Workhorses and Survivors

[EMS]

I am starting this thread because of something I have been interested in a while. Ever so often I see a real used bike that has been used for some time and is still being used. Sometimes still original, sometimes slightly modified. Somewhere between a rat bike and a well-kept specimen. I think these bikes need a spot to be shown. They are different to the clean and immaculate restored examples that we always show pictures of. I put it in this here section, because it is beyond CBXes, of course, and some purists may not be interested.
I will start with a few pictures and hopefully more will chime in.
Please stick to the theme. Post only pictures of bikes that are still ridden and functional. No abominations or extreme curiosities. Just daily riders. Unrestored

[EMS]

Here is my first contribution. 1982 CB750K (RC01) Strange mix of K and F model. Picture taken on 2/07/2013 in Key West, Florida. Off of Flagler Ave.

[EMS]

Here is another CB750. This is a 1978 CB750K, last year of the SOHC. Picture taken during 2008 AMA Vintage Days at Mid-Ohio

[steve murdoch icoa #5322]

This little bomb sort of fits in the category. A Hiawatha DoodleBug.
It belongs to a friend and while it is not street legal it still gets used.
Goes like stink with that performance pipe. lol.

[EMS]

More than any other bike brand from the 70s, you will find BMW models, unrestored and still ridden regularly. This is a 1973 BMW R75/5. Owned by a BMW MOA member.



And here is another perfect example of that.
This bike is the daily rider for the owner of Coconut Tree Divers on the island of Roatan, Honduras. Courtesy of brittrunionphotography.

[Syscrush]

Cool thread. I love unrestored bikes, I'll dig up some pics and maybe look for a chance to snap a few.

At my regular mechanic's shop, on any given day when I stop in there, about 10% of the bikes are unrestored SOHC Hondas. Bikes that are 30-40 years old, bit of duct tape on the seat, rubber worn off the footpegs, a scratch here and a dent there - machines that have just been ridden all the time since coming out of the factory. It's not that he specializes in that stuff, I think it just reflects how many of those older machines are still on the road.

[EMS]

Great, Phil! Let's see some
While we are waiting, here is another one:

Of all the bikes that were -and still are - dear to my heart, no other model range has been molested as much as the Kawasaki 2-stroke Triples, especially the 500 Mach III and 750 Mach II.
You can almost NOT find an original bike that can be restored for a sensible amount of money. Many of them were drag-raced, cut and extended, chambered and turned into some sort of scary street rod or just beaten to death.
But because of the simple and hardy engine, many of them are still out there, albeit very few with original paint, fewer with original exhausts.
I own an original unrestored 1973 H1 500, that several of you have seen, but I don't like to put it here, because it is (of course) NOT a daily rider.

I think this one represents the species rather well. Owner is Mike B from Canada, Bike was featured on "bikepics" 1972 H2 750. Compare it to the original.

[NobleHops]

I am so glad I turned back from the abyss with my project. As some will recall, I had two+ H2s, a crapload of random parts and chambers, a GSXR front end and a trick swingarm and every intention of building a one-off. In a rare moment of lucidity I came to grips with the truth that I was about to spend $10K on a bike I might then be able to sell for $4k, and when I finished it I'd actually have to RIDE it. Which I realized I didn't want to do.

Got out of the initial investment whole - best ROI on a motorcycle project to date

N.

[steve murdoch icoa #5322]

What a small world, EMS.
Mike with the H2 lives around the corner from me. I hear that Kawi 3 or 4 times a week.

[EMS]

Here is a really good one: Quite a few years ago, on a trip to Italy, I saw this parked on a street in Rome. It was before the advent of digital cameras and I still took pictures with 35mm film.
This was obviously a daily rider. Please direct your attention to the ingenious solution the owner had for a missing brake pedal return spring....

[EMS]

Of all the bikes that were -and still are - dear to my heart, no other model range has been molested as much as the Kawasaki 2-stroke Triples, especially the 500 Mach III and 750 Mach II.
[/album]

And here is another representative of this category. I'm not sure which of the title description fits better, "workhorse" or "survivor". This one is sure both. 1974 H2 750. Look at the rare dual front brake. Worth more than the whole rest of the bike.
Owned by a colleague of mine in Germany. Picture taken during a company motorcycle outing in 2005.

[EMS]

Well, As everybody is running around now with a cell-phone that includes a camera, I had expected a better feedback. There sure must be bikes parked on corners in your area that fit the bill.....

One bike that definitely "deserves" the attribute "Workhorse" is the Honda CB350Four. Even during the days when it was not a Vintage bike yet, it suffered from an "old man's bike" image, people snubbed it for its lack of sportiness and it was perceived to be a small scale copy of the CB750Four. As far as image and desirability, it was totally eclipsed by its sucessor, the 400F. Yet some did ride them, commute on them, parked them in sheds and used them as utility vehicles.
And the padded sissy-bar seat is so period. Here is the 1973 Bacchus Olive Green model. Currently on ebay. 18,000+ miles.

[EMS]

And as I am browsing ebay for that great (non-exisiting!) buy, I find these three jewels! All in unrestored and great condition. Some with real low miles!
These are definitely survivors! Any of them would make a nice addition to any collection and would look great next to a CBX

1972 Yamaha 250:





CZ125






1964 Honda CL72 Scrambler 250

[EMS]

Another bike that MUST be included in the category Workhorses AND Survivors: The mid 1980s Honda Rebel 250!
How many people do you know who bought this just to learn how to ride, took their license on them and then sold them again for the same price they bought them. In fact, they still trade for about the same price as they were new in the 80s.
This one is for sale on Craigslist for $1,500.-

[EMS]

I saw quite a few of these at Mid-Ohio Vintage Days. It is a bike that somehow "falls through the cracks". It is not big enough to be a desired Superbike and not small enough to be a rare collectible. But it obviously is used by a lot of people as a rider.
A typical Workhorse.