I Rode a Big Boy Bike Today.

"HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles" (hondasfordsvolvo) 06/21/2020 at 16:44 • Filed to: None

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I went over to a friends how to show him my xt200, we went for a ride together, but he suggested we ride each other’s bikes. He has a old Suzuki GS1000, this bike, but with a king and queen seat, and a big ole windjammer front fairing.

When we got to the first stop sign, After leaving his house, he said “man this is weird”. Which is exactly what I was thinking.

I realize that this still is a mid sized bike, it initially it felt HUUGE. I was pulling out onto a 4 lane high way and accidentally went into the far lane. My little enduro is just so much easier to throw around, which lets be honest is why I bought it.

I did have lots of fun once I got used to it. It leaned pretty good in corners too. I kinda want a big bike like this now.

This maybe me the beginning of me being more of a bike guy than a car guy. I can totally see myself having 2 or 3 bikes in the garage in a few years. I’m thinking a Yamaha Bolt, or Sportster 883 would be a good next addition. Altho I did like how smooth this inline 4 on this Suzuki was, and quiet too. I could actually hear my buddy on the XT behind me. 

Exage03040 @ opposite-lock.com > HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles 06/21/2020 at 17:16

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I was sort of biting my tongue in mentioning to stay away from the bigger bikes for a while.

Power is intoxicating. I’ve always felt better on the road with bikes with more power. They do trade some agility but the acceleration, braking and corner set just makes me feel better.

I liked the 125 in the lot for the course but HATED it on the road. When I got on the 300 I felt 1,000,000x better. I’ve demoed a S1000R and I could have started on that bike if I kept it in rain and normal modes for the first season.

Full of the sound of the Gran Fury, signifying nothing. > HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles 06/21/2020 at 17:31

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A friend and I did that once. Imagine going from this:

To this:

Slight difference...

DipodomysDeserti > HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles 06/21/2020 at 17:53

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Keep in mind that the Sportster weighs the same as that GS, but makes about thirty less horsepower.

HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles > DipodomysDeserti 06/21/2020 at 18:05

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Dang, I’ve heard people say sportsters are slow but 45ho for a 500lb bike isn’t much.

The Bolt’s 65ho seems a lot better

DipodomysDeserti > HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles 06/21/2020 at 18:15

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Yeah, I think they’re around 53 hp. I have a ‘73 CB450 and it makes almost fifty horsepower from engine with half the displacement. Not sure how HD gets such little power out of those things.

I’m checking out a ‘77 TT500 tomorrow that’s been bored out to it’s max displacement (almost 550cc I think),  has a bigger carb and aftermarket exhaust. I’m interested to see how this thing rips. If I like it I’ll probably turn it into a flat tracker.

CRider > HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles 06/21/2020 at 22:14

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A Sportster 883 is a 500 lb beginner bike. The 1200 is a little better at ~75hp but unless you’re determined to get a HD cruiser, look elsewhere for fun.

HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles > Exage03040 @ opposite-lock.com 06/21/2020 at 22:40

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Yeah, my 200 is great or anything under 55mph. It’s stable at highway speeds but, keeping it above 55 is kind of a chore. I’ve never ridden it more than like 5 miles on the highway and I don’t really want to go more than that.  

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles 06/22/2020 at 01:21

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A fuel injected 1200 makes about 70ish, but it's still a crap bike. Much better at being a fashion accessory. 

Exage03040 @ opposite-lock.com > HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles 06/22/2020 at 03:09

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I hear you. It’s precisely why I hated the 125. I had to wrist it to keep 50 mph and seconds ticked faster than the speedo numbers on acceleration. See how the 200 is for the summer. It’ll be a good bike to learn on and for single track. Maybe you keep it and go for a larger cruiser for the road like you mentioned or you simply go mid-weight ADV if you’re on more open trails or want to load up more gear .

Turbineguy: Nom de Zoom > Exage03040 @ opposite-lock.com 06/23/2020 at 12:42

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My first bike was a 380cc Suzuki 2 stroke triple, followed a year later by a 1100cc Honda V65 Magna. That V65 was considered a big bike then, but is now just a middleweight. (Crazy ) My last bike was a VTX1800 so I’ve run the gamut of small to large. If I were to buy a bike today I’d probably look at something in the range of 900-1100cc as the bigger motor doesn’t have to rev as high to maintain highway speed, which means less vibration. I’m also 6' 270# so the smaller frame bikes are not a good fit.