Yup. . .I always wanted the classic Massimo Tamburini designed sportbike.
Early last year, I had one of the first 1098s on order. The wife talked me out of it. Got the 748 in December. . .for $4300, with Marchesini wheels, full Termi exhaust, and lots o' carbon fiber! I couldn't pass the opportunity. . .no way. ---I love it.
I bought at a perfect time. . .winter weather, wanting to start a business, an 8-month pregnant stay-at-home wife, and a bounced check from an earlier buyer made the money desperate San Diego firefighter seller highly motivated to sell. The bike was more than a 100 miles from me so I propositioned him. . ."Make it worth my while to drive down with cash and pick up the 748." ---He did.
Just like like my kids. . .I have no favorite. I love both my 919 and 748!!
What I like so much about this bike is you stuck with a theme. Everything goes with everything. I think a lot of people lose sight of that and their bikes look like a pile of cheap aftermarket garbage.
What I like so much about this bike is you stuck with a theme. Everything goes with everything. I think a lot of people lose sight of that and their bikes look like a pile of cheap aftermarket garbage.
Thanks Super Sneaky! I'm glad you noticed my intention. . .in keeping with a theme, actually Honda's original theme. I refrained from powder coating anything black (except for the wheels), which includes the triples I had originally planned. I also scrubbed the idea of adding the nice MBD belly pan. The carbon fiber pieces blend in with the original dark matte grey body and adds a little race attitude. Even the heat "darkened" stainless steel header and mid pipe (no polishing here!!) adds to this attitude, just like the heat "blued" titanium exhausts of race bikes. ---I simply finished what Honda started in giving the 919 the muscular look it deserves. The fatter 190/50 rear Bridgestone BT-002 adds a little more muscularity.
Thanks Super Sneaky! I'm glad you noticed my intention. . .in keeping with a theme, actually Honda's original theme. I refrained from powder coating anything black (except for the wheels), which includes the triples I had originally planned. I also scrubbed the idea of adding the nice MBD belly pan. The carbon fiber pieces blend in with the original dark matte grey body and adds a little race attitude. Even the heat "darkened" stainless steel header and mid pipe (no polishing here!!) adds to this attitude, just like the heat "blued" titanium exhausts of race bikes. ---I simply finished what Honda started in giving the 919 the muscular look it deserves. The fatter 190/50 rear Bridgestone BT-002 adds a little more muscularity.
Looks beautiful! But hey, what's wrong with the MBD bellypan?! /jk
Even with the bellypan, it still retains the naked look since the engine is still exposed. The MBD pan, in my opinion, is a "classic" design, which is what makes it so perfect for the 919.
Looks beautiful! But hey, what's wrong with the MBD bellypan?! /jk
Even with the bellypan, it still retains the naked look since the engine is still exposed. The MBD pan, in my opinion, is a "classic" design, which is what makes it so perfect for the 919.
Believe me. . .I've been back and forth on installing the MBD belly pan. Especially, I waited for the darn thing for months to be delivered. The MBD is a nice simple design that truely follows the lines of the 919.
I'm a designer (a creative director) by profession and design details drive me crazy. I see these really cool "accessories" for the 919 and I get carried away from my original intention. . .close to finishing what I think Honda intended, building a muscular naked. Of course, the Honda bean counters at the time may have stopped the 919 from further development.
So in keeping with the original showroom 919, I left off the MBD belly pan. Leaving it off also shows off the 919's (or any naked bike) muscularity by exposing the frameless design giving the feel of a massive engine. Though, I wish that the headers and mid-pipe were tucked in closer to the engine.
Believe me. . .I've been back and forth on installing the MBD belly pan. Especially, I waited for the darn thing for months to be delivered. The MBD is a nice simple design that truely follows the lines of the 919.
I'm a designer (a creative director) by profession and design details drive me crazy. I see these really cool "accessories" for the 919 and I get carried away from my original intention. . .close to finishing what I think Honda intended, building a muscular naked. Of course, the Honda bean counters at the time may have stopped the 919 from further development.
So in keeping with the original showroom 919, I left off the MBD belly pan. Leaving it off also shows off the 919's (or any naked bike) muscularity by exposing the frameless design giving the feel of a massive engine. Though, I wish that the headers and mid-pipe were tucked in closer to the engine.
I hear ya. I'm an Architect, so I know what you mean about design details. And in that respect, it's not unusual that we both recognized how well the MBD belly pan follows/accentuates the lines of the 919... it really does, look at my avatar!
Anyway, your bike is beautiful. It's very tastefully thought out, and put together.
I hear ya. I'm an Architect, so I know what you mean about design details. And in that respect, it's not unusual that we both recognized how well the MBD belly pan follows/accentuates the lines of the 919... it really does, look at my avatar!
