Motorcycling and An Obsessive Compulsive Personality Disorder (OCPD)

The S50 is a very good ride for me, and makes me appreciate the recent years and bikes I have owned. I must say that there may be some irony but at the end of the day coming back to a preferred bike of choice, albeit six years later, well it feels really good.

I remarked today to my brother-in-law, who actually got me into riding, that this Boulevard is in its own way 'non-threatening' - I shift up around, 40-50kph, then 60-70, then 80-90, and around 100kph. With the rumble of the pipes it is a constant smile, and blipping the throttle down-shifting occurs at a very good sedate speed. Finally the actual riding ergonomic is perfect for me, particularly the pegs that are positioned at a reasonable mid point, and not your typically outstretching forward peg reach, and although the seat is low the cross steering bar however is at a good height and reach. These ergonomic elements were all important to me back in 2006 and with the amount of riding I have done on the various bikes the switch now to this rare S50 model Boulevard is timely. I actually wonder whether Suzuki may bring the S50 back to New Zealand, this bike is very much in between the naked road bike and the cruiser.

I have ridden 550km in the past week and I find that the overall setup is very good. With up to two hours non-stop riding I am not encountering any pain. The highlight of my riding in the Wellington region this week was riding from the Pauatahanui Inlet up to Paekakariki Hill particulary the stretch to Battle Hill then on to the summit, and down to SH1 with an immediate turning around and riding back again. The gearing on the bike and the ability to shift weight on the mid-point pegs when setting up for bends, made for a very enjoyable ride.

Coming back down from the summit to Pauatahanui I was reminded of my second Advanced Rider course in 2009 with Andrew Templeton and descending (not using the brakes) setting/positioning the bike up, safety margins, selecting the right gear, entry/apex/exit, and a steady slightly increasing throttle. I reflected on the more recent bikes, the Honda 900cc Hornet, the Kawasaki 250R, and the last bike the Suzuki GSR600 and the characteristics of each of these bikes on that particular descending ride. Each were very enjoyable in their own way, but the striking thing I find now with the Boulevard S50 is that I can reflect and mentally compare. I can be confident in saying that the Boulevard is a better ride/better fit for me now as it ticks a lot of the 'psychological boxes' so to speak.

In a nutshell this VS800 45 degree v-twin fits my preferred riding manner, a non-threatening ride that has plenty of grunt (for me) and sings a good note.