What bike would you not buy again?

I've owned maybe 8 bikes. There's not would I wouldn't buy again and there are a couple I'd get in a heartbeat if Honda brought them back exactly as they were in '77 and '85. Were Honda to do "remakes" I'd worry that they wouldn't have the same flavor as before.
 
Ive never bought the same bike twice. I dont see any point to re-experiencing something ive already wore out. But theres always that possibility....
 
I totally agree. I did buy the same bike twice, but that was because the deal was too good to pass up. I bought the 2007 Burgman 400 scooter and loved it. But it had one drawback to me. The headlights were set up like the Europeans required with one light for dipped and the other for high beam. I stumbled upon a 2008 model in 2011 and that year, Suzuki had both headlights capable of doing dipped and high beam. The price was so discounted that I was able to sell the 2007 with 48K on it for only a bit less than I bought the 2008 with 12 miles on it. I kept that 2008 for another 38K before selling it.


I always wonder about the trend towards buying older style motorcycles. Sure the electronics are updated and they resemble the older bike. But do you really get the same feel? And why did they originally go out of production? Could it be that owners preferred the newer models? I fondly remember my old 66 VW Beetle...but I was very happy to replace it years later. Would I really like that old VW in person now? I suspect the memory is better than the reality.

Chris
 
Well, I can tell you my Honda CB 1100 retro has been an awesome bike for the 79,000 trouble free miles I've put on it so far.

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Well, here's a disappointment in a vintage Honda CB750 they recently brought out..... it's a freakin' twin cylinder. Jeez, gimme a break, whaddya thinkin' Honda?
 
I'd buy that torino if it was ever for sale, but on topic, my 85 shadow 500 I thought was pretty cool to look at, couldn't keep the front tire on the ground, and when it could, didn't make a lot of difference; I'll never forget wheeliing through the rathole in Edmonton and wheeling around with my girlfriend on the back, she thought it was pretty cool, but it was rediculous; i remember moving the bars almost lock to lock under acceleration in the sandy part of a lane having almost no effect
I would never buy any of those early Honda wanna be Harley bikes... again...
[edit] it does though, remain, the only vehicle I ever made any money on, I bought it for 1900 and listed it, in Edmonton, in the snow, in a time when listing costed money [the old buy and sell] and had enormous response; I listed for 2,000 and sold for 2,100 it had [corrected] 83 it was, no miles; I think 2,600 or something, beautiful looking bike, but worse than useless
 
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After riding a 1997 Kawasaki Concours for 6 months which literally messed up my knees and hip to the point where I had difficulty walking; I thought I had found the ultimate solution. A used 2014 Honda CTX 1300. What could go wrong? A 'cruiserish' seating position where your legs were at a 90 degree angle, the bulletproof powerful ST1300 engine and transmission, and that renowned Honda reliability. Plus, only 1200 miles. Well, turns out this was one of my most hated motorcycles that I wouldn't ever consider buying again. The front end gave a hard jouncing ride, causing me to be hyper-focused on avoiding any road abnormalities, a motor that was just plain slow, handling that made me fear tight turns and sub-par wind protection. Not to mention the idiotic kickstand position and absence of a center stand. After selling at a severe loss (with much relief) and having owned an ST1100 in the past, I bought my 2009 ST1300 and have never looked back. I absolutely love my ST!
 

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How's this for some modern retro bikes

My younger brothers T-120 Triumph Bonneville, my CB 1100, a nephews V7 Moto Guzzi

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Love the Pirelli Phantom tyre on the Triumph; I'm old enough to remember when these were the "must-have" tyres for the speedy crowd in the early 80s. A very distinctive tread pattern to be sure.
 
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