OTHER MOTORCYCLES I OWNED PREVIOUSLY...

 

BMW K100LT ABS - 1989

Now this was a great motorcycle. The model is outdated, but in 1984 it was a revelation. No signs of 'old age', even in 2003 when I sold it. No rust, a smoothly running engine, needed just one push on the start button to run... A perfect partner that kept my K1 company for 3 years.
The LT is a very practical bike. When it comes to comfort, I'd quote it 10/10. It's reliable, brings you everywhere fast, safe, and 'in style'. Equipped with a well-designed fairing, riding it is fun. Having 'only' 8 valves, it has enough power to cope with every situation.

This bike weighs over 283 kg (with ABS and options). But it's easier to handle than the K1. It feels even lighter (?).

The engine is built to last, it only needs 5 l of unleaded fuel per 100 km. It has enough bottom power; acceleration and speed are OK (over 200 km/h). The exhaust system should last as long as the bike itself, 'cause it's made of stainless steel. No fuss about the chain either: shaft-drive! What more could I want? Why not a K1100LT?

BMW R 80 ST - 1985

A real nice, no-nonsense bike, light and reliable. It used to be my shopping bike, 'cause it had two original BMW-sidecases which were actually bigger than the recent models!
Don't compare this old boxer with a K-bike. That would be impossible. Flat twin-owners know what I'm talking about. They're probably charmed and very happy with the character of their bike. Don't expect technical highlights either, this is a simple, practical bike that will keep running, no matter what happens.
It's almost a classic bike: no ABS, no fuel injection, no computer, no hydraulic clutch and brakes, no tubeless tyres, and no hi-tech-stuff!

It's light, but rather high. I touched the ground with the tip of my toes. The ST is a wonderful bike in traffic jams, makes extremely short turns, just like its twin brother, the GS.
Don't be afraid to leave the road: if you change the tyres, you have a regular GS!
The ST is quite rare. I never saw one (except this one), at least not in Belgium...

I sold it unexpectedly in 2002. I regret that a little, but I still have my two other BMW's. And we're running out of space!

HONDA NX 250 (1988)

Here's a little 250cc Honda that I liked very much. I was looking out for a light four-stroke enduro-bike that was not too slow, reliable, water cooled and with an electrical starter. Quite a wish-list! The only machine that had it all, was the Honda NX 250, the little brother of the 600 Dominator. Other 250cc machines lacked the electrical starter, had a two stroke engine, or were simply too high.

This small machine proved itself excellent in traffic jams. I could slip through everywhere. It has a lovely, dark sound and it accellerated quicker than you would expect. Top speed was about 135 km/h, which is not bad for a 250cc. Fuel consumption was ridiculously low: 3 to 4 litres of unleaded fuel for 100 kms.

I also used it off-road. Lovely! There was no situation I couldn't handle. When I couldn't go any further, I always managed to turn the bike around and go back.
The one (and only inconvenience): it's not fit for long distances. After 30 minutes, the buddyseat starts to feel pretty uncomfortable, and it gets worse as time goes by.

I sold it and bought the more powerful BMW R80 ST instead.

YAMAHA TDM 750 - 1996

I wanted this machine mainly because I had difficulties finding a BMW K1. The TDM didn't spend much time in my garage though. Only a few months later, I found the K1 of my dreams. I had to resell the TDM, and I regretted a little that I found that K1 so quickly. I became pretty much attached to this TDM.

The TDM is a superbly, agressively styled machine. I like everything that's more or less unusual, so of course I fell in love with the design. The bike looks like an off-road machine, but it isn't. The driver's position is still fairly high and the bike's not a lightweight.
The TDM has two personnalities: you can perfectly well cruise at low speed, but once you open the throttle, it transforms into a sports bike.

The TDM never fit in any category of motorcycles. Optically it was a mix of an enduro and a road bike, but was basically built for road use. The new TDM, as well as its 900cc successor, proves the success of the concept!

YAMAHA FZX 750 - 1993

A beautiful, powerful and lightweight bike. Since I love unusual bikes, this one was definitely a must have. Initially, I wanted to buy a Yam V-Max. But I came across the FZX first, and I don't regret having bought it. Although it was quite difficult to "cruise" with the FZX. The engine was way too sporty and powerful for that. Not really a surprise, when you know that it was the engine of the Yamaha Genesis! I often had difficulties to keep it under control when the road was in bad condition.

But the design! Man, I could look at it for hours! To me it's one of the nicest bikes ever built by Yamaha. It's light (unlike the much heavier V-Max), fast, and it's beautiful. I parked it near my K 100 RS, and it looked incredibly small.

