Men and Motors
  • 9 months ago
First on 'Two Wheels', Paul Johnston looks at three second hand sports bikes, all available between three and four thousand pounds. Jeff stone tries out the Ducati 'Monster' 900, and Claire Smith meets a man who assembled his own bike, with an unusual form of decoration.

We end the show by taking a look back at the Sheffield Indoor Supercross.

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Transcript
00:00 [Music]
00:29 On Two Wheels this week, Geoff rides Ducati's 900 Monster, and our new member of the Two
00:34 Wheels team, Clay Smith, meets a man with a passion for the Pink Panther.
00:39 But first, a look at three second-hand sports bikes.
00:45 [Music]
00:51 There are still more people buying second-hand machines than there are buying brand new ones,
00:56 and apparently the most popular price category is £3,000 to £4,000.
01:01 So supposing you want a sports bike, you want to go fast.
01:04 Well, there are loads and loads of bikes that would fit into that class.
01:08 High performance and between £3,000 and £4,000.
01:12 I've picked just three out of the showroom. I could easily have found ten or more.
01:17 There are loads and loads. But I've gone for the larger capacity machines.
01:20 I've got a 750, I've got a 900 and a 1000.
01:24 Now if we put them in price order, we start with the 750.
01:28 Kawasaki ZXR 750 1989 F registered.
01:33 And this is on offer at just about £3,000.
01:37 Next up in the price is the X-UP. Next up is the X-UP.
01:41 Slightly younger, a year younger 1990 on a G.
01:44 Pretty decent nick, and this is on offer at £3,800.
01:48 And the dearest of this bunch is also the youngest. It's a 1993 K registered CBR 900, of course, a Fireblade.
01:56 And that's up for grabs at £4,000.
01:59 But let's go back to the cheapest, the Kawasaki ZXR 750 1989, remember this one, F registered.
02:06 And this is the first of the ZXR 750s. This is the H1 model.
02:10 Now, it does look a bit dated, but I certainly don't think it looks 10 years old.
02:15 And, although it might have a slightly dated image, it's still capable of well over 150 miles an hour.
02:23 The ZXR 750 is a full on, no-nonsense, head-down performance machine.
02:29 The engine likes to be worked hard, although early models like this H1 do have a reputation for being slightly lacking in the mid-range.
02:37 Something that Kawasaki sorted out on the later J and L versions.
02:41 Another factory improvement was the front-end handling.
02:44 This H1 is nowhere near as refined as the later models.
02:48 The steering feeling rather heavy and slightly awkward, especially at low speed.
02:53 But remember, this example is only going to cost you £3,000.
02:57 It's got good looks, excellent performance, decent handling.
03:03 Okay, it's not razor sharp, but you'd have to be riding it very, very hard before it got really out of shape.
03:09 It's got good brakes and loads and loads of street cred, which to some people is very important.
03:15 You could be seen on something a lot worse than a ZXR 750.
03:19 But maybe you've got a bit more cash, so let's go over the £3,500 mark to this 1990 G-registered Yamaha FZR 1000R, the X-UP, on offer at £3,800.
03:33 Now this model was actually introduced back in 1987, but it didn't get the X-UP system until 1989.
03:39 So what's the X-UP system?
03:41 Well, it stands for Exhaust Ultimate Performance, and it's a device in the exhaust for creating a back pressure in the engine to improve the mid-range.
03:50 It's a valve, basically. You'll hear it referred to as an X-UP valve, which opens and closes.
03:55 And guess what? It sticks.
03:57 So you really need to make sure that's working properly.
04:00 The only way to do that is to insist on a decent test ride before you buy.
04:05 Now, if you ever have ridden a decent one, you'll certainly know the difference when you climb aboard a duffer.
04:11 One thing we haven't got on this 1990 model, well, two things really, front forks, upside-down front forks, we haven't got them.
04:17 They didn't arrive until 1991 on the X-UP.
04:21 And on the subject of suspension, the rear shocks on these have been known to wear out fairly quickly,
04:27 especially if the bike has been used a lot for two-up work.
04:30 Now, if you're buying from a dealer, you'll never know whether it's been used solo or two-up.
