Current Motorcycles

I’ve had quite a few motorcycles over the years, covering most of the spectrum of genres.  Like many, my infatuation with 2-wheeled transportation began at a very young age, starting on a friend’s small displacement Honda something-or-other.  My prior experience had been on Briggs & Stratton mini-bikes with centrifugal clutches.  Twist & go, one-speed affairs.  But this Honda had 5 gears, each successive selection would make me go faster!  That was all it took.  I was hooked.

I owned a few bikes before settling into married life and kids.  When the family came along, I lost interest in motorcycles for quite a few years.  It was only when my youngest was well into high school that the bug bit hard again and I found myself wandering around motorcycle dealerships in search of something to stir my soul.  That was in 2003 and there has been quite a parade of bikes taking up temporary residence in my garage since then.  I won’t list them.  Let’s just say there has been a variety; from dirt bikes to cruisers to sport bikes and tourers.  I guess you have to experience them all, at least I seem to.

For this blog, I’ll just detail what’s in the garage today.  There are two:

2015 Yamaha FJ-09 (stock photo)

After my minor spill on the K1600GT, I began to consider getting something a little smaller and lighter.  I still wanted a bike that I could tour on, but I wanted it to be easy around town, have acceptable power, decent handling and some high tech attributes.  Took a look at the Multistrada from Ducati and also considered BMW’s upcoming S1000XT, but both of those bike are pretty pricy and I really don’t need 160 hp.

Enter the FJ-09.  This bike really ticks all of the boxes for me.  Lightweight, compared to the Beemer, with plenty of smooth power from the 850cc triple.  Great handling and a bevy of electronic goodies including traction control, ABS and 3 driving modes.  A very nice package.

There’s some work to be done to make it a great tourer.  I’ll be adding hard luggage, a taller windshield, heated grips and electronic cruise control, among other things, but I think the FJ will become a very versatile tool for many of my street motorcycling endeavors.

Looking forward to taking her on her first long-distance trip soon.

 

2014 KTM 500 EXC (stock photo)

After modifying the WR250X for off-road duty, I found that I really enjoyed trail riding much more than street riding in supermoto trim.  My riding buddies all had KTMs and between my lack of skill and riding a lesser bike, I found myself fatally trying to catch up most of the time, usually after failing to negotiate a turn and dumping the bike.

So, I decided to sell my KLR 650 and the WR250X in order to finance the purchase of a new 500 EXC.  Although I do miss the KLR, it was the right decision.  I’m really enjoying the KTM.