And is it just me or has the euro 3 emissions people contrived in their wisdom to force manufactureres to produce the most inelegant silencers on bikes yet seen. What's going on with the Gixer thou, god! it's now about ten foot wide with those monstrous things straddling each side. And that B-king, and the new Kawasaki's which I have to admit I'm rather partial to, weren't much better. I tought the '06 ZX-10 was a fat ****d machine, but compared to some of the other monsters its as svelte as they are likely to come, nice one Yamaha, they seem to have managed to design a modicum of aesthetics in their exhaust design. Race exhaust as soon as I buy a new bike methinks. Anybody agree?

Sideways through time

Agree. Another side effect being the majority of new / modern bikes sound more like sewing machines! Not good. It is nonsensical. On one hand they produce fugly pipes due to emissions yet fuel consumption on modern large bikes is absolutely crap, no better than it was 20 years ago. Go figure. Bring back the good old days when bikes sounded like bikes. Sorry, getting nostalgic.

I agree bikes should sound like bikes, it's part of the appeal having an angry pipe on board, it's what sets us apart from the whispering tin boxes, and I believe that loud pipes save lives, though on a long journey it can be a monotonous drone for the rider, earplugs definitely required.

Lets not get too nostalgic though I guess if I had a choice I would put up with hideous silencers for the performance available, can always junk the standard stuff for a svelter race pipe type thing.

I own a ZX-9 and also a Z1000 '77 vintage, and whilst I love riding the Zed and would never part with her, it is a very high maintenance beast requiring checking the bolts, which bits have fallen off, loads of cleansing and at high speed about a ton-ish is feels decidedly less planted than its successor. The nine I can wipe down, jump on it qand have a tear up with out worrying about dropping, breaking or replacing bits like I would on The Zed.

Anyway back on the [pipes. That new Hornet looked great until you espie the 'kin great cat slung underneath, what a carbuncle on an otherwise cool looking and no doubt excellent performing machine

Sideways through time

Had many newish and older bikes over the years too. Currently got a 79 GS850, 79 CG125 & 83 Z750. Of all the bikes I have ever owned (old & new) the most reliable and low maintenance has to be my GS. Had it 9 years. Tough as old boots. Been all over the Uk and Ireland on it. Has always been used all year every year. Never left me stranded at the side of the road (is that tempting fate?). Parts are dirt cheap and readily available. Insurance is dirt cheap. Easy to keep clean as you can get at everything, no plastics hiding the important bits. Not of interest to thieves, I can leave it pretty much anywhere without worrying about the little chav gits wanting it. If it gets dropped nothing really breaks, maybe a £4 lever, no pricey plastics (on the downside it is b****y heavy to pick up again). Not far off 100,000 miles and still going strong.

I personally find a lot of older machinery to be much cheaper to run and generally more robust than a lot of newer bikes when used as everyday transport.

I am not really into 200mph super rockets so the performance issues are well, not really issues for me.

I got to ride many new bikes during my time working in a franchised dealership and yes I can't deny many modern bikes handle extremely well compared to the majority of older bikes, but not all. I have ridden some modern bikes which seem to be about 30 years behind in terms of handling! For example the GS850 was literally years ahead of its time in handling when it came out, rock steady compared to anything else of the time and still is in my opinion when compared to the odd new machine. The Z750 on the other hand is a tempromental beast when it comes to handling.

Why do you need to keep checking fasteners on your Z thou? If it is vibrating at a frequency that is loosening nuts and bolts on a regular basis then that is not right. You would expect to have to check fasteners now and again on a single or twin of that era but it should not really be a problem with a well balanced Z thou.

I am lucky in that I get the opportunity to ride loads of different bikes in the course of my work and I always seem to come back to (carefully chosen) classics for my own very practical reasons. Thankfully variety is the spice of life and we all want different bikes for different reasons. We all have our own opinions. Would be a very bland scene otherwise!

On the subject of emmissions and the environment I have to agree with you. Yes practical things need to be done to protect the environment but things are getting silly and out of proportion. I recently read that to get airborne a jet liner uses as much fuel as your average family car would use in 7 Years!

The oldies certainly seem to last longer though so I suppose you could argue that they were better built, engineered finished etc.

I also think that  riding these skinny tired bendy framed yesteryear superbikes helps ride one ride a modern bike better. So many new riders whose first bike is for instance for arguments sake an R6 don't always know how to ride, because the bike pretty much does it for them, its only at high speed that the rider needs to make a little more input. The old bikes you had to ride to get anything out of them in terms of performance and in some cases this was a hairy experience. Blimey could go on forever. Glad to hear your old Gessie 750 is still going strong after nearly 100,000 miles. Any relatively modern bike owners out there running a similar mileage on their bikes?

Sideways through time

Yeah.

Don't own a car so my bikes are my transport and as such they get used all year. Dirt doesn't bother me as long as everything is mechanically and electrically sound. As I am sure you know a shiny bike does not necessarily make for a well maintaned bike, and a dirty bike does not necessarily make for a badly maintained bike.

Don't get me wrong, modern bikes do have their many virtues but lots of people neglect essential items on modern bikes purely because they are hidden behind plastics, out of sight.......

I often just slip the key in the slot of my old bike and ride away. Toured scotland on it last year with no problems. No bits fell of, no electrical gremlins and no breakdowns. Didn't miss a beat. And with it being a shaftie no adjusting the chain, which I love. The less that needs to be done the better. On the downside it is heavy and does use a little bit of oil, but no biggy.

The friend I was travelling round Scotland with did have a small mechanical problem with his old bike but that was easily sorted and we were off again.

Oh dear. A few small probs. Hope they did not impede on the holiday too much. I would expect to have to reguarly check the tyres on any bike during the course of a long trip.

I beg to differ here. I used to do motorcycle only breakdown assistance & recovery. Modern bikes often breakdown.

Wouldn't mind a Z thou myself. A bit of the green eyed monster lurking here.

Absolutely agree here. My Z has the famous patented hinge in the frame. 

It is the 850 shaftie and I did rebuild the motor at 42,000 so you could say I cheated a little bit.

How many modern bikes did you pick up that had actually broken down as opposed to punctures diesal filling and accident recovery?

Sideways through time

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About 50/50.

I like your Z!

Thank goodness for SACI spray and wipe down surfaces on the ZX9.

Thinking of getting a new Versys 650 next year. I rode the ER-6 and thought it was a hoot. The Versys uses the same engine but with a more upright riding position and wider bars should be perfect for my daily commute, keep the Zed for the odd run, and random nostqagia moments the 9 for track days (if I'm lucky) and touring hoping to get to the Brno MotoGP in Czechko in '07 and the Versys for commuting.

Any thoughts on the Versys?

Sideways through time

Seems like a really useful tool. Decent size tank. Bit of wind protection. Proven motor. You can see the interesting bits. Yeah not bad. My only gripe would be the USD forks but that is minor.

Personally I think it is a good idea to let a brand new model run production for a while before buying so any recalls/teething issues get sorted out. If any it is usually the first run of a new model that will have issues. Just the hasle factor. Saying that it is not a new motor so may not be so relevant.

I think it looks best in black (or ebony as Kawasaki call it). The silver is not bad. Don't like the orange, yuk.