04:34 But you might get some idea if you have a close look around this area, around this paintwork where the pillion's leg would be.
04:40 You might see some wear and some rubbing. You might even see some wear on the seat itself.
04:45 And a close look at the rear footpegs might give you some clues as to how the bike's been used.
04:51 One thing is for certain, though, an X-UP will have been used to go fast.
04:56 But the bike doesn't hang about.
04:58 1,000cc, 112bhp and a top speed in excess of 160mph.
05:05 And despite it having a fairly large seat, it's not particularly comfortable.
05:10 It's more suited to thrashing about rather than sustained high-speed travel.
05:14 It's also a bit thirsty, returning less than 40 miles to the gallon.
05:19 But considering its lack of fancy technology, it handles really well.
05:23 It's fairly sharp and surprisingly flickable for such a large bike.
05:27 Its main problem is that it now looks like an old bike.
05:31 But that might not be a problem for you. You might like it. You might think it looks gorgeous.
05:35 It's your choice. You're buying the bike.
05:38 It was the superbike, really, of the late '80s and the early '90s.
05:42 And it retained that title until Mr. Honda came along in 1992 with his brand-new CBR 900, the Fireblade.
05:50 Which brings us to the top of our price bracket.
05:53 £3,000 to £4,000, remember we said?
05:55 Well, four grand would get you this, 1993 K-registered Honda Fireblade.
06:00 Now, what can I say about a Fireblade that hasn't already been said?
06:04 Not very much. It is without doubt the benchmark for sports bikes.
06:08 The one that all the others are measured against.
06:10 And it's the one sports bike that all of the non-biking world know the name of.
06:15 Honda have sold these by the shed full. So don't buy a Fireblade if you want to look different.
06:21 Sitting behind the big fat tank of a Blade and peering down into the rather sparse cockpit
06:25 leaves you in no doubt that this machine is about one thing only.
06:29 Performance.
06:31 The Fireblade has all the performance and ability that you'll ever need, with bucket loads to spare.
06:36 The 893cc motor delivers its 120 horses in a seemingly effortless manner.
06:43 The mid-range is superb and the rush of power from 8,000 revs onwards is hard to resist.
06:49 Equally as impressive is the handling. Super sharp, yet predictable and surprisingly comfortable.
06:55 It's almost the perfect sports bike.
06:58 I said almost the perfect sports bike because not everybody likes them.
07:02 They don't suit everyone, the riding position isn't right for everyone
07:05 and as I've said before, they're very, very common. So not everybody wants one.
07:09 But as far as doing the job goes, a Fireblade is very, very difficult to beat.
07:14 And one like this could be yours for about £4,000.
07:18 Now as I said before, I could have easily pulled out 10 or more bikes between £3,000 and £4,000.
07:24 There's loads and loads of them in there.
07:26 And I haven't even mentioned the very popular 600 class.
07:29 But whatever it is that takes your fancy, do yourself a favour
07:33 and find out as much information as you can about that particular model before you buy.
07:38 For example, this Kawasaki ZXR 750, 1989, F-Rage as we said.
07:44 This is an early H1 model.
07:46 Now they were good, but the rear suspension was a little bit suspect on the early ones
07:51 and the steering was a little bit heavy.
07:53 Both things which Kawasaki had sorted out well and truly
07:56 by the time they got to the J2 and the L1 models in '92 and '93.
08:01 So it might be worth your test riding a couple of different models
08:04 to see which one suits you and of course suits your pocket the best.
08:08 Then onto the X-UP 1990 G-Rage example.
08:11 And again, here you've got different years, different modifications.
08:15 1991, we got upside down front forks, which improved the front end handling a bit.
08:20 It wasn't too bad before that, but it is slightly better on a post '91 version.
08:25 A couple of things to watch out for on these.
08:27 The X-UP valve is prone to sticking.
08:30 The rear suspension needs to be checked.
08:32 And they do have a reputation, I don't know why,
08:34 but they've got a reputation for warping the front brake discs.
08:38 Now you can tell if that's happened because as you squeeze the lever,
08:41 you'll feel a pulsing on the actual lever itself,
08:44 rather like you get with ABS as the warp disc goes through the caliper.
