motorcycles

Oh, I love ‘em all, but I have my favorites. Interestingly enough, I’ve found that my
tastes and opinions on what makes a good bike for me have gone in a completely
different direction than I would’ve thought.

I was taught how to ride in my late teens. My Uncle’s 1100cc Yamaha and my dad’s
Kaw Ltd 1100 aren’t bikes I would’ve chosen to begin with in retrospect. Larger Kaws
being, as they are, fairly top heavy and not lacking in power. FUN, though (and I still
love the look of a late 70’s or 80’s U.J.M.)

It wasn’t until later, family and career established (maybe not a bad place to start
when it comes to how you approach riding emotionally), that I bought my first cycle,
a 1987 Suzuki Savage. These bikes are now known as the Boulevard S40: a 650cc
single cruiser which is very easy to ride and a breeze to run through Illinois’ M class
test! After a summer on that little thumper, my dear wife, who had spearheaded it’s
purchase, pushed immediately ahead for a trade-up.

Within weeks the little Zook was gone and a gorgeous ’03 Suzuki Volusia sat in the
garage (see gallery). This 800cc classic cruiser, now known in Suzuki circles as the
Boulevard C50, got a number of upgrades to enhance passenger comfort, plus bags
and a windshield, and lived with us for about a year and a half.

Here’s where the evolution of my preferences went completely astray of what I
thought was going to happen. First off, I’ll never be a Harley type. Secondly, the
Volusia, despite being mechanically excellent and quite good looking, revealed to me
that the cruiser riding position was NOT going to work. My back hurt and my tailbone
burned after a couple hours slouched in the seat with the forward controls, and
being a person who rides A LOT, this was not going to fly.

The alternative? Sportbikes!?! No way! How could an adult be drawn by those types of
bikes? Well, AHA!, now paying attention to those experienced adult riders that pen
articles in my favorite cycle magazines I see that sportbikes don’t deserve the stigma
attached to them because of the wheelie-popping, tank top- and shorts-wearing
twerps we see riding like morons on a regular basis. The supported, forward position
has allowed me to comfortably ride the miles I want to (read: 8k-10k per year so far).
So, I went back to one of the first few bikes that caught my eye as I shopped for one
of my own, the Kawasaki Concours. I enjoyed it for three years, putting 26,000 miles
on it, and then was able to tweak what I wanted in a bike even further when I traded
the Connie in on my Suzuki Bandit 1200S.

Of course I haven’t commented yet on the more upright stature and mature leanings
of most vintage bikes. I don’t have any experience with them other than what little I
remember as a young passenger on the back of my dad’s Yamaha XS650, but I believe
I’ll always enjoy an aesthetic admiration any time I see an old Honda CB or Triumph
Bonneville. I mean, c’mon, these are the bikes along with the likes of Hunter S.
Thompson’s Vincent Black Shadow that inspired generations of riders, and continue
to do so. Maybe someday!