BUYING A NEW BIKE? TOP 5 reasons why A small capacity MOTORCYCLE maybe the most sensible choice!

It's something that comes to most of us when we have been riding bikes for years, Stuart. I've ridden them all since I was 16. Glad I got those superbikes out of my system. They are for the most part a vanity project. I am now 58 and my greatest pleasure is riding my Vespa GTS. The most fun, easy-going, enjoyable, and endearing two-wheeler that I have ever had the joy to own.

Here in Australia the maximum legal speed limit on any road is 110 kph (motorways) or 100 kph on other roads, 80 kph or 90 kph on a lot of local roads, 50 or 60 kph on suburban roads and 40 kph in school zones, except in the Northern Territory where it the top legal speed limit is 130 kph. So people who ride over those posted legal speeds are breaking the law. Riding 20 or 30 kph over the limit can lead to licence suspension and hefty fines. There are a lot of police and a lot of mobile speed cameras and the govt makes millions from speeding fines. Owning a super fast, powerful bike is really stupid. Your chances of being caught are really high.

Merci !

Carbon Dioxide induced Global Warming is a HOAX. Prove me wrong!

I agree with what you are saying. But I did the opersit and got rid of my small 250 Honda and kept my BMW R18 transcontinental, due I mainly tour and I ride only as a hobby these days. Plus the r18 is very economic for how I use her. And haven’t regretted it. But the r18 is going to be a long term keeper if not for life. But we will see what happens in this crazy world.

I live in Texas... the average speed is MUCH higher than in most places. In Dallas, it's probably around 35mph overall, but as soon as you leave the metro area, the average speed will be over 60mph. That said, you can go fast on a 500cc bike. That's small in Texas, and appropriate.

Hi there Stuart, I realized the benefits of riding a lower powered dirt bikes years back when I went from a Honda CR250 2stroke to an XR250 4stroke. Not being a professional dirt bike rider I lost a lot of seconds because I couldn't open the throttle mid corner, switching to a bike with less power made me a lot faster and made riding a lot more fun. On the road I realized that things are the same when I went from a GS 1250, to a Bonneville T100, and your videos have helped me realize that going to a lighter and more nimble motorcycle will be more fun. I will also be able to travel dirt roads because you are not as afraid of small dings and scratches on a cheaper bike. SO soon selling my 2018 T100 to get a HNTR 350. Sign me up.😊

I like your rants!

The citizens of the western world should be marching on their governments with pitchforks and torches like an old Frankenstein movie

Stuart, I couldn't agree more with you , as we came out of the pandemic I also said the world has changed and governments around the world will have new views on how me most live,.

A lot of truth in your rant at the beginning.

I'm 63, had more than 50 bikes over the years, mostly trail bikes with about 10 big bikes. I've downsized to the re 350 and love it. It's brilliant on rural nz roads.

HI Stuart, New to your channel. This video has been out for a year now. Here in the states I ride both a 650 Honda and an ST 1300. The 650 is fun to ride around town, but love to get the ST out on the highway. The 0-60 acceleration of the ST is awesome. Sure, it's big and heavy, gets only 44 mpg and is not fun to park on a hill, but I just love the thrill of the acceleration of the bike. I can go out for an hour or so after work and get my thrills on the ST and it's the one I prefer to ride.

The only reason I want a 1000cc bike is the safety of better brakes, the bike can be seen better by cars waiting to pull out , also a 1000cc can be rode slower but with more reliable on a long journeys, the big power can get you out of trouble. It’s the bigger bike that have the best protection from weather .

Just bought a new RE 350 classic reborn, love it, very tame, very easy to ride, very cheap to run and simple to maintain.

