The joy of riding a light motorcycle. Advantages and disadvantages.
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- Опубликовано: 5 сен 2024
- It is so much fun to ride a light bike, though it's not all sparkling fun. Talking about some of the advantages and disadvantages. I've ridden an F750GS weighing 590 pounds with gear, and at the other end of the spectrum a 50cc Honda Ruckus weighing 220 pounds with gear, and a few bikes in between.
Due to the hardness of your saddle, there is an air cushion from Airhawk especially for motorcycles and for people who sit in a wheelchair all day. You can inflate it with a built-in valve or deflate it while you are on the road, it is certainly not the intention to make this air cushion rock hard. a little air is sufficient and adapts completely to your butt. I use it myself and am very satisfied with it. I can't post a link because then RUclips will delete the entire message. regards
Thanks for the tip. I'm using blue foam pieces attached to the saddle. It is much better, but still not great. I've tried other things, too 🙂
I once submitted this phenomenon to chatgpt, and this was the answer 🤔.
In the motorcycling world, this disdain often stems from a culture in which larger motorcycles with more power are seen as more prestigious or a sign of greater experience and skill. This can lead to a kind of elitist behavior among motorcyclists, where smaller motorcycles are considered inferior.
This attitude can be described as **motorcycle snobbery** or **cylinder snobbery**. It is a form of snobbery in which someone views their own motorcycle (usually a larger or more powerful one) as superior and judges others based on the size or power of their motorcycle.
Reasons for this attitude may be:
- **Prestige and status**: Larger motorcycles are often associated with higher social status within the motorcycling community.
- **Perception of experience**: There is an assumption that more experienced riders can and want to ride larger and more powerful motorcycles.
- **Adrenaline and Speed**: Some motorcyclists appreciate the speed and power of larger motorcycles and consider them more exciting or challenging.
- **Macho culture**: In some subcultures within the motorcycle world, a macho culture plays a role, in which the strength and size of the motorcycle are equated with masculinity.
However, this dismissive attitude is unjustified, as driving pleasure and skill are not directly linked to engine size. Many riders thoroughly enjoy riding smaller bikes and these can be just as capable and fun in the right context.
Yeah, sounds very true. In no doubt this is a consequence of how nature configured the male - the provider for the family/clan/pack on whose power the survival of the family depends. In that sense "bigger", "stronger", "more powerful" is better. Of course, we were also provided with a thinking part of the brain to be smart about it and the spirit to be intelligent about it; to discern when it is wise to apply and when not. Looks like some folks can't tell.... Interestingly, some women have fallen for this "bigger-is-better", too.
Valid points for sure. And I always say, the smaller the bike, the more fun, and usually more capable off road. With that said, there are some unique bikes out there that may not be in line with everything that you said 100%. Like the 450l for example. If your not worried about higher maintenance, it is actually lighter than most of the popular 300cc line of bikes.
Yeah. My talk was meant more as a general pointer rather than “this is it and anything else is wrong “. Thanks for the visit and comment.
A light motorcycle can go over terrain that is very difficult for a heavy motorcycle or a car or a truck. If a terrible disaster occurs, the roads could get clogged up with cars. With a light motorcycle, you can either weave through the traffic, or go a little off the paved road. A light motorcycle could save your life better than a gun or money or karate.
Yeah, that’s true. There are many situations that fit lighter bikes better. Have you seen the video of Itchy Boots riding her 300cc Honda in Yukon? The dirt road became blocked by fallen trees and she had to haul the bike over the logs. Try that with a bigger/heavier bike. Or Lost with Mike. He rode a 50cc scooter all over the U.S. and to Alaska. He chose that bike due to the ease of dealing with it. At one place he parked the bike on the shoulder of a dirt road and the loaded scooter toppled over and slid seat down into the ditch. Easy to pull out. Try that with a KLR or one of the mid to heavy weight adventure bikes. What do you do then? Wait for hours for someone to show up and help? How about the guy who had his leg trapped under a BMW GS when he spilled…
Personally I appreciate both large and small cc bikes, I sometimes go to do green laning or gravel roads as shown here And nobody can deny that doing it on a light bike is the absolute best, but I also take my 900cc for that extra challenge and gaining some more experience.
It depends, eh? Not saying that large bikes have no good uses. I'm just trying to say that light bikes can be overlooked by people unnecessarily. I had F750GS and it was so comfy to ride, even (for me) longish distances (though the air turbulences off the windscreens were rattling my brain regardless of what screen and lip combos I tried). But for me it was heavy and too much hassle to handle when exploring roads. Also, didn't need all that HP with our 80 kph speed limits.
@@BlueAlgon they can be overlooked indeed, unfortunately ego on men sometimes can be the cause of a bad purchase and regret.
I have a x300 versys and a VFR1200X. Guess I like bikes with an x in them! I really enjoy the nimble little one until I am 50 miles into a highway run! Why I got the big one. I run into a conundrum when I want to ride off-road after a long highway run.
Ha ha. Yes, horses for courses..
Hello Michael I do like your videos about your CB. One other thing is motorcycle companies have an incentive to sell a $20000 motorcycle over a $5000 motorcycle. Their advertising purpose is to create a lifestyle image. Same as with the pickup trucks.
