Big Motorcycle Changes

It has been a busy month, motorcycle wise.  I went on my first ride on my KLX dual-sport bike since last October........and decided I was done with it.  I bought it to explore all the forest roads in the National Forest nearby, and I had pretty well accomplished that, but mainly I was tired of trying to find somebody to ride with and feeling less and less comfortable riding by myself in such remote locations.  So the KLX went up on Craigslist and sold within a week.  RIP KLX, and end of an era.  I no longer have a dirt-capable motorcycle; street only for me now. 

My long range plan for street riding was to ride my Ninja 650 for the rest of the year and then next year buy a new bike in preparation for another ride across the country.  The Ninja was getting long in the tooth, with 114,000 miles on it.  I had been researching its replacement and had narrowed it down to a Honda CBR650F.  While listing the KLX on Craigslist I discovered a local dealer was selling a new 2014 CBR650 for $1100 off list price.  It looked to me like maybe I better not wait a year, so I went up to Longview to see if I could get a test ride on it.

Test rides are not easy to get on new motorcycles at a dealership, but since I rode my own bike up there wearing full gear, and had the look of a mature adult, they did OK a test ride after I signed some disclaimers.  However, after I rode it I was not too enamored with it.......it went all the wrong directions from my current ride; it was a little heavier, a little wider, and the seat was a little taller.  But it did have more power......maybe too much, as on the test ride it started to go sideways on me when I gave it a little gas in a turn.  When I came back from the ride I asked them if I could try a CBR500R.  I had like the looks of this bike since it first came out in 2013, but my main concern was that it only had 47 horsepower, compared to the Ninja's 63 hp and the CBR650s 80 hp.  During the test ride it just felt right, and the power seemed adequate.  Also, it was lighter than the Ninja with about the same seat height.  I was in the buying mode by that time, so buy it I did. 

One of the real benefits of the CBR500 is that there is an optional center stand for it.  This has been a disappearing feature of motorcycles in the last 15 years or so, and sorely missed by me.  I ordered one and here is my new little gem with center stand deployed (and a windscreen extension):

I have over 900 miles on it now and I am enjoying it.....it handles really well and is very "flikable", with a great front brake, and typical Honda excellent fit and finish.  Power still feels adequate if not overwhelming. 

So now the Ninja had to go.  It's hard to sell a motorcycle with over 100,000 miles.  Most people think a bike is worn out if it has half that many miles, but this is a myth left over from the early air-cooled Harley, Indian and British bike days.  A modern fuel-injected, water cooled bike is more like a car in that it can go well beyond 100K if well maintained and not abused.  But I guess anything will sell if the price is right, and so it has gone to a new home.  Here is the new owner loading it up:

It was a fantastic bike and took me (and Carolyn) on many great rides on many Good Roads.