tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2156536327610779049.post3194497472901680696..comments2024-02-23T11:23:45.971-05:00Comments on Lost Motorcyclist: Why Am I Seeing So Many Trike Conversions?Lost Motorcyclisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08873504561959138792noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2156536327610779049.post-39126645232002844942013-10-03T20:38:53.451-04:002013-10-03T20:38:53.451-04:00I didn't actually ignore it, rather I highligh...I didn't actually ignore it, rather I highlighted it, and based my entire blog on how shocking I found it that the word "Diminutive" was used to describe my 650 lb. bike.<br /><br />The misunderstanding may be simply a generational thing. You look like a young guy. I am a senior citizen. Maybe, to youngsters, it is right and natural that a 650 lb bike should be referred to as small. Maybe to youngsters, I am the one who is wearing my baseball cap backwards. In the end it is all relative to what you think is normal.Lost Motorcyclisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08873504561959138792noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2156536327610779049.post-82259212363917894202013-10-03T19:30:59.076-04:002013-10-03T19:30:59.076-04:00why did you ignore the entire point of my words? a...why did you ignore the entire point of my words? a key statement you decided to overlook: "diminutive touring class." merriam-webster defines diminutive as, "a word or suffix that indicates that something is small." Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10164091963581796320noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2156536327610779049.post-55470785462787291752010-10-08T22:20:34.188-04:002010-10-08T22:20:34.188-04:00very good post. makes me think about all the bikes...very good post. makes me think about all the bikes I've owned in my short life. i sure liked my 250cc marauder, but I love my 1100 Virago.<br /><br />however, if I had a barn and some extra cash, i'd have a dozen bikes, and 11 would be smaller than my current bike.<br /><br />as I grew to enjoy longer trips, e.g., to Ottawa and Thunder Bay (from London), I learned to appreciate more weight. But where would my experimenting end?<br /><br />I think w my 94 Virago 1100cc, at 487 lb. (dry weight), I've finished getting heavier. It took me to Halifax and back this summer w only one hairy day - on the windy flats south of Moncton, NB.<br /><br />I'm already thinking re lighter bikes, e.g., 600cc Honda Shadow, but I have a few more long rides in me, e.g., BC., Cape Breton Island<br /><br />I read in the book 'The Harley Davidson and Indian Wars' that manufacturers were aware in the late 1940s and early 1950s that the American public was getting a taste for 'bigger' and 'more comfy'. bigger cruising autos played a part in changing tastes re bikes.<br /><br />about the 1948 Indian Scout I read the following:<br /><br />"The frame is filled with engine, a virtual requirement as noted earlier... the only flaw in the looks department may be that the machine itself was just a fraction smaller the the American public expected a sporting twin to be."<br /><br />I know the feeling. I owned a 650 Suzuki, one cylinder, and though it was as dependable as anything, I felt the engine looked too small. call me spoiled, eh.<br /><br />would I buy a trike? nope. too much money. smaller is the way I lean once I kiss Cape breton good-bye!<br /><br />cheers,<br /><br />GHG. Harrisonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15188849799366728069noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2156536327610779049.post-8697508230339796242010-10-08T10:20:50.870-04:002010-10-08T10:20:50.870-04:00I agree that there seems to have been a trend for ...I agree that there seems to have been a trend for motorcycles to progressively get heavier and heavier. <br /><br />There's certainly no argument if you compare the more common bikes of the Sixties (e.g. BSA 500s and 650s weighing in at about 400 lb.) with today's ubiquitous 'cruisers,' most of which tip the scales at a minimum of 500 lb. and generally significantly more.<br /><br />Admittedly, were I planning to do 1,000 Km. days for weeks at a stretch, I might be tempted to go for a heavier machine (although I would draw the line at a 3-wheeler). But I'm not; for me, riding is not about 'distance covered.'<br /><br />On the other hand, I find it refreshing that over the summer I've seen numerous articles lamenting the absence of smaller-displacement bikes in the North American market, bikes in the 300-400 cc. range. This quote is from the September 2010 issue of <a href="http://www.cyclecanadaweb.com/articles/8590/" rel="nofollow"><i>Cycle Canada</i></a> (from the full hard copy article on the Kawi Ninja 440R):<br /><br />'<i>... small motorcycles reveal secrets about riding that you cannot learn on larger motorcycles. And I don't just mean initially, I mean ever. I know it sounds overly dramatic, but start on a big bike and you'll forever remain a gnat on the back of a beast. Start on a little bike and the relationship is one of equals - you learn to work the throttle and the gearbox sympathetically and by learning the machine's limitations, you learn your own.'</i><br /><br />Hear, hear.Madeyehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02593933575568389288noreply@blogger.com