Topic: Bikes and "Power"

[bryan]

I have to add one powerful point. Economics. Plenty of power knowing you can afford to ride, insure, fix, tag, customize, and drink at the fountain of youth any time you throw a leg over.  To also know that is paid for. Still makes me feel ahead of the herd every time I ride.

Well said. My trusty 650 has carried me 7,000km trouble free since I bought her in May. She owes me nothing (having saved me a ton of money in airfares or car rental fees), but each time we ride the 400+km commute twice a week that I have mentioned before, I feel more and more attachment to the old girl. I anticipate that we will have travelled well over 10,000km together by the time this work contract finishes. My original plan of selling her on at the end of the season is fast evaporating into plans of a cosmetic resto. along with conversion into a more 'Euro-spec' bike.

The Norton (aka 'The Mistress') is still sulking in the garage!

 
Silver is a nice colour for the 650.  All the ones I've seen are brown, not my taste.

[petercb750]

Not long ago I took a mate's Kawa ZZR1200 for a ride, a fast piece by anybody's standard, but i have never felt as "removed" from a riding experience as I was on that bike - no feel to it, no noise, no real sense of speed, apart from the crazy way the sppedo needle seemed to outpace the tacho! - it didn't even make me smile, just think "this is too fast and why am I on this". When I got off I just shook my head and said "why". And I've ridden for 35 years on all sorts.
Got back on the old 750 - aaaah, noise, vibes, wind - one word - character! This is what it's all about.
When the mrs and I go out on our bikes (hers is a 400/4) we attract more attention and get more conversations and thumbs up than the blokes down the road in their fluro leathers and white boots on their missiles and pocket rockets, or the trendies on their megacruisers.
It comes back to that word again - character, and obviously a lot of other people know it too.
So power aint everything - but I reckon I'm preaching to those that know anyway.....
Ride on. 

[ofreen]

"Put down the banana and step away from the bike, NOW!, Step away from the bike"

I can't hear you.  There's a banana in my ear.