08:48 So that's worth a check as well.
08:49 But if you've got four grand, you might want to buy yourself a Fireblade.
08:53 Now Fireblades are either great or they're a complete dog.
08:57 Many of them have been used on track days, but that really isn't a problem.
09:00 Don't let that put you off because it's a performance machine.
09:03 It's at home on a racetrack.
09:05 But you want to avoid one that's been down the road.
09:07 So there are a few little bits and pieces that you could check.
09:10 The ends of the mirrors, the ends of the levers, the bar ends,
09:13 all the things that would touch when it's laying on its side.
09:16 The foot pegs, the exhaust can, that kind of thing.
09:19 Also, if it's got any big non-standard stickers on the bodywork, like this.
09:23 This isn't actually a sticker, it's painted, so it's not a problem with this one.
09:26 But if it had a big sticker on there, it's worth having a feel to see what might be underneath it.
09:30 It could be hiding a nasty scratch or even worse, a cracked panel.
09:34 It's all pretty common sense really.
09:36 Now that's just three bikes out of probably hundreds that you could get
09:40 for between three and four thousand pounds.
09:42 A 750, a 900 and a 1000cc machine.
09:46 All top performers.
09:48 All 150, 160 mile an hour plus bikes are all looking quite different.
09:53 Now the golden rule when you're buying second hand is to decide what you want.
09:57 Know what you want and find out as much information on that particular machine as you can.
10:02 Try to ride as many different examples of that model that you can get your hands on.
10:07 And finally, I know it's very difficult, but when you're buying second hand,
10:10 try to buy with your head and not your heart.
10:14 Now excuse me while I go and find the 600cc section.
10:19 [Music]
10:24 Monster. An imaginary beast, usually frightening.
10:28 Or so the dictionary says.
10:30 Ducati say differently. They say leave nothing to the imagination.
10:34 Stick a big V-twin engine in an open frame and create the Ducati Monster.
10:39 Alright, this one doesn't look very frightening.
10:42 But Ducati's one of those bikes that you either love or hate.
10:45 I happen to love them, so you beware.
10:48 Now what have we actually got here?
10:50 Down the front, you'll probably recognize these upside down forks.
10:54 Straight lift off the 900SS. Same goes for the brakes.
10:57 They're not floating discs, but nevertheless look very neat. 320mm Brembos.
11:02 The frame is based on the 888 World Superbike Championship winning bike.
11:06 While the engine is based on the 900SS.
11:09 90 degree V-twin, as I'm sure you can see. Desmodromic. Producing 71bhp in this one.
11:15 So, it's a part's been special. No, not at all.
11:19 It is special though. It's special in the way it rumbles into life.
11:23 It's special in the way you sit on it. Brace yourself with the fattish bars and gun it.
11:28 It gives you that special feeling too, that only a naked street bike can.
11:32 A monster smile.
11:34 It feels alive. A point and squirt bike that's very difficult to ride sensibly.
11:40 Sitting in it, not on it, unable to feel its pulse every time you crack open the throttle,
11:45 you feel totally in command.
11:47 And that's because it's so slim.
11:49 All you've got here, big headlamp and this small deflector screen, which is actually an optional extra.
11:55 And then behind that, you've just got some very basic instruments.
11:58 I say basic, but that's not strictly true on this one,
12:01 because this one's got the optional rev counter, completing this little carbon fibre backing.
12:06 On the rev counter, you've got a little LED display around the top.
12:10 If you start it up, you can just see them going round there.
12:14 All very pretty.
12:16 The rest of them, these indicator lights, are pretty standard stuff.
12:19 Oil pressure just come on there, you've got your indicators and all the rest of it.
12:22 But this one's a bit odd here. This one's for the side stand.
12:25 And if you recall from the ST4 test I did, Ducati stands fly back.
12:30 You can probably hear that click. It can be a bit of a disaster.
12:33 But that one there, that's to tell you it's left down, which really means your spring's broken.
12:37 Now this spring isn't broken, but this side stand is about the only thing I don't like about Ducatis.
12:43 But anyway, what else have we got?
12:45 Standard looking swingarm here, monochot rear, buried up there.
