I hate to admit it...,

[Dr. Cheese]

but I may be more comfortable on a slower bike than some of those sportier bikes I have ridden. I finally test rode a Honda CB500 and it was totally unintimidating to ride. I was not worried about wheelies when I gave it gas. The Honda CB500 and the Yamaha Bolt were the easiest and least intimidating to ride of all the bikes I have tested. I even took the Honda on the freeway for two miles. It only has 46 or 49 horsepower but was no problem keeping up in city traffic or on the freeway. Maybe I need to accept that after 35 years off bikes, I am kind of a newbie again, and riding a less demanding bike is nothing to be ashamed of.

The Bolt only has about 50 bhp too, but it also has 60 ft. lbs. of torque, so it felt like a sledgehammer compared to the smooth Honda. My wife “forcing” me to delay purchasing a motorcycle may have been blessing in disguise. I admit that I was afraid to ride that Triumph Street Triple through St. Louis freeway traffic to take it home. That 105bhp triple engine is a bit of challenge to someone like me, who has been away from bikes for so long. It was nice to give the throttle a healthy twist with no fear on the Honda.

 

[kesslari]

Doc - you're not 18, full of testosterone, and empty of common sense. Film at 11.
A one horsepower horse can propel an adult human at a pretty high rate of speed. 40 or 50 of them on a motorcycle - more than enough.
Ride safe, and enjoy the ride.

 

[buldog5151bass]

You are buying the bike that YOU want, not to impress others. I drive a 40 horsepower car during the summer. Makes me smile.

 

[Stewie26]

but I may be more comfortable on slower bike than some of those sportier bikes I have ridden. I finally test rode a Honda CB500 and it was totally unintimidating to ride. I was worried about wheelies when I gave it gas. The Honda CB500 and the Yamaha Bolt were the easiest and least intimidating to ride. I even took the Honda on the freeway for two miles. It only has 46 or 49 horsepower but was no problem keeping up in city traffic or on the freeway. Maybe I need to accept that after 35 years off bikes, I am kind of a newbie again, and rider a less demanding bike is nothing to be ashamed of.

The Bolt only has about 50 bhp too, but it also has 60 ft. lbs. of torque, so it felt like a sledgehammer compared to the smooth Honda. My wife “forcing” me to delay purchasing a motorcycle may have been blessing in disguise. I admit that I was afraid to ride that Triumph Street Triple through St. Louis freeway traffic to take it home. That 105bhp triple engine is a bit of challenge to someone like me, who has been away from bikes for so long. It was nice to give the throttle a healthy twist with no fear.

Good Post. The ability to truly judge your own skills and comfort level is the sign of a wise mature person that makes good judgement calls. In the Aviation community, there are low hour pilots that go out and purchase very high performance aircraft that is way above their current skill level. The first one comes to mine is the Beachcraft Bonanza. The Bonanza has been nicked named as the, "Doctor Killer". In other words, you might have dollars to purchase it, but not the cents to operate it. Many have ended up killing themselves. Anyway, I respect your decision.

 

[MJ5150]

For the sake and safety of those on the road around you, please ride a bike you are comfortable on.

-Mike

 

[Dr. Cheese]

Good Post. The ability to truly judge your own skills and comfort level is the sign of a wise mature person that makes good judgement calls. In the Aviation community, there are low hour pilots that go out and purchase very high performance aircraft that is way above their current skill level. The first one comes to mine is the Beachcraft Bonanza. The Bonanza has been nicked named as the, "Doctor Killer". In other words, you might have dollars to purchase it, but not the cents to operate it. Many have ended up killing themselves. Anyway, I respect your decision.

Thanks!

 

[Funky Ghost]

Let it go, Let yourself go, Slow and Low, that is the tempo

 

[Dr. Cheese]

For the sake and safety of those on the road around you, please ride a bike you are comfortable on.

-Mike

I will. I don’t feel like being over my head on two wheels!

 

[ArtechnikA]

A line from the sporty-car world is that it is more fun to drive a slow car fast than a fast car slow.
IOW - the enjoyment derived is proportional to the effort invested. If you're paying attention to smoothness and technique in order to maximise performance, it will be more rewarding than having virtually unlimited power available at the twist of the wrist. And less likely to encounter the consequences of Newtonian physics gone bad.

