The Upgrade

[GNEPIG]

2001 ZRX1200r:

It really reminds me of my old XS11 but it does everything so much better...

[DEEBS11]

Nice Kwacker. What Honda is under that cover yonder back?

[gtem]

I kind of landed in a similar place, with a Bandit 1200S I picked up last spring (my third). My XS11F went on to a new owner and I thought I'd settle on just having a moer modern UJM of sorts in the form of the Bandit, then this past week I found myself buying a clean '81 GS850G in need of some minor attention (GS Suzukis being my other weakness aside from XS11s).

[DiverRay]

I had a chance to get a GS850 for free, but I can't get to it! My brother in law has it, been sitting for a few years. I just can't leave home for more than about five hours, and it's a 17 hour round trip if I don't stop or sleep.

[GNEPIG]

The Honda under the cover is a 73 CL350.

I liked the Bandit well enough but the ZRX and that giant mid range torque flipped my trigger and like you said I don't even want to ride the other bikes now...

[DEEBS11]

Awesome bike!

[oldyam80sg]

I have a 1999 Kawasaki ZRX 1100.

[DiverRay]

As some of the older members here may remember, I had a Connie for a while. Yes, great midrange, smooth, and very fast when you wanted it. My problem was what it took to maintain it! I was riding it as a daily, so 8 hours for a valve adjustment made me decide to sell it.

[GNEPIG]

I hear that the newer Concourse are real nice but like you said maintenance is still a bitch- all that plastic coating= ick...

That Honda is an awesome example, the one at my house not so much.

[DiverRay]

It's NOT just the plastic, it's the fact you need to remove the cams to adjust the valves!

[LAB3]

That's the nice thing about my Voyager XII HYDRAULIC LIFTERS! The spark plugs are a bit of a headache to get to but other than that everything else is super easy.

[jetmechmarty]

As some of the older members here may remember, I had a Connie for a while. Yes, great midrange, smooth, and very fast when you wanted it. My problem was what it took to maintain it! I was riding it as a daily, so 8 hours for a valve adjustment made me decide to sell it.

I did some work on MaximPhil's bike. I did not find it particularly maintenance friendly. More to the point, it wasn't much fun. It was a joy to get it back in good order. It lived in my Mississippi garage for a lot of months. For me, it's not a good fit. I'm tall and found it uncomfortable for my long legs and big feet. I believe Phil still has it.

[gtem]

That's the nice thing about my Voyager XII HYDRAULIC LIFTERS! The spark plugs are a bit of a headache to get to but other than that everything else is super easy.

Yeah the plugs absolutely sucked to get at on the XII, the hydraulic lifters are definitely a major bonus. I've long contemplated a 91-03 Nighthawk 750 for their simplicity (also have HLAs) but can't get over the bland 90s styling.

[LAB3]

Yeah the plugs absolutely sucked to get at on the XII, the hydraulic lifters are definitely a major bonus. I've long contemplated a 91-03 Nighthawk 750 for their simplicity (also have HLAs) but can't get over the bland 90s styling.

The Voyager XII certainly isn't going to win any styling awards either due to it's dated look. Matter of fact I had someone comment on Sunday about how cool it was to see such an old bike still on the road is until I told him it's a 2001. Then I opened up the phone and showed him pics of the XS "I was on this until three weeks ago"

I've really come to appreciated simplicity and the Nighthawk certainly fits the bill. Still though my XS was hands down THE best bike I've ever owned. Maybe I'll grow up someday and settle in somewhere with a garage or similar building to work on one.