[Nibile]

There you go guys.
As you can imagine, I love to drool over rare bikes that I can't afford. But if I could, I'd be facing the dilemma: ride it or not?
The pros and cons of each option are easy to find, mostly boiling down to the coolness of riding a rare gem versus the risk of damaging it.
Having two motorcycles, alas not rare ones, I'm tempted to park the two stroke in the living room, let her glow in her majesty, and save money from repairs, insurance, and so on. But I really really like to ride it, and that's what I'll keep doing.
Discuss.

[Eddies]

Do both?
Keep her in the front room all polished up and nice and take her out for a spin on the first Sunday of every month?

[Nibile]

That would be perfect, but I have two flights of stairs to my house...
Anyway there's no issue for me, I just want to ride it. Two strokes are so different from everything else!!!
The question surfaced while drooling over a Norton Domiracer and a Bimota DB1.
I would still ride them both.

[DAVETHOMAS90]

"I'm tempted to park the two stroke in the living room, let her glow in her majesty, and save money from repairs, insurance, and so on"  Please No Lore!! "But I really really like to ride it, and that's what I'll keep doing"  Yes!! ..wearing pain au chocolat and eating Pink Anazasi 

Otherwise you might find me having fewer problems with your stairs than you  Having previously come out with such introspective drivel as "The route only exists in your encounter with it" etc etc, I'm still feeling traumatised at the prospect of something of such beauty, which is only in very small part machine, and mostly wild animal, not being given the life it deserves 

[cowboyhat]

Interesting question, I tend to feel guilty about books I haven't read or if I haven't used a bicycle for a month.

As you know Lore my dad just went through this and sold the bike.

Thing is he feels wrong having a machine made to be used sitting idle, Dave summed it up there well. He's tried it with cars and bikes, had many of both and then reduced it as much as possible. Well, not that much. But some of his friends have twenty bikes and a dozen cars! Its very individual and you can't really know how you'll feel until you get there.

There is a cross point though where value is involved; if its going up, a machine sitting idle is a lot easier to justify.

I recently convinced my dad to keep a car because of this. Mainly because I want to drive it and I'm generally annoyed about him selling other cars and bikes because the ideal situation would be for my dad to hoard all this stuff so that I could use it. That way I'm not the one with the burden of idle metal.

[Nibile]

I agree with you both. Some things are made to be used, otherwise it would be easier and cheaper to buy a replica or a wrecked bike only to do some cosmetic restoration in order to show them up in a living room. At least for me.
Fear not my friends! The little beast is currently at the doctor's, to refurbish the front forks and make them ready for new action and last centimetre braking.
Well, kind of.
 

[DAVETHOMAS90]

Yes, good thoughts, and good question guys.  I guess this is one of those situations when "price" and "value" aren't the same. I had a moment of love    running back from the crag tonight, when a gorgeous classic old Ducati throbbed past. Increasingly, I hanker after an old bike to either fall in love with, or abuse properly. This reminds me of the question about prenup agreements; a dirty question until you've got £x million in the bank .. at which point it becomes filthy, but you've no soul left to care    Anyway, back to strokers, this reminded me of someone we know: "Lorenzo .. is an Italian designer with a passion for motorcycles. Most of his work is around designer items for the home, usually made out of wood and metal, occasionally mixed with the unexpected motorcycle part.." http://newatlas.com/two-stroke-motorcycles/38942/  Annoyingly my old phone won't display the photos properly - and Lore, I can't view your training vids either . Pooh.

[lagerstarfish]

but I have two flights of stairs to my house...

how heavy is the bike?

man the fuck up

[36chambers]

but I have two flights of stairs to my house...

how heavy is the bike?

man the fuck up

Farmer's walk?

[Nibile]

but I have two flights of stairs to my house...

how heavy is the bike?

man the fuck up

Only 135 kg, but she's got no handles...

[Nibile]

Dave, that's a cool link.
The Roland Sands is one of the coolest cafe racers ever. I love it.
And I also love the Bimota: curiously enough, Guy Martin has one. It's shown in many interviews that were taken at his house.

And yes, value and price are very different concepts.

[lagerstarfish]

but I have two flights of stairs to my house...

how heavy is the bike?

man the fuck up

Only 135 kg, but she's got no handles...

135kg Atlas stone?

I look forward to you proudly declaring that Sisyphus was a wimp

[Nibile]

Sisyphus was a sisy and a phussy.

[DAVETHOMAS90]

Someone applauded my "fine old classic", when I was at the Tor the other morning, so it seemed relevant to raise this old thread of Nibile's.

Edit: my bike isn't rare, other than being completely stock, and little used - and very rare and collectable for it - and relevant to the title of the thread.

The KR1Ss are very rare, because they were very used. I'd love another but the closest I came, was £3k for a box of bits!

Talking of which, what happened to your TZR125R Lore?

Some beautiful old classics:



I really love the old "slabby" GSXRs, though I'd probably choose the 750. Want one!





This KR1S is the black and green combo Bubba and I chose (with consecutive number plates.. Ahh  ), nearly 30 years ago  I think this is Richard Hammond giving this one a quiet thrash. I ended up with the white and green, after bending mine a few times.. 