 

[JGbassman]

I’ve ridden motorcycles since I was 13 years old. It took me years to learn to ride well and luckily I’ve not had any wrecks in over 30 years of riding.

I started on dirt bikes, went to enduros, then smaller streat bikes, sport bikes, and finally the bigger touring bikes.

My last bike was a 2002 HD Roadking, and I toured most of America on this bike over about four years. I put about 50k miles on it, and especially enjoyed Beartooth Pass going into Yellowstone, the mountains of Northern New Mexico, the Arches in Utah, and Estes Park.

Unfortunately my ex wife got it in the divorce settlement out of spite, and I heard she sold it for next to nothing. At least I got to enjoy it for 50k miles.

My advice is to get a bike you are comfortable on, get used to riding in a safe manner, and trade up as your skills increase. I love bikes, but I haven’t been on one for quite a few years. I’m starting to get the bug again...

Here she is in all her glory.

 

[Dr. Cheese]

I’ve ridden motorcycles since I was 13 years old. It took me years to learn to ride well and luckily I’ve not had any wrecks in over 30 years of riding.

I started on dirt bikes, went to enduros, then smaller streat bikes, sport bikes, and finally the bigger touring bikes.

My last bike was a 2002 HD Roadking, and I toured most of America on this bike over about four years. I put about 50k miles on it, and especially enjoyed Beartooth Pass going into Yellowstone, the mountains of Northern New Mexico, the Arches in Utah, and Estes Park.

Unfortunately my ex wife got it in the divorce settlement out of spite, and I heard she sold it for next to nothing. At least I got to enjoy it for 50k miles.

My advice is to get a bike you are comfortable on, get used to riding in a safe manner, and trade up as your skills increase. I love bikes, but I haven’t been on one for quite a few years. I’m starting to get the bug again...

Here she is in all her glory.
View attachment 3146878

I started on dirt bikes too. I stopped riding after a thief stole my bike and destroyed first gear. That resulted in a burnt out clutch from always starting in second gear. After that, I focused on my career, but my love of motorcycles never died.

 

[Killed_by_Death]

Cool, another bicycle thread:

 

[Gaolee]

I started on dirt bikes too. I stopped riding after a thief stole my bike and destroyed first gear. That resulted in a burnt out clutch from always starting in second gear. After that, I focused on my career, but my love of motorcycles never died.

If you have the bug, it doesn't go away.

To your point about bike capabilities. You don't ride because it's 100% practical. I pretend it kinda is by commuting, but really, if I was completely practical, I would ride the bus. I ride because it's fun, and if a smaller bike is more fun, that's the way to go. Being nervous isn't fun. I have a Daytona 675 that's an absolute rocket. It's fun in its way. I ride a DRZ 400 that's a slow enduro during bad weather, and sometimes when it's dry because it's so much fun to ride. It might have 30 horsepower, unlike the Triumph that has 110 at the back wheel. Both make me grin and misbehave, but in different ways. Um, you don't have to tell your wife that last little bit.

Modern cars hold no interest to me whatsoever because their capabilities are so much more than I can ever use on the track, let alone in traffic, that what's the point?

 

[Dr. Cheese]

If you have the bug, it doesn't go away.

To your point about bike capabilities. You don't ride because it's 100% practical. I pretend it kinda is by commuting, but really, if I was completely practical, I would ride the bus. I ride because it's fun, and if a smaller bike is more fun, that's the way to go. Being nervous isn't fun. I have a Daytona 675 that's an absolute rocket. It's fun in its way. I ride a DRZ 400 that's a slow enduro during bad weather, and sometimes when it's dry because it's so much fun to ride. It might have 30 horsepower, unlike the Triumph that has 110 at the back wheel. Both make me grin and misbehave, but in different ways. Um, you don't have to tell your wife that last little bit.

Modern cars hold no interest to me whatsoever because their capabilities are so much more than I can ever use on the track, let alone in traffic, that what's the point?

I could ride the Triumph, but always thinking about not going to fast reduces the fun. A bike that strains to hit 105 is better for me than one that can sail past 140.

 

[Gaolee]

I could ride the Triumph, but always thinking about not going to fast reduces the fun. A bike that strains to hit 105 is better for me than one that can sail past 140.

There's nothing quite like flogging a slow machine as hard as you can to get it to go fast. That's just flat fun. As long as it isn't scary slow and you have to wring its neck to keep from getting flattened by a semi on the freeway, it's got plenty of power to have a whole lot of fun with.

