What’s The Most Boring/crap Bike You Have Owned?

Oh go on, tell us what went wrong. I had the first release 2016 model and it was very reliable apart from the rotting spokes that everyone had. I got rid of it as I thought it was a bit anaemic.

 

A knackered Raleigh Chico circa 1976. Took the mud guards off and re-sprayed it (badly).

To be fair, it could do awesome wheelies - to the point it was possible to keep nose up whilst stationary and ‘bounce’ 180 degrees and carry on riding.

Not sure the front wheel was necessary at all... The bicycle was probably designed as a unicycle and retrospectively converted to a bicycle.

Now compare that story to my riding style on poor long suffering Tigger...

On reflection don’t.

it’s embarrassing!

Little Chico also got ‘upgraded’ with a rack so I could give lifts to mates. New handle bars (raised and with a cross bar).

Trouble was, no matter what I did with it, it was still built around the frame of THE most boring bicycle in existence.

 

Lol! .....now edited

 

I've had some great bikes and some shite bikes, but even the worst of em was still more fun than driving a car.

 

A Suzuki GT500. That was a horrible bike. I was just too keen to move up from my first bike, a Suzuki TS185. It was also sold by a grasping bunch of bastards in Potters Bar High Street. It was enjoyable to see them go bust. But through that experience and a few others I’ve now learnt how to deal with these sorts of scum-suckers.

 

Triumph 3TA bathtub back in the 70s! Ugly bugger! Traded in got Tiger 100 sport.

 

Triumph 3TA bathtub back in the 70s! Ugly bugger! Traded in got Tiger 100 sport.

 

This must take the biscuit, around 1978 I had a second hand Honda 90, auto clutch, It got me to work and back in all weathers. Top speed downhill was 43 mph. Too long ago now to list any positives but introduced me to servicing and maintaining.

 

Now isn't that strange what suits one and not the other, I had the slightly earlier T500, P Reg it was, handled like shit but I loved it because it was quirky and different.

 

I had a go on my mates T500 at the time I owned a T250r. Obviously I was impressed with the extra power but I can recall that at the time it soon seemed to run out of steam.

 

I have ridden a few crap bikes, cb250n, and gt380 immediately come to mind.. Probably the worst to ride of the bikes I owned was an RD400C...

 

1989 Honda VFR750. Sold a 1987 Honda Hurricane 600 (CBR which was great) for it. Good engine but felt heavy, was hard to turn in and brakes never felt firm no matter what I did to them. Sold it to buy another XC bike.

 

Oh, many horrible things, a C15 with a Johnny Reb painted tank that got overtaken by Puch Maxis and had cornflake box gaskets but still looked like a bonfire when standing at the lights. An absolute shite 5TA that couldn't get above 50mph that the chrome fell off of, I was sort of glad when it was nicked. An Evo engined chop that left parts of itself on the road at every opportunity and ate trouser legs in the exposed primary belt (the left hand grip slipped off once and nearly gave me a heart attack). I actually gave the Harley away.

 

Yikes, @Iron! You've had some doozies. Glad you lived to tell about them.

 

That was a pig ugly motorcycle, you have to say. Sort of like and not like my V50 Guzzi, which I loved - until some silly tart pulled out in front of me. Then, it was the deposit for my first house! So, not all bad.

 

XS 650 Yam. In the late 70s and early 80s I chopped dozens of these bikes. Rigid frames, rake, stretch on all of them, but I had never ridden a stock one. A customer traded a pristine one for some work I did. Slow, ponderous handling, brakes that were almost functional and visually, as we say in the South "plain as a mud fence". These were marketed as a more reliable alternative to Triumphs. I would rather push my Triumph Tiger than be seen riding that XS.

 

In an attempt to get back onto a big bike some years back I bought an 'A' reg VF 750, yes the one with the chocolate camshafts. It was ok till I had a fastish run down the motorway one day when I discovered it was rattling very badly from the top end. After repeated re-setting of the valve clearances it was obvious that the case hardening had worn away on the cam follower for one of the cylinders on the rear bank. I ended up swapping the exhaust camshaft and followers but it was the only cam on the engine that could'nt be changed with the engine in the frame. After that the exhaust blew itself to bits so I had to source a new collector box and silencers. Still, I managed to move it on for a very small profit.