Enter, 2009 Kawasaki Versys 650. Motorcycle #7 in my stable, and the fourth with a 650cc motor.

This particular example is shod in Shinko… something or other (I tend to call them crap) tires and has been lowered two inches (one inch in suspension, one inch from a foam-ectomy in the seat). A small wind deflector on the screen rounds out the modifications.

So, where do we start? Well, first impressions are that this is a 7/8s version of the BMW F800R that I have sitting at home. Seriously. Both bikes are parallel twins, 6 speed transmissions, both riding on 17 inch wheels, and both weigh in at roughly 440lbs wet.

Motor: This particular lump has seen a lot of duty in Kawasaki’s line up. Being used in the Ninja 650, the ER-6N, the Versys 650 and the Vulcan 650, it’s a cheap and cheerful motor, chucking about 65HP and 45ft-lbs at the rear tire through a chain. It’s not the world’s most exciting motor, and I personally dont like I-2s (I much prefer V-twins) but it does the job, and it does the job cheaply. I’m getting about 55mpg on the freeway at about 110km/h.

Brakes: I had to do a double take at these. These calipers look identical to the 16 year old units on my 2000 SV650! Truth be told, these Tokico calipers are used on just about every single “cheap” bike there is. And they aren’t THAT bad. The feel at the lever is a little wooden it must be said, but nothing a new set of pads and some new fluid wouldn’t help fix.

Suspension/Handling: Here, I’m a little annoyed. This thing has upside down forks… on such a cheap bike? Even my BMW didn’t come with UPDs until 2015. The previous owner was a shorter guy, so the whole thing sits an inch lower to the ground, with another inch taken out of the seat. This brings the seat height WAY down, and contributes to why I feel like this is a 7/8th scale F800R, and not an actual adventure bike.

As far as handling is concerned, the bike is REALLY let down by those junk Shinko tires. The chassis feels light and nimble, and eager to turn in. But a rear with a flattened middle section (at least I know the previous owner did not rag on it hard) and just a shitty tire overall really really detracts from any athleticism this bike has. Once I get a set of Michelins or Dunlops spooned on this thing it should really wake up in that department.

And to answer everyone’s burning question, YES, this can be a good beginners bike.

Speaking of sport touring, the bag setup is really sleek on the bike, and the big KTM looks great with them off the bike too.  Two metal “pockets” on each side of the rear fairing are the only indication of the bags going on at all.  No funny metal rack things to look less than ideal when you don’t have the bags on is a plus in my book. It’s also got comfy ergos for my 5′ 8″ frame with 32″ inseam, so touring is on the menu. Wind management is pretty good too. There’s plenty of air moving around at 75 mph, but nothing blowing your head off with the adjustable windscreen in the upper of its two settings.  It’s much better than my Multistrada was stock for me, although it is pretty far from an R1200RT in the other direction.

Now the fun bit.  It’s got the 1290 Super Duke R’s beloved engine and a big windscreen so you don’t get blown off the silly thing.  Tuned for more torque???  Yep.  TORQUE.  Yep, all caps and I’m not retired, nor do I use AOL as my email provider.  It’s big, plentiful, and makes this bike easy to scoot along in nearly any gear.  Another design element I like is the tall top gear which allows the machine to loaf along at 4000 RPM at 70 mph.  The engine mapping has three modes, but the sport mode is the one I want to explain as the other two are really good.  Sport mode, though, is more and it’s fun! Rolling on hard feels like waking an angry demon and sounds similar with what seemed like more induction noise.  The same roll on in other modes is fast but as fast (I think) and not nearly as loud and fun.  It’s a power fiend’s fun mode.  I suspect that using this full throttle a lot will reduce the range considerably like it does on my Multistrada.  If you’re restrained, though, the 6 gallon tank and maybe 40 mpg will get you quite a ways down the road.  I didn’t test the mileage but I know the tank is 23 liters.