WELL, now that we're on the topic... (Serious fuel economy from necessity): I have a vivid memory of the gas crunch in the 70s... it made a big impression! Gas went from something like twenty five cents per gallon to a dollar, then there were shortages and rationing! AND we slowly forgot about hundred-octane gas.... (I didn't drive at the time). Vast busy highways became empty, especially in off-hours and weekends. SO, a friend of mine became an early adopter of MOPEDS which at the time were not popular... 50cc two strokes. He and his wife got one each, and put some baskets on them, and were able to go out for long rides on weekends, go camping. I think they had a gallon gas-can each, plus what was in the tank. It seemed fantastically eccentric at the time! His stories of driving down the major highways in the Miami area on these tiny vehicles... and being the only traffic...were so entertaining! Hadn't thought of this in a decade or so, 'till this video brought it to mind. Meanwhile I just saw a picture of an ancient Italian specialized racing bike of history, with a water-cooled engine that seemed so impossibly tiny! Like the size of your fist... but still clearly a motorcycle. Roughly the shape and size you would think, with skinny tires, and a LOT of open space in the frame! You could see right through it! Was it for Time-Trials? Not an off road thing, a real motorcycle. I thought "maybe THIS is what I really need!". You could just pick it up!

As an American it’s frustrating to admit our current government is the main problem
Corruption at a level I never imagined would happen combined with ignorance about how the world actually functions

Love this video. Right on. Back in Belgium in the 70s I used to ride and restore British bikes (Triumph, Norton, AJS, Vellcettr...). Got back riding motorcycles about 4 years ago and just bought an Interceptor (well INT650 here in the US) and absolutely love it. This bike was made for me! I think you really explain what this bike is all about.

I agree 99%, I leave speed to people' discretion.

Small capacity motorcycle and friends with high capacity for fun, joy and integrity. That's what you want in life.

Totally agreed. Yes this is all facts. Yes agree with delivered messages. This is how we wake people up. Agenda 21 Agenda 2030. Behaviors have to be forced. They are forcing Behaviors on us commoners. Vote them out.

I’ve lived in the US, Germany, Spain and the US. Speed average is the about the same in Europe, but in the US is varies widely. Some states, people on average drive 10 MPH over the speed limit. For example Arizona, speed limits are mostly a suggestion. Add to that that it will also change with the time of day and day of the week. The US is just to massive and they have to much geographical variation for a small bike to be safe on the road. Add to that that the licensing system is rudimentary at best, a small engine bike is simply terrifying to ride on the Highways. Trust me on this, driving in the US is like driving in Rome, but most people are driving vehicles the size of Combies with sports car HP.

speed limiters, which have been fitted, in Japan for example , just immediately creates a market to remove them...we removed them in NZ in many of the japan based bikes...( for racing use only of course haha)

I'm going for a tour over the alps down to Italy and back over another pass with a Vespa 300 hpe two weeks from now. I drive a lot in the mountains with it and it's huge fun, because I can use all the power and achieve 80 km/h (=the speed limit on country roads) going up even 20% hills. And i still get an average consumption of 3l/100km.

It is nothing to do with carbon emissions it is all to do with the powerful energy of the universe, electricity that is everywhere in the universe and can be generated and delivered at the speed of light. That is well in advance of fossil fuels we have to accept that.
I'm now 85 and still riding my bike although it is a three-wheel Yamaha Tricity. It is easier for me to park and manage.
Piston engines have come a long way but they are reaching their limit now. Electricity is new and has a lot to offer but it is still in its infancy.

We have grown up with piston engines we understand them and like them. But the coming generations will be weaned on electricity and they will no nothing of the piston engines. Describe them to the coming generation telling them that a piston engine only delivered one power stroke in four they will laugh and say what happened to the other three strokes. You will have to say they suck compress and blow. WHAT!!!!!

The whole situation is changing soon we shall have electric jet engines for planes. RR is already working on new types of turbines.
Most large ships are now electric with diesel generation soon to be replaced with nuclear generation
The answer is nuclear batteries they are coming fuel for life no recharge.

Europe wants to change to all electric energy as oil and gas will cease to be a fuel. No more importing fuel power at the source.
Even Elon says space vehicles will become electric. I don't doubt it. Just because we can't see it doesn't mean it won't happen.
Why do have to set are bum on fire to get to the moon can't think of anything more dangerous.
We have known the advantages of electricity for a hundred years technology has been our stumbling block. Our technology is nearly there.

Tall heavy bikes for me now are to hard work. I have a few to choose from. My go to bike that always puts a smile on my face is the Honda gb 500. If I feel like a hooligan a maico 490 gs. But it's getting harder to start so less use. Another Honda the mtx 200 is a fun little bike. For longer trips a BMW f800 is fine. Except for the electrics. Fuel consumption the maico is frightening.

I've always preferred two cylinder middle weight bikes.
Just make more sense all round. Single cylinder bikes are very sensible too, just not quite so good two up over long distances.

