What was the Worst Bike you've ever owned

Mine was an 82 virago 750 with the grinding slipping zinging starter...

1978 CB750, camshaft broke on the ride home from buying it, I fixed it but poor maintenance by the previos owner really turned it into a POS

1978 Z1R.........wobbled......always somthing wrong...seat sucked ......rear caliper failed...heavy....great motor.....bike sucked and was a drag to ride

This damned custom built H-D Softail Custom. Needed a starter when I got it last September (2008)replaced it last winter. new one went bad before the tag expired in July. Had to replace the starter drive gear after the new starter was put in. Now I'm putting in a new starter!!! Thank God it was under warranty. I must say that it is simple to work on....guess they planned that for a reason.

chance wrote:

Mine was an 82 virago 750 with the grinding slipping zinging starter...

How funny! I had a friend that bought a brand new Virago 900 around that time and the starter was the same! Just terrible!

When I think back to the many bikes I've owned over the years (probably around 20), I realize that I liked them all, even the bad ones. I've had Hondas, Suzukis, Yamahas and Kawasakis - and I don't have any bad memories on any of them.

I guess even the worst motorcycle is better than any other vehicle.

Suzuki GS550. I found out I really don't like peaky motors with no guts down low. It might have been an early 80's model. Of course, to be fair, I got it from a salvage yard and got it going so who knows what it might have been like new.

never had a bad bike or one i didn't like lot's of junk cars and trucks but no bad bikes i fact i like my bikes so much i tend to hang on to them for a very long time. but if i had ever owned a virago or a magne i think i might have quit riding motorcycles. all the types of bikes i've owned over the years have become collectables or are desirable in someway.

1982 gs1100e suzuki ! handled like coal train,broke the crankshaft :laugh:

I'll only rate the ones I bought new. The worst by leaps and bounds was a 1989 Yamaha FJ1200. Could not hold a line down the highway, starts veering off to one side, correct, then veer off the other. This was non-stop. Ever followed a semi truck and got the turbulence? Yamaha had a semi built into this thing. Vibrated your hands to sleep whithin 20 miles. All the miles and trips I'd ever taken in my life, even including 10,000 mile rides around the country, the toughest trip I ever took in my life was a one day 150 mile ride on this FJ1200. I really didn't know if I was going to make it. Seat sits you into that "V" shape shit and I was near dead by the time I got back. I really debated selling it, or getting the pleasure of beating it to death with a sledgehammer or sitting it out in the yard and watch mother nature torture it over the rest of eternity. I sold it, but still wish I would have beat it instead. Would have been worth it.

broke a few crankshafts in my time didn't make the bike bad i just had to start setting the rev limiter lower.

timebomb33 wrote:

broke a few crankshafts in my time didn't make the bike bad i just had to start setting the rev limiter lower.

i wasnt beating it that hard,only kaw crank i ever broke was a high mileage unwelded 900 crank running a turbo.now that one i was beating! :woohoo:

1977 KZ1000A1...purchased new...owned for two years (one year of which was spent in several shops undergoing warranty work)...currently own two more 1977's as I haven't apparently learned my lesson to avoid A1's...at least one of these is just as troublesome as my original...both 1000's will be sold, eventually.