Motorcycle oddities you'd like to try or own.

[VladTepes]

I've always wanted to ride these, just to see how good (or bad) the front suspension design truly is.

Can pretty much guarantee you'd be the only guy for many miles riding one...

Bimota Tesi





this café racer style was described as "pinnacle weird"




Yamaha GTS1000

[VladTepes]

Single sided swingarms are so common now, but what about a single sided front fork?
'91 Gilera CX125

[KiwiCol]

The engineering principals must be sound, but I just couldn't trust that.  I don't really like a single sided rear either, they look good, but not something I'd go for.

[VladTepes]

I love this quote

For an instant lesson in different cultures, place Yamaha's GTS1000 next to Bimota's Tesi. Both are hub-centre steered motorcycles but here the similarity ends because where the Bimota is beautiful, exotic and so unreliable it barely works, the Yamaha, despite being another take on the same idea, is plain (and that's being charitable), over-engineered and will work forever.

full article: https://www.visordown.com/features/yamaha-gts1000

[Tony Nitrous]

I know a guy in the UK with a DIY single sided front end Bandit.

Nothing super trick, both fork legs down one side and a stub axle for the wheel.

Get gets around a bit on it.

[Kiwifruit]

Used to know a guy that was a regular rider of the Britten. He believed with a conventional front fork setup the bike would have been better.

[Batkwaka]

No pictures but I've ridden a 500cc Rotary Norton, very different engine feel to it.

Interestingly with the GTS1000 Yamaha, it is RAD design but the designer was annoyed at their project as they had done many things he had told them not to, as it would compromise the end result. The end result was compromised because those that didn't understand the concept but thought they knew better, ruined the potential of it.

[Mick_J]

Hub centre steering bikes are still available.

https://www.vyrus.it/

[Tony Nitrous]

Bloke up my street has a Travertson.

They are built in the US and based around a V-Rod.

It's certainly turns heads but it's not that great.

[KiwiCol]

It sure is a nice looking show pony Tony, just not that good at being a bike though?   Shame.

[VladTepes]

Hub centre steering bikes are still available.
https://www.vyrus.it/

Sort of available; if you're rich. I gather they are built to order.
I think that company built the Tesi 2d in their factory?
When the first Vyrus came on the market it was IIRC around GBP25,000 and I very much doubt it's got cheaper in the interim. 

But yeah, they are cool.

Bloke up my street has a Travertson.
They are built in the US and based around a V-Rod.
It's certainly turns heads but it's not that great.

http://travertson.com/          Yeah that is super ugly !

[Teufel]

I am going to test ride one of these at Eastern Creek in a couple of weeks.
Wouldn't mind keeping it, but at $115,000 I may have to wait a very very very long time.
Not an oddity really. I just wanted to show off.
I cannot wait.

[VladTepes]

Well in the last few days I've done a lot of research on the GTS1000, also spoken to bike mechanics etc
Have decided its better to look at other people's rather than buy one myself.

[KiwiCol]

Come on then, tell us why . . .

[VladTepes]

Well I'm told that the front suspension components are weaker than they need to be.

The front rotors (located in the dead centre of the wheel) are unobtanium - basically you need to get one machined when you need one.

Overall - the cost of keeping one on the road is significant.

Aside from that novelty factor there are plenty of 'as good but much cheaper' bikes in the same class - not the least of which is the FZR.

Just doesn't add up.  Sure if I'd won lotto I'd get a pile of bikes including a GTS1000 but not for me until then. 

I still have a TL1000R hankering though.