My Motorcycle Page . . .
| Welcome at my motorcycle page... |
|
|
|
Again welcome and thank you for visiting my motorcycle page. On this page you will find some info about my motorcycle. How I got it, what it looks like and so on... |
| The story of how I got him... |
|
|
|
Even before I had a drivers license I already had my eye on a Honda VFR. I looked at specs of different
motorcycles. I gazed at the Suzuki GSX, I admired the Kawa ZZR and I adored the Honda CBR. But all
of these motorcycles where missing something... Well, after month of searching I found the VFR to be one
of the best motorcycles I could find. It is a motorcycle with a complete dashboard, it had a good character on
the road, and even the shape was breathtaking.
So, after I had decided which one I would like to have the waiting began. While waiting, lady luck made me cross the path of one who was destined to be mine, or rather, a motorcycle who wanted to be my friend. It was the 8th of may 1999 and with an old friend I walked in the showroom when it drew my attention. Almost as if it was calling me. The salesman arranged a test-drive for me and gave me the keys. I had to leave my license behind but I didn't care. As long as I could drive with my would-be-friend. After the ride that felt like a test flight, I or rather the motorcycle was sold The only thing we had to do now was getting an agreement over the price. Well, that didn't prove to be very hard. For a little less then HFl 14.000,- (about Euro 6.150,- ) is was mine. The only thing what didn't make me very happy was the three week time for delivery !!! But on the 4th of june 1999 I finally got the keys... |
| And Here It Is... |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| The Specs... |
|
|
|
Max speed No Of Pistons No Of Valves Layout Valve Drive Bore / Stroke Displacement Compression Hp Cooling |
: 259 km/h (I tried) : 4 : 16 : 4-stroke 90' V4 : DOHC : 72 / 48 mm : 748 cc (46 cubic inches) : 11,5 : 1 : 92 hp @ 10.500 rpm : Liquid |
Final Drive No. Of Gears Frame Tire Front Tire Rear Suspension Front Suspension Rear Break Front Break Rear |
: Chain : 6 Gears : Aluminum Twin-Spar : 120x70 / 17" : 170x55 / 17" : 41 mm Telescopic, Preload : Rising-Rate Monoshock, Preload & Rebound : 2 x 296 mm Discs, 3 Cylinders Per Disc : 1 x 256 mm Disc, 3 Cyl. |
| ...and : The Measurements... |
|
|
|
Length Width Seat Height Wheelbase Dry Weight Ready Weight Fuel Capacity Action Radius |
: 220 mm : 72 cm : 77 cm : 141 cm : 198 kg : 223 kg : 19 Liter + 3 liter Reserve : 352 km |
|
| Friends Motorcycles... |
|
|
|
I came across a lot of motorcycles already in my life but none of them stayed with me like the motorcycles I am going to show you now. These are the motorcycles of friends and family. I tried to make a small story with all of them, just for your enjoyement... |
|
|
|
This was the first motorcycle I ever drove all by my self. It is a Yamaha Diversion 600 cc. It was owned
by my driving instructor Ever Herlaar. He could drive a motorcycle as no one I had ever seen before.
He loved his profession and even if I was not the best pupil, he managed to teach me lots of tricks
for safe motorcycle driving. |
|
|
|
In the picture on the right side you can see my driving, ehhrr EX-driving instructor at work.
He shows how to make a figure-8 with only one hand and at a speed so slow, you would think he
will tip over every second. |
|
|
|
|
|
Finally after months of being slaved by Evert Herlaar, being hold back by bad weather and being
stopped by an empty wallet, I could afford my own motorcycle. But what kind of motorcycle ? I knew I really liked the VFR so why not rent one ? After a few phone calls I knew where I could get one and voila, the picture on the left was my rental-test-motorcycle : A Honda VFR 800. |
|
|
|
This Honda CBR600 I really like. It is the motorcycle of my moms. (Well used to be. She sold it on April 27th, 2012.)
I still remember the day that I told moms I would start with my motorcycle drivers license.
She was ready to commit suicide. But then
a miracle happened. One time she went with me, on the back of my own motor cycle and THE SAME WEEK she called Evert
Herlaar and started her lessons !!! Oh and yep, the red one is mine... |
|
|
|
|
|
This red white and blue flashing motorcycle belonged to my friend Bossie.
It is a Honda CBR 600, just like my moms motorcycle. Only one difference, moms motorcycle was American
with miles on the clock, this one European... When we went to his grandfather to show it, we got the best comment you could ever get. Now you have to know his grandfather was next to blind but to say something positive anyway he said : "Wow, those mirrors really shiny..." |
|
|
|
After Bossie got bored with his CBR 600, he bought a Ducati 900 cc. A monster of a machine. I drove on it and what can I say : Well on my bike it is hard to get the front wheel from the ground, on this bike it is hard to keep it ON the ground. |
|
|
|
|
|
Then on one day in 2002 a very bad thing happened. Bossie crashed his Ducati. The almost new Ducati
was declared total loss and Bossie spend weeks in the hospital with a crushed vertabrae. In the pict the damage does not look so bad but it really was. Just take look at the rear wheel. Also the right tail pipe, the jiffy, the signal lights and the saddle broke off. On top of that, the whole frame was tordated. |
|
|
|
From the wild roaring thunder I move on to the Cute motorcycle of my late friend Hank Brown. He owned a Honda Elite
with the enormous engine of 250 cc. It is the only motorcycle I have driven with an automatic gear, and that
really, really funny. He had been using this motorcycle for years and years to make the seven kilometer drive to and from his work. After his retirement he still used his Elite for fun cruising. Later he sold it and took up other hobbies. |
|
|
| The end of a 17 year long relationship... |
|
|
|
|
After having the motorcycle for almost 17 years it is time to say goodbye to this chapter of my life.
As you can see it is still as radiant as in the beginning so I will be sad to see it go. It is just that I do not use it as much as I do. Time and other hobbies took it's toll. Also, the Mrs has artritis and can't come with me anymore. Driving alone is simply not that much fun... |
|
| What's next... |
|
|
|
Well that is a good question. As nobody really knows what the future will bring, I can't tell you either.
Maybe I'll put up some more pics, stories and perhaps even some movies. Why don't you just revisit once in a while ?
Who knows what might just happen... Thank you for visiting !!! Jecepede... |
|
Live Long... And Visit My Other Homepages Too... |