Wayne needs to get a sponsor to do something with motorcycles...

So Wayne, when are you going to convince a sponsor to do something with motorcycles? I can think of some really great trips!

 

Well, I didn't mean this week...

 

I'm in!

My work does a motorcycle ride every year. Some of the twitter highlights here : https://mobile.twitter.com/search?q=Trilogy motorcycle&src=typed_query

I inherited a 1976 moto guzzi last year. It is nowhere near ready for a road trip.

 

The BMW G310GS and Honda CB300R are begging for gas mileage validation trips. Neither is for sale yet in the US, though. Soon hopefully.

I thought it was Wayne's run in with the deer on the Yamaha that put him off such trips.

 

I thought it was an antelope. Close enough, though. I hit a dog while riding my Suzuki GT550 in 1976 ,
but that didn't stop me from riding for another 30 years.
But I wasn't hurt and did not go down.

 

I'd like to see the KTM 390 Duke hypermiled. And any Honda with the 670cc under-square engine.

 

I was thinking it would be cool to do something with Zero Electric motorcycles.

 

Hey , you pedestrians ! Get off my bridge !

 

I love Honda's rally bike but it's not quite the right form factor for me. At 244 lbs, it's pretty heavy and my riding is more street oriented. Honda's supermotard version of the crf250L would be ideal but they steadfastly refuse to bring it to the States. The new CB300R is a naked bike based on the same engine stroked out a bit to 286cc and 31hp. Only 315 lbs!

 

Wait, was that your weight or the bike's?

I'm seeing 322 lbs at the following link:

http://www.hondaprokevin.com/2018-honda-crf250l-review-specs-motorcycle-dual-sport-bike-crf-250

Not sure if that's wet or dry, it just said "curb weight"...

Found another link, but for the 2017:

http://powersports.honda.com/2017/crf250l/specifications.aspx

curb weight: 317.5 lbs

I do like the looks of that CB300R, though!

 

ANY Honda fuel-injected single is probably pretty nice. The dual-purpose bike is probably best for me.
As tall as it can be and still have my stubby (30") legs barely touch the ground , lol. I did sit on a supermotard
( DRZ-400SM ) that I think had a 35" seat height. I could have handled it , but 33" would be better.
Yet , the seat on my Giant 27.5 is probably a meter off the ground.

 

Bill, thanks for the link. I'm not sure what the discrepancy is in the weights, but the CRF250L Rally in Europe is 346 lbs.

http://www.honda.co.uk/motorcycles/range/adventure/crf250-rally/specifications.html

The non-rally CRF250L is 317lbs, I think. The ABS version adds about 4.5lbs.

Sorry for my typo quoting 244lbs. Old man mistakes or something.

 

You're probably on to something there.

ABS on a bike must be nice... I've only heard of it on BMWs many years ago. Fuel injection is also nice. I've never had a bike with fuel injection. I never got into carburetor tuning.

Anything under 400 lbs will feel light to me. I've only had heavier ones. I, too, with my stubby legs would have mount/dismount issues with the off-road bikes. That's why I fit so comfortably in almost any car.

 

I have a 36" inseam and appreciate the taller seat heights and relaxed knee angle of adv bikes and supermotos. I had a Honda VFR 750 for 19 years and another VFR 700 for 7 years before that. As I look back on the bikes, they were absurdly heavy and overpowered for my needs. They were too heavy to maneuver in tight quarters and didn't handle bad city pavement well at all. They were nice on the highway--very smooth and powerful--but even there I rarely cracked the throttle more than 1/4 of the way open. My next bike will be much smaller,lighter, and more upright. I like the CB300R a lot.

I, too, have never had a bike with ABS or fuel-injection nor have I ever had a thumper.

 

Mine is fuel injected with a 6 speed transmission. Two of my "Must haves" when I was bike shopping. I wanted something I could just jump on and ride, with a minimum of tinkering. My bike does that quite well. All I've ever had to do to it is brakes, tires, fluid changes, and batteries.

 

my newest motorcycle was from 1993 and I have not ridden or owned a bike since 2002. Needless to say ,
no fuel injection or ABS. Carburetors are great for people who like to tinker more than they ride. I don't want to tinker AT ALL.
I can change the oil , air filters , adjust and lube the chain. Don't want to do more than that.

I did have a "thumper". Several of them. One was a Suzuki Savage 650 that I got in a trade. It was an early one , with only a 4-speed transmission.
I loved the torque right off idle (heavy-ish flywheel ) and I liked the belt drive. I told my kids it was "Fred Flintstone's motorcycle".

Maybe it was.

 

As an inseam-challenged former rider, low seat height is nice. Weight-wise, it's almost irrelevant if it's set low enough. My Nightster at 545lb dry felt lighter and easier to handle or lift off the kickstand than either the Shadow 600 or V-star 650 I also rode, though the V-star came fairly close. All were supposedly within 10lbs of each other. The Harley held the edge in build quality, switchgear, styling cohesion and the feel of its inputs, though at half the power output the Japanese units rightfully held a commanding lead in fuel economy, and both had a FAR better ride quality plus an aftermarket which didn't rip you off. The Shadow was also only a 4-speed, so although it had enough power to be a highway cruiser, it was so wound up that you didn't want to do it for very long.

Although I've given up riding, I actually wouldn't mind sampling some of the newer Japanese itty bitty bikes.