HMW Roundels

[Phil Tarman]

For any of you who are interested, the red and white HMW roundels come from Brad Esler, a member of the Concours Owners Group (he also makes green and white roundels that say KMW. Send him an email order to: bradesler@yahoo.com. He sells them for $5 per each + $2 postage for as many as he can stuff into the envelope before his stamp bill goes up. BTW, it's a quality piece, not just a flimsy sticker.

View attachment 352

 

[vacanefan]

Thanks Phil,
I ordered mine this morning.

 

[Lincolnshire Poacher]

Mmmmmm, too much BMW like for my liking.

 

[Phil Tarman]

Mmmmmm, too much BMW like for my liking.

If it didn't irritate the BMW crowd it wouldn't be worth doing. It's fun watching them try to retract a friendly wave when they realize that it's not a BMW.

Non-BMW people have asked me in all seriousness, "When did Honda and BMW merge?" Others have wanted to know what kind of BMW that is; I tell them it's a Honda and they walk away confused and baffled.

 

[elizilla]

V-Stroms and TDMs are regularly mistaken for BMWs. I can't tell you how many times I've been asked "What kind of BMW is that?" and explained that it's a Yamaha BMW or a Suzuki BMW. My guess is that it's just the fact that those bikes are tall and unusual, and I put matte black Givis on them.

I suppose the Honda Shadow riders get asked what kind of Harley they're riding, too.

 

[Phil Tarman]

Come on guys ... they're mileage-riders just like us ken

Sure! I've got no beef with BMW riders. Some of my best friends have been BMW riders. But, just like some Harley riders are snobs, some, not all, not even most, are stuck up and won't talk to rice-burners. Those are the ones I like to tweak. Plus, I love to poke fun at lots of things...in this case I think of it as much as a nod to the pretentions of the NT as to the pretentions of the Beemers.

 

[Phil Tarman]

Complete agreement ... well said!
(my brother rides a K1200GT ... waaayyyyy to much 'engineering' for me ... he seems to like it thought!)

ken

If it weren't for the ever-looming possibility of gravity working its wonders on an K1200GT and having to pick all that engineering up from the ground, I'd love one. But I really can't imagine it would be as satisfying and involving as our "little" NTs.

I just can't figure out why someone doesn't make a 450 pound, 800cc V-4-powered bike with better wind protection and built in GPS and a bigger gas tank and adjustable footpegs and bars for, say, $8500. It would sell like hotcakes!

 

[Phil Tarman]

The CBR250 looks and sounds pretty neat. I've got an ST1100-riding friend who's getting to the point where he know he won't be riding an ST much longer who did some dreaming about making one of the 250s a sport-touring bike. That's not as far-fetched as it sounds.

Leon Begman rode a Ninja 250 on many memorable Iron Butt rides, including the '05 Iron Butt Rally. Before the Rally, he had the bike painted in a combination of John Deer green and yellow, with the deer on the tank side. But for the Rally, he painted it with black pickup bed liner, put a Rubbermaid storage box on the bike in place of the back half of the seat and had a rider-only Russell on the front. He also had one driving light and enough spare wattage to run a heated vest. The window for being considered a finisher in the IBR closes two hours after the finish time, and you get penalized for each minute late. Leon finished eight minutes before the window closed and was 11th in the Rally that year. He is one of my heroes. A well-prepared 250 is capable of a lot!

 

[bicyclist]

A well-prepared 250 is capable of a lot!

When I started riding in the 60s, my peers and I said that we'd never need anything bigger than a 250. Now, everyone seems to think that you can't go anywhere on anything less than a 1300. I don't get it. If I can pedal a bicycle across the country, I could certainly ride a 250 across.

 

[RedLdr1]

After enjoying riding the CRF230L at the MSF class I would think the CBR250R ought to be a real blast to zip around on... C'mon Ken, don't hold back we need a review of it!

 

[elizilla]

I'm sure the CBR250R would do just fine in traffic. I bet it out-accelerates many if not most cars. I don't know that it would be a comfortable ride for, say, crossing Nebraska on I-80. It might get a bit buzzy. But I'm sure it can keep up with traffic, even on the freeway. Even on the freeway loops that make racetracks around major cities.

 

[Phil Tarman]

Ken, in the 2005 Iron Butt Rally, the 11th place finisher was Leon Begman on a Ninja 250. Leon had already ridden the bike on several epic rides. It had been painted in John Deere yellow and green, down to the deer on the tank. But for the IBR, he painted it in flat black pickup bed liner, bolted a Rubbermaid storage box onto the back of the bike, got a rider-only Russell DayLong saddle, added a jack for his heated jacket and one driving light and rode 11,000+ miles in 11 days. He would have finished higher if he hadn't used up all but 7-8 minutes of the two-hour post-finish window, getting penalized substantially for every one of those 112-113 minutes.

