D
Deleted member 1183
In many aspects of my life I have been averse to change. However, when it comes to motorcycling I tend to be able to buck that trend and I often embrace change.
Right now I am in the middle of a period of change. Needless to say it has a lot to do with my age (65) and my changing frame of mind that comes with that age. Last evening I sold my 690KTM Enduro. That marked the end of an eleven year phase of KTM ownership. During that period I have owned a KTM 950 Adventure, a 950SM and the 690. Now there are no more KTM's in my shed, but I still have the Jerseys and the Dog bowls and the keyrings. All three of these bikes have given me immense pleasure, especially the 950SM which is probably the most fun I ever had on a motorcycle in my 45+ years of motorcycling. For various reasons I moved these bikes on. The 690 replaced the Adventure as a trail bike. The SM was irreplaceable for 8 years until I realised that I was no longer using it as much in favour of my Triumph Explorer and my NC. The 690 has now gone also as I was only using it in anger a couple of times a year on offroad events. So the eleven year KTM phase has ended .
There have been other phases of course. In the seventies I went through a CB750 phase. I had three of them over a period of 5 years starting with a K1 then a K4 and finally a F1. That phase gave way to the Kawasaki phase.
The Kawasaki phase lasted all of 14 years and was the longest one of all. I loved Kawasakis, almost all of them, from the humble KH100 to the mighty Z1300 and everything in between. I think I owned 16 Kawas during that period including dirt bikes and some classics. Then I went through a period of various bikes including a couple of BM’s and a Triumph.
In the 90’s there was the Honda vee twin phase. They included a VTR1000 Firestorm and a couple of Varaderos.
The GL1800 had a phase all to itself for 10 years, although it was shared with the KTM’s.
So that brings me to the current period of change. I now know that I no longer have any desires for very large motorcycles. I am ok with powerful motorcycles but they have to be in small light packages. The Triumph is an exception, but that is there for two up touring, which it does very well. I am wary of its weight though. My Friend recently visited with his Ducati 1200 Multistrada Enduro. Lovely bike but too tall for me. It has a huge surplus of power. It left me cold. While I am still into offroading, it has to be easy stuff nowadays as my lower back is no longer up to the rigours of the more serious stuff. Ironically the years of punishment offroad/enduroing is largely responsible for that bad back but what the hell, I had a ball doing it and no regrets.
So where does that leave me ? I now want comfort, ease of handling, and power where it is most useful (midrange and bottom end). The new Africa Twin has all of those aspects and as such I am looking at it closely. It is a little heavy but not excessively so, and it will handle light offroad tasks in my hands. I am fairly sure that is the way to go for me now and I am looking forward to it. I will miss my NC, especially that fantastic motor which imho is a milestone, and one of the best motors Honda have ever produced for its capacity. So, the end of a phase and change on the horizon again.
Just some ramblings on a wet cool day when I can’t get out and Me and the Dogs are waiting for the rain to stop………
Right now I am in the middle of a period of change. Needless to say it has a lot to do with my age (65) and my changing frame of mind that comes with that age. Last evening I sold my 690KTM Enduro. That marked the end of an eleven year phase of KTM ownership. During that period I have owned a KTM 950 Adventure, a 950SM and the 690. Now there are no more KTM's in my shed, but I still have the Jerseys and the Dog bowls and the keyrings. All three of these bikes have given me immense pleasure, especially the 950SM which is probably the most fun I ever had on a motorcycle in my 45+ years of motorcycling. For various reasons I moved these bikes on. The 690 replaced the Adventure as a trail bike. The SM was irreplaceable for 8 years until I realised that I was no longer using it as much in favour of my Triumph Explorer and my NC. The 690 has now gone also as I was only using it in anger a couple of times a year on offroad events. So the eleven year KTM phase has ended .
There have been other phases of course. In the seventies I went through a CB750 phase. I had three of them over a period of 5 years starting with a K1 then a K4 and finally a F1. That phase gave way to the Kawasaki phase.
The Kawasaki phase lasted all of 14 years and was the longest one of all. I loved Kawasakis, almost all of them, from the humble KH100 to the mighty Z1300 and everything in between. I think I owned 16 Kawas during that period including dirt bikes and some classics. Then I went through a period of various bikes including a couple of BM’s and a Triumph.
In the 90’s there was the Honda vee twin phase. They included a VTR1000 Firestorm and a couple of Varaderos.
The GL1800 had a phase all to itself for 10 years, although it was shared with the KTM’s.
So that brings me to the current period of change. I now know that I no longer have any desires for very large motorcycles. I am ok with powerful motorcycles but they have to be in small light packages. The Triumph is an exception, but that is there for two up touring, which it does very well. I am wary of its weight though. My Friend recently visited with his Ducati 1200 Multistrada Enduro. Lovely bike but too tall for me. It has a huge surplus of power. It left me cold. While I am still into offroading, it has to be easy stuff nowadays as my lower back is no longer up to the rigours of the more serious stuff. Ironically the years of punishment offroad/enduroing is largely responsible for that bad back but what the hell, I had a ball doing it and no regrets.
So where does that leave me ? I now want comfort, ease of handling, and power where it is most useful (midrange and bottom end). The new Africa Twin has all of those aspects and as such I am looking at it closely. It is a little heavy but not excessively so, and it will handle light offroad tasks in my hands. I am fairly sure that is the way to go for me now and I am looking forward to it. I will miss my NC, especially that fantastic motor which imho is a milestone, and one of the best motors Honda have ever produced for its capacity. So, the end of a phase and change on the horizon again.
Just some ramblings on a wet cool day when I can’t get out and Me and the Dogs are waiting for the rain to stop………