Downsizing - interesting read.

[AllanB]

My lawn mower sounds better than that Honda!

[rocketman1]

The only reason I would downsize, is if I got too old for my spindly shanks too hold a big bike up.
Nothin, Nothin compares to the raw torque that big motors excude. End of story.

Yes you can get some satisfaction out of little "gay" puddle jumpers, screaming their heads off.

Its like comparing a V8 mustang to a 2L turbo Mitsubishi
Both go well aye.

But only one has soul. it aint the Jappa

[jasonu]

Quality control of MC's have often been a issue with one specific part from a specific supplier letting the side down. Aprilias first set of V4 pistons spring to mind. I can't think of a real disaster of a ride from a name brand manufacture for a long time. Hmm there was a run of Suzuki Bandits with smokey pistons (oil holes too large), Honda had a cam eater V4 in the 80's ...

MVX250 rear cylinder issues.

[grbaker]

Interesting thread...

I gone CB250RS -> GPZ250 -> GSX750F -> RF900R -> SV650S -> GS1200SS over 20+ years and had a few others as a second bike (ZX6R, MZ800, MG 940).. it really depends what you want to the bike to do for you. I commute and tour.

I really enjoyed dropping form the RF900 to the SV650, used most for a 30k commute and weekend fun, but then going up to the GS1200SS and enjoying big bore grunt way down not really caring about the slower cornering but loving the mile eating ride.

Been looking at a new ride for a while and think I could be happy with anything 600cc+ that isn't too cramped and puts a smile on my face... so maybe something new, never owned a Yammie, KTM or Triumph.

[Navy Boy]

Tried a Street Triple? If not then I can recommend one!

As for downsizing - I've done this a few times and always enjoyed the outcome. But then I just enjoy riding full stop...

[release_the_bees]

I'm also considering selling my two existing bikes and getting a Ninja 300 or rc390. Over the Christmas break I took the CBR250 down to Masterton to see if I could live without the SV1000. Initially, I thought I'd find the trip boring, but it turned out to be one of the most enjoyable trips in years being on the ligher, more flickable bike.

What also surprised me was that the trip was actually quicker on the CBR compared to the SV due to the better tank range meaning I didn't have to stop as often.

Sent from my SM-G900I using Tapatalk

Phase one completed: The Sv1000s has been sold.

Time to go and test ride some potential replacements.

Sent from my SM-G900I using Tapatalk

[Bass]

As suggested, it all depends what you want the bike to do.
I got back into bikes seriously on an RF 900 which I really enjoyed, but then the wife discovered the back seat. We started covering some big miles 2 up but couldn't carry the necessaries for days away.

So I came to the conclusion that I wanted: -
1. Something that was reasonably light and nimble so that the twisties were still fun and the occasional track day not entirely out of the question.
2. Comfortable 2 up over significant distances,
3. Factory luggage because the aftermarket stuff is generally wide and ugly.

Those 3 narrowed the choices heaps and meant that a small bike wasn't an option.
It came down to:-
1. Aprilia Futura
2. Sprint ST
3. VFR 800

The Aprilia was a bit of an orphan with some vulnerable design features (e,g, flashers in the mirrors).
I never found a VFR with the factory luggage.
So I wound up with a 955 Sprint ST that we put 130,000 km on.

In the meantime I did a bit of adventure riding and discovered that all the best bits of NZ are down a gravel road somewhere and so, wanting to show the wife some of these places, I added some gravel capability to the list of desired features.
Net result was a new R1200GS and I think it's the best bike I've ever owned. Bloody should be too, given the price of the thing.
It's already done about 12,000 km in the western USA and according to wifie, is easily the most comfortable ride we have owned.

Bottom end torque is huge and the top end is still impressive. The handling is closer to neutral than anything else I have ridden. Haven't had the balls/stupidity to try it but I suspect that releasing the bars in a corner would result in it holding the line that had been established. I think it will be the last bike I own (arthritis in the wrists) but having said that, my DR isn't going anywhere either.

Small bike just doesn't do it for me.

[release_the_bees]

This is a bit of a thread dredge, but I thought it might be interesting to give a bit of an update since my previous post on this topic. Since that time (last April) I sold my other bikes and have been exclusively using a Yamaha R3.

Prior to this, my ownership history probably resembles a lot of other riders — I started out in the mid-nineties on a 50cc scooter, and gradually worked my way up to an SV1000S, over several bikes of ever increasing weights and engine capacities. Motorcycles have always been my primary transport, so over time I ended up at a crossroads where the bike that I was riding was great for touring, but not so good for the daily commute, so I ended up with two bikes, one (a CBR250) for commuting and the other (a SV1000S) for touring.

Having two very different bikes was great initially, but over time things changed: due to ever increasing home and work responsibilities I found myself having less and less time to ride the SV1000S, to the point that having two bikes no longer made sense. I still commuted daily, so I needed a good commuter, but I also needed a bike that I could take on the odd weekend blast, plus longer trips, two to three times a year.

