New Bike In Da Hood.

[Yorick]

Woo hoo

[KungFooBob]

[Skub]

Needz moar tassels.

PM Terrapin for details and links.

[Hot_Air]

It looks cool but what’s it like to ride?

[Yorick]

Sadly it's not mine


A good pal is having to go back to UK and left his bike with me to sell. He's had bad luck here and just can't cope. Rotten shame, but he gave it a good try.

He was offered silly money for the bike, but now there's no rush, I can try get him a better deal.

[Count Steer]

How much for UK delivery?

Is it the 900?

[Yorick]

How much for UK delivery?

Is it the 900?

750 I think. Why not fly over and ride it back?

[KungFooBob]

It's a 650 Vulcan.

Same motor as the ER650/Ninja 650.

https://www.kawasaki.co.uk/en/products/ ... lpfDAkNXFo

[Yorick]

He had all the big fast sports bike in his yoof. Had to buy this cos of dodgy knee.

[Skub]

I always found the ER engines to be very pleasant and good fun. Quite tuneable too.

[Yorick]

I always found the ER engines to be very pleasant and good fun. Quite tuneable too.

His last bike before he came here was a ZX1100 thingy. He found this a bit tame, but cool on a sunny day.

[Count Steer]

It's a 650 Vulcan.

Same motor as the ER650/Ninja 650.

https://www.kawasaki.co.uk/en/products/ ... lpfDAkNXFo

I didn't look close enough at the engine config. I quite like it as an example of that style of bike but that's a bit lacking in cubes!
Riding it back would be a good way of finding out if I liked it or not Yorick.
(Funnily enough a dodgy knee explains my interest in comfy bikes too).

[KungFooBob]

I bought a Mk1 ER6F for the wife a few years ago, stonking motor for a 650 twin managed an indicated 136mph two up, but you could watch it disintegrate in real time if it got wet. Even by Kawasaki standards it was piss poor build quality.

[Asian Boss]

Pop it in the bin.

[The Spin Doctor]

... that's a bit lacking in cubes!

Try using the gearbox

The same motor (ish) is used in the lightweight TT class. They don't hang around.

Lightweight TT lap record - Michael Dunlop Paton 650 2018 18:26.543 122.750mph / 197.546km/h

Good enough for me.

[Count Steer]

... that's a bit lacking in cubes!

Try using the gearbox

The same motor (ish) is used in the lightweight TT class. They don't hang around.

Lightweight TT lap record - Michael Dunlop Paton 650 2018 18:26.543 122.750mph / 197.546km/h

Good enough for me.

Sure, in the right bike, but it's a cruiser style, they're supposed to be big and lazy.

I rather fancied a Honda Valkyrie and that's probably slower than the Kwak.

[The Spin Doctor]

Sure, in the right bike, but it's a cruiser style, they're supposed to be big and lazy.

I rather fancied a Honda Valkyrie and that's probably slower than the Kwak.

Big is just marketing (and "look at me, I am a hero on a big bike").

If they are meant to be lazy, you don't need a huge engine capable of speeds you'll never ride at - you just end up with a huge and heavy mechanical lump that needs shifting off the line and uphill and producing extra friction, thus burning petrol unnecessarily.

A smaller, lower powered engine can deliver the thrust in the right speed range if the gearing is right.

Solo, the XV535 was a lovely little bike. The engine was a peach. 40 hp moving a bike weighing less than 200 kgs. I never felt that the engine needed revving... and it had a shaft drive!

[Hot_Air]

Had to buy this cos of dodgy knee.

He should have robbed a bank (or saved a lot) and bought an XDiavel with the proceeds

[Count Steer]

Sure, in the right bike, but it's a cruiser style, they're supposed to be big and lazy.

I rather fancied a Honda Valkyrie and that's probably slower than the Kwak.

Big is just marketing (and "look at me, I am a hero on a big bike").

If they are meant to be lazy, you don't need a huge engine capable of speeds you'll never ride at - you just end up with a huge and heavy mechanical lump that needs shifting off the line and uphill and producing extra friction, thus burning petrol unnecessarily.

A smaller, lower powered engine can deliver the thrust in the right speed range if the gearing is right.

Solo, the XV535 was a lovely little bike. The engine was a peach. 40 hp moving a bike weighing less than 200 kgs. I never felt that the engine needed revving... and it had a shaft drive!

Bbbut....that's just being sensible! I didn't suggest that the Valkyrie was sensible. I like it because it's possibly one of the daftest production bikes ever! If we were being sensible bikers we'd all be riding Honda 50s. Scratch that, we wouldn't be riding bikes at all!

[The Spin Doctor]

Bbbut....that's just being sensible! I didn't suggest that the Valkyrie was sensible. I like it because it's possibly one of the daftest production bikes ever! If we were being sensible bikers we'd all be riding Honda 50s. Scratch that, we wouldn't be riding bikes at all!

It was in response to the 'lacking cubes' comment about the Vulcan. That motor - in ER6 form - is the basis of one of the mainstays of the lightweight racing class and they're only slow in comparison with the litre bikes! They aren't THAT much slower than the supersports. And the XV535 meets the 'lazy ride' criteria without needing a car engine.

I agree - bikes aren't sensible... and I'd never tell someone not to ride something they want to ride... my AR80 was a pure impulse purchase and still one of the more fun bikes I've owned. So was the Gixxer750 and though I'm glad I owned it, it was a bit of a chore to own.

But unfortunately, the industry has done a very good job on selling the idea that riders need huge engines under them. They've done it with sports bikes, they have done it with tourers, they've done it with cruisers and they've done it with adventure bikes. And most of the time the bike is either compromised by weight or performance you can't use (power limiters in the lower gears, for instance).

If I could ride anything I wanted, costs be damned, I'd likely go for a TZR250 because of the sheer blast of riding a lightweight two-stroke.

Unfortunately, they don't make 'em any more, there aren't any left at a sensible price and I couldn't afford the fuel anyway

So my two 600cc bikes are 'sensible' because they are work bikes (the classic CB250RS is a bit of an indulgence), they were inexpensive to buy and have cost very little to run... but I love both of them!