DISSING A DOZEN DUDS
I LOVE MOTORCYCLES, (almost) all motorcycles. I started on a CB72 Honda, which is still one of the best all-round motorcycles that Soichiro’ boys and gals have ever produced. I did most of my really long-distance riding on a Honda XL250, a motorcycle that was so good that it should have its own statue at Tochigi. Much of my early two- and three-wheeled riding was done on a series of Harley-Davidson WLAs, and they were marvels of their time and later. Seriously. Among other things, that sidevalve pushrod 750cc engine was capable of pulling more than a tonne by way of a sidecar (or box, really); I did it, and I can prove it. Well, I can’t; but I could once. The dozen bikes that follow below are not necessarily bad motorcycles, but they disappointed me for one reason or another when I rode them; the list is entirely personal. See what you think, and let me have your comments – and perhaps your own list!
BMW R 850 C
Not being one of the reptiles of the press who hated the C series BMWs on sight, I liked the 1200s (except for the weird Cthulhu squid look of the C 1200 CL tourer). So many small touches were really beautiful, for one thing. But the 850 was a perfect example of a design that should have been strangled at birth and then dropped from the top of the Cloverleaf Building after being set alight. With plenty of accelerant.
I am not entirely sure – in fact I have no idea – why this bike was so bad. As far as I can work out, it used the frame and running gear from the 1100 with the smaller engine inserted into it. Should have been okay, really. A bit gutless but that wasn’t a problem
