Downsizing

[glenfiddich]

I’m keeping the 2012 GSA sidecar rig for long distance trips with Glenlivet, but have decided to sell my 2018 GSA. It’s been used for local daytripping, but living in a village with just one paved road I often find myself on storm damaged dirt roads hanging on for dear life as conditions deteriorate with no place to turn around. My teenaged dirt bike skills have - so far - gotten me through some truly sketchy areas, but age and old wounds have me thinking it’s only a matter of time before I drop it in a spot where recovery is dicey.

I’m in the I wonder where that path goes? camp, so light and maneuverable at slower speeds are more important than high end power. Short maintenance intervals and electronics I can’t fix at home are non-starters. After checking out several bikes in the 450-650cc class and ruling them out, I’ve settled on the little Honda CRF300L with upgraded suspension dialed in to my weight. I’m looking forward to exploring some promising routes I didn’t dare take the GSA down.

 

[riderr1150gsadv]

That looks like a wise decision to me as well. I’m looking for a smaller second bike to roam around some dirt roads as the 1200 I have is a handful in soft sugar sand and not my favorite way to travel on that stuff.. Hard pack no problems yet though. Your sidecar rig is amazing btw.

 

[omega man]

Even though you are picking a motorcycle that won’t need much maintenance, may not even need fuel to run like a champ, I wonder how you will like the seat?
Hopefully you will post a bit of your setup modifications like the suspension and related.
Good luck with it.
OM

 

[PGlaves]

I have said this before but will repeat it. While attending "Breakfast with Dave" Hough at a rally in Nakusp, BC, David looked around the room at all the gray hair and posed the question: "Does anybody have any strategies for how we continue to ride safely as we get older." I pondered that a while and then dutifully as in school raised my hand. When called on I proposed, "Smaller bikes for shorter days on lonelier roads."

Later, Voni and I bought BMW G310GSs.

 

[kickstandsup]

+1. We start on light bikes, and we'll finish on light bikes.

For the street, I've long felt that 450 lbs/100hp/60+ ft/lbs is the sweet spot. Heavy, high HP bikes provide significantly diminishing returns.

 

[Scott9999]

I’m keeping the 2012 GSA sidecar rig for long distance trips with Glenlivet, but have decided to sell my 2018 GSA. It’s been used for local daytripping, but living in a village with just one paved road I often find myself on storm damaged dirt roads hanging on for dear life as conditions deteriorate with no place to turn around. My teenaged dirt bike skills have - so far - gotten me through some truly sketchy areas, but age and old wounds have me thinking it’s only a matter of time before I drop it in a spot where recovery is dicey.

I’m in the I wonder where that path goes? camp, so light and maneuverable at slower speeds are more important than high end power. Short maintenance intervals and electronics I can’t fix at home are non-starters. After checking out several bikes in the 450-650cc class and ruling them out, I’ve settled on the little Honda CRF300L with upgraded suspension dialed in to my weight. I’m looking forward to exploring some promising routes I didn’t dare take the GSA down.

Not quite an analogy, but sometimes moving to a lighter bike after riding bigger bikes for a while can totally renew your riding fun.

Way back when (hmm, 1995 or 1996?), I had picked up three "well broken in" (a.k.a. project) dirt bikes to get my 7 and 8 year old kids going. The older, my son, had been begging me for a year, as the (better off) neighbor kids daddy's had bought them new dirt bikes and all the pretty kit to go along with it. I grew up on dirt bikes, but adult life had taken me away. I think I paid less than $1000 for the lot. A 1980 Yamaha IT400, and a couple of Suzuki RM 80's. We fixed 'em up and road them (more fixin' than riding, but that was part of the point - my son became a pretty good mechanic on his own starting with that first bike).

Short story long, the IT400 had problems within a year that I couldn't repair for lack of parts (no longer made by Yamaha), so I did the next logical thing, i.e. bought a well-used YZ250, and put a whole lot of love into it. Stripped it, powder coated it, replaced every moving bearing, along with some engine, transmission, and clutch work (which I honestly can no longer recall), new suspension, brakes, the whole nine yards. Looked and rode like new. The weight difference wasn't substantial, and while that trials bike had both handling and power to spare, the weight to power ratio of the YZ was night and day difference. While the IT could bore through anything and take me anywhere, the YZ was "flickable". It seemed to leap off both tires with a quick right wrist twist. Absolute blast to ride, and never ran out of power. I think I loved that bike more than any bike I ever owned. The IT had eased me back into dirt riding (which I still didn't have much time for, due to business, Navy Reserve, and financial obligations), but I fell back in love with dirt riding on the YZ.

So, though you'll always miss a little more kick from the GS, I'll bet you'll find that Honda a blast to ride. Hope so, anyway. Stay safe, and post pictures so we'll can envy you.


PS: My YZ went bye-bye when my pre-teen son decided he needed to upgrade to keep up with the other riders. I tried to steer him towards 125cc. He could barely reach the pegs on either the 125cc or larger YZ. He eventually took my YZ out for a ride one weekend with a friends family, and that was it. It was now "his" bike. He was always pushing the envelop. More stories I could tell you about that (i.e. his first street bike at age 16 was a 1000cc beast, long story), but I'm already wearing out my welcome on this thread with my O.T. sea stories.

 

[olironrider]

“Smaller bikes for shorter days on lonelier roads.”

Paul, what a great summation ! It’s on par with your decades old quip about “project” bikes, if I remember correctly…

“90% of a Project takes 90% of your time; the remaining 10% takes another 90% of your time !”

As for myself and the “downsizing” theme: up here in Penn’s Woods (PA), I rotate between my ‘72 R 60/5, ‘78 R 100RS and, ‘04 Honda Helix Scooter. The Helix is for “local” work, <25 mile runs to other towns, joyous parking lot drills and has definitely humbled me while keeping my skills sharp; gains about 5,000 mile a year. If road conditions are safe during Winter, it supports heated gloves, jacket.

The first application of Winter Road Safety Treatments, grounds the /5 and RS; got too much time/work/money in them ! They move indoors and properly stored.

After Spring rains thoroughly clean the roads, the R 60/5 is my Sunday “Coffee & Donut”, “Greening of the Leaves”, “Fall Foliage Colors” as well as, “it’s such a perfect day…”, ride. The R 100RS is the traveling machine ! Got Luftmeister Auxiliary tanks so, nine plus gallons onboard takes me quite a ways… easy non-stop to Boston for visiting my daughter ! Between those two, gain about 10,000 miles a year.

Plus, I’ve also been rewarded by the three of them having… good parts availability, repair/overhaul support !

I started my “legal” riding a ‘65 (?) Honda CB 77, Super Hawk; never have strayed far from the 400-500 pound class which, I guess, is why I’ve stayed with them ?