Henry Dorset Case wrote:

FLATULENTFRIEND wrote:

cooper770 wrote:

FLATULENTFRIEND wrote::) Mmmm...motorbikes.

All I have at present is a Yamaha SR500 single roadie that I've had for 12 or 13 years that I'm slowly turning into a Brit cafe racer replica.

I'm rebuilding a Honda GB500 TT at the moment.

Ive been a rider since I was 12, when I got a Dot scrambler to race on the beach. From there I've had Vespa, Triumph, Norton, Suzuki Katana, Kawasaki triple (death trap!) RD Yamaha and just sold my MV. Kind of had to as the wifey was not best pleased with the idea of me riding now with having broken my neck once already No sense of adventure !

broken neck! Yek.

Wow, you've had a lot of bikes.

I really like the look / idea of the GBs too. I really like the 3/4 fairings but its strange how the less powerful 400 came with them but the 500 didn't.
My idea would probably be a GB 400 with 3/4 fairing and Yamaha SR500 (worked) engine

you are better off working on the stock Honda motor. there are a ton of them round as well: they can be made to go out to 580cc relatively easily. The Honda has a 4 valve head so will brethe better than the SR particularly at higher revs. You need to machine the cases a little etc. cruise over to Kiwibiker.co.nz and search the forum for the thread of the guys who have modded them:there are at least two I can think of. The guy who owns the site has a maroon one. As an incentive, there is a picture of it with some asian chick, topless perched on it somewhere on the site. She shore is purdy.

The very first new bike I ever bought was a silver GB400TT Mk 2, in 1987. it had the fairing and single seat. there was also a 400 version with no fairing and the dual seat, and the 500. There wasnt much difference between the 400 and 500 in on-the-road performance, and they both handled very well even on stock suspension.

With a bit of work the block can take a 640 XL cylinder, and the frame goes nice with a ZXR400 USD front end, and some rear shock treatment, adn a custom stainless exhaust, apparently

wish I had of kept that ol girl and rebuilt her once I destroyed the engine :-(

thorg wrote:

Henry Dorset Case wrote:

FLATULENTFRIEND wrote:

cooper770 wrote:

FLATULENTFRIEND wrote::) Mmmm...motorbikes.

All I have at present is a Yamaha SR500 single roadie that I've had for 12 or 13 years that I'm slowly turning into a Brit cafe racer replica.

I'm rebuilding a Honda GB500 TT at the moment.

Ive been a rider since I was 12, when I got a Dot scrambler to race on the beach. From there I've had Vespa, Triumph, Norton, Suzuki Katana, Kawasaki triple (death trap!) RD Yamaha and just sold my MV. Kind of had to as the wifey was not best pleased with the idea of me riding now with having broken my neck once already No sense of adventure !

broken neck! Yek.

Wow, you've had a lot of bikes.

I really like the look / idea of the GBs too. I really like the 3/4 fairings but its strange how the less powerful 400 came with them but the 500 didn't.
My idea would probably be a GB 400 with 3/4 fairing and Yamaha SR500 (worked) engine

you are better off working on the stock Honda motor. there are a ton of them round as well: they can be made to go out to 580cc relatively easily. The Honda has a 4 valve head so will brethe better than the SR particularly at higher revs. You need to machine the cases a little etc. cruise over to Kiwibiker.co.nz and search the forum for the thread of the guys who have modded them:there are at least two I can think of. The guy who owns the site has a maroon one. As an incentive, there is a picture of it with some asian chick, topless perched on it somewhere on the site. She shore is purdy.

The very first new bike I ever bought was a silver GB400TT Mk 2, in 1987. it had the fairing and single seat. there was also a 400 version with no fairing and the dual seat, and the 500. There wasnt much difference between the 400 and 500 in on-the-road performance, and they both handled very well even on stock suspension.

With a bit of work the block can take a 640 XL cylinder, and the frame goes nice with a ZXR400 USD front end, and some rear shock treatment, adn a custom stainless exhaust, apparently

wish I had of kept that ol girl and rebuilt her once I destroyed the engine :-(

There is a German company that can get 70 hp out of an Yammy SR/XT engine bored to 700cc and still with a 2 valve head and running 98 gas.

FLATULENTFRIEND wrote: There is a German company that can get 70 hp out of an Yammy SR/XT engine bored to 700cc and still with a 2 valve head and running 98 gas.

