Tricolore winter check over

MarkT

ducatibruce wroteMy MHR is the only bike I own with a dual seat - the Missus accepts it as my concession to sharing 😉

Good for you! We tried it one time on the MHR---- and the R90S won that ride off.

ducatibruce

Having the R90S option was probably where you went wrong 😉

851 tricolore

Mark,
I used to see Hailwoods occassionally on the road when I was just getting into bikes, didn't really know what they were, knew they looked how a bike should look but never imagined I could afford one sometime.
Best thing I ever did, after selling my unreliable Guzzi Le mans, was get the Hailwood, with 3 more years of college to do!
It never had a problem until the clutch wore out and I was on the home straight towards my degree with no spare cash for clutch plates and insurance . . (first things I did when I signed a job contract)
Ironically, I was thinking an R80 (preferably with an RS fairing) would have been the reasonable replacement for the Ducati, but nobody was interested in the MHR when I was trying to sell it. They were just out of style in the late 80's. Probably because the 851 had come out ?
Even the guy who wanted to swop his Clan Crusader kit car (horrible bucket) never called back.
Destiny ruled : )
getting on for 70,000km now.
I took a bit longer than you to warm to 851s. I must admit the tricolore paint was half the attraction, but I love the 'handbuilt' feeling and I think the build quality is excellent.
Definitely an icon bike.

Bruce,
Brigitte prefers single seaters so she has an excuse to either stay at home or ride herself, more often the former.
She owns the Honda GB500, the Can Am 250, the Bimota YB4 (which is still not quite on the road . . . although she has riden the DB2 recently) and she keeps asking when we're getting a Honda RC30!
She has also spent a few hours perched on the back of the Hailwood in the past.
Before we were married 😁
I think the 851 would suit her quite well too- next year, I'll get her on it.

MarkT

ducatibruce wroteHaving the R90S option was probably where you went wrong 😉

Bruce---I think you are right! What was I thinking?????

Tri-- that is funny about the Guzzi. The reason I started looking for an Italian bike is because I rode a friend's Leman's that was set up for the track with a full race fairing and race motor. I could not believe how well it went into the curves and did not shake or wobble like my R90s--- and the brakes were a revelation. Two weeks later I saw a MHR in a magazine, then two more on a business trip to California and I was rabied to buy one. I recently rode a Lemans and it almost killed my great memory of that first eye opening ride-- but not completely.

Having made the decision to sell the MHR we rode the R90S for years. I finally woke up to the fact that even though I was married I could actually own more then one bike-- of course this realization came when I could not help myself and I bought the '89 851/888. Once the flood gate was breached my love of the 851/888 got me into Corse's (now up to five) and my small house had a bike in every room. I retired three years back and now have two big garages--- so no bikes in the house- which I miss.

Eventually we sold the R90S and we bought (notice the "we" since the duel bike was always shared) a used red and yellow K1 so we could go farther and faster. We liked it because it was nuts looking- did not handle well and the buzz would make my hands go numb. We had that for years until we found a used K1200RS which was the best two up BMW we owned. We finally sold it when we found out that Kathleen had extreem bone loss and if we should ever crash she would basically shatter. We miss riding together.

I think the Tri is going to be another Icon Ducati- it is great to hear about your 25 year love affair and share your efforts to keep another one on the road!

Mr.R

All I can say on this is...
As a young lad I tore around/raced on fast Triumph/BSA Triples and fast Yamaha 2 strokes, then in '79 I bought my 1st Ducati which I still own 😄 a 900SS.

I've always said... "I hope I die before I get old enough to want to own a BMW!"

Where do you lads keep your pipe and slippers? Is there a special place in the panniers?

Steve R

MarkT

Mr.R wroteAll I can say on this is... As a young lad I tore around/raced on fast Triumph/BSA Triples and fast Yamaha 2 strokes, then in '79 I bought my 1st Ducati which I still own 😄 a 900SS. I've always said... "I hope I die before I get old enough to want to own a BMW!" Where do you lads keep your pipe and slippers? Is there a special place in the panniers? Steve R

Gee Steve- are you saying I do not know how to ride fast?

wgsvintage

Hello (again...) Mr. Steve R,
I have to stick up for the R90s, as I happen think it's the only BMW that's worth a shit. I'll remind you that Steve McLauglin won the first AMA Superbike championship on one in '76. Granted, that was back when cheating was a very refined art, but they can easily be made to go pretty good. I'm very happy I still have my 120,000 mile '74, which is still setup for vintage racing, but if I ever get a brake from working on my firggin' Ducati's, I'm looking forward to getting it back on the street. No shakes, no wobbles, no bags, no slippers, and no excuses.
Bill

MarkT

wgsvintage wroteHello (again...) Mr. Steve R, I have to stick up for the R90s, . No shakes, no wobbles, no bags, no slippers, and no excuses. Bill

😄😄😁

MarkT

Bill-

Let me clarify-- I did like my R90s which I bought new and owned for over 20 years- and I had all of the San Jose additions --- but for me-- it did handle "soft". But I still ride an airhead which I love, and for me it works better overall then my R90s

But I have to admit the /5, /6, /7's I see at the ARMA races certainly get the job done---quickly!

