[SCRBen]

What previous bikes have our esteemed members previously had? I was wondering if any common denominators (or Dominators!! :grin2 could be seen, that may have caused us to all land at the door marked ‘Yamaha SCR’??

I’ll go first (in order of ownership, list your own how you like):

Gilera DNA 125 (basically a weird automatic learner 125)

Gilera Coguar (no, not ‘Cougar’; no idea if the factory spelt it wrong. Another little 125 learner - it seemed like a Harley to me at the time tho! :grin2

Suzuki Bandit 600 (1st big bike - loved that thing)

Harley Sportster 1200 Custom (dreamt of having a Harley since a kid. Only sold it to get the next bike, as I went on a trip to watch the Moto GP at Catalunya in Spain, and knew it’d never keep up)

Honda CB1300 (bought for above trip. Beast of a bike....literally, I kept dropping it!! :laugh: Eventually sold it to buy a kitchen. Yes, really.....)

Triumph Thunderbird Sport 885 (lovely, lovely bike, picked up cheap, cos it ran like a pig. Offloaded it on a dealer for my next bike......)

Triumph Scrambler 865 (1st ever new bike, and loved it. Was sad when I sold it, and definitely one of the main reasons I’ve now got another Scrambler-style bike)

Harley Super Glide Custom 1584 (traded the Scrambler for this after riding a big Hog for my California trip. Went all over the U.K. and France, clocking up close to 18000 miles in 2 years. Had it cammed and all sorts.....)

Honda Hornet CB600 (had this at the same time
as the Harley for commuting to work for a couple of years’. Great bike - never let me down)

Yamaha XSR900 (traded the Harley for this ex-demo model in a moment of madness. Stonking engine, very light and nimble, but way too fast for me. I would have killed myself. Decided it had to go when I caught myself going to my favourite cafe at 120mph. On backroads.....)

Yamaha XJR1300 (always liked the big muscle bikes, and this one only had about 2000 miles on the clock, and was one of the last ‘proper’ ones with a steel tank, before Yam tried to make it all fashionable and added it to the ‘Sport Heritage’ range - they failed, in my opinion. Unfortunately, like the CB1300, I find in-line fours severely lacking in character.....therefore, the XJR was traded for the SCR I have now.

Jeez - that’s a big list - I have wasted far too much money. :laugh:
Ben

 

[erictharg]

Guess what? I have them on a spreadsheet! Sad eh?


Yamaha DT100 Learner bike Yamaha YDS7 250 Ported and pipes, rearsets and ace bars; Pulled wheelies! Kawasaki KL250 Nice easy going trail bike. First lesson in starting 4 stroke singles Honda XL500 Second lesson in starting bigger singles. Ex. JT. Kawasaki KLR600 Electric start big single. Nice handling and a disc brake! Suzuki RG250 Built from pile of bits Triumph Bonneville 750 T140E - engine needed rebuild. First Meriden Triumph Kawasaki KMX200 Good commuter and runaround. Suzuki RG250 rebuilt accident damage write off Triumph Tiger 650 1971 shed. Been buggered by inept previous owners Armstrong MT500 Quality military bike. Bugger to start. Worst brakes ever. BMW R100GS From JT on Gsy. Nice bike. Should have kept it… Triumph Tiger 650C Ex USA high pipe '68 w/ Thunderbird engine; No desert to race in though Kawasaki Zephyr 750 First 4 cyl Jap. Commuted on it for a year. Triumph Speed Triple 2000 model year - bought in US and taught me I shouldn't ride sports bikes Triumph TR7 1973 bought in US and imported back to UK. Sold to buy trailer !! Another I should have kept Ducati Monster 900 From Sweden. First Ducati. Heavily modified track day bike - no fun on the road; scuffed my boots on the track BMW R80S/T Nice tidy bike. Rode over 3000 miles summer of 2017 down to Southern Spain. W650 Best Triumph twin retro ever. Love it..50k miles and tatty. Runs perfectly
Y'all know this one!

 

[erictharg]

Ooops - lost formatting when pasted. Hopefully you can get the gist.

 

[SCRBen]

Ooops - lost formatting when pasted. Hopefully you can get the gist.

