[redcass]

Triumph Thruxton 900.

That said, I am now much more appreciative of the pragmatic nature of scooters, and I Genuinely [yeah, lame intentional pun] miss having one.

I think the Triumphs are great looking bikes. OTOH, I've heard they have oil leak problems. Is that true?

[Kevin K]

Sssssssweeeeeeeeeet!!! One of my all-time favorite modern "classics".
-K

[AxeYrCat]

I think the Triumphs are great looking bikes. OTOH, I've heard they have oil leak problems. Is that true?

Traditionally, yes. And there was a very small oil leak that had developed in mine that's being fixed under warranty.

From what I've heard, the modern bikes aren't as likely to get such leaks, but, I suppose I'll find out.

[AxeYrCat]

Sssssssweeeeeeeeeet!!! One of my all-time favorite modern "classics".

Thank you!


It's been pretty good to me so far.

[Sunil]

Wow! Thats beautiful. Who cares how much trouble it is, its worth it.

[jetboy]

That bike is awesome and is exactly what I'd like to have some day. I'd have to do one heck of a sales job in the household, however.

-jetboy

[ericalm]

There aren't many new MCs that look as hot (to me) as this. Niiiice.

[Kevin K]

Here's our review of the Thruxton:
http://www.motorbyte.com/mmm/pages/2005/72/review72.htm

And how I spent 24 hours with a Bonneville:
http://www.motorbyte.com/mmm/pages/feat ... .htm#Kevin
-K

[rajron]

Very nice lucky you! – I particularly like the racing strip.
With older British cars and bikes they used to say if it didn’t leak oil then you were running dry of oil but that hasn’t been true for years.
Be careful that thing looks a little faster than the Buddy.

[gt1000]

Since we're showing pictures of retro bikes here's a snap of mine. It shares some striking similarities with Triumph's modern classics but also has some very obvious differences.

While I do love my GT1000 I would be pretty unhappy if it was my everyday commuter. The Buddy fills that role admirably.

Love the look of the Thrux by the way...

[AxeYrCat]

Nice! I actually considered a GT1k, but in South Carolina, insurance goes up 40% when you hit 1000ccs!!


Ultimately, the cost of service and parts on the Duc were scarier than those on the Thrux, but it was still a VERY difficult call.





And thanks a lot, everyone. I was worried that I'd be disowned for going over to the dark side.

[vitaminC]

With older British cars and bikes they used to say if it didn’t leak oil then you were running dry of oil but that hasn’t been true for years.

Also works great as a rust preventative!

Nice ride, but I don't think I could hack that riding position.

It's not retro, but here's me indulging my latest craze on a borrowed bike:

[AxeYrCat]

I'm definitely envious of all the sweet trail riding you get to do, Chris.


As far as riding position: It's not nearly as drastic as you'd think; however, I did ride around the neighborhood for about half an hour getting completely accustomed to where everything was.

[vitaminC]

I'm definitely envious of all the sweet trail riding you get to do, Chris.


As far as riding position: It's not nearly as drastic as you'd think; however, I did ride around the neighborhood for about half an hour getting completely accustomed to where everything was.

Yeah, I'm lucky to have friends that will loan me their bikes!

I think we all need a nice, large, multi-bike stable. Though I suppose more than that I need a roof over my head...

I've sat on the Thruxton at the dealer, and it was definitely too much lean for me, though I imagine at speed that the wind blast will help take some weight off your wrists. For me, I really need/prefer the "sit up and beg" position. Hopefully pretty soon I'll be starting a thread like this of my own

[jrsjr]

Does this qualify as retro? Check out that upside-down swoosh. Does that say "1982" loudly enough for you?

P.S. The Thrux and the Duck both rock!

[Eddy Merckx]

Very sweet, envy, envy

[gt1000]

Does this qualify as retro?

With Harleys and Triumphs we might just be talking vintage, not retro.

But seriously, to me, these bikes are the embodiment of motorcycling. Modern, water cooled bikes are amazing but, in my eyes, nothing can touch an air-cooled machine with a great looking motor. In fact, the one thing my GT lacks is a beautifully finished engine, exemplified by the Thrux and the Harley. The Duc motor is really potent, looks good and sounds great but if you compared the 3 bikes side by side you'd think the Duc motor was finished by a baboon.

I think our 3 bikes would look pretty cool riding together. Let me know when you're passing through Denver.

[Elm Creek Smith]

This is vintage. A 1958 997cc Ariel Square 4. Sa-a-a-a-a-we-e-e-e-e-e-et!!!

[weaseltamer]

that Ariel is quiiiiite seductive.

[chickierider]

This past Sunday my local SC participated in the Toys For Tots ride. Among thousands of motorcyclists, only seven scooters were represented: My Buddy, an Italia, my guy's Stella, a Ruckus, an Xtreme, a Vespa, and someone's garage project punked out vintage Lambi/Vespa. The Stella seemed to receieve the most positive attention (from the little positive attention we got).

