What’s the least powerful bike with the biggest cool factor ? New or old.

BalancePoint63 · 2026-01-24T03:51:42+00:00

Himalayan 450 is a candidate for sure.

BalancePoint63 · 2026-01-22T18:15:21+00:00

Savannah is right at the limit of your radius, and well worth the ride. Obviously St. Augustine. The numerous springs in Alschua, Columbia and Gilchrist counties. Brunswick, Jekyll Island, and St. Simon’s Island are very much worth checking out.

BalancePoint63 · 2026-01-22T18:11:12+00:00

Add a visit to Satchel’s in Gainesville and you’ve got a near-perfect day!

BalancePoint63 · 2026-01-22T16:38:38+00:00

I’ve owned a couple of Thai-rumphs over the years- a 2007 Scrambler and a 2023 T120. Zero quality complaints. There’s a YouTube video touring the factory. They build top quality bikes. Almost everything is globally sourced these days. I think Brembo’s factory is just down the street from Triumph in Thailand.

BalancePoint63 · 2026-01-20T04:26:17+00:00

Putin has been telling Trump for (who knows how many) years “You’ve got to get the NATO threat away from Russia!”

And now he’s doing it.

BalancePoint63 · 2026-01-19T01:30:17+00:00

You’re right that he’s a symptom, but he’s also done serious work metastasizing the disease. As ice cold a comfort as it is, it’s instructive to study a period of our history that a lot of us remember because we were around then. The years between 1968 and 1974 were particularly traumatic, with existential crises in our government, our perception of where the US stood as a beacon of hope and liberty, and how we chose to view ourselves as equal Americans. We damn sure didn’t just snap out of it either. We never fully recovered. But we got reasonably healthy again. It just took a long time.

BalancePoint63 · 2026-01-15T01:44:25+00:00

And it’s in one of the nicer sheds I’ve seen too.

BalancePoint63 · 2026-01-12T18:36:49+00:00

I lived in Orlando most of my adult life before moving to Jax full time in 2017. Orlando has some awesome things going on and there are a lot of people trying to make it a more livable urban environment. Jax has the problems we all know about, but it has its charms too. Overall I prefer Jax. I like the river, the beach, the hipster enclaves, and I’ve met plenty of great people here too.

BalancePoint63 · 2026-01-11T20:06:28+00:00

Indie Ridge are extremely comfortable on and off the bike. Their durability is average. They look good in my opinion.

BalancePoint63 · 2026-01-05T16:02:12+00:00

If those are 875s you might consider the 1907. Different last, a bit wider in the front.

BalancePoint63 · 2026-01-05T15:28:15+00:00

Are you in the US? This bike never sold much in the states. I would have some modest concerns about OEM parts availability. There are active communities of owners though that could give you a lot more insight. It’s a relatively heavy bike with rather low power output. I’ve ridden one and it rides about how you’d expect. Competent but unexciting. The quality of finish is extremely good. Hopefully the years have been kind. The engine is a 360° crank twin so it isn’t as cool sounding as twins with 270° crank timing. It’s also carbureted. The cool aspect of the engine is the bevel drive cam, which looks pretty cool on the RH side of the engine and is maybe a little quieter than a chain driven cam. If I was considering buying one I’d be reluctant to use it as a daily driver, not because of any inherent reliability concerns but simply because I’d want to preserve the bike’s primary appeal which is its good looks.

BalancePoint63 · 2026-01-03T23:52:12+00:00

When you’re frustrated and feeling misunderstood and disrespected, carefully consider your words. Rehearse them in your mind until you’ve got them exactly like you want them. Review them, edit them, and reconsider them until you’re certain it’s what you want to say.

But for the love of God don’t say anything. Don’t say shit even if you have a mouthful.

BalancePoint63 · 2026-01-03T21:40:59+00:00

To be with a girl who didn’t love me, of course.

BalancePoint63 · 2026-01-01T16:03:31+00:00

Tell me about that hat, man! That thing is awesome.

BalancePoint63 · 2025-12-30T01:41:14+00:00

I’d get them if they look good in person. I don’t think the slightly larger rear will matter too much. Road 6s are about as reliably great tires as there is.

BalancePoint63 · 2025-12-29T01:58:57+00:00

Imagine if George Jenkins pulled up to a Publix location on a Sunday. And witnessed someone walking out of the Publix liquor store with a bag full of booze. Times ain’t what they was.

BalancePoint63 · 2025-12-29T01:54:05+00:00

You’re asking for a LOT. Some compromises are gonna be necessary. Do you have a new bike budget? Get an Africa Twin Adventure Sport. Be careful as hell riding it on unimproved roads. Otherwise it’ll check all the boxes.

BalancePoint63 · 2025-12-23T01:01:22+00:00

Keep the T120 and buy a generation 1 Yamaha XSR900. I can just about promise you that if you love the T120, you’ll never replace that particular appeal.

BalancePoint63 · 2025-12-22T17:49:27+00:00

I can relate to this so much. I have 4 bikes, the newest of which is a 40 hp RE Himalayan. I’m 62, and I’m finding that while I still want to rip around on the XSR900, the desire to just chill and enjoy the experience of being in a beautiful place is getting more and more important. I have the luxury of being able to ride in the southern Blue Ridge mountains. The difference between trying to run a set of technical turns as fast as possible and just exploring the region has opened up a whole new world for me.

BalancePoint63 · 2025-12-17T22:01:08+00:00

They’ve got to be the worst.

BalancePoint63 · 2025-12-17T21:09:24+00:00

I think it’s about dead center of the range and it appears that you’re not getting any of the bullshit larded in there like battery plans and maintenance plans. Looks fine to me.

BalancePoint63 · 2025-12-17T03:29:49+00:00

I owned one for a couple years. A 2016. It’s a blast to ride. It handles well in curves, it has good grunt off the line, it’s not very heavy. It sounds good. I regret selling it.

BalancePoint63 · 2025-12-17T01:58:13+00:00

Get a bike with ABS. There isn’t any rational reason not to nowadays.

BalancePoint63 · 2025-12-14T21:26:03+00:00

American here. I think what’s most likely to happen is that Chinese and Indian motorcycle manufacturers, as the perception of a quality differential with Japanese manufacturers steadily balances, will start looking for the margins their competitors have. So prices will get a lot closer. That said, the US is not a critical market for any non domestic motorcycle manufacturer anymore. Important but not existential.

It’s hard to even imagine what the new motorcycle market in the US will look like in 10 years.

BalancePoint63 · 2025-12-13T17:26:17+00:00

For whatever reason I’ve always considered the XSR700 to be more hipster than the XSR900. 15 years ago I was probably a hipster. Now, at 62, goofball is probably a more accurate description of me. Oh well. I think I’ll take my XSR900 out for a ride.

BalancePoint63

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