Great list!! There’s some interesting bikes there - seems you’ve done a fair bit of importing too?? And no, I have spreadsheets too.....:wink2:

I think I’m going to need pictures of the older Trumpets you’ve had, at the very least, especially the imported desert sled.....very cool!! :grin2:

A couple of “should have kept that one....” too....think we’ll all be able to relate to that :laugh:

Thanks for the share
Ben

 

[higworld]

The list is long. Went from the "standards" back in the days to a stint in cruisers. (gasp). Then it was almost exclusively adventure bikes and dual-sports. (The BMW GS being my favorite). A short run of sport-touring, and finally here. Plus various fun bikes thrown in like an Enfield that most certainly did not fit my 6'2" frame. LOL!

The bikes seemed to depend on what I was doing at the time. Riding in groups = cruisers. Riding in less than ideal terrain groups = ADV. Iron butt = .. well, you get the idea. I live in the Florida Keys now. There are no hills, curves, or even a path east to west. I needed a fun little Keys Cruiser. Hence the SCR. I like it. Does exactly what I want/need these days.

Now, if I get around to living out the RTW dream .... I've already got the built-out KLR in mind.

 

[Schu]

What previous bikes have our esteemed members previously had?
Ben

Here's my list.
** = bikes that I still own.
The bike with the best memories and the one that started it all is the 72 Yamaha JT60. Bought it new for $299 hard earned dollars. I remember it like it was yesterday.

Some of these were bikes that I bought for my two boys as they grew up trail riding with me. I remember having a sore neck from riding all day and looking back to make sure they were still following along. Before I knew it they were leaving me in the dust wondering if they were still ahead of me.....

74 Kawasaki F7 175
72 Honda CB350
78 Kawasaki LTD1000
74 Honda XL350 (2)
85 Honda XR100
87 Honda XR200
93 Yamaha PW80
86 Honda XR250
86 Yamaha YZ125
87 Honda XR600
95 Yamaha XV1100
74 Honda Z50 **
72 Yamaha JT60 **
70 Yamaha CT175 **
74 Yamaha DT360 **
75 Yamaha GT80 **
75 Yamaha DT100 **
75 Yamaha DT125 **
76 Yamaha DT175 **
75 Yamaha DT250 (2) **
75 Yamaha DT400 **
17 Yamaha SCR950 **

Schu

 

[SCRBen]

I remember having a sore neck from riding all day and looking back to make sure they were still following along. Before I knew it they were leaving me in the dust wondering if they were still ahead of me.....

Schu

What a fabulously evocative image/memory to have. Growing up around motorbikes seems to be such a transformative experience - I think it really does something to you, deep inside. I’m sure your lads would agree. I never rode as a kid, but bikes were all around me - it was an inevitability that I would have one (or many!!). My little lad, Jack, is only two at the moment, but I certainly don’t intend to deny him these kinds of experiences when he is a bit older - even if it’s only going pillion with me. And, I hope, when we’re both much older, I have similar memories to yours to reflect on.

Great pic too.

Ben

 

[harleyy_rider22]

I wish I had that long of a history with bikes...
Just owned two before the SCR950 ( surprisingly none of them was a Harley as my name says ! )

and both were overseas (in Planet Africa where I am originally from)

first one was a Japanese made 1986 Honda Steed 400cc V twin (called here Honda Shadow)

And second one was an Indian made bike called Bajaj Boxer 150cc
with a kick and electric start

I once carried a custom made camping stove (140 cms X 60 cms) and rode 60 Kms with it on one of the main highways between all those cars who have no rules .. !!! :grin2::grin2:

I even took a pic for the record ! :grin2:

 

[Schu]

My little lad, Jack, is only two at the moment, but I certainly don’t intend to deny him these kinds of experiences when he is a bit older - even if it’s only going pillion with me. And, I hope, when we’re both much older, I have similar memories to yours to reflect on.

Ben

Enjoy that time together because it goes by in a flash. I'm fortunate in the fact that both my boys have bought homes within 5 miles of me, and both of them still ride. Here's a classic before and after photo of my youngest boy. His first bike was a Yamaha PW80. What a great starter bike. And the other is his current Harley. I rode that thing after he installed the Ape Hangers. Ridiculous. But then he grew up to be an Ape so they look fine when he is on the bike.