And of course, artful shot of the latest "classic":



1997 model, with 10,198 miles on the clocks when I bought it. I've added 1380 since 

My bike still feels like a new bike, and is really. They are definitely there to be used xx

[Nibile]

Brilliant stuff Dave!
The TZR is up and running, but I don't use it that much... She makes 12 kms with one liter of petrol (the high octane, expensive one...) and every 4/500 kms needs one liter of oil!!! Last Sunday I went to San Marino with a bunch of friends, 400 kms, with the TZR that would have been very expensive!!!
But it's a joy to ride and surely draws many looks from middle aged riders. I had also thought to get her on track, but sincerely, given how hard it is to find spare parts, a simple slide would be a little tragedy... This past May, on the very first ride after lockdown, I decided to clean the carbs from the cobwebs, got on the motorway and did a few "laps" hitting rev limiter on every gear. Got home very happy, only to discover that the vibrations had damaged the tail section and the cover of the glove/tool box was gone...
It took me a few weeks to find a replacement on a Facebook group, and it was expensive...
Now that I think about it... I still have to paint it!
 

[DAVETHOMAS90]

"and every 4/500 kms needs one liter of oil!!!"

Smells wonderful! 

That's a great account Lore, and does nothing to make me want another two stroke less than I do already!

Just wondering, re the bodywork, can you get some pattern stuff? I had a white fibreglass replica fairing for the track, which I didn't bother changing back.

I got stopped on the road for speeding (er.. two month ban), but there was no issue with the fact I only had a rev counter, and no lights!

Yes, a bit of a faff having to add oil to the tank every time I refueled, but I only seem to remember how much of a blast it was riding over to Wales for the day!

With something rare and/or collectable, there's always the offset against the investment too.
Seriously, I think it's one of those things where you have to set aside a budget for the year - and sacrifices can be made; fuel in the tank, or wine - or a Foundry membership! 

Can we have some photos please!   

[mrjonathanr]

Nice bike Dave. I hope you are climbing inBoreal slippers too.

[Nibile]

Can we have some photos please!   

Unfortunately no pics as of late, it's been raining since last weekend, dammit. I had planned to skip work this past Monday, and to go for four passes in the Appenines, roughly 400 kms, but rain stopped play...
As a consolation, I'd like to point you at this wonderful website (you probably already know it...), where you will find technical specs and reviews of basically every motorcycle ever made:
https://www.motorcyclespecs.co.za/model/yamaha/yamaha_tzr125r%2091.htm this is the review of my TZR, although the picture is of the '94 model, while mine is '92.

And this is probably in the top five motorcycle reviews of all time in my opinion, verging from technical encyclopedic pedantry to poetic eulogy:
https://www.motorcyclespecs.co.za/model/bimota/bimota_kb3.htm

[Nibile]

In what could only be described as a (big) strike of luck, after years searching, I finally managed to find, and buy, a pair of the coolest motorcycle boots ever made, the Lewis Leathers Racing Boot No. 178. With original box  , in excellent conditions, and for a bargain price too! The seller clearly had no clue about what he had, and I successfully asked for a 20 Euros discount. I am only mildly ashamed by my behaviour. Mega YYFY.

image by Nibile, on Flickr

[webbo]

I bought a Lewis leather jacket in 1977. Not to wear on a motorbike. No to wear to see the Clash etc. The missus threw it out in 2000 if only she’d have realised it would helped pay the mortgage off a bit quicker.

[Nibile]

The horror.
You clearly divorced, I imagine.

[DAVETHOMAS90]

Here's one I found earlier 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1992-KAWASAKI-KR1-S-KR1-KR250-2-STROKE-CLASSIC-23-900-MILES-PROJECT/164380082146?hash=item2645d0ffe2:g:6igAAOSwFFVdoHnE

[DAVETHOMAS90]

[Nibile]

Stunning.
I am currently after a track only Aprilia RS 125...
But I am an idiot.

[DAVETHOMAS90]

Stunning.
I am currently after a track only Aprilia RS 125...
But I am an idiot.

It's those end cans Lore! 

Also the slightly softer styling.
Would you consider the 250? I'd been considering the RS, but there's something appealing about the KR1S looking ever so slightly stealth.

Sorry, I love your boots by the way. Uber cool, especially with an open lid, black leather jacket etc. 

Bumped into someone outside a shop in Matlock, the other week. He was wearing an Alpinestars jacket the same as mine, and claimed it had been £750 new for jacket alone. He'd owned a number of other sought after jackets. Reflecting on Webbo's post. There seems to be a good market out there for retro kit.

Thanks for the link btw.. "even if the last time you scraped your knee was when you walked into the oven door"   

And yes, raining here too, so no dose of lean today. Bum. Going to have to consider options for winter storage.

[Nibile]

Dave, RS 250 are a rare and expensive bird these days...
To be fair, the plan is to ride on a small go kart track 15 minutes from home, where we used to go with Ohvale GP0 rental bikes.
Then due to the noise the GP0 were banned, so a few weeks ago we drove one hour and half to go to another kart track with GP0. But the guy who rents them (whom we know well) screwed us with the price, so now our plan is to sack the GP0 and buy a small bike that could ride in the small track close to home. With a regular 125 there shouldn't be noise problems... Hopefully.
The idea of having our own bike and a track so close is quite exciting. Hope it will work out!