12:49 It's all part of this stripped down look.
12:52 A couple of silencers, nice and low, oval ones, looks very neat.
12:56 But that's about it.
12:57 All this gels together to make a stonking fun bike.
13:00 It'll pull well from around 2,000 revs right through to 9,000.
13:04 But playing tunes with the engine is what this is all about.
13:07 Keep it spinning on the throttle and snap it through the gears,
13:10 rolling it off to use that V-twin engine braking to the full.
13:14 By its nature, it's not a high-speed blaster.
13:17 You really do have to hang on at 70, but get in on some swervies and have some real fun.
13:22 In a way, it's got a motocrosser feel to it.
13:25 It's light for a 900 at 183 kilos, lighter than a speed triple or a bandit,
13:30 so it's chuckable and maneuverable.
13:33 And something else, as you can see, it's got a very low seat height,
13:37 which is very useful for those people of, shall we say, a shorter disposition.
13:41 And of course, if you are of that disposition, it also helps with the engine
13:45 being much lower down than normal, so it gives a low center of gravity.
13:49 But just coming back to the seat for a while, see this little cover over the back?
13:52 There is a pillion seat under there.
13:54 All you do is unlock the seat, unclip this, and you have got a little pillion perch.
13:58 It is a bit of a perch, but nevertheless, it's there.
14:01 If you're into making statements, this one shouts out loud.
14:04 Look at me, listen to me, eh? I'm a big about the motorbike, I am.
14:08 But the Monster's cappuccino, not just coffee, and that's the difference.
14:13 This frothy cup of fun will cost you around 17 euros,
14:16 or just 5.80 for this yellow, slightly used stunner.
14:20 And after the break, Claire Smith meets the GSX-R owner with a passion for the Pink Panther,
14:25 and your chance to request some of your favorite bits.
14:29 If you were to describe most people's dream motorcycle,
14:38 you'd probably think of such machines as the pure, uncompromising race replica Ducati 916,
14:44 or the awesome handling and power of the R1,
14:47 and the phenomenal speed and power of the Suzuki Hayabusa.
14:50 But even these magnificent machines don't quite satisfy some people,
14:54 who are always looking for that something that little bit different.
14:58 Well, one such guy is Steve Jones.
15:01 Well, Steve, I think it's fair to say you've got a bit of an obsession with the Pink Panther going on there, haven't you?
15:06 No, we're just good friends. We're on the same wavelength.
15:09 That bike, I have to say, is absolutely fantastic.
15:13 You've done it all yourself, haven't you?
15:14 Yeah, over three to four years, a lot of time.
15:18 The money's not the object, but the time and the imagination is what's gone into it.
15:23 How many hours do you reckon you've spent working on the garage in that, then?
15:26 Weeks and months, we'll talk about. A long time.
15:31 You just spend half your winter, a couple of hours, then you've had enough of a major part of it,
15:36 then you leave it for a couple of days, and then you go back, and I have to crack it.
15:40 So you started off with just a normal GSX-R and ended up with this?
15:44 Yeah, quite a few hacksaw blades and angle grinder pads, and cut, hack, and away you go.
15:51 And quite a bit of talent as well. You have to give yourself credit for that. That is fantastic.
15:55 No, well, I just decided I wanted to do it, and until certain parts of it were finished, you just don't stop.
16:02 So what was the most challenging part of building this, then?
16:06 I would say the clocks. I got an idea in my mind. I wanted to tackle it, but to weight it and calibrate it.
16:16 I was going to say, you needed some incredible patience to do that, didn't you?
16:20 It took a couple of weeks of pictures of hands to get it right.
16:23 Every friend I've got who's very artistic, I got them to draw a hand, developed it, made it, no good.
16:29 And then bonding onto the needles.
16:32 And the comment on the top about the speed. Very nice.
16:37 You can always read it, because I never go above 75 miles an hour.
16:42 Of course, that's why we've got a bottle of nitrous oxide on the side.
16:47 In second gear, I meant.
16:50 Are you actually ever going to race this?
16:52 Yes, I have raced it a couple of times, but my times haven't been on the pace because I'm usually suffering from a hangover.
