The Purple Postulate

The first of July. Last night I passed the Motorcycle Saftey Foundation riding class after a 15 year hiatus from riding. So it was time to get a bike.

Looking online I had "narrowed" my new bike search down to the Yamaha V-Stars or the Suzuki x50's. But I always had in the back of my mind that I'd like to pay less if I could get a low miliage used bike in the right size.

Well I got to the show room. The Suzi C50 and M50 are monsters. Huge, long and wide. I also knew from the specs online what their weight was, but it's a bit different to feel that weight. They were not what I wanted. Aside from looking and feeling like they'd handle about as nimbly as an ocean liner I was looking for some fuel economy.

The Suzi S40's looked just a *little* small for my bulk.

There were no 650 V-Stars. They had a few 1100cc models, which looked good but were several thousand over what I was willing to pay today.

Talking to the manager, it appears that the V-Star ("Classic" and "Custom" models) and the Suzi S50's go very fast in the season. A pity. Near as I can tell from the specs online the S50 would have been about perfect. But it appears that the bike's I would have liked are also popular with others, and for some reason the manufacturers don't make enough. He offered to call around, but it was plain that he didn't expect to find one I could get this gorgous holiday weekend.

The '07 models will be out in August. Damn. I had already waited two months to get into the riding safety classes. I wasn't about to let the whole season pass.

Well, they do have used bikes. In the lot I had seen and stopped to look a 750. It was a Honda Magna V4 750.

As it turns out, despite their having one of the larger showrooms in this area, that that 750 was, for my size and wallet, the only "right size" bike they had. It a bigger engine and frame than the S40 and, being a used bike, though with only 6k miles, it was nearly two thousand dollars less than I had expected and been willing to pay new. And it already had saddlebags, a windshield and an aftermarket touring seat, all of which I had anticipated adding to a new bike. Sold.

I've put about thirty miles on it today, getting it home from Pottstown, then a little around the neighborhood. I may well go for a cruise again later after it cools off. Or anytime. Forever.

For Dave Brown and Martin Motorsport, thanks guys. So far I'm happy. And to the Motorcycle Saftey Foundation. So far, I'm safe.

On the downside she doesn't like engine braking at all! She rumbles and misses and then takes a second or two to clear her throat when put under load again. I suppose I can get used to clutch and brake, but my older bikes used to seem to like a downshift and engage slowdown. After another month I'll take her in and ask if a tuneup or some carb adjustments will help.

Likewise she has very little power at lower RPM's. 4-7k she'll pull you out of the seat if you twist the throttle too hard, but there's little push under 4k.

As said, I like my bike! She curves and swerves like an angel. A twisty country road with no traffic is heaven. And as a commuter ride, her handling and responsiveness turn the tedium to fun when things are moving. But she's not perfect.

-- TWZ 2006-07-01