I've never owned a large bike, a GSX 1100G was the largest, but I've ridden Goldwings. Those are wonderful bikes, but very limited except on the highway. My neighbor pointed out that there are many Goldwing owners where we live but you never see them out and about. They're just too much bike for in town riders. I've even spoken to a couple of GW owners who wanted to downsize for that reason. A long time ago I rode a friends 550 and I realized what I was missing. It was so easy and so fun to throw his bike into the corners compared to what I was riding. I could never get that out of my head and so before I bought the CTX I was looking at smaller bikes. I ended up with the CTX for the DCT and for how easy it was to ride. I know people who own large bikes and love them for what they do well, but I can't help but think that they're missing out on a lot of fun. The CTX makes me feel young.
Anyway, I spend most of my time in the country on two and one lane roads just cruising along at about 40 mph. The way I figure it, the faster I go the shorter the ride. When I was younger, it was about the bike and the thrills, but now it's about seeing the beauty of the planet. The furthest I've gone was 400 miles and I've also cruised at 95 mph on the Interstate (just to keep up with the traffic). I plan a 4k mile trip this year and I'm excited to see how that goes. The bike won't be an issue, for sure. The last time I took a trip was over 30 years ago. I've seen too many older folks just sitting around the house, only getting up to take care of the lawn or going out to eat. Life's too short for that. I don't need to tell you folks that.
For me, the CTX is a dream come true. It can do everything I need it to and it's fun! I've recently taken up photography and it goes well with riding. My shots aren't very good, but considering that I am surrounded by corn and bean fields, it makes me try harder to get good shots. I envy you folks who live near mountains and oceans. A funny thing about that... I lived in Lock Haven Penn for a year and to me it was gorgeous, but the people that grew up there didn't even notice it. I took that to heart and learned from it. In the midwest where I live, it's flat and all there is are fields of plants, but since I got my bike, I've come to realize that it has it's own beauty that changes throughout the year. It doesn't translate well in photographs, but the openness and vastness of it when I'm on my bike is extremely relaxing, it brings me to reflect on my life and reminds me of how precious life is.
I'm rambling and I'm preaching to the choir, but I guess what I'm saying is that the CTX is a wonderful bike, not perfect, but overlooking that, it's a great bike for people like myself. I don't know how the NC700 is to ride, but the CTX is very quick turning. It makes it easy to ride in town and at slower speeds. On the highway, it isn't as locked into a straight line as the larger bikes and for some people that that might be a negative. I've found that the CTX responds to very little input so the best way to ride it is to relax and let the bike do it's thing. It almost steers itself.
Oh, one more thing... the first time I rode one, I couldn't find the foot pegs and my feet were flailing around in the air until I figured it out. I put floorboards on mine and I really like them. I can move my feet around some and that makes it more comfortable to me.
Preach and ramble all you want, I love good stories and to share how we come about, how we arrive where we are today mentally and ideologic.
There are always pros and cons, two side to the coin, etc...
Yes, imagining the comfort and the music while paddling along a country road with your better half on the back seat equally comfy, not cramped, enjoying quiet and silky smooth ride, with plenty of storage so that can feel free or not having to carry everything that you might need when it gets dark, that is a dream, a heavy bulky dream that is not practical and that you will need a whole week of planning just to motivate you wonder to man handle that thing out of the garage.
Two wide to flat foot the ground, and too heavy to move it around without having to get off the bike and ask for help.
So, ideally one would own three bikes, a 250cc for around town, a gold wing to go on vacation, and a 600cc intermediate for the long commute to work...
I always wanted a fun 250cc, but the I hear about all the short comings, the horrible suspensions that can even be dangerous, the buzzy engines that will keep you num from the minute you take off, the instability the minute you hop on the freeway, etc and the fact that the gap in price between a 250cc and an intermediate bike is not that much...
So this is where the middle size bikes are finding their niche as they are getting more developed. The weight of the bike is decreasing, they are just as practical as a 250cc, but with enough room not to feel cramp and be comfortable, and enough engine to sustain 75mph comfortably for long periods of time without too much buzz or fuzz. And much more affordable than a touring bike.
But still, when I compare my NC700x to my sportster, the sporty felt more nimble more practical and I was more inclined to swing a leg over the sporty before I would on the NC700.
Once rolling down the road, the NC whole handle better and felt more nimble, light clutch, better brakes and not so top heavy, the NC has no character compared to the sporty.
I loved the sound and all the vibration on the sporty, the face I was sitting on top of two big carbureted jogs, I could feel every bit of vibration, all the smells, etc. The fact it was one sitter and low to the ground.
There is something about all plastic
And storage on the NC that makes it feel more of a grandpa family vehicle then the racing roadster feeling I got from the Harley
Now I would had never been able to carry all the camping gear with such ease on the Harley, I would had been worried about breaking down far away from home and the comfort would not be there either.
So, now that I own the NC, it is all paid for, it is in good condition to go anywhere, instead of trading it in for a different bike, I think I would just start looking for another sporty for in town usage...
Today, I had an interview this morning, when I went to drive the Miata, there was like 3 inches of rain on the floor
For the last 3 days we have been bombarded work rain here in north Florida...
So, it felt good to just hop on the NC and go... The NC is so tall, it is hard to climb, but once you are up there the view is amazing, I think it is a safety feature
With the sportster I was so low to the ground that no one could see me and so I couldn't see too far ahead either, so, it is also nice to have a tall bike
Now the bike I am crazy about is the new Scout Sixty, some describe it as all that a Harley Sportster is suppose to be but is not
I was also very interested on the new Harley 750 Street Rod, but it doesn't look that comfy and if you join their forum, everyone is having transmission problems, the bike won't shift down...
I test rode a regular 750 street and my impression was it had the best transmission I had felt on a Harley, very smooth, positive but no clunks, so I don't know why the new Street Rod is
Having issues...
But at this point if am going to risk 9k on an American bike, it will be an Indian, they seem to have figured out better engineering then Harley...
Am just afraid the Indian won't have the same feel and sound as the Harley.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
