Bikers' Banter

Anyone noticed there are loads of new bikes coming early next year. All shapes and sizes, even a couple of new BSAs .
AND, how well are Royal Enfield doing, some say crap bikes but they are selling more than most others. So, do you want a crap bike that sells or a good bike that don't sell, all down to the ££££££s i guess.

I've not really seen too many new ones Bob but I have seen a few updated models and various new Indian and Chinese bikes. I think the appeal is the lower costs. It's just like how the Japs took over.... Those Enfields and BSA's are nostalgic bikes for some but a Bargain purchase for others... the CF Moto and Benelli bikes are cheaper than equivalent models. When I talk to the local young riders, most seem to buy Sinnis, Lexmoto and other chinese stuff, or second hand Jap stuff........ not many have new jap bikes as they are too much..... These people will not appreciate the difference and probably just buy further cheep bikes..... I also think prices of most jap bikes are getting stupid now.

Totally agree. Thing is with the usual 2 year warranty that comes with a bike it's almost like you can afford to buy a Chink crap and chuck it away when the warranty expires. That's if you are comfortable with the build quality, nowt worse than the forks dropping off doing 55 mph on a A road.
But lots of other countries are producing some nice little bikes now and next year. Not that i would buy mind, just interested.
Lots and lots of people are looking for a cheaper form of comuter and small economical bikes to get to work could be the answer. These people are not bike enthusiast, just cost conscious.

Taking specific bikes to compare VFM and all the other specs, I'd still take a Japanese bike over a Chinese one as I have had experiences with Chinese products over the years... We avoid selling anything Chinese in our business as past experiences have been terrible yet customers still think they have found a bargain... I have to go to another job in a bit on the MT, It's really Foggy and 2 degrees here so it'll be a good test of my new Fishing Suit !!!!

I will be selling the small scoot when we get back from Aussy. It's got 126 miles on the clock already so has to go
For sure i will be buy Honda to replace it.
Buy cheap buy twice is what they say eh.

I'm starting to like the new Enfields. My friends Phil and Christine have recently bought one each. Phil has a Scrambler and Chris has the Meteor. Apart from a minor hiccup with a loose connector on the Meteor they've been very reliable and both are happy with their choices.
I tried the Meteor when we all went for test rides, but my feet and hands were too small for the little one and I'm too short for the big one. I'd have gone for the small one when I give up the Street Triple in a couple of years if I thought I could get comfortable on it.

Talking to a guy at J&S recently who was riding a Himalayan, he was saying he had done 17,000 in 2 years and done nothing but 2 tyres and a few services, no reliabilitiy issues. Which i found impressive.
But if you cannot get comfortable on one it's all a bit academic isn't it.

A bloke parked right nest to me with a himmy in Bridport a couple of years back..... it was pretty crude looking and rather ugly.... I like the looks of the Enfield Twins and the BSA is bang on if Retro is what you want... still wouldn't buy any of them though.... way too slow !

I'm assuming that I won't be travelling quite so fast once I feel the need for a smaller bike
Himalayans do look a bit rustic, but Enfield must have sold an awful lot of them. I think the price makes them more attractive and they seem fairly reliable.

Vast amount of people on motorcycles out there are NOT bikers per se, they are comunters. They want to comunte from home to work or whereever by the cheapest convenient way possible.

I have always said, i am not a biker like some of you guy's, i am a guy that has a bike and likes riding occasionally for the outdoor fresh air feeling. I never ever close my visor i like the wind in my face.

Many years ago i did ride for the speed, knee down arse in the air, knuckles scraping the pavement excitement like young Nev still does but not now, (he that says that having just got points for speeding on his bke )

Cheap mode of transport for some, ugly machine or not.