BUT:

How ridable is it outside of track days?
What does it cost?

Mine was ridable, and cheap. :-D I was a poor apprentice back then, and spent weekends making my bikes and cars 'better'. And by better I mean making them go faster till they arsesploded, then getting new engines :-)

But jebus, 70hp??? (wheel or crank?) - I'm hoping to get 80 (reliable and drivable) from my mini!

Who else here is a trackday fanatic? Just got home after a day at Manfield tearing up the track on my SV. I'm an absolute rookie at these things, but managed to get into some good quick speeds and fast cornering which has improved my confidence markedly.

Stunning day up at Manfield, only about 60 riders, and very well run with techie session on suspension and some other theory thrown in for good measure.

Roll on the next one - and a sunny Wellington summer with plenty of jaunts over the 'takas.

Perhaps a Vorb ride is in order?

thorg wrote:

FLATULENTFRIEND wrote: There is a German company that can get 70 hp out of an Yammy SR/XT engine bored to 700cc and still with a 2 valve head and running 98 gas.

BUT:

How ridable is it outside of track days?
What does it cost?

Mine was ridable, and cheap. :-D I was a poor apprentice back then, and spent weekends making my bikes and cars 'better'. And by better I mean making them go faster till they arsesploded, then getting new engines :-)

But jebus, 70hp??? (wheel or crank?) - I'm hoping to get 80 (reliable and drivable) from my mini!

They're rideable on the road (the bikes shown were road and track...wished I had saved the site) and track (AVgas instead of 98?).
HP would have to be taken at the crank - 70hp out of a two valve 700cc is heaps.

Your Mini is going to be heaps more trackable I'd say.
One of my MGBs (the '77) put out 76hp (1800cc) factory but 2 more hp with the plastic fan that flattens out at speed (unlike the older steel ones).
Any free hp is good hp

A question for bikers here: I have come from England on a 2 year visa (avec mountainbike of course). I had to sell my lovely, lovely '99 VFR800Fi

in order to not be broke. I have been looking on tardme/bike trader websites and there are literally NO half-decent bikes from about '98 to '01, and any that do exist are madly, crazily overpriced.
In the UK, bikes like Thundercats, ZX6R G's, CBR600F's, Bandit 600's, Fazers etc. are ten-a-penny and cheap as (my mint '99 ZX6R sold for just over $4000 and my VFR for about $4500) but here there are none to be found anywhere, only old shonky 400s and 250s or 20 year old CBR's, with a jump to the latest fancy metal. Am I looking in the wrong place or is it really this rubbish being a biker on a budget here (especially with the new £700 ACC!)

stiffeeslicker wrote:A question for bikers here: I have come from England on a 2 year visa (avec mountainbike of course). I had to sell my lovely, lovely '99 VFR800Fi

DSCN1866.JPG

in order to not be broke. I have been looking on tardme/bike trader websites and there are literally NO half-decent bikes from about '98 to '01, and any that do exist are madly, crazily overpriced.
In the UK, bikes like Thundercats, ZX6R G's, CBR600F's, Bandit 600's, Fazers etc. are ten-a-penny and cheap as (my mint '99 ZX6R sold for just over $4000 and my VFR for about $4500) but here there are none to be found anywhere, only old shonky 400s and 250s or 20 year old CBR's, with a jump to the latest fancy metal. Am I looking in the wrong place or is it really this rubbish being a biker on a budget here (especially with the new £700 ACC!)

Cool VFR - one of the best ever sportstourers (I'm a fan...in yellow or silver).

Bikes here are expensive . There is no way around that except buy in accident damaged/repair if that works(it did for me).

Late 80s / early 90s bikes can be still good to ride and reliable etc so maybe widen your sights.

stiffeeslicker wrote:A question for bikers here: I have come from England on a 2 year visa (avec mountainbike of course). I had to sell my lovely, lovely '99 VFR800Fi

DSCN1866.JPG

in order to not be broke. I have been looking on tardme/bike trader websites and there are literally NO half-decent bikes from about '98 to '01, and any that do exist are madly, crazily overpriced.
In the UK, bikes like Thundercats, ZX6R G's, CBR600F's, Bandit 600's, Fazers etc. are ten-a-penny and cheap as (my mint '99 ZX6R sold for just over $4000 and my VFR for about $4500) but here there are none to be found anywhere, only old shonky 400s and 250s or 20 year old CBR's, with a jump to the latest fancy metal. Am I looking in the wrong place or is it really this rubbish being a biker on a budget here (especially with the new £700 ACC!)