There were some things I didn’t like.  As a guy who has a bike that does everything really pretty well except go 5 mph, I was bummed that this machine doesn’t do that well either.  Even at 9 mph in first gear the bike chugs and doesn’t like it.  It’s not as unevenly fueled as my 2011 Multi at, say, 6 mph, but it isn’t happy.  I was hoping for better but I do understand. It’s just not going to make you or a passenger happy if you do have to thread through standing traffic in San Francisco to get past a traffic issue. Not that this is ever fun, but if you try it on, say, an R1200RT, R1200GSW, SV650, F700GS it’s just soooo much easier and more relaxing.

There was also a noticeable amount of heat coming up onto the back of my thighs when stopped after the bike had been running for a bit.  Not awful, as it wasn’t a hot day, but more than any other bike I’ve owned (I’ve skipped the Duc racetrack escapees).  The bike also had a sort of high-frequency vibration when first applying from the brake.  I only felt it in my hands. It might have been the surface of the brake disc or pad.  Not sure, but it was like a stronger version of what I felt when I put a pretty aggressive semi-metallic pad on my R1200RT.  It was an early demo bike so something might have been amiss there.  The brakes worked great and had a pretty good feel.  Not as good as an S1000RR or R, but very nice.

Overall I’m really impressed.  You can read other articles or their website for all the details as there are many.  It’s got traction control, ABS, cornering ABS and traction control, semi-active suspension, heated grips, cruise control, cool led cornering lights, a cool configurable dash (minus TFT color bling but I liked it), factory optional heated seats, slipper clutch, quick shifter, and probably other stuff I’ve forgotten.  Add some firm but not silly suspension and the whole active thing and it’s so well behaved it seems downright reasonable to have a 173 hp motorcycle with 106 lb-ft of TORQUE.  Good times if you have $20k for a stinking motorcycle! Maybe it represents a return to the days of yore when a VFR was a popular sport touring machine in all its mechanical glory?  Or maybe it’s more Harley as the name is gosh darned mouthful.

So my usual ride, heck, at this point my main mode of transport is a Suzuki GSX1250FA (Bandit) with a lovely 1250cc inline four that makes exactly enough torque. And by exactly I mean way more than I will ever, ever need. I can kit it out with touring stuff, and I can take it off and commute.

But like any good moto (or car, or guitar, or cat) enthusiast, I always want more. In my case, I want something more nimble than the Bandit. There’s a saying in the bike world that N+1 is the right amount of bikes, with N being the number you currently own. I own two but one is on its way out and I’d like to have something light and fun to toss around to replace my dying Katana, which is as close to a sport bike as I have.

Now with cars, you can just waltz into a dealership, and besides some funny looks for doing an outdated dance, you can just show your license and pretty much test drive anything within reason. With motorcycles, it doesn’t work that way. Usually if you are lucky, and SERIOUSLY looking to buy a bike, they might let you take it around the lot. So for us on two wheels it’s all about the Demo Days. These are days when either the dealership lines up a bunch of bikes to test ride, or a manufacturer arranges a whole bunch to ride. I never tried one until today and I really want to again now. I highly recommend waiting in line a whole bunch for an all too brief ride on something. Also, unlike amusement parks, this is free!

Also note, this demo day you rode in a group behind a leader bike. There’s a whole Reddit joke about leader bikes (look it up, seriously) but in this case it means a factory dude in a high-vis vest. They last about 20 minutes. Not enough to give you a total idea of a bike, but enough to make you want/or not want more. All you need is a motorcycle license (no permits) and long sleeves shirt, pants, boots. Heck you can even borrow a helmet but… ick.

