The toughest bike you ever owned

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Theemax

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On another thread the other day I brought up my 1975 xr-75 dad boght me in the spring of 75. That got me to thinking, of all the bikes I have owned in my life, that bike was the toughest hands down. We lived 7 miles from town on a farm, and I lived on and beat the hell out of that thing for three years before I outgrew it, dad sold it to a family with 4 boys, and they thrashed it for another 4 years. In 1984 I went to a bike shop for some parts, and in the back room was my xr! I knew it was mine due to a real unique dent on the tank due to swatting a tree at around 40, and a pretty good blood letting.
Turns out some guy had traded it and two other bikes for on good one. My son and I were at my dad's last night and got to talking about it. Dad said he always wondered just how many hours I put on that bike in three years, because when he sold it, the paint was worn off the sides of the tank, the seat had been re-covered at least twice, and it looked worn bad. On the average summer day I would basically ride from sun-up till sundown. If the snow wasn't too deep it got ridden in the winter no matter how cold, and mom and dad both used it on the farm to check livestock, and run to the neighbors.
Dad also brought up something I had forgotten, every spring he made a parts run. He said he always got a half dozen brake and clutch levers because he new they would get busted off on a regular basis. Also two rear tires, and spare tubes, (thorn trees) couple sets of hand grips, and one or two clutch cables. Of all the hours of riding, patching up rusted mufflers, and maintenance, that bike never quit, not once. The family he sold it to never touched the engine either, and the bike, although a little weak, still started first kick when they sold it. I would like to hear some bullet proof bike stories.
 
My Second bike ws handed down to me from my dad, when he bought a bigger bike. It was a Honda CM400T. God only knows how many miles I put on that thing. I drove it on the street, in the woods, through flood water up to seat many times, I put that bike though HELL. I hit a dog with it, and it went end over end, and side over side between 16 to 18 times, according to witnesses. It was beat all to hell, but later it started right up and I rode it around in the yard.
 
Every Honda I have ever owned has been damn near bullet proof. Hondas I have owned: 50, 70, 75, 90, 100, 150, 250, 600. The max is my second Yamaha, so we will see how she holds up---so far.....so good!!
 
I also had an XR75, I think it was a '73. It was an absolute rock. Amazing! The other was my 1988 GSXR750. I thrashed that bike on the drag strip and street constantly. I was running 1 to 4 times a week at the strip and riding it daily. It turned its 600 mile break in mark on the track, and I cannot even tell you how many runs it had on it when I sold it. It ate clutches and tires, and had a rectifier go bad while under warantee. other that that it just plain worked!
 
Right now, I have a 70's XL350 Honda and an 80's XL500. My vote is for any Honda bike/engine. I have 295k miles on a Honda car.

The first XL350 Honda I got clanked so bad you wouldn't believe it. Rode it for awhile before deciding to take the top end apart. What I found amazed me. The rocker arm pads had fully disintegrated through wear over years of hard abuse. Part of the rocker arms - not the pads - had ground into the camshaft until there were serious grooves. The thing just clanked along, still making good power, while shedding metal shavings out through the oil.

I guess the POs thought that ignorance was bliss. That was the worst top end I have ever seen on a motorcycle. And the dang thing just kept running!
 
