Little bikes

[fast1]

  For someone with a plateless bike I have actually been riding a fair bit thanks to Skydive B.C. Starting with the girl that packs my parachute buying a 250 Ninja, which I rode to our May meeting. This bike was so much fun to ride!!! It could cruise easy at 110k, cornered, stopped and accelerated well while being cofortable. 2 thumbs up! Returned it to Beaverly and rode home on the lady who does the paperwork, takes your money and makes sure you don't fall out of your harness' CBR 125. 120k with a light tail wind while kissing the tank. Large surface area for the weight and skinny tires make for heart pounding crosswinds. Good beginner/commuter bike. Just stay in town. Returned that, then picked up the owner/jumpmaster's 8? KZ 550n LTD. Feels like a big bike now! Need some parts Paul, are you in town?? The point to this ramble, yes, I have one, is that much like everything else-North Americans tend to take everything to excess and beyond. If people in India can take a family of 7 to church on a Honda Cub 50 why do we need an 1800 to go to the beer store? I think Hans has the right idea with his SR 125, GSX-400 Impulse, which I flat out LOVE to ride and of course the SRX 400 he acquired from SRX. Guess you have to change your handle now, huh Bob? Your Harley is looking good and should be on the road soon. CHEERS.

[Rusty Bucket]

  Agree;  I really like my 400 single (or I did before the latest round of as-yet untried modifications) and the fact it is pretty much flat out at something like 77 mph does not detract at all from my enjoyment.  When the change to an 18" rear wheel upped the comfortable cruising speed from a meek 52 mph to a Hayabusa-challenging... well,  er... more-capable 58 mph, it seemed like the last piece if the puzzle was in place - as I say, hopefully I haven't now set it back in some way.

[stevecrout]

Seen bikes and bicycles used for a lot of different tasks over the years.  Here's a few that really caught my eye.

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[Hans]

The little bikes just provide more smiles per CC. 120km/h on the FZ or FJ is a snooze, on the GSX is entertaining, on the SRX is an event, and on the AS3 an accomplishment.

[Rusty Bucket]

Agree again - the inherent joy is all the easier to feel on a bike that is working hard to provide it.  Steve's sidecar unit with half an Afghan (?) village aboard would argue this strategy might have found better favour than another light armoured military vehicle drive-by, even if it is something like a quarter- ton over the GVWR.  The bottom pic looks like as Asian mash-up of Quadrophenia and The Warriors.

[Dennis]

To sell new products, the easiest marketing plugs are "bigger" and  "more."  The North American motorcyclist is primarily recreational, affluent enough for toys, and largely egotistical.  The buyer of a new bike wants to know they have something bigger than the other guys, or at least more of it.  Hence the proliferation of 1500cc plus heavy weight bikes.

Sport riders at least have kept performance at the forefront; they want more actual performance.  Good on them.

I have to limit the size of my bikes to something I can push around.  Eventually, I'm going to have to push it into the back of a truck.

Peace & Grease, Dennis

[fj1200]

I usually carry a cell so that I can call a "strong" friend.  It's not that I always want to go fast or accelerate quickly, but I like to be able to if I want. Thus only 1 small bike so far. Having ridden other peoples smallish bikes, they are fun. So light and nimble.

[thejij]

My fazer is small bike (well to me) only because i can probably pick it up because its light and nimble. I have always said I dont need anything bigger than a 750 ... hell I can probably do with a 600 ninja !!! I dont have a ninja tho.

I am thinking about getting rid of my bikes and just getting a 600 something .. I don?t need anything more, im never on the highway long enough to be concerned about it. I don?t take long trips, I just like bombing around town. Im not into the cruiser type yet either. So in short ... yes.. .I agree with you all.. the smaller bikes are way more fun ! Ripping around Ottawa on a 500cc is well enough as well !!! The gas mileage is unreal !

[Hortons Heroes]

My friend Colin is still rocking a ninja 250 and has even done 6-8 trips to saltspring island from PG a few summers ago....full loaded with camping gear. He loves his ninja as you get to really push the bike and drive it hard where if you tried to drive a liter bike to the same limits you would be dead, arrested or getting close to breaking the sound barrier.

[Qball]

My first bike was an XS400 heritage special which I bobbed.  I used to ride from invermere near cranbrook to peachland in the okanagan everey weekend to see my girlfriend (man what we do for women) I later rigged the same bike with a sidecar to haul around my 200+lbs newfoundlander dog (girlfriend was gone).  I moved my house (twice) using that sidecar.  Including my tv (and in those days we didnt have flat screens) The side car then had an upgrade when I met my wife and we had our child.  I then but anchor bolts in the hack so that it would allow me to put a car seat in the sidecar.  In the end I sold that bike for the same 400$ I originally paid for it.  Now im a big guy 6'2 and 200lbs (a little more these days but age does that).  and that 400 traveled the province carying ungodly loads at times looking like a sherpas mule.  I 100% agree that we in north america over buy everything.  As I realized while being heckled for owning a "small bike" recently when I told someone I was rebuilding a CB 750 supersport.  Really?  when did a 750 become a small bike?  I guess my manhood is in question and it is time to buy a boss hoss.

[Dennis]

We need Rob (Wildfire) to chime in on this.  He has a heavyweight bike and loves it.  He also has as 500cc dually.

Peace & Piston size, Dennis

[fast1]

  Well, as of about an hour ago I have a plate. While the chopper feels great it makes me miss the little Ninja that could. CHEERS.

[stevecrout]

Never been a mud and trails sort of rider so I'd have to say the choice of bikes has been to made to match two needs: highway and more highway. 

I've run the 400 Honda 4's and the 305 Honda Sports, the 650 Honda Nighthawk  but when it comes to settling in for the longer stretch I always used to turn to my Beemers.  There's nothing like starting up that 4Km hill out of Boston Bar and being able to maintain a nice healthy rumble all the way up.

I think we also tend to forget the Canadian tariff system doesn't penalize you that much for buying the big bore bikes whereas most countries I've been through have a graduated scale of tax and duties that starts at 100% of the bike's value so you can pay up to 2.5 times the value in tax and duties. A keen incentive to do more with less.

This guy in the photo has been the poster boy for making the best of  what you have.   A beer fridge for your bike -  what a great idea!



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[MaximX]

All this bike talk and I am still waiting for my parts to arrive....wasn't this way the last time I ordered from this place....   Glad I at least have my summer car to drive in the nice weather.  Still all this bike talk makes me think perhaps having a second bike may be a good idea....the problem of course is finding something good used locally that I want...haha.  Smaller than 750 would be good, I like what I am reading here....smaller can be a lot of fun too.