Whats the coolest bike you have test rode?

[davethewelder]

Back in 2018 I rode my 2017 Street Glide up to Euro Cycles, in Odessa Florida. Kinda bored with the HD and hadn't been there since my BMW R1150RT days. They had a Motus R and asked if they'd fire it up just wanted to hear the motor. Salesman fired it up and it was like no other engine, bike torqued to the right like a Moto Guzzi or Beemer. It sounded like a nasty V8, with a Ducati dry clutch! Salesman convinced me take it out for a ride. So I did, once in gear and you let the clutch out the motor is smooth, quite and powerful, in fact 135 ft of torque and 165 Hp! Red line is real low around 6 grande. Didn't make it very far, soon as I turned into a round O bout, front end wash out at about 20 mph. Some one had a fresh hydraulic leak and the tire was soaked. End of my test drive, didn't buy it probably a good thing cause they went bankrupt just a couple years ago.

 

[scott_m]

Came into my shop for service.

2021 Kawasaki Ninja H2R $60,000 motorcycle.

Ridiculous power supercharged motorcycle. Insane performance.

310 Horsepower and 122 ft/lbs of torque.

No license plate, track only motorcycle. I still couldn't resist taking it on the freeway. It was thrilling and scary as shit all at the same time. This is more motorcycle than 99.99% of the worlds riders can actually control and use, myself included. Front end lifts in every gear.

 

[Bill Meyer]

Way back when the Honda 6 cylinder CBX was new I had the chance to ride one for a few laps around Willow Springs Raceway. That still rates as the most amazing scooter I ever sampled.

 

[davethewelder]

A friend in High School had a CBX, he was cooler than Elvis and Fonzi, he'd wheelie that forever! The perks of having a bike shop, cant even imagine the power of an H2R, probably the most insane bike to date!

 

[Raven]

I have never test ridden any bike. Every bike I ever bought was new or used but not ridden first. Strange I know.

 

[Louisv97]

Back in 2018 I rode my 2017 Street Glide up to Euro Cycles, in Odessa Florida. Kinda bored with the HD and hadn't been there since my BMW R1150RT days. They had a Motus R and asked if they'd fire it up just wanted to hear the motor. Salesman fired it up and it was like no other engine, bike torqued to the right like a Moto Guzzi or Beemer. It sounded like a nasty V8, with a Ducati dry clutch! Salesman convinced me take it out for a ride. So I did, once in gear and you let the clutch out the motor is smooth, quite and powerful, in fact 135 ft of torque and 165 Hp! Red line is real low around 6 grande. Didn't make it very far, soon as I turned into a round O bout, front end wash out at about 20 mph. Some one had a fresh hydraulic leak and the tire was soaked. End of my test drive, didn't buy it probably a good thing cause they went bankrupt just a couple years ago.View attachment 26524

the naked bike that they were testing out sounded heavenly with drag style open headers. Truly sounded like a mini corvette.
Coolest bike I've ever ridden was a brutale dragster 800rr from newport italian(sadly the closed). It was a 140hp pocket bike that felt lively and twitchy. The triple was the cherry on top.

 

[GerryAZ]

I have only test ridden a few bikes over the years prior to final purchase. I make it a habit to only test drive a vehicle if I am truly interested in purchase. I have also purchased several motorcycles without test riding or even riding a similar demo. I bought the V85TT after looking at them and sitting on them, but without even hearing one run.

The only test riding without plans to purchase were during factory demo events: The evolution HD’s in the 1980’s, the Zero electrics in 2011, and the BMW R Nine T Scrambler in 2017. I strongly considered the R9T and kept thinking/looking until I found out that Moto Guzzi was making adventure bikes and bought the V85TT.

That Kawasaki H2R sounds like a remake/update of the old 2-stroke H2 that had more engine than the chassis could handle.

 

[scott_m]

Until it came through my front door, I honestly didn’t know anything about the H2 motorcycles.

I did not know there was a production supercharged motorcycle.

The owner is a engineer for Marathon Petroleum here in Findlay. Indian guy. Came to me on referral and loved the fact that I let him stay and watch the oil service. He never was more that 5 feet from me. He loved his baby for sure.