My first bike was a z-50, prob a 73 model. When I outgrew it the neighbors bought it and it went through their kids, and grandkids. Their oldest son called a few years ago to see if I wanted to buy it back (it still ran). I went and looked at it, but it was so rough I could have bought a new one cheaper than fixing it up. While talking to him I asked how many times it had been re-built, and in the 90s they honed it and ringed it, thats it!
I have owned about every brand and style of big bore dirt bikes, and even though I like my Honda's, My favorite was a bone stock xt-600 Yamaha, I liked Yamaha power and smoothness over the Honda's.
The last bike I sold was a early 90's xr-600 that I bought for a song. The guy had ridden it for a few years, and claimed it would not rev. It ran fine till about 4000rpm, then fell flat. Also it would hang up between gears occasionally. After going through about everything, I took it to a buddy who runs a bike shop to let him have a crack at it. About a week later he wanted me to stop by the shop. Someone had put an after-market cam in it, and did not have the flywheel at tdc when they put it together. You could see the marks on the piston where the valves had been hitting it. Over time this must have stressed the piston skirt on one side, broke it off, the crank beat it to mush, and the small pieces were what was holding up the tranny.. This guy rode it for 2 years this way, and beleive it or not, the engine had no knocks or ticks, just no top end. This buddy of mine said he had never seen anything like that ever!!!
Of course $1500 later, (bored to 640cc, high comp piston, valves and cam) it ran like a beast
 
back in 86 i bought a holdover 82 yammie 750 seca.

my first brand new bike. that bike was absolutely bulletproof!! i tried to blow it up!!! no way!!

tuffest engine i ever saw:punk:
 
back in 86 i bought a holdover 82 yammie 750 seca.

my first brand new bike. that bike was absolutely bulletproof!! i tried to blow it up!!! no way!!

tuffest engine i ever saw:punk:

we jsut tried to get one going that hadn't been touched since 1998. no such luck. wish i had your seca!
 
I had a 1979 Honda CX500 that just went on and on and on. Did a head gasket on it once, and and it went again. Eventually it didn't want to start anymore one day (some broken ignition component), and I ended up getting rid of it by selling to some guy who was making a bike out of two. I'm sure it still runs to this day..
 
My first bike was a 1971 TSX90 Suzuki. Poor thing took all the abuse a 14 year old could heap on it and still kept on running. After crashing it hard and having to ride to the hospital in an ambulance that my Mom was part of the crew on, had to trade it away to my uncle for a riding lawnmower. He kept the little suzy in the back shed and I got to sneak it out whenever I wanted to abuse it some more. My uncle was a great man. I didn't realize it till much later, being a punk kid. That was over 30 years ago and we laugh about it now. ps used the lawnmower to earn $ to buy a Honda 250, THANKS MOM!!! :clapping:
 
Tie between a 1979 RM125 and a 1980 CR250. Both took
a beatin and kept on tickin. The CR took a full out 20 ft
ramp landing onto a square edge that knocked out half
my buddys front teeth but only bent the handlebars.
Had the worst rear suspesion ever installed on a motocross
bike though.
 
In the late 70's and early 80's, all manufacturers had the same problem, especially in the 2-stroke dirt bikes, making big power, and a crap suspension. In Honda it was the pro-link, but the mono shock saved alot of hospital trips for kids in the eighties. I had my share of blood lettings.:biglaugh:
 
Worst part of the Honda was it was still a twin shocker and had a
chrome moly swingarm. You think the Vmax is a flexy flyer !
The rear end would fly around like it had a mind of its own.
 
from the time i was 6 up till i was 12 or 13 i had a 82 yz 80. by far the fastest 80cc bike ive ever rode and actually was faster than lots of 125cc bikes. i beat the ever living piss out of that bike and it just kept coming back for more. never rebuilt it, and never had anything break on it. all work done was maintenance stuff like oil, brakes. tires.. ect then after i outgrew it my brothers rode it. to this day it still starts with the first kick although its due of a rebuild i think. dang i just realized how long that bike has been in the family. since about 84 or 85.... and been beat on by 3 boys with death wishes... ssure dont make the bikes like they used to
 
I had a Honda CB500 with no third gear that I purchased for $200 way back when. I rode that bike to TX and back, NM and back, and all over california. It wept oil so bad that I kept a rag between the dials to reach down and wipe the case every three miles or so. It never quit on me, I sold it to a friend of mine, and at last notice, was still going.

Toughest to ride? Hands down, Kawasaki H2.
 
My Vmax! I hit a deer at 50-60mph and you can hardley tell!:th_image003::ten_out_of_ten:
 
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