Yamaha motorcycles, new vs old

[DJinNH]

I took my XS1100SG to a Yamaha dealer in NH yesterday to have them rebuild my carbs for me.

As I walked around their showroom, all those sparkling new bikes looked impressive but I thought to myself..."I like the older bikes better."

Any opinions? Maybe this is a natural way of thinking for middle aged guys. I'm 44 now.

Don

[wingnut]

Until they put these in American show rooms I'll stick with the SH

[prometheus578]

"New stuff is evil."

Old bikes were manly... all metal and such. New bikes are plastic.
Like cars...
New cars are nice and flashy... But I'd give anything to have my '68 Chevelle back.

Bikes are a reflection of the owners.
Hence, Harley's impotent power... and all "outside dressing" and owners "dressing up for the role"... no real substance inside.
An XS represents life experiences and self pride.
"Remember when you hit that gravel and dumped your bike?"
"Man, that rattle can paint job looks good!"
"Look at the used pipes I scored offa EBay!"
Final drive swaps, spin on oil filter adaptors, custom built parts....
These are not things done by "New Bike" owners where everything is "Plug and Play".
Takes a certain amount of love and dedication to be an old bike owner. A sense of "pride of achievement"
"This old bike runs...because I can make it run."

Now, don't lie to yourself... which would you rather fly:
An F16... or a Fokker DR-1 Triplane?

[Wildkat]

I totally agree with both of you!

I LOVE the styling of the XJRs... they are a sweet combination of my two loves... the XS and the FJ... without all of the plastic on the FJ...

To me, the new bikes are attractive... it's the shiny....
Ohhhhhhhhhhhhh.... shiiiiiiiinyyy
as well as some of the bells and whistles...
but it seems they aren't nearly as easy to work on...

A recent go round with my FJ's carbs reminded me of why I enjoy working on the XSes so much... Although the XS is only a few years older, there were still some major design differences... MUCH easier to get everything out of the XS and back in again... Not so much plastic to remove... and pretty much everything is shade tree mechanic friendly...

[xs11jack]

I think owning an older bike that was a killer in it's day(and still is) is a large part pride of ownership. That is the kind of pride that an owner has when he/she does all the maintenance and upgrades. When they show off the product of thier own labor and skill, it is a testement to how good they are with a wrench. These are can do poeple. In comparision, I have a good friend that bought a new Harley two years ago and hasn't laid a finger on it. He rides it 75 miles past several harley dealers to the one he bought it from and has them do the work. It costs him $260 for an oil and filter change. I tell him, "bring it to me, I'll do it for $75 and you only live 20 minutes from me." No, he says, the Harley dealer knows best! It seems to me that the vast majority of "Crusiers" are bought by people like him. We are different, we can't keep our hands off the machinery. And now that the price of gas is out of sight, we are going to see even more people like him, that wouldn't ever get thier hands dirty.
John

[Paintman]

Old School

I gotta agree i have a bunch of old Bikes and its always fun to have people stop and ask what is that . new bikes are fine but its nice to be able to work on my bike without a laptop. i think its the way we have to work and outsmart the 30 yo gremlins. LOL and it gives us a way to vent as we toss tools across the shop or we work for hrs just to look and ay how could i have missed something so Obvious thats why this Forum is so good . you always have a group to bounce your ideas off because you always learn something new. and besides English class where can you get correted like Prom does with us lOL.
John

[79XS11F]

My 30 old 11 has more class then any new bike on the road. I would not trade it for any of them. Any seasoned motorcyclist will know an appreciate the difference between a good running in good shape vintage motorcycle compared to a plug and play modern sole-less motorcycle.
Rob

[Guest]

old school

i agree with you guys,i'am hitting 60 this year and been without a bike for 11 years strange now i own a 11 and love it!! i owned bikes only that i bulit but only one that was new got bored with it and sold it. well today took my 78 out for a shake down run and had no problems went into town to the store and parked next to a new hd when i came out there were 4 guys looking at my bike and said nice clean old bike the hd rider said he never saw one of thoes! made me feel good after all the nuckle busting! just keep them running and enjoy!have a good day !
dick

[BrianB]

I like the older erra bikes as well. I was without a bike a while before I bought mine list summer and did not even want to look in a shop. I actually like the 80's to 85's style rides. I have done a few fixes to mine and it makes me feel good.

I am like Prom, wish I would have kept my 72 Chevelle SS. Thats why I have the 80SG, a 1979 Honda dual sport, and a 1974 CT70. Had a CT70 as a kid and saw one and bought it on the spot. All 3 are in imaculate condition.

Last week riding home, I had a police car follow me more than 2 miles. Behind me a bit, then pull in the lane beside me and ride for a bit. Made me kinda nervous. Finally at a light he was beside me. He hollered at me to get my attention. When I turned to se what he wanted, he had a grin ear to ear and asked if I kept it in a time machine. Said it was a beautiful bike. Made me feel good. As we left from the light, he took after a harly that had turned seconds earlier and pulled him over. Made me feel even better!!!

[Axel]

Older is better

Older bikes rock just like us

[Pat Kelly]

Ask this same question on a CBR forum............

[tomatao]

Even though I am new to riding I loooovvvve the old bikes. There is just something about the classic styling that..well is hard to describe. It's just cool without trying.

I have a few friends with new or newer harleys. Not all of them are shallow ....One traded an 01 that he was makin $200 somethin' a month payments on for another one that he will be makin payments on. So after layin' 20k down for a new bike, he listed 10k more in upgrades he wants to do... Sure it's got some nice features but if something breaks he can't work on it. If something goes wrong with mine all I have to do is come here and find out how to fix it.

[John]

Any fool can go and buy new and shiney, and then throw some wax on it. It's a dedicated owner that restores it back to new and shiney, and then isn't afraid to ride it. Our bikes don't spend all but the last few miles in a trailer when driving to a rally (though I do know some that will stop to polish their bike just before arriving at a rally)

[tiredoffixing]

Old bike

I agree with all of you that say older bikes rock. It took me a year to get my XS on the road and running. With alot of help on this sight (I mean alot of help) it was all worth it. I wouldnt trade my bike for a brand new one. By the way my name is just a name, I would never get tired of working or fixing my bike. With this sight I have learned alot and talked to alot of great people. Thanks again to all that helped and gave advice (MRO) I look forward to talking and meeting with any in my area. Thanks again!!!!!

[olebiker]

Not all the old jap stuff was nice but the 1100's are real classy. IMO