Still, thinking carefully, hands down, the most thrilling motorcycle to me that I test rode, which I bought, was my first V10 Centauro.

I bought her brand new from GP Motorcycles in 1998. Nobody paid her any attention on the sales floor but I did. I though she was the most beautiful and amazing motorcycle I had ever seen.

She had the most amazing set of D&D pipes I had put on her with the Stucci crossover. Paul Lima, the owner of GP motorcycles in San Diego, said that the whole shop knew I was coming as I got off the freeway off-ramp because they could all hear me. The parts guy at the time, Isaac, used to say “Scott’s coming.” They also loved how she roared as I jumped back on the freeway on-ramp right outside GP’s old shop location.

I thought that was beyond cool.

That motorcycle defined me for several years. Everybody knew me because I rode THAT motorcycle.

She sounded like no other and in 4+ years, I never saw another one anywhere. Ever. I loved that bike like no other.

 

[scott_m]

Ok. WTH.

I just wrote about the H2R that came into my workshop.

Today, another H2 again! (Buddy of the guy with the H2R)

OMG.

 

[La Borgia]

I've ridden heaps of bikes. It helped to work for an Aussie BMW & Triumph dealer... last century. My famous saying about BMW was that "they took the F.U. outta FUN". That was b4 the RR,) Scariest ride was actually as a monkey on an outfit at Oran Park. my knees I couldn't walk for a week! My 01/12 Benelli TNT R160 is an incredible naked sbk. Engine braking of the triple with a dry slipper clutch, dead men waited for my brake light But my Guzzi, a 1995 Sport 1100 My first test ride on her, I followed the sales guy into a roundabout...too slow! Hadn't ridden in 18 months, had dropped a bike, then Lockdowns so rusty! In second, low revs, afraid of stall & the 11? kilo flywheel just kept chugging those cylinders. I was screaming & grinning at the slo-mo train wreck. I had to buy her

 

[Louisv97]

I've ridden heaps of bikes. It helped to work for an Aussie BMW & Triumph dealer... last century. My famous saying about BMW was that "they took the F.U. outta FUN". That was b4 the RR,) Scariest ride was actually as a monkey on an outfit at Oran Park. my knees I couldn't walk for a week! My 01/12 Benelli TNT R160 is an incredible naked sbk. Engine braking of the triple with a dry slipper clutch, dead men waited for my brake light But my Guzzi, a 1995 Sport 1100 My first test ride on her, I followed the sales guy into a roundabout...too slow! Hadn't ridden in 18 months, had dropped a bike, then Lockdowns so rusty! In second, low revs, afraid of stall & the 11? kilo flywheel just kept chugging those cylinders. I was screaming & grinning at the slo-mo train wreck. I had to buy herView attachment 26602

Woah man you have a tnt 160?
One of the few bikes I've wanted was a tnt 1130r. Hell even a tnt 899 but that one never made it to the states. Adrian Morton knocked it out of the park with those bikes

It's a tragedy to see them now producing all the playskool shit from China.

 

[Tonerjockey]

Maybe not what coolest means to most folks... but this one demanded my complete attention:

 

[Skivo]

The 750S F4 Brutale by MV Agusta (2005), hands down (for me anyway)! Like no other bike I've ever been on. I haven't ridden a ton of bikes, but I have owned a Ducati Monster, ridden a few other Ducatis, Kawasakis, Yamaha FZ1, Indian FTR, Sportster 1600. I thought the Monster was my dream bike...until I owned one.

With the F4 Brutale, the feel, the sound, the handling, the radial valve flutter on decel, that clutchless shifting, the overall feel/fit&finish. I bought it without a test ride at 16 years old with 2,6XX miles. Within 15 minutes I knew I'd gotten a great deal; within a half hour I was in love. I rode it 8 hours around my city the day I bought it and decided I could now die a happy man. Prior to this I had only ever seen one MV in the wild before. The F4 Brutale gives me the chills and gets me we every time I ride it. 6 months later I bought a used 2014 675 EAS Brutale triple with 3,100 miles.

Am I gushing too much?

