Bikes with character... | Page 3 | GTAMotorcycle.com

Bikes with character...

This is an interesting question for me too. I don't have a car (and don't particularly want one), and thus my bike is both a pleasure vehicle and a daily driver for most of the year. In the winter I just suffer.

I am in this awkward middle ground where I would love something with lots of CharacterTM, but I'm constrained by a number of practicality factors:

1) Money is a pretty big ish concern for me - Maintaining an Italian bike (for example) is generally more expensive, and insurance is still high-ish for me since I only have four years under my insurance history.

2) I don't have easy access to a garage or work space - Though I can and have worked on my bikes, it's not always convenient. Lately I've been taking my bike to the shop since I also don't want to spend days fiddling with something when a shop could usually get it done for me in a day. I'd love to tinker, but I love to ride more - and having only one bike means any day of down time is a day that I have to take the bus or walk somewhere. Currently waiting for over three weeks now for parts to get valves done on my Triumph, and not riding it really really sucks. It's making me reconsider British bikes altogether.

3) Not having access to a private garage also means that I park on the street. Meaning the bike can't be too valuable or pretty or attractive to a thief. I've been lucky so far.


My KLR650 ticked most of the boxes. It was cheap, reliable, and very easy to work on myself. It allowed for some adventure riding (though I did a lot less off road than I would have liked), and the Gen 1 looks badass. That bike really fit my personality like a glove. But it was slow, and not the funnest to ride on the highway (though power isn't a huge concern for me).

Now onto my Triumph Scrambler. The bike sounds AMAZING with the Arrow 2-1. Air cooled adds some simplicity over the KLR liquid cooling. Nice oomph without threatening to kill me every time I twist my wrist. Trade off is now I'm messing about with EFI tuning, and the bike currently runs rough likely due to out of spec valves, a job which is now 3+ weeks into parts wait... I never had to wait so long on parts for the Kawasaki.

Though the Scrambler is perfect for me in my current place in life in many many ways - the inconvenience of Triumphs abysmal parts availability is a gigantic turn off. It's already cut basically a month out of my riding season. A bike with Character is downright pointless if you can't ride it.

I know people who love Harley's, and I would consider building up an Evo Sportster 1200 if I give up on Triumph, but frankly the ergos aren't quite for me (in my limited experience), and they are a little too loud for my comfort with seemingly no middle ground. The simplicity and agricultural nature of the Evo is appealing to me though. And I can't really go older than an Evo platform since I am not oozing cash...

Ultimately, I keep thinking that maybe Japan is the way to go for me. Reliability is #1, sound and feel is #2 (a close second). That said, even with countless hours of online browsing, I am having a generally hard time finding bikes that reach into my soul. Damn the Scrambler is close though...
 
mimico_polak said:
Always love these responses thanks everyone!

Guess I’m the problem ☹️

And … you got me @sburns minimum second thread on this…stupid sexy Sportster.

Although I’d be lying if an older Monster 696/796 didn’t catch my eye.
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Going to say, if you can find a pre 2000 Monster, that's character right there.
Also, I won't define what character is, but I will say bike models that has a significance for me, such as the aforementioned CBX 1000 (the Benelli and the Kawasaki also counts), XR600R, 1991GB500, KZ750, GPZ900, hey ZZR600 why not, the original katana...
I can admire an Indian Scout, even though I will never buy it, the FTX as well... Moto Guzzi also... I feel that is a underrated brand...
 
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For me this bike has character. It's almost 50 years old. I built it up from a basket case 30 years ago and then did a total rebuild about 2 years ago. The fact I know it so intimately plays a big part in the "character" thing for me.
@Wingboy could be yours for afternoon. Just saying......
 
timtune said:
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For me this bike has character. It's almost 50 years old. I built it up from a basket case 30 years ago and then did a total rebuild about 2 years ago. The fact I know it so intimately plays a big part in the "character" thing for me.
@Wingboy could be yours for afternoon. Just saying......
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I don't have any pics, but I had a 75 finished identically in white (originally sulfur). I traded it straight for my H2.

Loved that Honda.
 
mimico_polak said:
Always love these responses thanks everyone!

Guess I’m the problem ☹️

And … you got me @sburns minimum second thread on this…stupid sexy Sportster.

Although I’d be lying if an older Monster 696/796 didn’t catch my eye.
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My neighbour has a 2014 Monster 1200S that he wants gone. Perfect condition.
 
MaksTO said:
I am in this awkward middle ground where I would love something with lots of CharacterTM, but I'm constrained by a number of practicality factors:
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At the end of the day, motorcycling is just a hobby. Although this may be an unpopular opinion on a motorcycle forum (and honestly, we are all just a bunch of enablers on here), I think real life pragmatism should come first. I wouldn't put yourself in a precarious position financially because of it. It's a luxury, not a necessity. If you're not in the right place for an upgrade right now, then wait until the time and circumstances line up.
 
In a few weeks my garage will have a lot of character. With a Beta trialer,a Honda Ruckus and a Ural Gear Up,i think it will be well rounded. :)
 
Wingboy said:
In a few weeks my garage will have a lot of character. With a Beta trialer,a Honda Ruckus and a Ural Gear Up,i think it will be well rounded. :)
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Thing with the most character will still be the parachute.

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Scuba Steve said:
You can try my 796 sometime if you want.

Sent from the future
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Ugh…I’m gonna have to lie to my wife about buying something in that area…

‘Why you taking your helmet?’
‘Uhhh….OK love you bye!’

Awesome of you to offer thank you. I’ll see what I can wrangle out.
 
mimico_polak said:
Ugh…I’m gonna have to lie to my wife about buying something in that area…

‘Why you taking your helmet?’
‘Uhhh….OK love you bye!’

Awesome of you to offer thank you. I’ll see what I can wrangle out.
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Give me a heads up so I can get the belt change finished I need some motivation anyway. You can try the 1190 as well it has even more character.

Sent from the future
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