This trend for massive bikes

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mangocrazy
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Re: This trend for massive bikes

Post by mangocrazy »

It's certainly the start of a worrying trend.



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Re: This trend for massive bikes

Post by Horse »

A couple of things contribute:
- trendy
Partly the LWR effect. But also look back a few years when it was 'sports' bikes everywhere
- tyres
What? Better tyres = greater lean = everything has to be higher. Even sports bikes need to be 'chamfered'
- speed & weight
= stronger frame = extra weight = etc etc Ever increasing circles ...
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Re: This trend for massive bikes

Post by Supermofo »

Yeah those Adv bikes are mainly barges. I don't often go to bike type meets much but meeting a mate at Finchingfield the GS's and V4 Multi are colossal from the back the front of the bike looks like it's about a 1/3 of a car. I should imagine they hide their weight well and are comfy but so having a bike that big.
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Re: This trend for massive bikes

Post by Taipan »

Being tall, I suppose I prefer this trend as opposed to cramped up little race reps? But I curse them when I'm stuck behind them trying to filter and they won't get out of the way! I cringe as they pass other vehicles at with mm to spare There was a GSA at work the other week with full alloy boxes. It was wider than the Fiat 500 parked next to it. As a tourer I could see the benefit of that much luggage/storage, but as something to ride round a city?!
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wheelnut
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Re: This trend for massive bikes

Post by wheelnut »

It's a similar trend with cars. Compare the new(ish) mini to the old mini.

I followed an mk1 Escort the other week - I was shocked as to how small it was compared to the other cars on the road aroud it.
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Re: This trend for massive bikes

Post by mangocrazy »

I suspect that some of it is similar to the car world where people expect to get a big chunk of metal and plastic when they're buying a premium product with a premium price tag attached. It's the reassuringly expensive/reassuringly large thing where quantity/size matters.
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Re: This trend for massive bikes

Post by dern »

Depends what you're used and what you want I guess. I have an 1190 adv and it feels somewhat large to push around but the only time the size manifests when riding it is that it's ridiculously comfortable while still being nimble and pretty fast. I didn't enjoy riding it on track as much as a sportsbike but I do love riding it on the road, especially if I have any distance to go. I never have a problem filtering with it but I don't hang huge boxes off the side, that seems a bit silly. It's about as far from being a 'barge' as you could imagine.

I don't think it's a trend though, you can still buy smaller bikes... they're not all simply getting bigger.
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Re: This trend for massive bikes

Post by Supermofo »

wheelnut wrote: Tue Nov 29, 2022 3:10 pm It's a similar trend with cars. Compare the new(ish) mini to the old mini.

I followed an mk1 Escort the other week - I was shocked as to how small it was compared to the other cars on the road aroud it.
When I had my Hyundai i10, which is a very small car, I was amazed to follow an 80s 3 series and find it was about the same width. In fact an E30 3 series is 1645mm compared to the current i10s 1680!!!

Modern cars are much bigger than old ones.
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Re: This trend for massive bikes

Post by Le_Fromage_Grande »

Massive bikes for massive knob ends
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Re: This trend for massive bikes

Post by ChrisW »

Supermofo wrote: Tue Nov 29, 2022 3:36 pm In fact an E30 3 series is 1645mm compared to the current i10s 1680!!!
The current basic MINI is 1727mm!
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Re: This trend for massive bikes

Post by KungFooBob »

Top Gear on Sunday reviewed the latest Civic Type R. They were driving it on track with a retromod Pug 205 GTI.

The size difference was astounding.
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Re: This trend for massive bikes

Post by mangocrazy »

As bikes get larger (especially ADV bikes) it also seems that bar width expands exponentially. It's got to the point that a significant percentage of bikes sold in the UK are off-limits to me because of their overall width. I live in a row of terraces and the alley way between me and my neighbour's house has a width of 875mm. That precludes me owning just about any of the larger ADV bikes on the market.

Frankly, I'm calling that a win... :D
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Re: This trend for massive bikes

Post by DefTrap »

Ironically I prefer small bikes, and I'm massive. :(
Last edited by DefTrap on Tue Nov 29, 2022 4:24 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: This trend for massive bikes

Post by Dodgy69 »

Those 700s look massive aswel. 🤷‍♂️
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Re: This trend for massive bikes

Post by MrLongbeard »

Pah, I make an R18 look like a 125, massive bikes my bum ;)
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Re: This trend for massive bikes

Post by Skub »

I love a good ADV bashing session.

Burn the witches. 8-)
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Re: This trend for massive bikes

Post by A_morti »

When I took a test ride on a Scram 411 it felt pretty big, but then I sat on a TRK502 (Italy's best-selling bike, the salesman told me) and that thing was massive. It makes the CB500X (which should be a comparable bike) look wee and nesh, being 40kg heavier and having those kinda ridiculous crash bars / fog light brackets.
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Re: This trend for massive bikes

Post by wull »

wheelnut wrote: Tue Nov 29, 2022 3:10 pm It's a similar trend with cars. Compare the new(ish) mini to the old mini.

I followed an mk1 Escort the other week - I was shocked as to how small it was compared to the other cars on the road aroud it.
I seen a Saxo VTS the other week there and last year seen a 205 GTI and I was blown away by how small they were, ridiculously small. I had them many years ago and I never remembered them being that small.
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Re: This trend for massive bikes

Post by Dickyboy »

I never have a problem filtering with it but I don't hang huge boxes off the side, that seems a bit silly. It's about as far from being a 'barge' as you could imagine.
Take my GS into London for work doing site surveys sometimes, but have to leave boots, helmet, jacket and trousers on the bike when I get there, so have to take the panniers which is a right pain when filtering and parking, so far I've only tagged one van and a lorry with them...

I've said it before but London would be so much nicer if the largest private vehicle allowed there was no bigger than a modern fiat 500...
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Re: This trend for massive bikes

Post by Scuffmark »

Speaking as a taller fella .. let's hope the trend continues :D