I’d been considering downsizing for a while prior to actually following through with it. However, for a long time, there weren’t a lot of options available in that capacity range. In an ideal world, I would have got a VFR400 or similar if they still made them — I seriously considered several older 4 cylinder 400cc bikes, but I didn’t want to deal with the hassles of an older bike being my primary transport. Finally, with the release of the RC390, R3, Ninja 300, and so on, there were at a few newer options available, so I started looking at them.

Prior to taking the plunge, I took my CBR250 down from Auckland to Masterton. I wanted to see whether I could live without the power, torque and general touring prowess of a bigger bike. What I didn’t expect was one of the most enjoyable trips that I’d had in a very long time — there is something intensely satisfying about riding a small bike hard through the twisties that I just don’t get with a bigger bike. Vinegar Hill, and the back roads outside of Turangi were an absolute blast. That said, I did need a bit more poke for overtaking things than the 250cc bike offered.

My mind made up, I started trying out some smaller bikes, and after trying a few of them (Ninja 300, Ninja 400, RC390, CBR500, R3) I finally settled on the Yamaha R3, which I bought last April. I’ve now clocked up 15,000 Kilometres (mostly commuting, with a few longer trips).

As expected, the R3 ticks all the commuter boxes — it is light, flickable, cheap to run and doesn’t chew through consumables. As a tourer, the R3 is surprisingly capable, although a slightly larger fuel tank would be beneficial (it gets around 300km per 14 litre tank). If you’re in the sweet spot in the rev range is also surprisingly quick for a small bike and it handles better than any bike I’ve ever ridden (perhaps with the exception of my brother’s old RS250).

So what is it like to live with a smaller bike and do I miss having a bigger bike? Sure, sometimes it would be nice to have a bit more power, but I don’t need a lot more to satisfy my needs. If my R3 put out another ten to twenty horsepower, whilst keeping everything else unchanged, it would without a shadow of doubt be my perfect bike.

Would I recommend owning a smaller bike to others? Well, obviously, that depends on what it is that you enjoy about motorcycling. But in a perfect world, I’d recommend having both a smaller and a larger capacity bike if the opportunity exists. From my own perspective, as I went through the progression of getting bigger and more capable machines, I lost something that I didn’t realise that I had lost — the thrill of riding a bike hard and relatively close to its limits is intensely satisfying. You just can’t ride a bigger bike that way on the road for sustained periods without seriously risking life or licence.

[husaberg]

MVX250 rear cylinder issues.

VF750 chocolate cams
XR250 RE and RF head cracking
VT250F cam chain tensioners and many many other issues
CX honda camchains
RC30 crankshafts (first model)
Suzuki GSX electrics and stators.
YZF450 frame cracking.
Bimota V due leaky crankcase, poor injection set up, QC issues

[Voltaire]

I bought a PX 200 Vespa before Christmas for a bit of fun, slowly heading towards mobility scooter.

[Berries]

Prior to this, my ownership history probably resembles a lot of other riders — I started out in the mid-nineties on a 50cc scooter, and gradually worked my way up to an SV1000S, over several bikes of ever increasing weights and engine capacities. Motorcycles have always been my primary transport, so over time I ended up at a crossroads where the bike that I was riding was great for touring, but not so good for the daily commute, so I ended up with two bikes, one (a CBR250) for commuting and the other (a SV1000S) for touring.

I commuted on an SV1000S for ten years and never had a problem. Changing lanes in stationary traffic by weaving between cars would be the only issue due to its size but you only have to do that down here when the Santa Parade is on.

I downsized last year due to boredom and have stumbled on to the perfect commuter bike, a GSXR750. It ticks every box apart from not being able to store my helmet under the seat, and to be fair that is not high on my list of required features.

[babysteps]

I bought a PX 200 Vespa before Christmas for a bit of fun, slowly heading towards mobility scooter.

I had my PX200 up the Mt Cook ski field road and through the Hakataramea, they'll go anywhere

I'd have another one in a heartbeat

[Ocean1]

I bought a PX 200 Vespa before Christmas for a bit of fun, slowly heading towards mobility scooter.

Nawt wrong with a mobility scooter...

[Voltaire]

Nawt wrong with a mobility scooter...

Send the link to Casandra, as long as keeps away from Bingo group rides would be fine for Akaroa GP on Pension Day.

[Ocean1]

Send the link to Casandra, as long as keeps away from Bingo group rides would be fine for Akaroa GP on Pension Day.

I've been collecting bits for a while. So far I've got a ZZR600 complete engine/systems, cart slicks and wheels and the beginnings of a chassis. Dead mobility scooters look to be a dime a dozen.

But I'm thinking the ZZR is too big to hide under any realistic bodywork. And let's face it you'd struggle to actually more torque than a 450 dirt bike motor makes.

I've been looking for something low profile, horizontal-ish cyl maybe?