Prior to every Grand Prix, the official web site compiles and publishes a list of statistics that pertain to the upcoming event. Showing that you can prove anything with the clever use of numbers the “Important Numbers” post on motogp.com contains information that is informative and useful to esoteric and useless and every step in between. Well, I thought that, in this off-season, I’d publish my own “Important Numbers” table and the important number today is 54. Now some will say that it should be 42, the meaning of life, the universe and everything, but my concern is vastly more practical than philosophical as you will soon see.
You see, 54 is the total number of cylinders of all the road bikes that I have owned in the last 42 years. That’s not really a lot when you amortise it over the years but it is interesting to me so I’ll break it down a bit in case it is to you.
The numbers 54 represents 15 bikes. Note that I have said road bikes, I’ll publish the disclaimers and additions at the end.
- Of the total of 15 road bikes, 14 of them have had 4 cylinder engines. The exception was the 1975 Yamaha RD250 which was a twin.
- All of the bikes except the RD have had four stroke engines.
- The Yamaha is also an exception because it was the only road bike that I bought brand new; all the rest have been secondhand.
- Of the 15 bikes, all but 2 have been Hondas. The Yamaha RD250 is joined by the Suzuki GS850G as the only non Big Red occupiers of my garages over the years.
- Of the total there have been two instances of multiple examples of the same model. There were 3 CBX550’s and (so far) 6 VFR’s
- All 3 of the CBX’s were variations on a theme of a model that only lasted for a couple of years. The 1st was a genuine F2 model with the full fairing. The 2nd was an unfaired “F” model and the 3rd was also an “F” model that had been converted to F2 spec by its owner.
- 5 of the VFR’s have been Gen 4’s (1994-1997) with the 750cc engine
- The other VFR was The Yellow Submarine, a 5th Gen, the first of the 800cc FI models.
- 4 of the 15 have been SOHC Hondas, all but one from the same model line. The 350/4 (see photo above), a 500/4 and a 750/4F1 (possibly considered as a 2nd Generation DOHC). A 400/4 also belongs in the group but is also probably considered to be a 2nd Generation of the DOHC line.
- The most that I have ever paid for a road bike was $4500 which was for the first VFR in 2002. The least that I have paid was $700 which was for the 500/4 (a 1973 model) in 1978.
Of course there have been lots of other bikes, that don’t fall into the above category.
- Honda MT125 trail bike (bought new). The very worst bike I have ever owned.
- A Suzuki 250 Hustler. Project bike, never completed, onsold.
- A Kawasaki GPX750, project bike, sold when almost complete
- A Kawasaki GPZ750. Project bike, runner but onsold before the restoration process started.
- A Bultaco Sherpa T trials bike. Project bike, onsold before restoration began.
- Yamaha TY250A. A “runner” but never registered. Taught me so much about the finesse of riding.
- The Shadowfax Kawasaki. Restoration project completed. A “runner” but only does show duties. Still in my possession.
- 1975 Honda Gold Wing. In the process of restoration, will be put on “club” rego once complete.
I’m certain that, lurking in the dim recesses of my brain, there could be a couple more but that’s the list, substantially. What about your “numbers”?
Martino says
My numbers ? 48 by your method. Going over all the bikes I have owned, it is obvious that I love twins.
First bike was a basket-case Triumph TT500 that I rode in my final year of school, then a BSA A10 Rocket that had been abandoned. Dad and I rebuilt it and I rode to work in the city before selling it to a mate. Then a Tribsa, powered by a pre-unit Triumph that I clipped a car with and busted my foot. Sold it to another mate and he did the same. Then came my first Jap bike, a Yamaha AS-1 125 twin, that I stripped down and raced for a couple of seasons against my brother Mick, who also bought one a little later. A Suzuki 250 X-6 racer that was on methanol when I bought it, rode it once at Calder and finished 3rd before holing a piston. Rebuilt it but cost an arm and a leg so sold it in time tofall in love with the first of the XS650 Yamahas when I saw it at Milledge Yamah in South Melbourne., and bought one of the first gold tank ones, still with drum brakes. National Service intervened so I sold it (big mistake) and bought a Suzuki GT500 that I rode during my Army days. I also picked up another AS-1 but this had chambers and fibreglass tank and seat. A real racer. But couldn’t use it whilst in the Army so sold it. Once demobbed, I bought a Suzuki GT315 and went back racing, and a year later bought a new Yamaha RD350 and raced that for another season or two. During this time I had a Honda CB550 as a road bike, then a proper racer, the ubiquitous TZ250 A to which I added A TR500. Once on methanol, this was a pussy cat. I raced both at the infamous Laverton TT and had the pleasure of being lapped by Blakey and Agostini. For the ’77 Marlboro International Series in NZ, I bought a brand new TZ250 D of Don Stafford and shipped it to NZ. The first time I ever saw it was when we unpacked it for the first round at Pukakoe. Went well, ending up equal 4th with Kiwi ace Mike Vinson, both of us behind the 3 ‘works’ Kawasakis of Hansford, Sayle and Perry. Finished the series in 6th overall despite some awful results on their ‘street’ circuits. Traded the TZ for Steve Trinder’s Aermacchi-Harley 250 which was a rocket after we put it on methanol. A season of trail riding aboard my own TS250, then a Suzuki GS1000S which got stolen, bought the next model, then a year later got the first one back after the cops found it in South Oz. A Kawasaki KLX250 was campaigned for a season of enduros with the odd AMCN test bike thrown in, a Yamaha 500 single roadster and with a hankering to do some historic racing, a BSA DBD 34 Gold Star. Stripped it, re-assembled it, rode it and realised it was too good to flog on the track. Back to twins – Honda VTR1000 with a pair of Yoshi pipes made all the right noises but lacked soul, so in 1998 I bought my current bike, a Buell M2 Cyclone. Rejigged the suspension, fitted a bit of carbon bling and factory race-kit, close ratio 2nd gear and had John Trease detail the top end with welded chambers, big valves, a pair of Wiseco pistons and a flatslide Keihin carb, all of which combined to turn it into a magnificent street rod. By that stage I was riding the Harley hot-rods of John Trease in Historic racing, starting in 1988 right through to last race at Phillip Island in 2005. Retired and living in Qld made it all too hard. There’s some that I wish I still had – any of the TZ Yams, the TR500, the Aermacchi HD, the XS650 and the Gold Star…..
If I had to pick one, it would be the Buell. Weird maybe, but after working with AMCN & MC Trader for 17 years, riding the latest and greatest, it is the one that did it for me.
Phil Hall says
Wow, now THAT is a history! With all that stuff behind you I feel I should know you or at least have run across you at race meetings back then! Of course, 48 doesn’t sound like that many cylinders but, if most of them were twins that DOES add up to lots of bikes. Thanks for sharing!