The FZX reacts very fast to every command you give (with your right hand, of course). If I had enough room in my garage, I wouldn't be afraid to buy this bike again!

BMW K 100 RS - 1984

Bought in replacement of the K 75, this much older machine was not as comfortable as I thought it'd be. The position of the handlebars was a bit too sporty for me.

On the other hand it looked quite handsome, plus it was equipped with sidecases and a small topcase. I often used only the small topcase. This was one of the first RS'es (as you can see, the passenger grips are incorporated IN the buddyseat, and it has edgier side panels). The Devil exhaust made it sound less K-like.

BMW K 75 - 1987

The K 75 replaced both the Guzzi V50 and the BMW RT. I wanted ONE bike which could offer me best of both worlds. Well... it didn't quite work out properly.
Nice bike though, but still heavy for a beginner. A neat-looking no-nonsense machine. If you add a windshield and cases, it's a comfortable tourer-bike. It's fast enough, it has the reliable K-engine, so there's nothing to worry about!

I found its behaviour in curves rather weird, I never found out why. The K 100 RS, a much heavier machine though, behaved totally different and was much easier to ride than this machine. Strange.


BMW R 100 RT - 1980

This was my very first BMW, also my first bike with a fairing. I had to get used to this fairing, which fortunately didn't take long.
This tourer bike is extremely light, even I managed to put it on its central stand! Very comfortable, but not extremely powerful. Now a machine like this hardly invites you to go racing!
I distinctly remember the quality of the fairing. It was big and very protective, that's what made the RT the ideal companion on cold, rainy days. The engine behaved like a central heating. Warm and dry in winter, it literally kept everything away from the driver. Sadly enough also the cool wind on hot summer days!
Riding a bike should feel GOOD in summer, so something wasn't right!
And that was the major reason why I sold it, I wanted to get the real biker-feeling again. But also was I dreaming about the new K75 and the K100 models. I finally decided to sell the RT and buy a very recent K75.
Only later on I found that a fairing wasn't such a bad thing after all; so I put a small windshield on the K75.

MOTO GUZZI V 50-III - 198x

A compact Italian motorcycle with a special character! Lovely sound, roars like a 1000 cc! Small, light and low, it's very easy to handle. Tremendous road behaviour, too!

Major inconvenience: the electrical system. It happened more than once that I completely emptied the (enormous) battery trying to start the damned thing. Without success!
Its original colour was silver with a red-gold striping, but I was crazy about the 750 Lario at the time, so I transformed it into a Lario (see below).

HONDA CX 500 C - 1984

This was my first "big" bike, a 500 cc watercooled Honda with shaft-drive. Wonderful machine, when I see one I'm always getting nostalgic. But it was a heavy bike to start with, it weighed more than 200 kg. And that's a big difference when you are used to a 50cc machine...

As I went along, I learned to handle it, and to appreciate it. I went on summer holidays with this bike. I'm not likely to forget the good times I had with my CX!


HONDA SS 50Z - 1978

This was my very first "motorcycle", a Honda SS 50Z. It was a motorcycle allright, 'cause it could be insured as a motorcycle, with a license plate and all. You'll hardly find any information about this particular bike on the Internet, and if you do so, please let me know! I searched, but nothing came up. I don't know why.

Anyway, this lovely little bike is still in my posession. I could have sold it on many occasions, but my heart would break if I did. It has always been in my garage - just standing there. Everytime I looked at it, I said to myself: I'd love to hit the road again with my old SS, just like in the good old days... And I finally did. I had it insured again in 2002, and now I enjoy it again, even though it's no match to my BMW's. But it's simply delightful to cruise with it. And I always come across people who say: "Hey! That's an old Honda SS! Waauw..." And then we talk a little about the 70's and '80s.

Originally, my SS had a light green fuel tank with yellow striping. But in the early '80s, it was "in" to have a special paint on your bike. So I decided to put one on - a decision that I regretted later on. I was young at the time, and had other ideas about things. I wanted to make this small machine, which was my only means of transportation, a little nicer 'cause it looked so dull.

The four stroke engine is the same as the Honda Dax, a model that's far more popular. It makes a lovely noise and does hardly consume fuel or oil. This engine is very reliable. If it didn't start, I knew there was a problem with the fuel. Once that problem fixed, it was ok. I never had any problems. I replaced the exhaust once, and I replaced the rear tyre once. Also, a few gaskets needed replacement.