My bikes, part three.

[mickj]

As I have more than one bike and they are all different (but similar) I thought I might write a little review of each of them, so here is the third oldest.
Suzuki GSX1400sf.
In 1982 I had the deposit for a house in my hand but there was also a Suzuki GSX 1100 for sale, this was the fastest most powerful bike available at the time so I thought, sod it, houses are for old men and bought the bike. Many years later I was in possession of three bikes, a Speed Triple, an MZ1000 and a Yamaha FZ6n and wanted something bigger to replace the Yam. I have always had fond memories of my 1100 so thought that a bike with the same DNA was to be next, after trying the alternatives I opted for a Suzuki and bought a GSX1400fe in 2008. This bike has been a great bike with all the grunt anyone could want, it’s a lazy low revving beast that is just so easy to ride. The bike came with the original bazooka pipe and the Yoshi dual outlet pipe but they are both heavy and ugly so not long after buying it I fitted crash bobbins and a titanium can. I tried it with lower, wider bars which I found quite comfortable, they gave the bike a more aggressive look and put me more over the front wheel which helped the handling but I had in mind I was going to part with it so returned it to stock, later I added handlebar guards and intend fitting heated grips. I have done all the servicing myself and have had only a couple of problems with it. First was a stutter at low revs, high revs were not a problem but low revs caused the bike to cough and splutter and stall and be a real pain. I checked everything I could and replaced some bits and substituted others and the fault only cleared when I got a pressure switch off a forum member from Germany. The only other thing was the bike stopped and would not restart so I had to be transported back home on a lorry, turned out to be the high pressure regulator of the fuel pump had separated, I wired it up and it has not been a problem since. One of the front disks had a bit of a wobble and I received an advisory during an MOT so I replaced the front disks with EBC disks and ferodo pads but the disks rusted within three months, so I had them replaced with another set of disks and fitted EBC organic pads, have had no problems since. Just over five years ago some dozy doris not looking where she was going ran into me and knocked me off. Bike had new clocks, headlight, clutch slave and lever, handlebars and crash bobbing replaced at her expense. Bike is clean and reliable (now), uses no oil and I get around 50mpg. The handling and braking are pretty good for such a big bike, It gets through tyres, pads and chain and sprocket sets at a much lower rate than my 1100 did, that used 4 tyres and two chain and sprocket sets a year (but I was young, invincible and used it’s full performance every chance I had, I let nothing overtake me, nutter). Tyre technology and chain sprocket quality have improved much in 35 years and chains easily last over 30,000 miles these days. As much as I like the Suzuki it’s not my favorite bike and the bike most likely to get sold if I am being honest.

[Uncle Bob]

Now that is a really lovely thing. How do you find time to ride all these bikes, and how do you choose between them!?! It was bad enough for me when I had two (three including the Mrs' bike).

[mickj]

Thanks Uncle Bob. After a change in management I had a disagreement with my new boss which ended in me telling him to stuff this job northwards up his south facing porthole, that was three yeas ago. So now I have plenty of time, with no mortgage and no kids I have petrol money.
Some days I want a lazy ride out with no stress and no dancing on the gear lever so pick the Suzuki or the Beemer. Some days I want to feel like a hero with quick gear changes and a bit of noise so pick the Speedtriple or the Monster. Some days I want to feel a bit different and be noticed so pick the MZ or the Monster. The Beemer and Suzuki are better two up and the Speedtriple and Monster are better one up with the MZ fitting in the middle of fitting both situations equally well. Some weeks I just take them out in turn, they all give me a smile and they all do some things better than others so it's nice to have a choice.