Anyway, your bike is beautiful. It's very tastefully thought out, and put together.
If you can believe this, even the '07 600RR front fender (which nicely accentuates the 919's lines) I used was giving me a little of a design headache!! The front portion is beautifully done. . .with its slim, bare essential, and race design. The rear trailling edge bothered me. . .too race oriented. If you look closely, I reshaped it with my Dremel. I followed the curve of the of the upper portion of the fender. This gives it a less of a race look but yet overall, retains a bit of that "attitude". ---Finicky.
Can't say enough about your bike, 9nineteen! My favorite part aesthetically is the exhaust. I love the way those slip-ons just look like that's exactly where they're supposed to be--straight shot out the back. Very clean.
+1, Sugs. Can't wait to hear how she rides with all those goodies!
Very nice. I guess you never ride with lace up shoes with that front sprocket cover removed. That could be ugly if a shoe lace got sucked in.
David
My friend,
I ALWAYS wear my full Alpinestars leather riding gear, which includes road race boots (never laced shoes). Too many stories heard about, read about, and seen. . .including one personal unforgetful experience as a stupid motocross racing teenager who took his race bike on the street was enough for me.
A center stand, a swingarm stand, and 2 jack stands, you know something about earthquakes that the rest of us don't?
I almost tied her against the wall as she sat for more than a month!! At the time of the front end work was being done she was parked right in front of. . .
. . .and I thought, "A nice jolt (earthquake) would be not good." I believe there was one "shake" but not enough to drop the 919 on the '65 Shelby GT350R's front end. ---I still, just in case, should've tied her to fall AWAY from the ol' Shelby. I was lucky.
I want to hear a story! Tell me about your shoelace!
Not so much a shoelace. . .
Ahh the memories. Here's a compressed version of the story:
It was back in the summer of 1979, I was home (Santa Barbara, California) for college break. I had already "retired" from motocross having raced for 5 years. Early in those 5 years, I used to race against Brian Myerscough and some guy nick-named "the Flying Freckle" (Jeff Ward) on minis. Back to my story. . .I walked out of my parent's house to find my older brother's mint '78 RM125 sitting in the garage. Without a second thought I went to the trophy case, grabbed and put on my "retired" Suzuki yellow Bell helmet with its duct-taped Torsten Hallman visor. I then slipped on my Scott goggles with its protective face mask. (I still have these to this day, though deteriorated.)
The RM took one kick to bring it to life. Off I went onto the street. . ."backing it in" in the turns like today's supermotos, except with knobby tires. Stupid fool!! How many off you did this in their youth (or even now)???
Here's the kicker. . .I see these two hot girls walking along the sidewalk. Showing off, I start to pull an uphill wheelie, on the street of course. The front end comes up, up, up. . .and over. I looped it!!! I was more embarrassed than hurt at the moment. I ran up the street chasing my brother's bike. . .it's no longer mint. I rode it back home and parked it where I found it. I kept thinking "He's gonna KILL me." There he was, arms crossed, looking me. He said "The shape you're in now is punishment enough. Wait 'til mom sees you." You see, I was wearing a t-shirt, shorts, and tennis shoes. My helmet didn't have a single scratch. But my body's whole right side was toasted. Mom was really pissed to the point that she ignored me and my wounds. It was bad enough that she never wanted me to race motorcycles before nor had she seen me race in those 5 years. After a home peroxide bath and a trip to the doctor, I was lucky enough not to require skin grafts.
Now, a bit older and a little bit wiser, I always wear protective gear even if it's trip around the block. Not so much protecting me from my youth's stupidity but from just being on a motorcycle.
Nice, nice bike man. But somehow I don't think you're done. You know why? You mentioned the mirrors.
As far as shoelaces, one of the funniest things I've ever seen was the face of a guy through a clear shield helmet who pulled up next to me at a stoplight. Looks over at me and gets this "Hey, how you doi...................OH ****!" expression.
Eyeballs became as big as a gay guy's butthole on a date. He slowly proceeded to fall over on his right side. Come to find out his shoelace had gotten entangled around the brake lever, and when he slowed the weight of the bike was going right, therefore so did he.
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"Towards the end of the vid, it looks like she may have had a bafflectomy." - MarylandMike
Is that a Givi windscreen you got there? Looks nice! Doesn't take away from the fact that it is a naked bike, just makes it a little more practical for long highway trips.
I just bought a Give and haven't installed it yet. When I first opened the box it looks bigger than I thought it was going to be.
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If God had wanted us to be vegetarians why did he make animals out of meat?
'02 Honda 919 - She's the only one for me!
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