Good point - "dependent on fossil fuel"

Nice video raising some valid points. Years ago, I had a Gilera Runner 4 stroke 200cc twist and go. It would do 80 mph, or 80 mpg (but not both at the same time) and had storage space for a helmet and waterproofs under the seat. There was no stirring the gearbox, of course, but I had enormous fun on that bike and covered many miles. Any bike working at about 80% of what it is capable of is fun. Speed is all relative. 30 mph on my bicycle is fast, and when I had a small 4x4, 10 mph off road was fast. My sailing dinghy "tears along" at about 5 knots. The development of big bikes capable of 2 to 3 times the national speed limit has made quick profits for the industry at the expense of making the sport/hobby/mode of transport inaccessible to the next generation of riders. Back in the day, biking was a cheap way of getting to work, and a fun thing to do at the weekend on the same bike. Now they have become rich men's toys. If any good is to come out of the current crisis, it may be that bikes start to become accessible again. I was speaking to my 89 year old step dad the other day and he mentioned his "first big bike": it was a 500cc single. He had some good stories to tell.

Great content as usual. I am entering a change in my life. Marriage over and moving into a small apartment. In doing so I have to drive over 60 miles on California freeways back and forth. These trips are usually stressful but the last trip I decided to return at 65-70mph on cruise control. Believe me, that’s slow on our freeways where some people drive 80+mph. This last trip was a revelation. I was relaxed and serene for a change. Of course I still had to be alert as you should always be, but it was a more pleasant drive. On a smaller motorcycle it would definitely be do-able. I have ridden big cruisers and ADV bikes but never really used their potential. Cross country on a Harley was a great experience. A shorter distance in a day on a smaller, nimble bike could potentially be just as fun if not more. That’s my thoughts and one of the changes in my life will be a 350 Royal Enfield this year or next. Thanks for your videos. 😊

And we have been able to THRIVE and PROSPER due to fossil fuel. Thanks..... I like your style bro.

Firstly let me say i absolutely identify with practically all your posts and love (if you can call it that these days without being labelled a weirdo ) your videos. I'm 69 yrs and thought myself a very experience biker having owned only five bikes ( scooters not included) BSA starfire , Honda 250 K4 , Suzuki GT550 , Yamaha XS500 DOHC and a Honda 500 four from 1971 to 1883 when i got married and all the usual happened . I toured all over the country Devon Cornwall wales and Europe and even tried to get to the Innsbruck bike show in 1976 in winter so i know what its like to stop every five miles to warm my hands on the Yamaha's engine but that's another story . I like most of my generation speeded about gunning it everywhere leaning as far as we could at 60 mph into every bend, and showing off to both are friends and motorists thinking that they were impressed instead of the reality which was probably "Bloody hooligans". But lets face it in our teens and early 20s we all did this , the bikes back then actually looked like bikes and not transformers as i heard someone describe them ,i think it could have been you . after giving up bikes to have kids and two marriages, i retired and decided as many do to become a weekend poser and laboured under the false assumption due to the emotional nature of biking that i could pick up where i left off ,so brought a Kawasaki Z900RS as it looked like a real bike . i rode it about three times to get the milk before i realised it was top heavy, too tall for my stunted old age and had a throttle that wished to do a wheelie if you even looked at it ,devastated i felt a coward and ashamed and could not understand why as a young man i could ride these bikes but now they terrified me .well horse power and centre of gravity seemed to be the problem when i stopped crying so test rode a RE Hunter and the shop had trouble getting me off it, to the extent they nearly contacted the local constabulary to retrieve their bike when i disappeared for two hours . Now i own one and have never made a better decision in my life if that's not to melodramatic ,having realised what i was missing back then, plus ,who even the young wants a bike as you say that tries to kill you at every junction and wants (to quote you again) to have the tedium of constant restraint every time you stir the gearbox. please keep up the good work and take care !

I really enjoy your videos but what a load of tosh. I cycle to work every day and the literally thousands of cars that pass me every day would suggest cars are most certainly not being phased out. If anything there are more than ever and they’re getting bigger and bigger

Ill be looking for a R E classic 350 in the near future , just got to finish paying for my smaller petrol engined car first , cant wait 👍 notice the prices are now creeping up at the pumps again £1.54p petrol .

