Go Big and Ride Small
Posted: Sun Oct 28, 2018 8:12 pm
Iβm not sure what started it all off.
Well, Iβve owned and ridden plenty of large and fast bikes over the past 10 years including Sprint ST 1050, Trophy 1200, street triples, zzr600βs etc but for a while now Iβve been falling in love with smaller bikes. Why, when there are fast roads to be conquered, rapid overtakes, and loading the bike like thereβs no tomorrow....
For me Iβve fallen in love with unbelievable mpg, the lightness that you can always manage the weight even when fully laden, the unobtrusiveness of a small bike that gets you access to pathways and lanes that otherwise may be frowned upon, and that usually parts and additions are cheap to replace.
Iβve now done two 1000 mile trips on my XR125 across France, twice rented YBR125s to ride around Andalucia, Iβve done the Strata Florida on my C90 and have just come back from Germany having done over 1100 miles on the same bike.
During my last trip I was thinking it would be nice to have something for a bit more distance and though I have a CB500X I still long for something lighter and lower and so after a bit of deliberation I decided on a Honda CB125f. It seems to have all the qualities Iβm looking for: a tank range of about 300 miles on 13 litres. It will take a givi back box and side racks, has a pretty comfy seat and riding position, and will hold a good 60mph if motorways are ever needed. So, I have just picked up a lovely 1 year model with only 2200 miles on the clock for Β£1700. It seems to ride lovely with a good turn of speed for a 125 and so gorgeously light with its little blue/black shimmering paintwork.
So what next, well I will see how this little fellow goes and then consider selling my 500..... and trips, well I quite fancy a visit to Kiev for one of their famous chicken dishes at some point and Russia is never far away either.
My new motto: Go big and ride small
Well, Iβve owned and ridden plenty of large and fast bikes over the past 10 years including Sprint ST 1050, Trophy 1200, street triples, zzr600βs etc but for a while now Iβve been falling in love with smaller bikes. Why, when there are fast roads to be conquered, rapid overtakes, and loading the bike like thereβs no tomorrow....
For me Iβve fallen in love with unbelievable mpg, the lightness that you can always manage the weight even when fully laden, the unobtrusiveness of a small bike that gets you access to pathways and lanes that otherwise may be frowned upon, and that usually parts and additions are cheap to replace.
Iβve now done two 1000 mile trips on my XR125 across France, twice rented YBR125s to ride around Andalucia, Iβve done the Strata Florida on my C90 and have just come back from Germany having done over 1100 miles on the same bike.
During my last trip I was thinking it would be nice to have something for a bit more distance and though I have a CB500X I still long for something lighter and lower and so after a bit of deliberation I decided on a Honda CB125f. It seems to have all the qualities Iβm looking for: a tank range of about 300 miles on 13 litres. It will take a givi back box and side racks, has a pretty comfy seat and riding position, and will hold a good 60mph if motorways are ever needed. So, I have just picked up a lovely 1 year model with only 2200 miles on the clock for Β£1700. It seems to ride lovely with a good turn of speed for a 125 and so gorgeously light with its little blue/black shimmering paintwork.
So what next, well I will see how this little fellow goes and then consider selling my 500..... and trips, well I quite fancy a visit to Kiev for one of their famous chicken dishes at some point and Russia is never far away either.
My new motto: Go big and ride small