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What were they thinking? (Read 312 times)
HAPPYDAN
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What were they thinking?
11/25/17 at 15:37:47
 
Had a chance to look through the used M/C tent in Gorst on Friday. Dozens of late model Harley Davidsons. A few "others", nothing remarkable, except - a 1979 Honda CM185T, aka Twinstar. Never seen one or heard of one. The bike is in excellent condition, has a full fairing, hiway bars, saddlebags, 6000 miles, asking $999. But what were the Honda engineers thinking? 302 pounds, 185cc twin, single carb, 10 hp, estimated top speed 57mph Huh. Compare that to my S40, only a little heavier and 30 hp. And what does it say about he who had it? Set up for hiway cruising at...45mph? If I thought there was any hope for the slug, I would have made a ridiculous offer just to give them a chance to get rid of it!
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piedmontbuckeye
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Re: What were they thinking?
Reply #1 - 11/26/17 at 07:22:21
 
Sorry to shake up your world, but the Savage is not set up good for much of anything except looking at it or bragging.  Highway travel??     Grin Grin Grin
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badwolf
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Re: What were they thinking?
Reply #2 - 11/26/17 at 08:27:29
 
"set-up" Is the key!
You can use the s-40 as raw material and set it up for your tastes.
The looks can be changed to suit your likes, the ride can be changed, range and speed range can be changed with a bigger tank and gearing.(within reason) A wide range of windshields and bags, boxes, can be fit on our bikes.
If you are looking to replace the performance of a sport bike, and the ride of a Gold Wing, with a s-40 you WILL be disappointed! But if you are looking to have a old style Thumper and are willing to invest some time, effort, and cash, to make it the way YOU want it is the place to start.
This site has a bounty of info to help you and like minded people to give advice.
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jcstokes
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Re: What were they thinking?
Reply #3 - 11/26/17 at 09:41:48
 
I guess it depends on the highway.
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HAPPYDAN
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Re: What were they thinking?
Reply #4 - 11/26/17 at 10:28:11
 
I guess you missed my point. Why would anyone (Honda?) design a mid-sized motorcycle with the performance of a moped? Personally, I like the stock performance of the S40 - not too fast, not too slow. At my age I've burned off enough testosterone and adrenaline to appreciate it's modest capabilities.
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IslandRoad
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Re: What were they thinking?
Reply #5 - 11/26/17 at 10:56:00
 
Personally, I love the way my S40 rides on the Highway (the highest legal speed here in Australia is 110kmh). I love how the engine runs up around the 4500 rpm range - it pumps along beautifully, and still had plenty of torque to overtake. As someone here said "fun at legal speeds!"

However, I have modified the riding position so that I don't need to hang on quite so tight to stop the wind blowing me back off the bike.. I  experimented alot to find a middle-ground position for highways, and running around town. I sacrificed the handling on the twisties to achieve that but that was a matter of choice  Smiley
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SALB
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Re: What were they thinking?
Reply #6 - 11/26/17 at 17:22:21
 
Reminds me of Kawasaki's old Eliminator 125. Grin  I don't think the fairing or highway bars were factory.  It was more of a commuter bike.
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MMRanch
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Re: What were they thinking?
Reply #7 - 11/26/17 at 21:56:28
 
Dan

I had a twinstar 185 back .... long time ago ...

It was a neat little bike , top speed was about 75 mph and it was Fun !

My ex kept it when I got a 250 Rebel and we rode a lot of local rides.   It kept up with the Rebel just fine.    

Then I sold it to my little brother and him and his best buddy wore it out to the tune of close to 30,000 miles .   One time they even rode it to Florida from middle Tn.    It would cruse at 60+ just fine ridding double (two 125# boys) .  

If there is a young or small NEW rider in your future you would do very well to set them up with it for under $1000.oo   Wink

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piedmontbuckeye

I'll have to differ with ya about the Savage not being good on a trip .   Sure ya need to put the larger front pulley on it if ya want to run 70-75 ish for tank after tank full .  
I did a 600+ mile day last summer going to Lancer's in Ok from middle Tn.  
and the year before did an 800+ mile day coming back from Texas after ridding it all over South Texas Hill Country for a week .   1300+ miles from home (did take two days to do the 1300 miles) .   Wink

Don't sell the little Savage short ... put proper gearing on it and just go !


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Dave
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Re: What were they thinking?
Reply #8 - 11/27/17 at 03:39:12
 
It could be the Twinstar wasn't really made for the US market - it is possible it was a huge seller in an Asian country where smaller bikes are more common.....and for some reason they brought it to the US.

There are a lot of other models that are never sold in the US....that I sure wish they had.  There is a style of motorcycle they call "underbone" as the frame goes low like a girls bicycle.....and I would think these would sell well for folks who want scooter lightness - but the better handling that comes from having larger diameter wheels.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Underbone


And when you race them.....the young fellows crash a lot!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sRWK5JojHAg
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IslandRoad
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Re: What were they thinking?
Reply #9 - 11/27/17 at 10:41:03
 
Wow! The only thing more impressive than how easily they seem to crash, is how well they seem to handle evasive maneuvering!!  Cool
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S40, 2014, Dyna, Raptor, 52.5/152.5, spacer mod, sea level, cat-eye LED tail light, bullet style halogen turn signals, 'Superbars' with custom 40mm risers, modified stock seat, Metzeler tyres.
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justin_o_guy2
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What happened?

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Re: What were they thinking?
Reply #10 - 11/28/17 at 09:48:31
 
Didn't know Honda SuperCub was the most produced vehicle.
Didn't know there was a race class.
Didn't know about the UnderBone design .
Good stuff. Crazy race action.
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HAPPYDAN
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Re: What were they thinking?
Reply #11 - 11/30/17 at 14:55:58
 
From the scant information I can find for the 1979 Honda CM185, it was an early attempt to make an entry level full sized cruiser, mild mannered for the first time adult rider, or the mileage conscious city commuter (remember the Energy Crisis?). It was soon upgraded to 200cc, and then 250cc. It was later replaced by the 250cc Rebel. I can see some collectors value here, but I don't think it would be a serious ride. The performance specs are quite close to the current Honda Grom.
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oldNslow
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Re: What were they thinking?
Reply #12 - 11/30/17 at 17:14:42
 
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engineer
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Re: What were they thinking?
Reply #13 - 11/30/17 at 17:50:04
 
Over the last few years I have seen many Twinstars listed on Craig's List for this area.  I talked to a guy who owned one and he said he bought it for his wife but he sometimes rode it around on summer evenings just to get a breeze and cool down a little after a hot day.  Most of the ones I've seen are in good condition and have low mileage for their age.  Some people are not as serious about bikes as many of us and just like to ride around a bit and don't need or want much performance.
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2005 S40, Intruder shocks, Dyna, 52.5/150, 3 washers, 2 turns, modified seat, Raptor
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MMRanch
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Re: What were they thinking?
Reply #14 - 11/30/17 at 18:48:52
 
Hay ! ... Look what I found !!

https://www.cmsnl.com/honda-cm185t-twinstar-1979-z-usa_model7279/info/
0 to 60 mph in only 12 seconds .... I think the old Honda CL175 was a little quicker ?

It was a Fun machine
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