I'm pretty sure you wouldn't want to sail past 140 on a Street Triple without some wind protection. Having ridden unfaired bikes on the track on occasion, I can say it isn't much fun. You have to hang on for dear life to avoid getting blown off the back, even flattened out on the tank.

 

[JGbassman]

Horsepower sells cars.

Torque wins races.

Find a torquey bike and it will bring the fun to the table

 

[Dr. Cheese]

There's nothing quite like flogging a slow machine as hard as you can to get it to go fast. That's just flat fun. As long as it isn't scary slow and you have to wring its neck to keep from getting flattened by a semi on the freeway, it's got plenty of power to have a whole lot of fun with.

I'm pretty sure you wouldn't want to sail past 140 on a Street Triple without some wind protection. Having ridden unfaired bikes on the track on occasion, I can say it isn't much fun. You have to hang on for dear life to avoid getting blown off the back, even flattened out on the tank.

A big advantage of the Honda is that it has six gears unlike the Bolt or KLR 650 which have five. 70 mph should not strain it.

 

[Gaolee]

Horsepower sells cars.

Torque wins races.

Find a torquey bike and it will bring the fun to the table

Depends on how long the race is. More than a quarter mile, torque with no top end goes home. But, this thread isn't about racing, it's about fun. More torque is more fun than less torque.

 

[GIBrat51]

Americans are, and have always been, obsessed with engine size and horsepower. Which is OK, but... lots of either isn't really all that necessary. I learned to ride as a teenager in England - in 1967 - and one of the first things I learned was that power-to-weight ratio is the thing to keep in mind. And the second thing was, that it doesn't take a lot of power or displacement, to go the speed limit (or just a little over). My second bike was one like this first one - a BSA D7 Super Bantam. A whole 175cc's and 7.5 hp of 2-stroke goodness. With a top speed of almost 60 mph, it was plenty fast enough for English roads. Nasty, oily little thing, though... The next bike is a Yamaha SRX 250. A 4-valve, DOHC single cylinder café racer, it's the perfect example of power-to-weight. It was perfectly capable of 85+ mph, even with my fat ass on it. And, it got there pretty briskly, too... The engine only made maybe 30 hp, but the bike weighed almost nothing. Power-to weight... Third bike? An early '70s Honda CB 450. I owned a couple of them... only 444 ccs, but wicked fast for their day. I used to give my Triumph/BSA/Norton riding friends fits with mine. I knew guys who rode these things coast to coast back in the day, without a second thought. Way more than fast and comfortable enough... Next one? My '82 BMW R100 with Beemer bags and a Vesco Rabid Transit fairing. I literally rode that thing all over the country - several times. Maybe 70 horsepower out of that pushrod Boxer twin, but... you're looking at only about 550 lbs of bike. I could run all day at 110 mph if I wanted to... and sometimes did... Next bike is the 883 Sportster that I've been riding daily for the last 12 years. Plenty fast enough for any kind of riding that doesn't involve speeding tickets - but, you could get one if you really wanted to. Definitely not a bike whose power you need to be afraid of... but, I've owned some of those, too. Honda CBX's were not bikes for beginners. That 6 cylinder engine was a hair-trigger hand grenade, and if your attention wasn't 100% focused on that bike, it would kill you real quick. I sold the bike in the last picture a few months ago. BMW K1200S... Like the CBX, only much, much worse. Any bike that will run, happy as a clam, at 105 mph - in 4th gear - with another 4,00 rpm to go before the rev limiter - and another 2 gears as well, is not for a beginner (or the faint hearted)... Anyway... something like that is definitely not a bike to re-learn to ride on - unless you want to hurt yourself - or worse...
My advice? Get whichever bike makes you comfortable and happy. Personally, if I didn't have the Sportster, I'd probably have the Bolt. Everyone I know who has one, thinks it's the cat's ass...

 

[JGbassman]

Depends on how long the race is. More than a quarter mile, torque with no top end goes home. But, this thread isn't about racing, it's about fun. More torque is more fun than less torque.

That’s an old hot rodders saying from way back. My point being horsepower doesn’t really make the fun like torque does.

I have no desire to go 140 on a motorcycle any longer, but having a wide power band at street rev levels is always fun, and can get you out of harm’s way if necessary.