The bike would certainly be up to it, some riders might not be.

 

[Phil Tarman]

the idea of a short range 'ultra-nimble' (1/4 horse?) rider added to the stable is most appealing!

I agree! Get one, and I'll run down and let you give me a test ride!

 

[Chucksklrst]

V-Stroms and TDMs are regularly mistaken for BMWs. I can't tell you how many times I've been asked "What kind of BMW is that?" and explained that it's a Yamaha BMW or a Suzuki BMW. My guess is that it's just the fact that those bikes are tall and unusual, and I put matte black Givis on them.

I suppose the Honda Shadow riders get asked what kind of Harley they're riding, too.

The ST1100 and the ST1300 are always confused with BMW. It has something to do with the visible cylinder head covers. I'll get a friendly conversation from the Harley guys thinking my ST is a BMW. Until they see the Honda LOGO. Then they walk away upset.

 

[Chucksklrst]

When I started riding in the 60s, my peers and I said that we'd never need anything bigger than a 250. Now, everyone seems to think that you can't go anywhere on anything less than a 1300. I don't get it. If I can pedal a bicycle across the country, I could certainly ride a 250 across.

Any thing can be used to cross the country. Last summer I ran into a couple of guys riding cross country on dirt.......using 60 vintage 305 Honda Dreams. It all depends on how fast you want to complete the crossing. They had a KLR as a chase bike. See pictures.

 

[bicyclist]

I got my motorcycle license on a friend's Benly in 1964. It was the 150cc version of the Dream.

 

[Dee G]

Somehow, even with Honda's no-ride policy, I'm now determined to get a test-ride ... this will be the key deciding factor ... what a farkle!

( list price $3999 ... )

ken

You need to find a new dealer. Our local one has no issues at all giving us test rides. I went to the dealer about 3 weeks ago, to ask when the new CBR's would be in, and Mark, the sales dude, laughed and said he had ordered the bikes the day before. He said he knew I would want a red one, non ABS. No money down, no obligation to buy, but he would hold it for me (knowing full well I've been drooling over pics for the last few months) Won't be in till late April, early May.

I'm hoping that with the current tragedy in Japan, that they will be able to ship them on time. Not that I am being selfish, but they certainly need all the help they can get keeping their economy from sinking.

 

[Dee G]

Help me with this thought (?) ... " is a 250cc bike really 'safe' to ride in moderate street + primary road traffic ?? " ...


any thoughts would be helpful, as I really am 'taken' with this 250cc possibility!

ken

We have a couple of 250cc bikes in the garage. Honda Rebel, Ninja, TU250. (plus the dual sports). The Rebel is the slowest of the bunch but I have no issues with riding it in Seattle. In fact, in 2008 I rode it from WA to WI and back. It kept up with traffic on whatever road/highway we happened to be on. No, it won't do 80 mph, but for general city riding, its perfect. Its been my main commute bike since I bought it in 2005. 25,000 miles later, I still like riding it and it has never once let me down (yeah Honda!!!)

I am hoping that Honda will build a new Rebel, using the CBR as a starting point. Make it a cruiser instead of sport bike. I really like my Rebel, but its design is 20+ years old and is in serious need of an upgrade.

 

[Igo]

Any thing can be used to cross the country. Last summer I ran into a couple of guys riding cross country on dirt.......using 60 vintage 305 Honda Dreams. It all depends on how fast you want to complete the crossing. They had a KLR as a chase bike. See pictures.

That's great. Thanks.

 

[Phil Tarman]

The ST1100 and the ST1300 are always confused with BMW

So was the classic Kawasaki Concours ZG-1000 (better known as the C-10). I don't know if the C-14 is mistaken for a BMW or not, but would guess that it is is. My hunch is that any bike with a fairing and panniers that's a non-cruiser willl be, in the minds of the general public, a BMW.

A buddy and I used to pull into gas stations from different directions and then talk to each other from opposite sides of the pump as if we'd never met before.

Typical dialogue:

"Where you heading'?" "Oh, Prince George, BC." "Where'dja come from?" "Oh, I left El Paso last night...ought to be to Prince Geroge by noon or so tomorrow."

People would hear us talking and then come by and say things like: "Nice BMW. Is it fast?"