Suzuki GSXR600

The Gixxer 600 is your entry level sport bike. It’s light, it’s nimble, you can flick it around and it has more than enough power to move you into stupid territory. It’s a great idea if you want to do track days, or be a squid, or just have something light and nimble to play with and go fast. Despite being leaned forward, it really is not at all uncomfortable. You sit forward but the bars are not as low as other sport bikes. I found the throttle to be very controllable, hell, easier than my Bandit. Never once was it jerky or surprising. It has plenty of usable power in the 3000-6000 rpm range for around town. I never got above 8000 on the city streets during the group ride, but I can only assume the fun begins above 10,000 since peak power is at around 13,000. I could easily see riding this around town, and then opening it up in second gear on an on-ramp and be doing over the limit before I hit third/merged into traffic. This is that kind of bike. I may sometimes be that kind of person. Not all the time, but definitely once in a while. It makes noise, but it would make better noise with a non-stock exhaust as most bikes do. It has a seat. I would not ride 200 miles on that seat, but I would easily commute my 50 miles each way on that seat. The brakes were nice and very linear. No surprises grabbing a little or a lot more of the brakes. Having never ridden a real “R” bike before I was intimidated before I rode it, but within a minute I was comfortable and at home. I feel like this is the sensible bike, for when you want to do non-sensible things.

Suzuki SV650

There is no other way around saying this: The Suzuki SV650 is the Mazda Miata of motorcycles.

It’s light, it’s fun, it can easily be at home on a track, it can be ridden daily, it’s relatively cheap, etc. etc. ad nauseam. Along with a Ninja 500, it is also one of the absolute most suggested beginner bikes.

And now I totally get all that and agree with it.

I’ve only sat on a Grom once and never ridden one, but just by sitting on it I wanted to do hooligan things on that tiny Grom. It just had that vibe and personality that makes you do that stupid grin that makes your friends nervous. From the moment I rolled away on the SV I got that smile. I’ve never wheelied, but I REALLY wanted to on the SV. It’s light. It’s upright. It sounds like the happiest little lawnmower in the world that just wants to GO! The redline comes up around 9K or so in an absolute moment. There’s not a ton of acceleration with that, but there a whole lot of GIMME-THE-NEXT-GEAR-LETS-DO-THAT-AGAIN!!! If you’ve never ridden before, you could hop on this and the noise would scare you well before the speed does (unlike most other stock bikes). If you’ve ridden before, you start going “WHEE!!!” inside your helmet. Which is far better than other bikes that make you do that in your pants.

I couldn’t believe how flickable the SV was for being an upright seating position. Usually I associate upright with “well this will take some effort to turn/lean” but nope. I felt like I could put the bike on the exact edge of the pavement on any turn (and I think I did) like I was Rossi or something. I’ve honestly never felt that way on a bike before. I could also bounce it in and out of potholes with abandon. It had brakes. They worked fine. The gearbox was surprisingly smooth for an entry Suzuki. The seat was actually less comfortable than the Gixxer which is kind of surprising but an easy fix. The only thing I didn’t like were the mirrors. I have no idea why Suzuki thought your elbows needed mirrors, but that’s where they are, and what they show. Again, a pretty minor aftermarket fix. All in all, I had a ton of fun on this bike. I get it. I totally get what people say about this bike and it’s true.

Which one would I buy?

Easy. For me it’s the GSXR600. If I bought either of these, it would be as a second bike. I want something fun and flickable, but I also like highway on ramps. As much shit-eating-grin fun as the SV was, I’m listening to the devil on my shoulder here. I could commute or do anything except my long distance stuff on the Gixxer. I also know how to keep bikes under 10,000 RPM, so for me, not a problem. I still feel like I’d have to go kind of Gixxer squid and get a pair of flip flops or something, though I would never wear let alone ride in them.

That skin, itself, is one of the most notable differences. While the Elio has an enclosed cockpit, the base model of the Arcimoto SRK is open. A roll cage surrounds you, as well as a windshield and a roof, but the sides are more open than a Jeep Wrangler with the doors removed. Body panels are available as an option, but don’t expect anything fancy, with the exception of the “Eagle Wing” door that opens up and over the roof like a simplified Tesla Model X. Each of the tandem seats has not one, but two three-point seat belts. Fastening both essentially straps you into a four point harness. Heated seats and controls are standard equipment, useful for those chilly mornings.