The 'pandemic' was actually a plandemic designed to help usher in the 'New Normal' : a New World Order tyranny which uses technology to control every aspect of our lives. They want to return us to serfdom and will blame it on manmade climate change, which is another lie.

I’m probably not untypical in being a bit sceptical about having more fun on a smaller bike. It sounds undos almost like a bedroom apology.
But thinking back, my first “proper bike” was a Suzuki GT380B. Oddly enough, I still own it! A half a dozen bigger machines have come and gone and bar a “Kettle”, which is an over restored beauty, my 380 always was & remains the most fun of those bikes. For distance, I did so hugely enjoy my Suzuki GSX1400 and I wish I hasn’t sold it, but as I contemplate “a little something for the weekend”, I can’t get excited about a Mercedes A45S AMG or another big bike. We’ve a holiday place in southern France and my dearest wish is that I get around to buying a super scooter, as they’re very popular there, in the perennial good weather and heaving traffic.

I’ve always enjoyed the smaller displacement bikes. The governments are messing up this world. They complained n about CO2 then have two wars blowing everything up. Motorcycle prices have also gone through the roof. A 500 Honda costs over $6,000. A small 125 Cub’s nearly 4 grand msrp. And used bikes cost nearly as much as a new bike. I was surprised that Honda priced the Xr150L below $3,000.

The U.S. already have speed limiters. In the 1980s the government mandated 85mph speedometers, but it was stupid and didn’t last. I have toured on 250 and 500cc bikes. I was going to get a 750 but life took another turn, so never got into larger displacements. I’m now looking to hit the road again soon. But the motorcycle world has changed so much, especially sticker shock. It’s also crazier drivers today than a decade ago. The Honda XR150L definitely fits my budget. People say the Meteor has a speed limiter of 72-75 mph (115 kph). Is that true? I tested the XR150L and it’ll do 75 on a straight run. It’s a good little bike. What am I waiting for? 😅

I am following your videos with a view to starting to ride again. I am interested in why you request donations to the Parkinson’s research. Can you explain? I am mid 70 and fit but starting Parkinson’s, do you know of other people facing this disease and are riding?

I currently ride an Indian Roadmaster that is almost a thousand pounds and is over 1800cc but I am strongly considering downsizing to a smaller bike because I mostly commute and only rarely take trips and such a heavy bike is no fun on commutes. Also, I am always afraid that I will drop the bike when I am out on a trip by myself because I can't pick the bike up to save my life and would have to wait until someone happens along to help me. In all honesty, a smaller bike would make a lot more sense for my situation. Of course I am not thinking of going down to a super small displacement and will probably stick with a 650 or higher, but I don't need an 1800cc bike.

Thank you for another one of your common sense videos. I will be 69 this year and maybe is time to down size from my current 1400cc touring bike.

As an American, I'm envious of the style of riding I see in Europe.

250cc DAILY. Always considering another bike, but the TU250x is staying with me until I’m gone.

Over 40 years old: 1, no time to use big bike,for god now ,how long trips , 2 ,yea..risk of loosing license,speed restict,3 after years working to much,with broken back...they are just to heave,lets get unest,we are no more 20 years old,to get wife on hands,and carry 20 meters:))),4.fuel consumption ,and all cost,its tru also....so generally I get mash 125 ,Take care, enjoy riding

Well said, have a blessed week my friend

Back when I started riding in the 70's my road bike was a Honda CB 360T and it took me everywhere.

oorah Stuart.

After many years without bikes, a dozen years ago decided to get on two wheels again. Lots of time spent on figuring out what bike to buy. Luckily can afford whatever bike I want. Ended up with a 300 Ninja. Main reason was remembering my days of cafe racing, I thought a lower powered bike pushed to the limit could possibly keep me alive. Needing a drivers license, could find no reason for a bigger bike capable of more than 110 Mph.
Found the 300 light and nimble, easy to move around in the garage, cheap insurance, reasonably comfortable for touring and fun on track days. Though on track passed by bigger bikes on long straights, late braking and good cornering speeds gives decent lap times. Only drawback is more space needed for safe overtaking of slower traffic. Can wait for opportunity.
Though have to admit that the Vincent is a better tourer. And the old Manx more fun on track.