Topic: The Motorcycling Thread

[johngenx]

CR250 from that era is plenty fast for 99.99% of riders.  Those mid 80s to mid 90s CRs are wicked, would love one myself.

[rrocket]

CR250 from that era is plenty fast for 99.99% of riders.  Those mid 80s to mid 90s CRs are wicked, would love one myself.

For sure.

I raced a KDX200/220 for most of my off-road events (hare & hound scrambles, roll chart races, woods races). At times wished it had more power, but the power band doesn't have a vicious hit like full on motocrossers....something you didn't want on a tight trail...especially in the woods. 

There's a new KTM 150 XC-W 2 stroke...which I think would be damn near perfect for tight stuff/woods racing.

[dkaz]

Honda Canada removed the PCX 150 from their product line while Honda USA has the third generation up with available ABS. Yamaha has also severely slimmed down the scooter offerings to SMax and BWS 125, no more 49cc units. Not completely surprised but a little disappointed. If my gout attacks become more frequent and severe, I will have to go with a scooter. Suzuki seems to be doing fine with the Burgmans for now, BMW released a couple of 400s recently, and of course there's Vespa and Piaggio.

[rrocket]

Honda Canada removed the PCX 150 from their product line while Honda USA has the third generation up with available ABS. Yamaha has also severely slimmed down the scooter offerings to SMax and BWS 125, no more 49cc units. Not completely surprised but a little disappointed. If my gout attacks become more frequent and severe, I will have to go with a scooter. Suzuki seems to be doing fine with the Burgmans for now, BMW released a couple of 400s recently, and of course there's Vespa and Piaggio.

Disappointed we can't get the T-Max or new Forza here...

[dirtyjeffer]

all the brands have a really good line up of mid sized scooters that i wish were here...what i wish existed (and would perhaps purchase) is something like a PCX-150, but with their 300cc engine (or whatever the engine is that is in their "300" bikes)...perhaps use the IP dash from the new CB650R and include smart key...only have the scooter be marginally larger than the PCX150 to give it a bit more leg room...my old Elite 250 was perfect in so many ways...if there was a modern version of it, it would be very hard for me NOT to buy it...i don't like the size of the maxi scooters, personally, which is why i'd love a marginally larger PCX150 with a bit more scoot in it (plus tech updates).

[rrocket]

all the brands have a really good line up of mid sized scooters that i wish were here...what i wish existed (and would perhaps purchase) is something like a PCX-150, but with their 300cc engine (or whatever the engine is that is in their "300" bikes)...perhaps use the IP dash from the new CB650R and include smart key...only have the scooter be marginally larger than the PCX150 to give it a bit more leg room...my old Elite 250 was perfect in so many ways...if there was a modern version of it, it would be very hard for me NOT to buy it...i don't like the size of the maxi scooters, personally, which is why i'd love a marginally larger PCX150 with a bit more scoot in it (plus tech updates).

You describe the new Forza 300. The latest version got smaller and lost significant weight...about 30 pounds!

[dirtyjeffer]

all the brands have a really good line up of mid sized scooters that i wish were here...what i wish existed (and would perhaps purchase) is something like a PCX-150, but with their 300cc engine (or whatever the engine is that is in their "300" bikes)...perhaps use the IP dash from the new CB650R and include smart key...only have the scooter be marginally larger than the PCX150 to give it a bit more leg room...my old Elite 250 was perfect in so many ways...if there was a modern version of it, it would be very hard for me NOT to buy it...i don't like the size of the maxi scooters, personally, which is why i'd love a marginally larger PCX150 with a bit more scoot in it (plus tech updates).

You describe the new Forza 300. The latest version got smaller and lost significant weight...about 30 pounds!

that would likely be great...i checked it out on the Honda UK website:

https://www.honda.co.uk/motorcycles/range/scooter/forza-300/overview.html

i believe my old 85 Elite 250 was about 300 lbs and had about 19 HP...this new model appears to have 25 HP, but does weight about 400 lbs...looks like the power to weight ratio is about the same though, so likely feels decent...my old scooter wasn't a Corvette by any means, but it zipped around town quite well.

based on what other bikes sell there for, it looks like the Forza would be about $6900 here...likely a bit too much to sell well, but i'd still be curious about it...if they can manage something like $5,999 for it, i think it would move well.

[rrocket]

The options it has a great....abs, traction control, power windshield....winner IMO.

[dirtyjeffer]

The options it has a great....abs, traction control, power windshield....winner IMO.

agreed...it looks like it has decent sized tires too.

also, i took a closer look at the UK page, and noticed the new Forza does have a smart key system too...basically, this is exactly what i want...i just have no idea how much it would cost, but if it felt right to sit on (size wise), and wasn't too expensive, it would likely be perfect for me...i'm trying to remember how much the old Forza 300 was when it was new...some quick searches seem to show a price of about $6000...i'm guessing this new one would be more, but i'm not sure how much more...something like $5999 - maybe $6499 would be ideal...$6999 might even be possible, but if they get too expensive, they won't sell well enough to bother bringing them over...for comparison's sake, the new CB300R is $5499, so i'm not sure how much more it costs for a scooter version (the Forza has more features).

[Triple Bob]

CR250 from that era is plenty fast for 99.99% of riders.  Those mid 80s to mid 90s CRs are wicked, would love one myself.

For sure.

