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Six run
– exercising the fleet
What do you do with a bunch of
bikes sitting there quietly rusting away in the
shed? Take them for a run, of course!
(Travels with Guido #379, Guy
'Guido' Allen, January 31, 2025. Pic by Stuart
Grant)
One of
the
peculiarities of owning a fleet of around 25 motorcycles
and six cars is they
need to be kept exercised. And, if you’re the only one
that uses most of them,
you very quickly need to find ways to do this quickly
and efficiently.
What I
tend to
do is put aside a bit of time – say an afternoon – and
take a handful on a
brief gallop. I have two short routes nearby: one of
about 7km and the other
closer to 20. In either case it’s enough to get them up
to temp and working, and
the longer route throws in a decent section of freeway.
Since I
knew I
was about to go away for a a short while, I recently
gathered a gang of toys,
most of which are running carburetors. They seem to be
less tolerant of a lay-off
than their fuel-injected cousins.
Here’s
what it
looked like:
1971
Honda
CB750-K1
1975
BMW R75/6
1979
Yamaha
SR500
1993
Moto Guzzi
Daytona 1000
1995
Triumph
Daytona 1200
1996
Honda
CBR1000RR Blackbird
Not a
bad
riding menu, though it’s left out a lot of other
players.
In
order of age…
The K1
Honda 750-Four
never fails to amaze me at how it easily it starts even
when left idle for a
month. It feels surprisingly modern, despite its age.
The engine has a unique
rumbling note, while the braking and handling are okay
so long as you’re not in
a screaming hurry. It soon falls apart if the red mist
descends.
My BMW
R75/6,
despite being a few years younger, feels like something
from an earlier era. However
I know from experience with older airheads that they can
be ultra-reliable and
a great way to cover a lot of ground. Again, so long as
you’re not in a huge
hurry.
Meanwhile
the
Yamaha SR500 is kept partly for sentimental reasons and
partly because swinging
through a few turns on a light and simple single has its
own benefits. It’s not
my first or even fifth choice for a long trip – though
there are people out
there who would disagree.
As the
only
fuel-injected machine in the group. The Moto Guzzi
Daytona 1000 slipped in because
I had to move it to release the CB750. One rule I try to
stick to is if you
move it, you might as well exercise it.
This is
wildly
different to anything else in the shed, including the
other three Italian sport
bikes. It really takes a while to get your head around
its idiosyncrasies and
be comfortable riding it. As much as the dramatic looks,
I love the story
behind them.
My
Triumph
Daytona 1200 is one of those machines that I always
gelled with, despite its
top-heavy feel. With the factory option six-piston front
brakes and loads of
power on tap, it can be ridden quickly as long you don’t
mind getting down for
a bit of a wrestling match. Great fun.
By way
of
contrast, the Honda Blackbird is in incredibly slick
operation. Ultra-smooth,
it has substantially more power than the Triumph, is
probably a little lighter
and certainly easier to master. This was peak
performance for Honda: very fast,
well-finished and surprisingly user-friendly.
Not a
bad way
to spend an afternoon…
***
More
on these
bikes
1971 Honda
CB750-K1 – shed story
1979 Yamaha
SR500 – shed story
1993 Moto Guzzi
Daytona 1000 – model profile
1995 Triumph
Daytona 1200 – T300 series profile
1996 Honda
CBR1000RR Blackbird – shed story
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