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Well we went from some unseasonably warm/rideable weather here in Central Indiana back to some flurries, so I'm back to daydreaming about riding instead of actually doing it.
One topic I've increasingly contemplated, as I sit with a garage full of big bore 4cyl bikes with ~100hp, is how in some of my favorite riding environs (twisty scenic back roads, some with 40mph or even lower speed limits), my 4cyl big bikes seem like massive overkill, to the point where it's detracting from the fun of the ride, unless I'm riding a very sporty pace. One particular spot I've been riding in the last few years every summer is in North/Central PA, same area I've ridden since highschool, back when I started on my 1976 XS500C in the late 2000s. There are a number of absolutely incredible back roads there, and back in the day on the XS500 it felt like absolute *MAGIC* to ride along at a sort of modest pace of say 45mph in top gear with that vertical twin loping along. Riding those same roads last summer on my GS1100E last summer, or on my brother's '81 Seca 750 the year before that, at that same speed the 4s are just sort of idling along not doing any "work" so to speak. It feels like I should be going at 60mph or more just to feel some kind of "fun."
So I'm not sure if it's a horsepower thing, motorcycle weight, or cylinder count (or all three)? Or maybe it's just rose tinted nostalgia where the XS500-riding college kid would have killed to get his hands on a 100hp 4cyl bike. Now I will say, throw in some hills and higher speeds and even back then, I wished for more power/torque from that XS500. They're somewhat porky (450lbs) bikes for a "middleweight" with 48hp (when new). I'll add, I've ridden these same roads on a '99 KLR650 and power/weight wise it was well matched I'd say, to that end I had bought a '08 KLR this past winter, but in riding it around locally, something is different/missing on the gen 2s, or again, maybe that was nostalgia for that KLR back in college that doesn't play out in reality.
Long story short, I've found myself pining for another old school twin cylinder bike of some sort, perhaps with a bit more pep than my old XS500 (which is still in my garage and gets ridden a bit locally).
Just some rambling/musing that I'd be curious to hear others opinions on.
One topic I've increasingly contemplated, as I sit with a garage full of big bore 4cyl bikes with ~100hp, is how in some of my favorite riding environs (twisty scenic back roads, some with 40mph or even lower speed limits), my 4cyl big bikes seem like massive overkill, to the point where it's detracting from the fun of the ride, unless I'm riding a very sporty pace. One particular spot I've been riding in the last few years every summer is in North/Central PA, same area I've ridden since highschool, back when I started on my 1976 XS500C in the late 2000s. There are a number of absolutely incredible back roads there, and back in the day on the XS500 it felt like absolute *MAGIC* to ride along at a sort of modest pace of say 45mph in top gear with that vertical twin loping along. Riding those same roads last summer on my GS1100E last summer, or on my brother's '81 Seca 750 the year before that, at that same speed the 4s are just sort of idling along not doing any "work" so to speak. It feels like I should be going at 60mph or more just to feel some kind of "fun."
So I'm not sure if it's a horsepower thing, motorcycle weight, or cylinder count (or all three)? Or maybe it's just rose tinted nostalgia where the XS500-riding college kid would have killed to get his hands on a 100hp 4cyl bike. Now I will say, throw in some hills and higher speeds and even back then, I wished for more power/torque from that XS500. They're somewhat porky (450lbs) bikes for a "middleweight" with 48hp (when new). I'll add, I've ridden these same roads on a '99 KLR650 and power/weight wise it was well matched I'd say, to that end I had bought a '08 KLR this past winter, but in riding it around locally, something is different/missing on the gen 2s, or again, maybe that was nostalgia for that KLR back in college that doesn't play out in reality.
Long story short, I've found myself pining for another old school twin cylinder bike of some sort, perhaps with a bit more pep than my old XS500 (which is still in my garage and gets ridden a bit locally).
Just some rambling/musing that I'd be curious to hear others opinions on.
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