16:57 I'm going to start doing some good racing. I've got some later on this year.
17:03 I want to spend a bit more money and time making it look quite trick, but with the air shift and a proper charging tank on it.
17:13 I'm going to race it as Santa Pod and a couple of others later on this year.
17:18 I was going to say, there can't be too much more that you want to do on that, but you're still planning work for it?
17:23 Yes, you can never stop.
17:25 New bits come out. It's like hairstyles. People change their hairstyles every year. I have to update the trickness of this bike.
17:33 I've never compared a hairstyle to a bike before, I have to say.
17:37 One thing that comes across about you, Steve, I have to say, you're quite a butch type of guy, really.
17:44 Maybe a pink bike and the pink pants, that maybe doesn't quite fit with the image.
17:49 Well, there's one way of looking at it. I'm the fastest puff you'll ever see.
17:52 I don't know what to say to that, really. There's no answer to that one.
17:58 No, there isn't an answer to that. That is amazing as well, the paintwork on the top. It really is glistening.
18:05 How on earth did you get it like that?
18:07 I went and I was just going to have a couple of Pink Panther's butt on it.
18:12 I don't know if you're the same, it's when you go out for a drink.
18:16 Why have one pint when you can have ten? You're out there.
18:19 So I thought, the full hit, let's go crazy.
18:22 And you have.
18:23 Yeah, it's come out quite well.
18:24 It certainly has. Have you got that kind of effect on the top there?
18:27 Well, I didn't actually paint it. Originally, Peter Dowell painted it.
18:31 He said, look through some chips and believe it or not, that's the wildest chip I could pick.
18:38 He said it's the most difficult to paint. It's literally just different coloured flakes of metal on a base coat.
18:46 It's a complete nightmare to paint. You need a special nozzle and a spray gun.
18:50 I'd say you've certainly got to be the centre of attention on this, haven't you?
18:53 I didn't build it to be the centre of attention or anything. People have things in life they wanted to do.
18:58 I had an idea in my mind. I decided I wanted to do it.
19:02 And sometimes it's embarrassing. You get off your bike and people are there who don't understand.
19:08 You get Muppets coming up to you saying, where did you buy this?
19:12 And actually, all the aftermarket stuff has been made by hand on machines.
19:18 None of it's stuff you can buy. A lot of people don't understand this.
19:22 Unless you get a street fighter man who understands and he'll look round.
19:28 You get lads coming up and touching it.
19:31 If I went up and started touching his girlfriend instead of looking at her, he'd get upset.
19:35 Exactly, I'm sure.
19:36 That's how precious it is.
19:38 A lot of time, patience and effort has gone into that, hasn't it?
19:41 The money thing doesn't come into it. It's actually the work and the ideas.
19:46 You don't put that in the value, do you?
19:49 Because you'll never recoup that time and effort you've spent on that in monetary terms, will you?
19:53 That is going to go to the grave with me.
19:56 And maybe a couple of Pink Panther babies. You never know.
19:59 Nothing would surprise me, I can tell you that. That is absolutely incredible.
20:03 Attention to detail.
20:04 It is. I think that's your middle name, really, isn't it?
20:07 Well, he's certainly not going to miss you on that, Steve. Thanks very much indeed.
20:11 You're welcome.
20:12 Now, in four weeks' time, we pass a milestone in television history.
20:28 Two Wheels celebrates its 150th show.
20:32 Now we get lots of requests from time to time, in fact, all of the time, to see things again and again.
20:37 So we've decided to make Show 150 a special request show.
20:41 You need to send your requests to one of these addresses, either by post or by email.
20:46 Tell us what you'd like to see again and we will show it to you.
20:49 To give you some ideas, it could be a road test, a bike report, a rally report,
20:54 it could be interviews, stunt riding or even outtakes. Anything you like.
20:59 And one of the most popular things we've ever done was our trip to the Sheffield Indoor Supercross a couple of years ago.
21:05 And we'll be covering this year's event in Manchester at the MEN Arena. It's on September 11th.
21:10 So just to whet your appetite, here's a look back to some of the action from Sheffield.
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22:42 Coming up on Two Wheels next week, we take a look at three different second-hand custom cruisers.
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