Had a great blast out on the Duke on Saturday, so decided this morning to see how much fun something a little less sporty can be... ok a LOT less sporty. I have to say, going down unclassified country lanes (at times little more than single track lanes) I spent a surprisingly enjoyable couple of hours out on the Yamasaki, just bimblling around, and doing things like stopping from time to time, just for a mooch around. I'm genuinely shocked as to how enjoyable it really was - a very different kind of biking pleasure to the Ducati..
OSf course anythingcan be fun! Remember teenage years with 50cc step thru...just have to be more inventive
I never bothered with 50's, I went straight in with a 125 at 17. It was nice to just plod about enjoying the air cooled single cylinder-ness of it. on this type of road even something like the Yamasaki is never flat out.
Me too, but still had a whack at jumping ramps, off roading and bunny hopping a mates My RD125LC was more than enough fun!
IMHO it's much more fun to be on something you feel you are pushing hard than a bike that just isn't being used anywhere near it's true potential.
I don't think that fun has any great correlation to bike capability, really. I certainly don't think I've had increasing fun over the years as my bike (and I) have become more capable. The main thing to be said for excessive bike capability is on very long runs, when you can just be lazy and let the thing do the work, knowing that there is plenty in reserve, rather than having to be "on it" all the time. After about 300 miles in the day, you can be happy just pootling along at 4000 rpm and still making decent progress. And the reverse can be true - it can be a frustration not being about to use more than 50% of your bike's handling and engine capabilities.
It was just nice to plod around and see things at a slower pace - probably closer to cycling in that regard than motorcycling...
I had a brand new Kawasaki ER-6f earlier in the year as a courtesy bike. It was such a laugh to ride, such bouncy suspension but, turn it into a lightweight TT type bike (ZX-6R front end, trick shock, loud pipe etc.) it'd be a hell of a bike. If I won the lottery i'd build one for a laugh.
My Aprilia RS125 was awesome a completely bonkers bike derestricted and über quick loved it to death was mortified when we sold her a couple of weeks ago but needs must....god I miss her :-(
The biggest giggle of the last decade has to have been a tweaked up one of these: 26hp at the back wheel leads to much silliness
Many happy memories of an old CG125 I had - cost me £80 including a new piston/barrel, MOT & Tax, and was perfect for blipping around town or just pootling on 'lazy' days. Very reminiscent of old Brit 250/350 singles to ride. Went for miles on a single gallon and, despite zero maintenance, never let me down. I only parted company when I had a SMIDSY on it. Even the bike plod who turned up at the accident came over, put his arm around me and said "Didn't think anything could stop those things, but it looks like yours is dead"
The more I look at that, the more it looks like a good idea. But I wouldn't bother hopping it up. I'd just get into the whole dog slowness of the thing. Could make going to work more fun. And I'd ride it in jeans not leathers and I'd inevitably fall off and break bits of myself. Still, it's definitely tempting.
I still ride one it got stolen ragged round Epping forest..recovered put back together..it's now a rat bike. 80 thousand miles I rode it from Ipswich to the Ace Cafe one day for the hell of it .... I had an old CB125t I used to ride to Bedford on to see my then fella ... I use my CG for work now
Must admit I've found the Yamasaki very useful for nipping into the city, or a quick Asda run. Poor car hasn't moved in a week.
My most fun year of biking was on an MZ ETZ251; I dispatched, toured and back-lane thrashed on it, and had a whale of a time. Sure it was slow, but you soon dial into a bike's performance, but it was such a friendly, happy bike it was more like a pet than a mode of transport. Here she is about to take on the Ardeche gorge - I got past the other bikes in the picture, plus a whole bunch of VFR750s and Tim Thompson on an XJ600... View attachment 4520 And if it's fun you want, you really need to get yourself one of these - the most fun you can have with your pants on... View attachment 4521
Agree. I had a 250 MZ ETZ for years. Much underrated, handling was able to embarrass a lot of big bikes - up to 80 mph, then you hit a brick wall.
I thought I was the only person on the planet that got the happy' vibe from a bike. both of my Chinese 125's were 'happy' bikes - they felt like joyful little puppies that would jump up and lick your face off! Ahhhh, the Ardeche Gorge - the most amazing place I have ever been to (i Kayaked down the river that runs through it when I was a teenager, rapids and all) I Never quite got sidecars. Having said that I was looking at the Ural Motorcycles website on Friday at lunch time, and some of those off road BMW copy outfits look quite interesting, but they are close to 10 grand!!!! http://www.ural.cc/index.php?en_index
