Okay, most of us are no longer 23, buff, or go to the gym 5 times a week or bench twice our body weight. In fact, most of us at my age are 20 lbs. overweight and haven’t been to a gym in awhile.
So why do we want a 520 lb. motorcycle or need 142 horsepower to feel like we can tour? Well, that’s the situation I have as my 2020 Kawasaki Ninja 1000sx, though not considered heavy or even that large is enough of a handfull.
It handles incredibly well, and the performance is more than I actually need, with 0-100 times of 2.8 seconds and a top speed of 158 mph. Yes, I still love my bike and likely won’t change motorcycles again in my life, now also being north of 70 years of age.
But, when I look at a bike like the Yamaha Tracer 7 GT, for example, I have to ask myself, “When is enough, enough?”
Through five iterations of Sports Tourers I have always gone a bit larger, faster and heavier. I still do go the gym, however, and at 200 lbs., even with a partial steel leg, capable of throwing the bike around. But need I? As many of you may have found, there is a lot of fun to be had on a middle-weight sport tourer that will get me anywhere I want to go on this continent, in comfort and style, yet with half the horsepower and a hundred pounds shaved off the weight of the bike.
The Yamaha Tracer 7 GT is by no means the only bike in this category, and between 500 and 800CC I can probably count at least half a dozen competitors these days. It isn’t so much the make of the bike that matters, it’s simply the ease of handling, light weight, reasonable performance and terrific range. These bikes often average about 60 miles to the gallon, so a four to five gallon tank provides plenty of range.
Especially if one gets off the interstate highways and takes a more leisurely ride, I find my pleasure and appreciation for the journey improves. Why not? I have blasted across the country at speeds that I’ll never admit to, and gone from point A to B in near record time, but was it really all the enjoyable?
So, this is just a thought, and maybe I’ll return to it in a few years, but this last year, with the injury and the experience of having ridden with a man who was 15 years older than me, ecstatic to still be riding his Kawasaki 650 Versys, it makes me ponder my options.
I suppose the key is exactly that ‘thing’ all of us love so much. That sudden rush you get when you crank your right wrist and the sheer smoothness of my inline 4 cyclinder. I do love it. I also hope that my age and health allow to do this for years to come.
My hope for all of you is have the best experience you can with what you’ve got, physically, mentally and financially. Enjoy the ride. Be safe, be well, and have a wonderful New Year.
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