One legitimate problem with smaller motorcycles is they can be too small and uncomfortable for taller riders. I'm struggling with this with my Yamaha Nmax 155 scooter now. It will do my 60km commute to the office including expressway with no problems. But at 188cm my legs are getting cramped up.
Hello Michael (is there an echo? 🙂). Thanks for the comments. Yes, agree. As to scooters and Asian motorcycles: I've set on many scooter at bike shows and at dealers, and found that Asian scooters are not made for tall people. I co-own a PCX155 scooter in the Czech Republic and find it not the best for tall people. There is foot space on the boards, but the knees (of a tall person) are too high putting a strain on the lower back. Scooters accommodating tall people quite well are Vespas and Piagios. I've head two Vespa 300GTS and they fit my 6'1 and 32" inseam very well. Cheers, Michael
@@BlueAlgon You are almost the same size as me. The PCX is a good scooter. I went with the Nmax because it has a bit more legroom. I live in Japan, I was happy enough traveling around Kyoto on the Nmax but we moved to the countryside last year. A bit of comfort would be nice for the distances I need to travel now. I am thinking of having the seat remade to give it an extra 3cm and make it flat. I'm addicted to storage space so I would prefer a scooter. But I am probably going to get a CB250r (same as the CB300r) once I give up on the Nmax.
The vespa is also nice but it is a premium imported bike here. I could buy a CB250r plus a hunter cub for less money. Piagio gave up on Japan about 10 years ago. Cheers
@@michaelweedall1081Wow - Japan. That must be quite an experience with so many people - such a high density…
I am liking cb300r over royal enfield himalayan 450 and triumph scrambler 400X as only cb300r is under 150kg bike with decent power output .
I wanted a bit bigger fuel tank size with off road capability for my cross country touring .
I am afraid of liking the upcoming ktm 390 adv bike , as ktm 390 had got killed my best friend and i hated ktm for that .
Himalayan 450 and triumph 400X both are top heavy but i like their handle ergonomics where rider can stand and ride .
I had yezdi scrambler (330cc 184kg) for a month and enjoyed that bike jumping it over speed bumps in the city while standing on footpegs , my city has bad roads with lots of speed bumps .
Kawasaki adv bikes cost more than a kidney and comes around cost of 1200cc segment japanese cars , so they are out of budget and dreams.
Honda adv bikes are not available in my country .
I was very confused but your insights have build a confidence in me to go for cb300r , the only thing i will lack is i cant stand on foot pegs on honda cb300r or i will have to modify its to extent which no one has done on youtube .
I plan to travel through middle east countries to europe , tank capacity of 9 litres is something which is bit of concern , probably will carry a jerry can with 10 litre extra fuel .
I loved itchy boots honda bike , lol i dont even remember its name as honda doesnt sell that here , if i would have bought that bike , still i would have craved for cb300r for city riding and leaning on corners in city .
Your content is awesome guidance .
Blessings for you .
Ride safe .
@@prishashandilya7925 Hello. CB300R is in no way an offroad bike. The suspension is basic road and the rider cannot stand up. I put 80/20 tires on it and take it on gravel roads, but they are not too rough. As well, you cannot disengage the ABS, so braking on gravel can be tricky. Yes, the KTM390 Aventure seems to look the best. Your emotionalizing your friend's death and being against KTM doesn't make sense. Honda sells a dual sport 300 that can go offroad, though it uses tube tires. It is tallish, but riders say that te riders weight squishes the suspension... Cheers
Until there’s lots of wind or something hits you
Well, one day I was returning from a day trip on my F750GS and was caught in a very severe thunderstorm. The gusts of wind were so strong I had to literally hug the gas tank to reduce my side profile and fight to keep the bike in the lane on the expressway. Eventually I had to get off the highway and take the streets - that were littered with twigs, branches, leaves. So yes, if I'd been on the CB300R, the wind would sweep me off the highway, no doubt. At the same time, I was in very strong winds on the CB300R and my Vespa scooter and was OK - of course was not on the highways, just regular roads and reduced speed. So a light bike is OK in a strong wind, just don't take it on a highway and ride slower. If the wind is so strong that it threatens your safety...get off the xxxing bike and wait it out. "...or something hits you". Like what? If you get hit by a much heavier vehicle, you're going down anyway, and a heavy bike can crush your body. A light bike can bruise your body. If you hit a deer or a very small animal, then yes - perhaps a heavy bike gives you an edge there. How heavy do you have to go to get that edge?
@@BlueAlgon yeah exactly on Saturday I went out for a ride with my buddies on my WR 250 F it’s about 255 260 pounds the bike well I was going down a trail at about 6570 km an hour trying to catch up to my buddies that were in front of me and baby dear ran out try to get across the trail before me and smashed right into the spokes on my bike and got his head locked in between the spokes and my forks locked my front tire up and I kiss the ground hard broke my shoulder blade, very severely bruised ribs, but not a thing is wrong with my bike not even the spokes or the forkjust my shoulder and the deer is dead. Obviously, you wouldn’t believe how much a broken shoulder blade hurts.