 

[La Borgia]

Woah man you have a tnt 160?
One of the few bikes I've wanted was a tnt 1130r. Hell even a tnt 899 but that one never made it to the states. Adrian Morton knocked it out of the park with those bikes

It's a tragedy to see them now producing all the playskool shit from China.

 

[La Borgia]

Heh. My R160, with crew She was Miss January 2013 Benelliforum calendar, I ride a Super Model eh eh. This was the last Pesaro model, the Benelli factory on the Adriatic, before they shifted focus to emerging Asian markets. Those are smaller 300 & 510cc models which are HUUUGE sellers into SE Asia & India. I saw a video of one of the Chinese attempts to build an 1130 triple. Ignition thrn a monstrous white cloud of smoke. Like a bad big bore job that 'sploded in front of me (my brother on his V twin Mille, christ I laffed!
I did a bunch of Flag Marshall at The Creek (Sydney) so got good free track time, she's not for straights, naked as. 240k is a tuff gig! (Top of 261kph but that was Ant West).
La Borgia tho, my 1100 Sport, oh wow... carbies, factory pipes, Marchesini forks, slipper clutch, WP rear shock. Old school elegance and torquemada up la wazzooooo.... oh and red

 

[La Borgia]

The 750S F4 Brutale by MV Agusta (2005), hands down (for me anyway)! Like no other bike I've ever been on. I haven't ridden a ton of bikes, but I have owned a Ducati Monster, ridden a few other Ducatis, Kawasakis, Yamaha FZ1, Indian FTR, Sportster 1600. I thought the Monster was my dream bike...until I owned one.

With the F4 Brutale, the feel, the sound, the handling, the radial valve flutter on decel, that clutchless shifting, the overall feel/fit&finish. I bought it without a test ride at 16 years old with 2,6XX miles. Within 15 minutes I knew I'd gotten a great deal; within a half hour I was in love. I rode it 8 hours around my city the day I bought it and decided I could now die a happy man. Prior to this I had only ever seen one MV in the wild before. The F4 Brutale gives me the chills and gets me we every time I ride it. 6 months later I bought a used 2014 675 EAS Brutale triple with 3,100 miles.

Am I gushing too much?

We'll forgive you I got to test an 800 triple Dragster 5 ? years ago. Oh that sound it was super trick & nimble AF.

 

[Ray1150]

Back in the 80's we all used to ride round various late night cafe's and mobile tea trucks and stop for a chat. I stopped at one near Northolt the military airport in west London. Met my mate John who had just bought a 750 interstate Norton Commando. He didn't have to offer a ride twice. The main road round there is the A40 a wide fast two lane road, along that bit of the A40 the street lights are much shorter due to the runway being next to the road. I still remember the feeling of pulling a ton (not fast these days I know) on this lovely bike making a growling noise, bit of vibration, nothing serious the street lights flying past and the feeling you could just keep riding down to Dover, across to France and on forever. Needless to say I sold my Yamaha 500 and bought a Norton Fastback about 2 weeks later, rode it for a bit then pulled it apart fitted a 2S cam, had the crank dynamically balanced, Mk3 isolastics, stripped out all the electrics and ran it off a capacitor, Mick Hemmings head with dinner plate valves and then had to bolt on a double disc XS650 front end so that I could stop it. Had that bike for 11 years and then funnily enough sold it to a bloke in the RAF.

 

[scott_m]

I’m loving this! More, more I’m still not satisfied!

 

[La Borgia]

Welll, this was my 1st SBK, a CBR954RR. Get this: dry weight 168 kilos... 155bhp at crank. I did my 1st California SBK School course at the *old Eastern Creek Raceway. Now I know ones' speedo gets a tad fanciful at peak, also the instructors mask your speedo...but if it tears a leeetle ... it SAID 270k, I'm willing to concede twas probably 250-255k but she was cranked all the way into Turn One, a huge left sweeper, in 6th w/o a hint of brakes. Time split into two, one me blinked, screaming, past me, the other slo-moed into a hundred frames, each attenuated & utterly, eerily silent.
NEITHER put a knee down, bugga

 

[Art]

The coolest (and first) bike I ever rode was a Lil Indian minibike when I was about 11. Every two wheeler since has been a pale imitation of the original rush I got from the 3 horsepower Tecumseh.