I really like those VFR's also. I have a couple of VFR400s (well, one is in pieces). But yup, bikes are expensive here. Couple of things to bear in mind though: nowhere in NZ is more than an hour from anywhere, or a place to stop and look at scenery, or eat a pie or have a coffee or beer. Or hit the trifecta and do all three at once. Our roads are narrow, windy and badly surfaced, and very averagely repaired. Plus you DO NOT WANT SH1 or the big provincial roads. Plus the stupid overemphasis on speed enforcement at any cost, and the appalling standard of NZ drivers (you've no doubt noticed this) mean that getting onto smaller roads = better. So something maybe smaller than you were looking at, with less cylinders (=cheaper) might be the go. Plus unfaired. BMW GS650 (wouldnt pull the skin off a rice pudding, but work really well), or a KLR 650 or SRX 6 (if you can get one) or GB400/500. Or (and please dont flame me) Harley Davidsons work surprisingly well, and hold their value. Having said that entry cost is high. I did see an early 90's CB750 Super Four for $3500 the other day. So stuff is around.

Henry Dorset Case wrote:
Couple of things to bear in mind though: nowhere in NZ is more than an hour from anywhere, or a place to stop and look at scenery, or eat a pie or have a coffee or beer. Or hit the trifecta and do all three at once. Our roads are narrow, windy and badly surfaced, and very averagely repaired. Plus you DO NOT WANT SH1 or the big provincial roads. Plus the stupid overemphasis on speed enforcement at any cost, and the appalling standard of NZ drivers (you've no doubt noticed this) mean that getting onto smaller roads = better. So something maybe smaller than you were looking at, with less cylinders (=cheaper) might be the go. Plus unfaired. BMW GS650 (wouldnt pull the skin off a rice pudding, but work really well), or a KLR 650 or SRX 6 (if you can get one) or GB400/500. Or (and please dont flame me) Harley Davidsons work surprisingly well, and hold their value. Having said that entry cost is high. I did see an early 90's CB750 Super Four for $3500 the other day. So stuff is around.

Without realising it maybe, you have pretty much described motorcycling in the UK too; badly surfaced roads, speed cameras everywhere (more than here, although patrol cars can't get you from the front yet!) Marginally better drivers admittedly. Doesn't seem to stop everyone from having a Fireblade or R1 - I'm only 24 and have had four bikes 600cc or over (Bandit, ZX6 times 2, VFR, most of them on student money, teehee.) Fair enough, the latest speed trip will cost bomb but I'm surprised that given NZ's relative proximity to Japan, Jap bikes are still dear. I think I'll maybe have to stick to pedal power.
God I miss the sound of that V4 pulling from low revs, the cam gears whining away etc.

Oh and seriously, a Harley? I'm quite a fan of actually getting round corners! Now if Buells are somehow cheap since they went bust, that might work. Test rode one in the UK; although the OEM tyres (Pirelli?) felt like they were made of wood, it leant over like nothing else and the shuddering engine was definitely different in a sports chassis...

Because of the Japs general size and until recently revised licencing system they had a very small 400cc+ market it was all in America and Europe. Hence no big/midsized Jap imports. Besides geographic location has very little to do with cost, its supply and demand, NZ ain't a huge market.

stiffeeslicker wrote:Oh and seriously, a Harley? I'm quite a fan of actually getting round corners! Now if Buells are somehow cheap since they went bust, that might work. Test rode one in the UK; although the OEM tyres (Pirelli?) felt like they were made of wood, it leant over like nothing else and the shuddering engine was definitely different in a sports chassis...

Agreed re the Harley. One of my best friends has one (he loves that biker style and wanted something more modern than his 60s Triumph chopper – which he still has) and basically hates it…apart from it’s the look he wanted.

