1985 Suzuki GV 1200 Madura

[Guest]

Get a cheap one and de-uglyfi it.

They are out there cheap too, I've turned down several that were complete for less than $500 bucks.

[GS1150Pilot]

Can you de-ugly the Elephantbike?

[Guest]

Can you de-ugly the Elephantbike?

Just getting rid of the spoked rims goes a long way, and it's not a difficult conversion. I can live with most of the rest of it, but that daggum handlebar buzzing is the killer for me! Almost makes it unridable for any distances longer than 15-20 miles!

[Guest]

I had a zl900 that I didn't like the looks of and de-cruiserized it.
The madura would be a challenge, though.

[GS1150Pilot]

The Eliminator was a sharp looking, purposeful bike. It looked like a dragbike. The Madura looks like the Mustang II of the bike world.

[Guest]

cruisers

The Eliminator was a sharp looking, purposeful bike. It looked like a dragbike. The Madura looks like the Mustang II of the bike world.

I owned one for years, and just don't like the looks of mid-eighties, cruiserized stock bikes, with sissy bars and big plastic rear fenders that look like a duck's tail. (Especially when they have a Ninja motor). Just my opinion, though....

Mine didn't look much like a stock ZL, but some people just prefer stock bikes.

It's featured on the NL Eliminator site: http://www.eliminator.org/

[GS1150Pilot]

I liked it all blacked out myself, and I don't recall the 900 having a big sissy bar. It really wasn't so much a cruiser as a muscle standard. The guys at the shop I took my GPz to had a wicked ZL900 that was all business. It made close to 150 hp and was a beast at the drag-strip. It was 100% black and looked like Darth Vader's motorcycle.

[Grimly]

"You will get more compliments riding one than you would with a Hayabusa."

Where?

Why, where chicks dig vibes, of course.

Call me strange, but I kind of like them. I'd take one, put GS alloys on it and get rid of the bling to tame it down a bit on the eye. Understated satin black, of course.
<edit to add>
Seeing how the engine was continued on the Cavalcade gives me pause for thought... Interesting. Cheap, cheap Madura, no real problem with later bits from the Cav, enough to keep it going for cheap - that's important.
Only problem is, Maduras are even rarer this side of the pond than over there. They might be only fetching peanuts, but finding one is a whole other story.

[Rob S.]

hahahha.. I call 'em DISCO BIKES

Yeah, that bike just screams "1977" to me.

Disco is dead (goodbye sister disco).