The philosophy is sound, however he picked the wrong motorcycle brand; he will never know what it's really like!!!

[p6x]

 

[LowRyter]

I haven't ridden one but they are very light lifting off the kickstand.  110hp, on par with my 937 Duc and Yamaha 900 triple.  Since I haven't ridden, don't know about comfort, handing and power delivery.  (aka "feel")

[footgoose]

Pleasant video. I couldn't tell if he is thinking of downsizing from or to the Zed. Or if his concern is physical size or power. Maybe both.?

I've been downsizing ever since a gust of wind blew over my precariously parked 600lb K1200RS. The Guzzi is now my only remaining weighty vice. Only 450lb or (much) less weight bikes are my future. The new Triumph Scrambler 400 X has my attention. I like the Enfields. My most insanely fun bike was a DRZ 400SM. I thought it might kill me so I sold it.

[gstallons]

No way , why did you get rid of something that perfect ?  I had a K100RS and still regret my decision to let it go ! It was the most neutral bike I ever owned. 

[Pressureangle]

The thing that strikes me about this video, and so many others, is that the notion of 100 horsepower being something less than fast, is ridiculous to the point of being absurd.

My '87 Suzuki GSXR 750 had probably 90 horsepower, and ridden to it's limit *on track* was terrifying. So the remaining 110 horsepower of todays superbikes is simply wishful thinking and posturing under the pants-covered ego of anyone riding them on public roads.

It's not so much about downsizing your bike, it's about downsizing your presentation and focusing on your personal reward from riding.

My Aermacchi 350, at ...um... maybe 35 horsepower, is the most fun to ride in my entire garage. No, it won't go cross-country comfortably. No, it won't handle 90mph sweepers like a locomotive. (yet) No, it won't power wheelie, it has no brakes, and no, it isn't reliable enough that I take it any farther than I want to Uber back to my motorcycle trailer. (Yet) But it is the most smiles per mile, because it *never* cuts into my fun by being too heavy, or too thirsty, or too pretty with impossible to find parts to worry about crashing off of it. This is why it's on my keepers list.

There's a huge fun reward in driving a motorcycle to it's limits, and when those limits are attainable (and exceedable, be careful) on public roads without breaking many if any laws those rewards come with little or no consequences.

[GuzziMoto]

1 hour ago, footgoose said:

Pleasant video. I couldn't tell if he is thinking of downsizing from or to the Zed. Or if his concern is physical size or power. Maybe both.?

I've been downsizing ever since a gust of wind blew over my precariously parked 600lb K1200RS. The Guzzi is now my only remaining weighty vice. Only 450lb or (much) less weight bikes are my future. The new Triumph Scrambler 400 X has my attention. I like the Enfields. My most insanely fun bike was a DRZ 400SM. I thought it might kill me so I sold it.

I still miss my DRZ400SM. I even had a dirt set of wheels / tires for it, along with a big bore kit and card. It was a hoot.

[footgoose]

I was getting to know my K1200rs on my first spirited ride with it and fellow vacationers on the beautiful stream-side roads in North Carolina one fall day. Flat, but pretty twisty, 60ish mph +/- and I was at the tail of a 6 rider line. I thought I was doing pretty well keeping up with more seasoned sport riders. I was surprised when out of nowhere I was passed (with extreme prejudice) by 3 loud single cyl motards with riders standing on the pegs as they swept and in and out and passed us all. I recall thinking "I should re-evaluate my priorities maybe"

Edited 55 minutes ago by footgoose

[Pressureangle]

2 minutes ago, footgoose said:

I was getting to know my K1200rs on my first spirited ride with it and fellow vacationers on the beautiful stream-side roads in North Carolina one fall day. Flat, but pretty twisty, 60ish +/- and I was at the tail of a 6 rider line. I thought I was doing pretty well keeping up with more seasoned sport riders. I was surprised when out of nowhere I was passed (with extreme prejudice) by 3 loud single cyl motards with riders standing on the pegs as they swept and in and out and passed us all. I recall thinking "I should re-evaluate my priorities maybe"

Right? Then, there's this gray area of capability; that of the motorcycle, and that of *me*.  If the motorcycle is easy to go very fast on, and doesn't have any bad habits before it gets to the end of *my* capability, that can be a recipe for trouble. I'd absolutely love to have a hypermotard bike, but I probably never will because the temptation is very high to do things I probably never should have, and probably haven't been able to for decades. 

Truly, my next purchase is probably a good used trials bike. Great fun, slowly. 

[footgoose]

1 minute ago, Pressureangle said:

Right? Then, there's this gray area of capability; that of the motorcycle, and that of *me*.  If the motorcycle is easy to go very fast on, and doesn't have any bad habits before it gets to the end of *my* capability, that can be a recipe for trouble. I'd absolutely love to have a hypermotard bike, but I probably never will because the temptation is very high to do things I probably never should have, and probably haven't been able to for decades. 

Truly, my next purchase is probably a good used trials bike. Great fun, slowly. 

perfectly describes why I sold the DRZ, even though it was the DR 650 that threw me down, jumped on me, and broke my leg. The one I didn't sell. 

I'll never learn.