Schu

 

[SCRBen]

I wish I had that long of a history with bikes...
Just owned two before the SCR950 ( surprisingly none of them was a Harley as my name says ! )

and both were overseas (in Planet Africa where I am originally from)

first one was a Japanese made 1986 Honda Steed 400cc V twin (called here Honda Shadow)

And second one was an Indian made bike called Bajaj Boxer 150cc
with a kick and electric start

I once carried a custom made camping stove (140 cms X 60 cms) and rode 60 Kms with it on one of the main highways between all those cars who have no rules .. !!! :grin2::grin2:

I even took a pic for the record ! :grin2:

Honda Shadows’ are great bikes. One of the more popular ‘metrics’ here in the U.K. too.

Enjoy that time together because it goes by in a flash. I'm fortunate in the fact that both my boys have bought homes within 5 miles of me, and both of them still ride. Here's a classic before and after photo of my youngest boy. His first bike was a Yamaha PW80. What a great starter bike. And the other is his current Harley. I rode that thing after he installed the Ape Hangers. Ridiculous. But then he grew up to be an Ape so they look fine when he is on the bike.

Schu

Yeah - he’s a big dude, LOL. Almost identical to the Hog I rented in Cali too (without the apes tho).
Ben

 

[bmw111]

'89 Honda NT650GT Hawk
'96 Honda VFR750
'90 Honda NT650GT Hawk (track bike)
'97 Suzuki TL1000S
'00 Honda CBR929RR
'91 Honda NT650GT Hawk
'02 Kawasaki ZRX1200R
'02 Aprilia RSV Mille R
'07 Triumph Scrambler
'17 Yamaha SCR950

This doesn't include dirt bikes and scooters I've owned. Looking at my list, standards win out over the sport bikes. I like a naked bike, upright seating.

 

[jobirobi]

'88 Ninja 250 (Ninjas are probably the most popular starter bike in my area)
'17 SCR950

and that's it. I just reached the one-year anniversary of getting my MC license less than a week ago. :grin2:

 

[SCRBen]

'89 Honda NT650GT Hawk
'96 Honda VFR750
'90 Honda NT650GT Hawk (track bike)
'97 Suzuki TL1000S
'00 Honda CBR929RR
'91 Honda NT650GT Hawk
'02 Kawasaki ZRX1200R
'02 Aprilia RSV Mille R
'07 Triumph Scrambler
'17 Yamaha SCR950

This doesn't include dirt bikes and scooters I've owned. Looking at my list, standards win out over the sport bikes. I like a naked bike, upright seating.

Some nice bikes in that list. I had a Trumpet Scrambler too - how does the SCR compare for you?
Ben

 

[[email protected]]

69 Bridgestone 100
73 Benelli 250 enduro
75 Yamaha DT400
71 Triumph 650 Tiger
79 Triumph 750 Bonneville Special
that I still have after 37 years
84 Honda CR 450
75 Hodaka 100 Road Toad
99 Kawasaki Concours
83 Honda 500 Ascot
03 Honda XR 650 L
03 Honda VTX 1800 Retro
96 Honda Pacific Coast 800
06 Yamaha FJR 1300
07 Suzuki DRZ 400
09 Suzuki VStrom 1000
05 Honda VTX 1800 Retro
03 Suzuki DR 650
04 BMW 1150 GS
02 Suzuki DR 650
14 Honda XR 650 L
03 Honda VTX 1800 C with a
California Friendship III
2 person sidecar
17 Yamaha SCR 950

 

[bmw111]

Some nice bikes in that list. I had a Trumpet Scrambler too - how does the SCR compare for you?
Ben

I liked the Triumph Scrambler, but the fueling wasn't so great. Even though it was a bit lighter than the SCR950, it didn't handle like it on the road. Had more suspension travel, but was a bit bouncy. Still, I felt more comfortable taking it on dirt tracks than the SCR950. If I'd kept it I probably would have thrown a bunch of money at it and "fixed" those issues. As it was I moved across country and had to sell it. That was about 10 years ago. The SCR950 is me getting back into the game after a decade. Marry, move, job, house, kids, etc. Now I'm ready to ride.

