Modern Vespa

I'm bored, so everyone else must also suffer, dammit!

So I slapped together a collage of photos of some of my old bikes from way back and not so way back (and the current one..hint: it's white with a big step-through frame). There's no Vespa in the mix yet, but it's not because I don't want one...though I may be swayed by a vintage Cezeta first.

Eclectic mix, eh? 18 of 40...plus one sidecar.

Nice work - I have to say I was pleasantly surprised to be met with a nice wee collage there: the subject line was filling me with dread as to what sort of lament to how great civilisation used to be I would be faced with. (And yet I still intended to read it anyway, didn't I?)

It really is an eclectic mix. What's the red and black sporty one under the yellow one? That might be my favourite. Although the yellow one's pretty cool too. And obviously the 'busa. Not too pretty as bikes go, but definitely goes. Probably too hard to decide, but since it's not a catalogue I can just say they're all cool. I love it when photos of such varying eras all come together.

So is it a Burgman you've got or one of the big Piaggios?

My life has been measured in 'what motorcycle when', and cat lives. It's a 1989 Kawasaki ZX10, back when they were big and heavy, but still fairly fast...It was my first real 'sportbike'....though I've only owned two that could be called such, it and the Hayabusa. We currently own two 650 Burgmans, my white 2007, and my wife's grey 2006.

Yep, I spies with my little eye, what looks like a Kawasaki KZ 400?

My BF has one that needs work. Things come off of it as he is going down the road.

I call it, "The Ocho".

We need to get it restored because every time he parks it next to my scooter, men begin to drift over...not to see my scooter, but to gaze at the faded, beaten, rusted, and Toe-up! old, "Ocho".

They smile and point at it, saying to their kids, "You see that! That is what I used to ride back in the day!"

My scooter doesn't get a second look!

Now I feel bad because I have to disappoint you ...no KZ400 in there. There's only two Kawasaki bikes among the photos, the KLR 650, and the ZX10.

Here's a listing of the bikes pictured, in no particular order:

1975 Suzuki GT750M
1974 Suzuki GT750L (blue)
1974 Suzuki GT750L (ornage)
1979 Suzuki GS1000E (by the Texas state line sign)
2007 Suzuki AN650 Burgman
1979 Yamaha XS11
2000 Suzuki GSXR1300 Hayabusa
1991 Kawasaki KLR 650
1989 Kawasaki ZX10
1976 Honda GL1000
1970 Bridgestone GTR 350
1993 Yamaha V-Max
1973 Yamaha TX750
1983 Yamaha Venture 1200
1971 Triumph Bonneville 650
1966 Honda S90
1993 BMW R100GSPD 'Paris Dakar'
2003 Honda VTX1800R
And bringing up the rear (or side) my Jawa 'Velorex' sidecar..brand new and fresh out of the crate.

I waxed Melancholy once. She seemed to really enjoy it. Nice pictures. The Triumph brings back memories.

I didn't own it for very long, maybe six months. This particular year Bonneville was generally considered to be the ugliest Bonny ever, and I think 'they' were right. It had none of the classic grace and beauty of the earlier ones. Triumph must have been desperate to 'upgrade' the looks of the bike in the face of relentless market pressure from Japan and their new multi-cylinder wonders. It didn't work. It was a vibrating bitch too.

I love Triumphs generally, but that one was rather nasty.