Another major difference is the controls. Both vehicles are legally considered motorcycles, since they have less than four wheels. But while the Elio drives like a car, Arcimoto uses motorcycle controls. The setup was quite familiar to me as a motorcyclist myself, but it employs an entirely different skill set than a traditional car, or the Elio. As a result, the SRK will not qualify for the “autocycle” category that Elio is pushing to allow people to drive their cars without a motorcycle license.

Arcimoto doesn’t seem to be concerned about this, though. They point out that you’re allowed to take your motorcycle license road test on whatever bike you bring, and therefore you’d be allowed to take it on an SRK. This would be the one, and only, instance in which I would NOT recommend taking the MSF Basic RiderCourse to get a motorcycle license, because almost nothing you’d learn about riding a two-wheeler would apply to the Arcimoto. You could also ride this on just a motorcycle learner’s permit as long as you follow its restrictions, which vary by state. While a learner’s permit for a car requires a passenger, a permit for a motorcycle typically prohibits one, so you could certainly teach yourself to ride it without much difficulty.

But the biggest difference between the Elio and the Arcimoto is the powertrain. The SRK utilizes two small but strong electric motors, each powering one of the front wheels. You sit on top of the battery, which stretches the length of the vehicle. Like a motorcycle there are two brake controls, but the foot pedal operates the mechanical brakes on all three wheels while the handlebar brake lever controls regenerative braking, which recharges the batteries. Arcimoto claims a range of 70 miles (130 with an extended range package), 0-60 in 7.5 seconds, and a top speed of 80mph. Given the SRK’s weight of a tick over 1,000lbs and the instant-on power delivery of electric motors, I believe these figures. And this is only 60% of the motors’ full potential. Arcimoto turned the power down to keep the SRK from burning up its tires like a front wheel drive Challenger Hellcat. I wonder how long it would be until the aftermarket develops a Tesla-like “insane mode” to unleash the SRK’s full potential, voiding every warranty and all regard for safety in the process.

So really, despite using the same general formula, the Elio and Arcimoto SRK are very different vehicles. In fact, the two companies don’t even consider each other to be competitors. While Elio has built a very small three-wheeled car, Arcimoto has created a Tuk-Tuk for the 21st century. I think this is wonderful, because Tuk-Tuks are awesome, as demonstrated by this video of the greatest Tuk-Tuk chase ever.

There is one more big difference between the Elio and the Arcimoto SRK. I’ve personally seen the SRK in action. While Elio is not yet allowing test drives of their prototype, I watched the SRK maneuver slowly through a roped off area of the Javits Center. While I absolutely believe that the Elio is fully capable of self propulsion as well, seeing is believing, and personally I think seeing the more radical SRK in action was even more impressive than seeing the more traditional Elio go for a drive. (That’s probably the first time the Elio has ever been called “traditional,” but with a gas motor and manual transmission, it is in this case.)

Arcimoto calls their three wheeled car bike thing “The Everyday Electric.” Though I’d need the extended range package for my daily commute, I could see myself taking this to work regularly. Despite being close to twice the price of an Elio, over time it would make up that difference in savings on gas. State and federal electric vehicle tax credits could also go a long way toward paying the premium over an Elio. I look forward to seeing what the future holds for both of these futuristic vehicles.

(To learn more about Arcimoto, check out The Untitled Car Show interview with Arcimoto’s Mark Frohnmayer and Jesse Fittipaldi.)

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In 1989, Honda introduced the Pacific Coast 800 – a motorcycle for people who don’t ride motorcycles. It’s said that while Honda’s motorcycle engineers laid the groundwork, they gave their automotive engineers the task of putting it all in a friendly package that would appeal to the average Civic or Accord driver, rather than someone cruising along on a VT1100C Shadow or dragging a knee on a CBR1000F. This commercial from 1988 shows that the PC800 wasn’t exactly aimed toward Harley riders.