Oh, you can add a 2012 Honda CBR250R to that list. I just bought one yesterday for my oldest son to learn on. :laugh:

 

[bmw111]

69 Bridgestone 100
73 Benelli 250 enduro
75 Yamaha DT400
71 Triumph 650 Tiger
79 Triumph 750 Bonneville Special
that I still have after 37 years
84 Honda CR 450
75 Hodaka 100 Road Toad
99 Kawasaki Concours
83 Honda 500 Ascot
03 Honda XR 650 L
03 Honda VTX 1800 Retro
96 Honda Pacific Coast 800
06 Yamaha FJR 1300
07 Suzuki DRZ 400
09 Suzuki VStrom 1000
05 Honda VTX 1800 Retro
03 Suzuki DR 650
04 BMW 1150 GS
02 Suzuki DR 650
14 Honda XR 650 L
03 Honda VTX 1800 C with a
California Friendship III
2 person sidecar
17 Yamaha SCR 950

Lots of nice Hondas in that list. Ascot, PC800 -- where's the TransAlp? :wink2:

 

[[email protected]]

69 Bridgestone 100
73 Benelli 250 enduro
75 Yamaha DT400
71 Triumph 650 Tiger
79 Triumph 750 Bonneville Special
that I still have after 37 years
84 Honda CR 450
75 Hodaka 100 Road Toad
99 Kawasaki Concours
83 Honda 500 Ascot
03 Honda XR 650 L
03 Honda VTX 1800 Retro
96 Honda Pacific Coast 800
06 Yamaha FJR 1300
07 Suzuki DRZ 400
09 Suzuki VStrom 1000
05 Honda VTX 1800 Retro
03 Suzuki DR 650
04 BMW 1150 GS
02 Suzuki DR 650
14 Honda XR 650 L
03 Honda VTX 1800 C with a
California Friendship III
2 person sidecar
17 Yamaha SCR 950

Lots of nice Hondas in that list. Ascot, PC800 -- where's the TransAlp? /forum/images/SCR950Forum/smilies/tango_face_wink.png

It's funny that you say that about the Trans Alp! I have always wanted one, but just couldn't find a cheap (like me) one. I had my heart set on a Africa Twin until I stumbled upon the SCR at less than half the price.

 

[SCRBen]

I liked the Triumph Scrambler, but the fueling wasn't so great. Even though it was a bit lighter than the SCR950, it didn't handle like it on the road. Had more suspension travel, but was a bit bouncy. Still, I felt more comfortable taking it on dirt tracks than the SCR950. If I'd kept it I probably would have thrown a bunch of money at it and "fixed" those issues. As it was I moved across country and had to sell it. That was about 10 years ago. The SCR950 is me getting back into the game after a decade. Marry, move, job, house, kids, etc. Now I'm ready to ride.

Oh, you can add a 2012 Honda CBR250R to that list. I just bought one yesterday for my oldest son to learn on. :laugh:

yeah, I remember the poor fuelling, esp. a constant, recurring surging at 70mph. Used to drive me nuts. Another by-product of emissions lunacy. The way to get rid of it was removing the AI, which was pretty easy to do, from what I remember. Had the 2-into-1 high-level Arrow pipe on mine too. Sounded like a squadron of Lancaster bombers with no baffle in, but the fuel map they uploaded for it was poor - it ran so rich the garage used to always smell of petrol! :laugh: Still loved that bike tho.....
Ben

 

[bmw111]

It's funny that you say that about the Trans Alp! I have always wanted one, but just couldn't find a cheap (like me) one. I had my heart set on a Africa Twin until I stumbled upon the SCR at less than half the price.

I believe the Africa Twin is the spiritual (and some mechanical DNA) successor to the under-appreciated Trans Alp. When I worked for Honda (2000-2008) there were a few models much treasured by the old timers and lifers. Trans Alp was one of them, as was the NX250, the Trans Alp's little brother. Still hard to find good examples.

 

[[email protected]]

I believe the Africa Twin is the spiritual (and some mechanical DNA) successor to the under-appreciated Trans Alp. When I worked for Honda (2000-2008) there were a few models much treasured by the old timers and lifers. Trans Alp was one of them, as was the NX250, the Trans Alp's little brother. Still hard to find good examples.

Test rode that Africa Twin and... WOW! What a nice bike! As far as my search for a Trans Alp, they were either reasonably priced (beat up) or highly priced (decent shape). I'm content with the SCR..... for now!>