Hi Steve-- don't nock a good pipe and comfortable slippers---

851 tricolore

Mr.R wroteAll I can say on this is... As a young lad I tore around/raced on fast Triumph/BSA Triples and fast Yamaha 2 strokes, then in '79 I bought my 1st Ducati which I still own 😄 a 900SS. I've always said... "I hope I die before I get old enough to want to own a BMW!" Where do you lads keep your pipe and slippers? Is there a special place in the panniers? Steve R

well- I recently broke (parted out) a K1200LT (not mine) which nobody wanted because of the 166000km on the clock. One of the most valuable parts which we sold on ebay, all starting at 1 euro, was the vanity mirror in the top case!
There is a German joke that the touring Ks look like a 'Wandschrank' (wall of cupboards) from the back- this thing had a cellar and a balcony too! lots of space for pipes and slippers : ))
I shouldn't mention, reverse gear, heated seats, CD player, map reading light, cruise control . . .

But I agree, the R90S is a classic sports bike, don't know if I'm quite ready to own one though. Anything with 40mm del'ortos can't be all bad.

One of these would be ok : )

Helmut Dähne's 1973 F750 at Schotten last August, next to a 1975 Röth 900SS.
And another one in the Hockenheim Motorsports museum.

Mr.R

MarkT wroteGee Steve- are you saying I do not know how to ride fast?

Not at all Mark, 😄
It's just that back in the 70's over here in the UK BM's/Beemers were almost exclusively owned by older riders who refused to wave to bikers on anything other than another BM...
Not all but a lot of them being snobs who looked down on riders of "lesser bikes" as they saw them.

Lot's of my biking mates bought BM's as they got older when the aches + pains became too much for them to ride sports bikes.

Back when I raced and took part in Timed Trials there was a Policeman who rode a Boxer twin at Lydden a small, tight, twisty and undulating circuit in Kent SE England, most of the guys there didn't see which way he went as he was that FAST.
I was also lucky enough to see Helmet Dahne and Hans Otto Butenuth on the factory beemer racing in the IOM a few times, both of these guys (factory testers) were stunningly fast...
Until they wore through the rockerbox covers and had to retire. 😏
...and of course I've read all about Reg Pridmore and his very special R90S.

On another note my 83 year old Mother recently bought me a pair of slippers FFS!
I'm only going on 56 and still a long way off of wearing old mans slippers.

Over the years I have ridden the odd Beemer and wondered afterwards how my mates have managed to hustle them along so fast? As I've found them bloody awful.

Steve R

MarkT

Mr.R wroteNot at all Mark, 😄 It's just that back in the 70's over here in the UK BM's/Beemers were almost exclusively owned by older riders who refused to wave to bikers on anything other than another BM... On another note my 83 year old Mother recently bought me a pair of slippers FFS! I'm only going on 56 and still a long way off of wearing old mans slippers. Over the years I have ridden the odd Beemer and wondered afterwards how my mates have managed to hustle them along so fast? As I've found them bloody awful. Steve R

Steve-

I have to agree on the BMW faction of riders in those days.

I bought the R90s because I had just come back from a ride from Virginia to California and back with my newly developed hemorrhoids on a Suzuki Titan-- which made me emphatically decide that for long distances I needed a bike designed for it. I got home but did not stop at my house- went right to the BMW dealer and bought the only BMW that appeared to be made for a rider under 60. The dealer gave me $300 off if I would buy the orange one because the typical BMW rider felt it was way over the top.

I loved the bike for long full on touring (now called sport touring) just using a tank bag and no bags. But for short work- it was way spongy in its handling for me- even with all of the San Jose goodies on it.

But back to your point-- any time I would go to a BMW dealer for parts- some long time BMW rider would come up to my bike- not say hello until he checked out the miles on my speedo. In most cases I would get a scathing--"Why so little miles" I was alway struck by the arrogance of this introduction- like I had to apologize for not having over 100K on my bike- I was not worthy a simple hello. I would point out the scrapes on the valve covers and foot pegs and how I used Morris mag wheels to use better rubber, explained how I re-sprong the front end so it would not drop three inches if I grabbed a handful of front brake- but this did not cut it.

So Like you- in those days (and not so much today) the typical BMW rider was caught up in their own little world with a strick set of rules---- at least that was my experience.

I found when the air heads were left for the past- many very cool guys started tearing them down- building them into race bikes- and go scary fast on them.

Just proves the old saying that it is not the the tool but the one who knows how to use it.

As far as slippers-- surrender to the comfort

851 tricolore

I just remembered yesterday what a Honda marketing colleague of mine used to say, himself a boxer owner: if you want a sporty BMW, buy a car : )

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