We've got a garage full of some lovely Hondas, but I would lo-o-o-ve to have a clean 916. Something about the lines and the color of that bike just makes me drool.

I ride my dream bike. I love it and it fits me like no other bike. Its my 2006 Honda Shadow Aero 750cc.
Candy orange and black.

I'm riding it! a '92 HD FRLRC slammed. If money were no option a new Street Glide.

A Crocker. But I'd settle for a Vincent Black Shadow.

Seriously, in my dreams!

Nina

I love too many bikes to just pick one dream bike.

British - 1956 BSA Gold Star

Italian - 1994 Ducati 916 Momoposto

German - 1973 BMW R90S

American - 1946 Indian Chief

Japanese - 1990 Honda RC30

New Zealand - Britten V1000

Current - Ducati Desmosedici

My current dream bike is one that I now own...a Suzuki S50 or 800cc Boulevard...(used to be Intruder). It's awfully plain and simple... I can't carry a soda pop can on it if I wanted to...only can slide a few letters under the seat and drive to the post office, is all. Yet it's my beginner bike --150 miles of experience, is all I have.
Blue

The oldest BMW I could lay my hands on (as long as it's not a post-war single).

If I had unlimited resources and a garage to hold 'em all:

BMW R69US with or without sidecar or any /2
GL1500 with a fresh rebuild and Metzeler tires
Road King with FI and hard bags
Yamaha TW200 (for after the earthquake)
Maybe a BMW K75S

I have had seven bikes in my life. At the time, each one was my dream bike. They each were my dream bike because each one got me out on the road and riding. My last bike was a Suzuki Calvacade 1400. Now I want something smaller. I am watching an auction on eBay for a '93 Honda Nighthawk 750. Also went by the motorcycle place today and scoped out a Ninja 250. I would be satified with either bike. It's just a matter of paying for one right now. At this stage in my life, I try to pay cash for all that I buy. Sometimes I have to save up....

I really like the blue 1993 Nighthawks. Good luck with the auction.

Gosh. From a Cavalcade 1400 to a Ninja 250 is quite a change.

I never rode the Cavalcade (or the Yamaha Venture). The Cavalcade seemed to me at the time to be one of the better integrated full-size touring rigs. I did have a Kawasaki Voyager XII for a couple of years. It was a lemon.

I am very sad to say that my current bike is *not* my dream bike. It's a GL1800... the first brand new motorcycle I've ever purchased. I am not impressed. It seems like a step backward from the 1500, at least in carrying capacity, functionality, and reliability.

The best bike I ever owned was my GL1500. I would buy a new GL1500 in a heartbeat.

But my true dreambike is an old, old, old BMW. The older the better.

Yes, but some of the changes will be positive. That 800 lbs Cavalcade was always right at my limits of what I could lift if I dropped it. Which did occur twice. The only big difference that I feel between the bikes are the spacing across the handle bars. The Ninja will be cheap enough that I can afford two bikes. I will keep on the look out for a mid size cruiser. I no longer feel that I must have just one bike at at time.

Restored '73 Z1: have everything except the "restored" part.

KTM 950 Adventure. :)

Blue Faries- 150 miles?! i'll put on 300+ miles in an afternoon! (on a 250cc 20 peak horsepower bike no less) You gotta get out and ride more!

endorphine, i ride a ninjette 250. its a sweet little bike. could it be better? yes. could it be better and still cost $3500 out-the-door brand new? no. fun around town bike and as soon as i get those leathers with the knee pucks it'll be a weapon at my favorite twisties as well. (right now i scrape hard parts in a few turns and that scares me a bit) good luck on your quest for one, and if you get it, dont be afraid to twist that throttle- they dont come alive below about 9500rpms.

1947 Knucklehaid!

My dream bike would be an adventure tour/dual sport -- specs:
less than 350 lbs. wet
wide long flat seat
4+ gallon tank with flat top to hold tank bag
WIDE ratio 6-speed, with a rock-crawling first and OD 6th
centerstand
integrated rack with luggage friendly turn signals and side guards

Those are the essentials. I'd also prefer hydraulic self-adjusting valves, a front fender mounted low enough to actually keep mud off the engine, and maybe even a shaft drive or fully enclosed chain. An alternative to a true wide ratio six speed would be a high-low range primary drive, like early Honda Trail 90's or the Kawasaki Trail Boss.

