Naming a Bike. A True Story from the Life and Times of Bryon(Kronk) Redknap

[Kronk]

I have decided to name my bike. I wanted a name that really screams out, and when you say it, without ever seeing the bike, you can invision it off the name alone. I thought of a lot of different names... The Four Sisters, the Backfire Bandit, It, Black Lightning... I was almost about to settle with Rusty Rocket, and paint it with rust colors like orange and brown, do a really nice bike up with rusty colors... that would be sweet.....
Then proving once again that my 3 year old spawn's intellect is far superior to mine, he thought of it... At first he wanted to name it Spiderman... kids freaking love Spiderman... but it came to me when little Kronk Jr. came out to my garage and asked me in the sweetest most innocent voice, "Daddy, whats a f&*k?" As I looked up at an inquisitive child standing infront of a fuming (not to mention pregnant) mother standing in the doorway of my not so sound insulated garage entrance, I realised a common theme to the bike... f&*k... a word used over and over at the bike, usually followed by a wrench, bolt, screwdriver, or whatever else was in reach, once, including a saw balde which I left stuck in the drywall just below my window (it makes a nice beer platform) to go flying across the garage into the piece of plywood leaning on the wall beside the main door to avoid further drywall damage for just this sort of an instance. My son just happened to be standing inside by the door as a 10mm Mastercraft combination wrench coasted through the air following the screaming of "the F-word." Once again after many warnings from she whom must be obeyed, Daddy dropped the F-bomb...F-bomb?.... Effin F-bomb... something to call the XJ11. So, drumroll please... (pictures coming soon.) I am pleased to introduce you to my motorcycle, the F-Bomb

[Kronk]

How did you all get your names?

[81xsproject]

I had my bike all through college while I was earning my degree in Geology. We currently live here on the pacific coastline where we live in constant threat of the overdue Megathrust earthquake. A term for an earthquake that originates along an active subduction zone. It is anticipated by seismologists that it will be on the order of a 10 in magnitude. No building will remain standing for 100 miles. There will be HUGE tsunamis all around the pacific. It will be a kind of power no ever scientifically recorded and make Chilean quake look like a picnic. My bike seem fit to share a name of something else so powerful.

[DiverRay]

I don't have a name for the bike I ride every day. I call it the "pretty bike", because it's a MidNight Special, and I'm slowly trying to get it back close to stock looking. The last bike I named was Crystal, as in Crystal Blue Persuasion. That was in the mid 70's, and it puked oil all over the young lady I had on the back. Last time I named a bike! The other two "running" bikes I have now are both '79 standards. The first I called my "daily ride", but it locked the transmission two years ago. The second one I bought from planedick and used until it as daily ride. It started to have some serious problems with idle. I STILL don't have it running correctly, but I am getting close. it will be sold once I have it running well.

[fredintoon]

How did you all get your names?

Hi Kronk,
my sidecar rig is "The Flying Pumpkin" because of the sidecar's body shape and the rig's Tangier Orange paint job.
About the F-word, when my boys became teenagers, the F-word entered their speech patterns to a greater and greater extent.
I finally had to give them my little lecture on it's usage:-
The English language has perhaps a 1/4-million words in it, with more than 80,000 of them in common use.
Only one of them is fu*k,
NOT every second fu*king one!

[Kronk]

Hi Kronk,
my sidecar rig is "The Flying Pumpkin" because of the sidecar's body shape and the rig's Tangier Orange paint job.
About the F-word, when my boys became teenagers, the F-word entered their speech patterns to a greater and greater extent.
I finally had to give them my little lecture on it's usage:-
The English language has perhaps a 1/4-million words in it, with more than 80,000 of them in common use.
Only one of them is fu*k,
NOT every second fu*king one!

It is a pretty important word though... It is the only word out of thousands of words that start with F and it is so important that it is THE F word

[79XS11F]

I don't really have any names for my bikes but the nephew has already started calling his CBX 550 "The Red Basta*d". Why, Because every time he attempts to do something to it he discovers something that one of the POs basta*dized that must be repaired to make the bike safe and reliable.
Rob

[natemoen]

I have had my XS for about 3 months and I cant come up with a name yet. The bastard is looking pretty nice though I might steal that the way things are going!

[XSive Okie]

I call mine Phantom Stranger for two reasons: 1. Other than the engine, wheels and exhaust, she's all black, therefore "phantom", and 2. She's the only XS I know of in Enid, OK, so "stranger" seemed fitting, the entire name is borrowed from a song by Rob Zombie.

[fredintoon]

the nephew has already started calling his CBX 550 "The Red Basta*d". Why, Because every time he attempts to do something to it he discovers something that one of the POs basta*dized that must be repaired to make the bike safe and reliable.
Rob

Hi Rob,
de-bastardizing his bike will teach the nephew many valuable lessons and improve his character besides.
Perhaps changing the name to Po' Bastard would be appropriate?

[79XS11F]

Hi Rob,
de-bastardizing his bike will teach the nephew many valuable lessons and improve his character besides.
Perhaps changing the name to Po' Bastard would be appropriate?

Yes it would but we found so many things on the regular maintenance list that are basta*dized and in need of repair that we have serious concerns about what may be basta*dized on the inside of this rebuild engine. Sh*t even 2 of the cam cap hold down bolts are stripped and one of the POs inserted thin wire down into the bolt holes to give the bolts something to grab! We will therefore repair what we have found so far and sell this bike before it brings more grief then it is worth.
What lesson did he learn ... NEVER pay more then 1 dollar a CC for any used bike when you don't know the source.
Rob

[jwhughes3]

Pirate Ships

Both Great Ranger (80 Special in black) and The Rising Sun (78 Standard in yellow) are named after pirate ships of the 1600-1700's.

Great Ranger was Captained by the Welsh pirate Bartholomew Roberts aka Black Bart.

The Rising Sun was Captain Moody of the Carolinas.

My next one is going to be named after a famous US naval ship (I'm not telling)

John in San Antonio

[DGXSER]

First there was Thunderstruck. The PO had drilled the exhaust ends which gave her a deep pounding sound to the exhaust, especially riding next to concrete barriers in work zones, sound of thunder rumbling. Then, I had this SUV pull up next to me and start revving the engine wanting to play. So I gave in and left him sitting like a stone when I hit 60. Being an AC/DC fan, the song spoke to me "You've been...Thunderstruck!"

Now, next one was Banshee. This one has been a real "interesting" experience. And since the forum is not fond of the other B-word, I settled on Banshee...as in..."Son of a B....anshee."

[Bigge_al]

Echos

I names mine due to the loud sound that you hear "echos" after I have passed. Plus I love Pink Floyd so it just came to me. With a little help from TC.

[cywelchjr]

Well, mine are far simpler than others. Baby (my XS400) is my baby. I am the second owner, and she has come back to me twice after being stolen, and the return was pretty close to "against all odds" too. I have lovingly gotten her back to running condition, and now that I have a garage I'll be doing a full resto on her.

Brutus, what can I say. He truly is a brute of a bike. I guess it's a comparison thing. But it's one of those things, most of my vehicles that end up with a name, it just comes to me at some point as I learn the personality of the vehicle.