These days it’s quite common to see crotch rockets or sport touring bikes completely covered in plastic, hiding the innards to achieve better aerodynamics. But in 1989, such use of plastic on a motorcycle was quite rare. American style cruisers and the ubiquitous UJMs hung their inner workings out in the open for all to see. The type of driver-turned-rider that Honda was targeting with the PC800 couldn’t care less about shiny chrome valve covers, so they covered it all up. It looked downright futuristic by contemporary standards, which lead to the PC800 appearing briefly in Back to the Future 2 as literally a bike from the future.

The seat is only 30″ tall, making the PC800 accessible to a wide variety of shapes and sizes of riders. The plastic covering continues here, too, as even the handlebars are covered in it. The gauge cluster looks like it came straight out of a 1989 Civic. The speedometer and tach have swapped sides, the fuel and temperature gauges have rotated a bit, and the car-specific warning lights have been replaced with neutral and kickstand indicators, but any EF Civic driver will feel right at home here.

Step around to the back, and the wide wraparound tail light strip bears a striking resemblance to that of the 1989 Accord. Though three bulbs illuminate the whole thing, only the outer two serve as brake lights – again, like a car.

But the coup de grâce is the trunk. The PC800 has an unusually wide butt. When you unlock the gas cap on the “fuel tank” (which is fake – the actual tank is below the seat to keep the weight down low) and pull on a trunk release lever (which, again, looks like it was recycled from a Civic or Accord)…

…the entire top rear of the bike, including the passenger seat, hinges forward just like a car’s trunk lid, revealing two large storage compartments on either side of the rear wheel. These replace traditional saddlebags, and can carry a great deal of cargo. They’re also waterproof thanks to a large overhang from the trunk lid. A previous owner added a Givi top trunk to my bike’s already generous cargo capacity, allowing me to carry everything I needed for a week long tour of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia to ride the Cabot Trail a few years ago. Time, rather than space, prevented me from touring even farther than that.

So what’s it like to ride? The PC800 is a unique design that falls most closely into the sport touring segment. But its 800cc motor, sourced from the Shadow VT800, is significantly smaller than the Honda ST1300, BMW R1200RT, and Yamaha FJR1300 that are so popular in this segment. I’m not a particularly fast rider, and while I’ll sometimes use all the power the PC800 can give me up a steep hill or when merging onto a busy highway, I don’t find it lacking at all either. It’s about as smooth as a Harley is not, which is pretty amazing considering that both motors are V-twins. It’s also rather quiet. When you’re in the saddle the bike sounds more like George Jetson’s flying car than a V-twin. Handling is rather good, since most of its roughly 600lbs sits down low in the frame, partly thanks to that low riding gas tank. It’s no sport bike but it’s fairly responsive through the corners. When it’s time to stop, dual discs in front and a drum in back do the job well.

Something you won’t have to do much with the PC800 is maintenance. Many riders enjoy tinkering with their bikes, adjusting and improving them to their own particular specifications. Given the PC800’s intended audience of non-bikers, it has hydraulic valve adjusters, automatic cam chain tensioners, a hydraulic clutch that never needs adjusting, and an electronic ignition. Some of these features aren’t even standard equipment in 2016, never mind in 1989 when the bike was introduced. Shaft drive avoids the tedium of adjusting a chain or belt. And although it relies on a pair of carburetors rather than modern fuel injection, I’ve never had any problem starting it no matter what the temperature.

If I had to compare the PC800 to a modern car, I’d say it’s probably much like a Mazda CX-5. It’s practical, comfortable, easy to ride, and has a good deal of storage space. But when you push it a little, it’s also surprisingly fun – something you don’t necessarily expect given its roots. Perhaps Honda’s motorcycle engineers got the last laugh. Though marketed toward non-riders, the PC800 is packed with enough fun that it might have converted some casual commuters into serious bikers.

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