The previous editor of a national motorcycling magazine came and spoke at our club a couple of years ago. He had tested tens of bikes in the UK and here and hated Hogs – even the V-Rod, & all cruisers.
They're looks not lifestyle machines

Henry Dorset Case wrote:

stiffeeslicker wrote:A question for bikers here: I have come from England on a 2 year visa (avec mountainbike of course). I had to sell my lovely, lovely '99 VFR800Fi

DSCN1866.JPG

in order to not be broke. I have been looking on tardme/bike trader websites and there are literally NO half-decent bikes from about '98 to '01, and any that do exist are madly, crazily overpriced.
In the UK, bikes like Thundercats, ZX6R G's, CBR600F's, Bandit 600's, Fazers etc. are ten-a-penny and cheap as (my mint '99 ZX6R sold for just over $4000 and my VFR for about $4500) but here there are none to be found anywhere, only old shonky 400s and 250s or 20 year old CBR's, with a jump to the latest fancy metal. Am I looking in the wrong place or is it really this rubbish being a biker on a budget here (especially with the new £700 ACC!)

I really like those VFR's also. I have a couple of VFR400s (well, one is in pieces). But yup, bikes are expensive here. Couple of things to bear in mind though: nowhere in NZ is more than an hour from anywhere, or a place to stop and look at scenery, or eat a pie or have a coffee or beer. Or hit the trifecta and do all three at once. Our roads are narrow, windy and badly surfaced, and very averagely repaired. Plus you DO NOT WANT SH1 or the big provincial roads. Plus the stupid overemphasis on speed enforcement at any cost, and the appalling standard of NZ drivers (you've no doubt noticed this) mean that getting onto smaller roads = better. So something maybe smaller than you were looking at, with less cylinders (=cheaper) might be the go. Plus unfaired. BMW GS650 (wouldnt pull the skin off a rice pudding, but work really well), or a KLR 650 or SRX 6 (if you can get one) or GB400/500. Or (and please dont flame me) Harley Davidsons work surprisingly well, and hold their value. Having said that entry cost is high. I did see an early 90's CB750 Super Four for $3500 the other day. So stuff is around.

consider yourself FLAMED! No seroius self respecting rider would be seen dead on a up right pump engine that drives a wheel via a rubber band

thorg wrote:

Henry Dorset Case wrote:

FLATULENTFRIEND wrote:

cooper770 wrote:

FLATULENTFRIEND wrote::) Mmmm...motorbikes.

All I have at present is a Yamaha SR500 single roadie that I've had for 12 or 13 years that I'm slowly turning into a Brit cafe racer replica.

I'm rebuilding a Honda GB500 TT at the moment.

Ive been a rider since I was 12, when I got a Dot scrambler to race on the beach. From there I've had Vespa, Triumph, Norton, Suzuki Katana, Kawasaki triple (death trap!) RD Yamaha and just sold my MV. Kind of had to as the wifey was not best pleased with the idea of me riding now with having broken my neck once already No sense of adventure !

broken neck! Yek.

Wow, you've had a lot of bikes.

I really like the look / idea of the GBs too. I really like the 3/4 fairings but its strange how the less powerful 400 came with them but the 500 didn't.
My idea would probably be a GB 400 with 3/4 fairing and Yamaha SR500 (worked) engine

you are better off working on the stock Honda motor. there are a ton of them round as well: they can be made to go out to 580cc relatively easily. The Honda has a 4 valve head so will brethe better than the SR particularly at higher revs. You need to machine the cases a little etc. cruise over to Kiwibiker.co.nz and search the forum for the thread of the guys who have modded them:there are at least two I can think of. The guy who owns the site has a maroon one. As an incentive, there is a picture of it with some asian chick, topless perched on it somewhere on the site. She shore is purdy.

The very first new bike I ever bought was a silver GB400TT Mk 2, in 1987. it had the fairing and single seat. there was also a 400 version with no fairing and the dual seat, and the 500. There wasnt much difference between the 400 and 500 in on-the-road performance, and they both handled very well even on stock suspension.

With a bit of work the block can take a 640 XL cylinder, and the frame goes nice with a ZXR400 USD front end, and some rear shock treatment, adn a custom stainless exhaust, apparently

wish I had of kept that ol girl and rebuilt her once I destroyed the engine :-(

I've just recently been up to Orcland, and whilst there went to Dues en machina (sp?) and have come back all inspired to build up my GB500 into one of those ubber cool Brando style bikes with custom tank etc. Ill keep the original bits but I just thought the work they did with the retro look was so great!

you should check out this site then:

http://wrenchmonkees.com/