Currently nothing even comes close. Kawasaki's KLR650 is ridiculously heavy, and it's 5-speed is particularly narrow range. Suzuki's DR650 is impossible to ride slow with it's combination of light flywheel and high first gear.

Manufacturers design dual sports to look a certain way and be cheap to produce. Sadly, the big ones are now just tall single cylinder street bikes with uncomfortable seats. The technology is there to do it right, and I believe if anyone ever gave it a try they could own a steady niche market.

I agree about the relative lack of good dual-sports, but what about a Suzuki DRZ400? It's a dirt bike with lights, and seems to meet all your criteria except shaft drive. They also make a supermoto version if you spend more time on the street than the dirt.

I have a DR650 and love it. Changing gear ratios is a relatively easy job, so that shouldn't hold you back. It is a little heavy for trail riding, but it gets the job done. Neither the DR nor the DRZ (nor the KLR, for that matter) are the best on the freeway, however. Gotta compromise somewhere, I guess.

Actually, I wish Honda still made the Trail 90 or 110. Still the best thing for exploring in the mountains. My cousin has a couple that we bomb around on, both more than 40 years old. Go all day and use only a gallon or less. Super easy to work on, too. Wish I had one.

- MV AGUSTA F4 1000

- BMW K1200R

- Aprilia RSV Mille

- Triumph Speed Triple

Matt, I've never ridden the DR400, but my brother has the 650. With standard gearing, it's a great street bike and a white knuckle terror off road. Gear it down, and it buzzes on the freeway. And even then, it's way too easy to kill in tight going - not enough flywheel. That's why the wide ratio six speed is such a big deal to me. Any current dual sport would be more versatile with another gear and a wider spread. To me, that's the most critical need.

However, if you want to actually go anywhere, like Alaska or Colorado or Baja, you need to carry some gear and you need some way to perform maintenance, and so far only KTM and BMW take those needs seriously.

If I had a fabrication skills I would design a suicide center stand -- a skid plate with a removable pin in front that would rotate on a rear hinge and double as a center stand. I'm sure no manufactuer would touch it for liability reasons, but it could certainly be made to work nicely without the weight and ground clearance concerns of conventional center stands. Just the thing for the car wash after 75 miles of axle deep mud on the Cassiar.

Simple--my dream bike would be a pristine 1981 CB900F Honda Supersport. I owned one for 6 months, crashed it, and have missed it ever since. A better combination of power and ergonomics has never been built. RIP

Ducati Hypermotard : looks like a motocross motorcycle with a V twin motor installed. Of course any Aprilia would be nice too.

I would like a 2002 BMW K1200 RS
Without oil leak please
{{!gwi}}

I just thought of another. I would love to have an Aprilia Moto 6.5. They aren't available in the U.S. I think it is one of the coolest looking bikes ever made. Similar to the BMW F650, but much swoopier. I think it would make an awesome commuter.

I have only seen two in person: one in London, parked outside Spitalfields Market, and the other in the "Art of the Motorcycle" exhibit. This second one was imported to the U.S. by a fellow in San Francisco. I don't remember if it was licensed for street use.

I want one...

Here is a link that might be useful: Aprilia Moto 6.5

Last fall I had to decide if I was going to rebuild my 1971 BMW R75 or buy a new bike.

I use it for transportation. I like the fact that it is easy to work on, good on gas, well made, and is a tall bike so I can see what is what.

Also I am used to it and it is forgiving and easy to flick around.

Well, what is the second bike I would like in my garage?

Here is a link that might be useful: Motorpickle II

What I'd like is a Big Pussy...

Long wheelbase, so you're not thrown around, sit-up and beg bars like a SuperCub, single cylinder air cooled 600cc (no worrying about the cooling system and in the lower insurance bracket), DOHC with 4 valves (fuel economy and performance), monoshock (we don't use girder forks anymore, why have swingarm suspension), manual clutch and 5 speed gearbox (I don't want to spend my whole life changing gears).

An easy-to-own bike that should be able to stay on a ton all day.

Honda Valkyrie.....flat six...soooo smooth