Sniff ... it's gone

You're in a category all of your own

--
Dan L (Oldbloke)
My bike 1996 Kawasaki ZR1100 Zephyr
M'boy's bike 2003 Honda NSR125R
Spare Bike 1990 Suzuki TS50X
BOTAFOT #140 (KotL 2005), DIAABTCOD #26, BOMB#18 (slow)

 

"Contrary awkward bugger who makes a sociological statement through
actually preferring old tat"

 

"Skint and Stubborn" is probably more accurate.

 

I don't think a Zephyr really counts as a classic, to be honest. I'm
fairly sure it wouldn't score 100 or over on the Champion Index.

 

I'd tend to agree, although my reasons for buying one were definitely under
category (2) of TOG's criteria, and the Zeph is not exactly a very popular
bike. It was strange looking at it parked next to Ogden's 7R on Sunday.
They are both P platers, but worlds apart.

How does the Champion index work then?

--
Dan L (Oldbloke)
My bike 1996 Kawasaki ZR1100 Zephyr
M'boy's bike 2003 Honda NSR125R
Spare Bike 1990 Suzuki TS50X
BOTAFOT #140 (KotL 2005), DIAABTCOD #26, BOMB#18 (slow)

 

http://groups.google.co.uk/groups?&rnum=1

 

RTFFAQ ;-)

 

erm, lessee.

age. erm...not very old, is it? 'bout 5 years?
how good when new? well, 's not a bad thing. 6/10 maybe?
special interest - you're allowed up to 2, but I don;t see it actually being
more than a straight 1, really. even if you allow 2, it needs to be a 10/10
bike at 5 years old, which I don't really think the zephyr is.

 

CBA

--
Dan L (Oldbloke)
My bike 1996 Kawasaki ZR1100 Zephyr
M'boy's bike 2003 Honda NSR125R
Spare Bike 1990 Suzuki TS50X
BOTAFOT #140 (KotL 2005), DIAABTCOD #26, BOMB#18 (slow)

 

http://groups.google.co.uk/groups?&rnum=1

Okay, given that it's not a classic then, is there an index for SOB's?

Perhaps:
Age of bike timesed by age of rider divided by number of dents in tank.

Hmm, that would make the Zeph a 123.

--
Dan L (Oldbloke)
My bike 1996 Kawasaki ZR1100 Zephyr
M'boy's bike 2003 Honda NSR125R
Spare Bike 1990 Suzuki TS50X
BOTAFOT #140 (KotL 2005), DIAABTCOD #26, BOMB#18 (slow)

 

Look, you said up there it's on a P plate. It's not even particularly
old, and definitely doesn't count as an SOB. It's just a bike, OK.

 

Quite, otherwise the Wing's a SOB, rather than just a SB.

 

Regardless of that, I think the CI should have some exclusions built
in, like 'poor copy of an earlier model that really was a classic' for
example.

 

Having never ridden the model upon which it's loosely styled, I am unable to
provide an informed POV.

So what was the original like then?

--
Dan L (Oldbloke)
My bike 1996 Kawasaki ZR1100 Zephyr
M'boy's bike 2003 Honda NSR125R
Spare Bike 1990 Suzuki TS50X
BOTAFOT #140 (KotL 2005), DIAABTCOD #26, BOMB#18 (slow)

 

On Fri, 18 Mar 2005 20:29:46 -0000, "Dan L"

Imagine yours, with about 70% of the power, next to no brakes,
underinflated tyres, and shot suspension at both ends.

you won't be far off.

 

Sheesh.

Sounds a bit like mine when I picked it up.

--
Dan L (Oldbloke)
My bike 1996 Kawasaki ZR1100 Zephyr
M'boy's bike 2003 Honda NSR125R
Spare Bike 1990 Suzuki TS50X
BOTAFOT #140 (KotL 2005), DIAABTCOD #26, BOMB#18 (slow)

 

It[1] was original. Not better in any absolute way, but the first of
its kind[2], that pretty much shaped the direction of bike development
that we still see today.

And it looked amazing, too, which was one of the areas in which the
Zephyrs failed to match it.

[1] I'm talking about the Z1a, of course, which went on to become the
Z1b, then the Z900, and then spawned the various Z1000 models.
[2] Excluding the early Honda 4s, as they were only 750cc and SOHC.

 

<Pedant mode>

Z1 first, then Z1A, then Z1B etc....

 

<Pedant mode>

Z1 first, then Z1A, then Z1B etc....[/QUOTE]

Of course. So sorry, I wasn't intending it to be a history lesson.

 

Thus spake The Older Gentleman unto the assembled multitudes:

Always remember seeing a picture of (?) Keith Emerson (of Emerson, Lake and
Palmer) in Bike magazine back in about 1974 with his brand spanking new Z1,
the first time I'd seen one. Bloody 'andsome, it was, and still looks
bloody 'andsome today, even if the frame was made of rubber with a hinge in
the middle.