I raced a KDX200/220 for most of my off-road events (hare & hound scrambles, roll chart races, woods races). At times wished it had more power, but the power band doesn't have a vicious hit like full on motocrossers....something you didn't want on a tight trail...especially in the woods. 

There's a new KTM 150 XC-W 2 stroke...which I think would be damn near perfect for tight stuff/woods racing.

That doesn't look big enough for adults.

I though electric start dirtbikes were stupid...until I got old.   

How does anyone think that something that makes something easier and more reliable is stupid?  That's like rednecks and free healthcare.

[rrocket]

CR250 from that era is plenty fast for 99.99% of riders.  Those mid 80s to mid 90s CRs are wicked, would love one myself.

For sure.

I raced a KDX200/220 for most of my off-road events (hare & hound scrambles, roll chart races, woods races). At times wished it had more power, but the power band doesn't have a vicious hit like full on motocrossers....something you didn't want on a tight trail...especially in the woods. 

There's a new KTM 150 XC-W 2 stroke...which I think would be damn near perfect for tight stuff/woods racing.

That doesn't look big enough for adults.

I though electric start dirtbikes were stupid...until I got old.   

How does anyone think that something that makes something easier and more reliable is stupid?  That's like rednecks and free healthcare.

The KTM is bigger than your CRF250, Bob. It's in a full size motocross chassis....and I guarantee you'd be on your tippee toes...or maybe only 1 foot down...it's tall, as is the case for dedicated off road machines. In racing, the 125-150cc 2 strokes are comparable in size and class to the 250cc 4 strokes...but usually a but lighter and a bit more power depending on bike.

And when I was racing, electric start was stupid...as there was a significant (30lbs) weight penalty back in the day.

[johngenx]

^^ Yeah, no way you'd burden a motocross bike with electric start. Those old two strokes were pared down to nothing to shave every gram. And it worked. Look at the weight specs of those bikes, and it's shocking how light they were with very little or no use of exotic materials.

I'd moved up from my 80 to a 125 and loved the bike. Full sized chassis but super light with an engine that was Jekyll and Hyde. I scored a session on a CR400 and figured it would actually be easier to ride thanks to more cc's meaning a wider more useable power band. Whoops, nope. It was just a lot angrier!  You had to ride the 400 exactly like a 125, keep it at full steam. You were just going a hell of a lot faster.

I loved Hondas approach to the CRs. "These are race bikes, you want easy, buy an XR."

[rrocket]

^^ Yeah, no way you'd burden a motocross bike with electric start. Those old two strokes were pared down to nothing to shave every gram. And it worked. Look at the weight specs of those bikes, and it's shocking how light they were with very little or no use of exotic materials.

I'd moved up from my 80 to a 125 and loved the bike. Full sized chassis but super light with an engine that was Jekyll and Hyde. I scored a session on a CR400 and figured it would actually be easier to ride thanks to more cc's meaning a wider more useable power band. Whoops, nope. It was just a lot angrier!  You had to ride the 400 exactly like a 125, keep it at full steam. You were just going a hell of a lot faster.

I loved Hondas approach to the CRs. "These are race bikes, you want easy, buy an XR."

Yea, 2 strokes weren't bad to kick at all. I'm  guessing Bob doesn't have much experience with those. It was really no big deal to kick and as you said minimal, minimal weight.

Now 4 strokes is a whole different game! And could be a bear to kick even with a decompression lever. Especially so after warmed up.

[johngenx]

A kick back on a larger four stroke could hurt you!

[ktm525]

Hmm hot or cold my 525 EX/C was much easier to kick than my old CR500. The CR had a fairly short kick lever so that could partially explain it.

[johngenx]

I never had any issues kicking over any of the CRs, but I was also young and didn't really pay much attention unless something was very difficult. We had an old Harley on the used lot that had a kick start and it was a beast to get going. I asked the mechanic one day about it because even though it was a pretty good sized twin, the thing only has something like 4:1 compression and made what felt like 6hp. He said the design of the kick starter itself played a role in making that particular bike so nasty to start.

[blur911]

I never had any issues kicking over any of the CRs, but I was also young and didn't really pay much attention unless something was very difficult. We had an old Harley on the used lot that had a kick start and it was a beast to get going. I asked the mechanic one day about it because even though it was a pretty good sized twin, the thing only has something like 4:1 compression and made what felt like 6hp. He said the design of the kick starter itself played a role in making that particular bike so nasty to start.

When I was a kid in the '70s I remember seeing a few Harley's being started by guys basically jumping off their seats onto the kickstarters.  It was brutal.

I had a VW engined sand rail that I used to pull-start with a rope wrapped twice around the crank pulley that had  extra v-belt grooves.

[rrocket]

My tougher toughest kick was my XR650R. Because it was so facking tall and me so short!

Stupendous engine BTW...

[johngenx]

My tougher toughest kick was my XR650R.

Stupendous engine BTW...

Oh, no kidding!  LOVE those big singles from Honda.  XL and XR, great bikes.  I'd sttill love to find an old XL650 and turn it into an adventure touring bike.  I'm still tough enough to do that!!

[rrocket]

My tougher toughest kick was my XR650R.

Stupendous engine BTW...

Oh, no kidding!  LOVE those big singles from Honda.  XL and XR, great bikes.  I'd sttill love to find an old XL650 and turn it into an adventure touring bike.  I'm still tough enough to do that!!

Was the first liquid cooled version...2002.

Was a beast!