Do you love your other bike and feel like you're cheating?

[bill14224]

I do.  Actually, I wish I could meld both bikes together.  My "other woman" is a 1977 Yamaha XS 750D triple with 11,000 miles.  I have it all sorted out now, and it's a remarkably smooth, very comfortable touring bike in great shape.  Here's my dilemma:

I love to ride it, not only when my girlfriend is with me which is why I bought it in the first place, but also when I'm alone.  It doesn't carve corners like the GS.  It's not as flickable as the GS.  It doesn't have the ground clearance of the GS.  It doesn't sip gas like the GS.  Its emergency handling capabilities aren't up to par compared to the GS.  Finding neutral isn't as easy as the GS.  The clutch, gear changer, and front brake don't work as easily as the GS.  It's not as pretty as the GS.  It's a Buddha Loves You to turn around in a driveway compared to the super easy to handle GS, but I love it anyway.

It's so nice.  It's so comfy and smooth.  Not that the GS is a tooth-loosener, it's not, but the XS is smoooth, smoother than most fours, which seems counter-intuitive.  It has self-canceling turn signals, triple disc brakes, and shaft drive designed by Porche.  That was a big deal in 1977.  It was the best bike Yamaha made back then, and it still says it if you listen to the purr of its bottomless engine.  Who cares what gear you're in?  It'll pull away clean in top gear (5th) at about 20 mph and 1,500 rpm.  It doesn't notice hills, a passenger, or gear.  You can load it like a camel and it runs the same.

When I'm in a laid-back mood, which is most of the time, I want the XS triple more than the GS.  But then there come the times when I wish my bike was a zippy and quick-handling gas-sipper.

So I am torn between two women.

[annguyen1981]

You got some issues.

lol