But the motorcycle (and I learned that there are motorcyclists that rent facial hair for these occasions--can you believe it?!?) that impressed me most (visually) was a yellow Indian.

I also noticed someone else brought a Honda c-90 (leg shields removed, larger extra cog). Four of us scooterists converged on the bike--the owner was nowhere to be found--and as we examined it, a motorhead joined our little clatch to admire the c-90 too. He made a comment that really rankled me: "I bet these things could go for two to three thousand dollars--half the cost of a REAL bike!" Considering my REAL bike was less than three grand--and I don't rent my hair--and he was in a sea of beer swilling Jerry Springer guests (and said it earnestly as if it were a fact, not as a gibe--we weren't near our scoots at the time), it was all I could do to grimace and silently wish his lobotomy reversed.

In fact, the whole five mile ride, thanks to all the damned idiots who brought their MT, high displacement engines to the ride, took three hours because their bikes kept stalling out. The fumes were unbearable, and when we entered the parking garage, the noise was deafening. I was only down a smidgeon of gas--the needle, after three hours of stop-and-go, moved maybe a half centimeter. The angrier I became at the motorcyclists, the more smug I felt--and I hate that feeling. It's not the warmth I want to feel when giving toys to terminally ill kids.

So please, fellas. The bikes are beautiful and you deserve to enjoy them. Don't pretend any bike is better than any other bike. We all use what we need to our advantage and we all take risks with our rides.

[poop colored buddy]

motorcycles are cool in a completely different kind of way. scooterists seem to understand this, while motorcycle riders dont. Maybe scooter riders just have a stronger sense of who they are and realize that the bigger displacement doesnt mean the bigger your p6n1$. I have owned motorcycles before (an R6) and i wouldn't trade my scooter for anything. scooterists seem like a more educated bunch to say the least.

[gt1000]

(and I learned that there are motorcyclists that rent facial hair for these occasions--can you believe it?!?)

I would argue that the above person is the walking definition of the term "poseur". Or dilittante. He's certainly not a motorcyclist or biker. Mild mannered librarian during the week, bad-ass for a few hours on the weekend, but only when the temperature is between 72-88 degrees. Any colder and his fringe stiffens up. Any hotter and his skin is stained black by the cheap leathers. And yes, I'm stereotyping. And before you get on me for picking on librarians, I'm a librarian so I'm fair game. Every now and then I get behind these guys (on those rare occasions they're actually riding) in the canyons and can't believe the lines they take through turns. A motorcycle should never hold up traffic in the twisties, unless you've got the local Lotus club behind you for some reason. I'm no expert rider and I ride very conservatively, but a minivan just has no chance against any competent rider on any sort of bike.

Most real riders appreciate just about anything on two wheels, although I do know of quite a few good moto guys who just can't understand the allure of a good scooter. Their loss...

[hcstrider]

There are some awesomely cool motorcycles pictured here.

This past Sunday my local SC participated in the Toys For Tots ride.

That is awesome! It is wonderful that you took the time to buy and drop off a toy for a child that you don’t know. Despite the negative aspects of your “Toys For Tots Ride”: 3 hours to travel 5 miles, the noise and the fumes it sounds like this was a very successful toy drive. The fact that you had to wait 3 hours to donate your toys means that you had a lot of equally generous people in front of you waiting to donate their toys. I really commend the scooterists and motorcyclists of SE PA for being so generous.

I learned that there are motorcyclists that rent facial hair for these occasions--can you believe it?!?

I know that it is early for Christmas but is it possible that people in the “Toys For Tots Ride” were renting beards so that they would look like Santa Claus as they donated their toys?

[redcass]

This is vintage. A 1958 997cc Ariel Square 4. Sa-a-a-a-a-we-e-e-e-e-e-et!!!

That is gorgeous! Holy cow!

[Eddy Merckx]

This is vintage. A 1958 997cc Ariel Square 4. Sa-a-a-a-a-we-e-e-e-e-e-et!!!

Very cool ! my brother has an Ariel Red Hunter 500cc preunit construction its a 1952 with an aluminum alloy barrel its said they are rare, he found his in a barn in western New York and restored it, its a good runner as well, again your square four is very cool you just don't see Ariels very often, where did you find yours ??

[poop colored buddy]

This is vintage. A 1958 997cc Ariel Square 4. Sa-a-a-a-a-we-e-e-e-e-e-et!!!

me like!

[AxeYrCat]

That Ariel is indeed amazing. Our Realtor's husband restores Indians, and he has some that could rival that beauty, though I don't have any evidence at the moment to back that up.





But I'll say that I think it's really funny that a lot of the motorcyclists had a lack of respect for the scooterists: I firmly believe that the *true* enthusiasts are respectful of all the other riders that brave the roads with the cagers.

I always wave at scooters & motorcycles, and honestly, when I was on the scooter, almost everyone waved back at me.

Now that I'm on a motorcycle, a lot of scooterists don't wave back.



Oh, and I rode about 100 miles today, and I had to put $8 in premium in the tank... Yet another reason to love your Buddy!!