Gordon's Motorbikes

Gordon Mackenzie (of the Solent MCC) recalls all of his motorcycles ... er ... fondly.

My first bike in 1978 was a CZ175 Trail and it cost £298 on the road. So it was cheap to buy and run. It went all over England slooowly and in the process acquired many dents and scrapes - and a searchlight which added to the weight and made it go even more slooowly! So the next year I moved on to ...

A Honda XL185SA with off road style that I liked the look of. This remained in standard trim and extended my range to the whole UK due to its flexibility and good mpg. It was also useful for perfecting wheelies. But as soon as I passed my test I moved to a ...

Honda CB400F2. This was my first big bike and I loved it, lavishing all my money on mods to front and rear suspension, bars, Bill Roberts fairing, fog light, 416 conversion, air fork caps, fork brace, ace bars, silencer, pegs, front brake ... all to make it better for riding all over the place. In return the bike rewarded my care with reliability, only holing a piston once. But the lure of bigger things eventually won and my next bike was a ...

Yamaha XS1100e because I couldn't afford a CBX thou. I looked at the economics, 1101cc, shaft drive and my head was turned! This bike was improved with better suspension (necessary), bars, exhaust system, engine bars and (inevitably) spotlights. The bike provided torque, speed and presence. However it did suffer from mid corner shut of wobble as one of its standard features. The other was the loss of two gears that I put down to excessive wheelying. Without the resources to fix that, I bought a ...

Yamaha RD250LC in 1982, just for fun (and wheelying?). Modded rearsets, seat, fork brake, front suspension, clip-ons, allspeeds (Wot, no spotlights?)

There was then a short intermission for the arrival of baby.

After 10 year break and because I liked the 1100 years ago, I was back with a Yamaha FJ1200 3CV. It was used all over the UK despite soggy handling that was improved with suspension changes. This bike was a good all-rounder with a great engine and good comfort.

But eventually I was over riding the FJ and making it do things it really wasn't happy about. So it was time to get my beautiful ...

Honda CBR1100XX-W Blackbird. After outriding the 3CV, everyone told me it's what I should get, so I went looking.

The Blackbird has been modified with fasteners, rearsets, screen, lighting (no spots), seat, yokes, exhaust, brakes, polished trailing fork, polished top yoke, polished fork legs, bar ends, hugger, indicators, bulbs ... On it I've been through France, Luxembourg, Belgium and of course, the UK. Many laps round the Nurburgring, Brands track day, rallies etc.

I'm very pleased with the engine but not at all impressed by some of the other numpties that buy them.

I still own it 12 years on. This is a keeper. Said I would lose my house before selling her ... and did!

Gordon continues his story from a new address, passing sentence on his "Number 2" bikes.

While keeping the Bird for best I took on a Honda XL500rc as 2nd bike for off road fun. Regrettably it didn't go as far as I'd have liked because I seized it at 85mph on the A3M, bending the valves and melting the piston. (see the Black Museum photos)

The bike was sold after seizing the fucking thing to buy a ...

Yamaha XTZ750 of 1988 vintage. This was to replace the hard to kick over XL500RC but it had starting issues of its own. It didn't actually break down but a mate coveted it, so I sold it and bought ...

Honda XL600LMF circa 1985 for a replacement second bike. This was modded with exhaust system, paint, - but no spots. The chuffing engine seized on this one too. So I bought a good looking pup. Arse.

Due to scarcity of parts to rebuild engine this bike made way for ...

A Yamaha TDM850 that was only bought for winter hack and it wasn't pretty. It was just used for work in Hampshire as it was mostly knackered but it had a good engine and riding comfort was good.

Eventually I wore it out, chain, sprockets, headset, sprocket nut, bushes, head started to puff, brakes. It was bloody amazing it went as long as it did. The guy who did the MOT had a ball writing fail list out.

So it was replaced by a ...

Comparatively new Kawasaki ER5A. I improved the exhaust system, forks, rear shock to raise arse 5 inches (and still it wouldn't turn in!) tyres, brakes, lights, screen, bars, mirrors, seat, rack and top box, indicators, fuel system, paint and used it all over England.

Good points? er, um, ah, not sure it had one. Sound with Remus was awesome though. It was slow, heavy with poor handling and it was a twat to start sometimes. I couldn't get to like it and by heck I tried, I really did. No tears were shed when I changed to a ...

A Yamaha FZS600 5DM that I've used all over UK and commuting, 15k per year stuff. I've changed the exhaust system, stand removal, frame plugs, fairing, lights, bars, mirrors, spotlamps (again), daytime driving lights, rack, topbox (even though I hate luggage), seat, bobbins, hugger, grips ...

This is a fantastic all round bike, brilliant but it did throw a rod out of bed big time, really big time. (See the Black Museum photos) But I love it so much I replaced the engine and the paint is metalflake speckly to make sure no-one nicks it.

I've owned for 5 years and I'm still riding her daily, 99k on odometer.

Then, after 30 years, I had to get another Yamaha XS1100E as a third bike.

It still has style, looks, noise and memories, brought back very quickly by mid corner shut down weave.

I changed the bars, filters, lightbulb but restored it to standard as much as possible. I used it all over the south of the country and only had a shaft nut came off and one coil fail.

Broke my heart to sell it when I moved, had nowhere to park her safely and needed cash. Rated 7 out of 5 on the loving it scale.

Gordon has now expanded his bike collection.

The XS1100 has unfortunately gone, sniff.

The stable now has the Gayzer 600 (142000 miles now) ...

... and the Blackbird is now joined by a Redbird...

... and a Pan 1100 in red.

The little 125TD-J lives unloved, in another garage.

Black Museum

Gordon's Black Museum: These bikes may not be dead but they are definitely pining for the fjords.

- Gordon Mackenzie