Tag: Test Ride

Test Ride Triumph Thruxton Suzuki GSX R1000, CHP Speeding Ticket!

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Man, it’s not every day or weekend that one gets the opportunity to test ride some bikes! This past weekend I rode two different bike, huge cc bikes in comparison to the Ninja 250r that I am accustomed to.

Had the liberty to test ride my friend’s gorgeous sexy red 2009 Triumph Thruxton 900 on Saturday after logging in some miles at the Four Corners in Woodside. Even though I only rode the Thruxton for a quick minute the bike felt comfortable, accelerated smoothly but did not have that kick that I was expecting. I wasn’t used to the geometry of the bike, so when I turned the bike it felt as if it were dipping into the turn. Overall I thought that the bike sounded sweet, turned some heads, and really wished that I rode it for a bit longer.

Custom Triumph Thruxton 900

Then on Sunday my brother let me take his sweet 2015 Suzuki GSX R1000 out for a spin as we got some ice cream, a win win in my book! Oddly enough, I wasn’t on planning riding this day so I had to borrow my brother’s gear to ride his bike. Once I was on the bike, I stalled…. was playing with the clutch and thought that I had it figured out but nope. As soon as the bike was back running, I took the bike down Auto Mall and headed north on 680. For a 1000cc bike, the bike surprisingly handle great and was nimble like my 250, had me weaving through cars at 80 mph like I was threading a needle, and that was up the Sunol Grade! This GSX R1000 was fun, had a lot of power but was forgiving, I’d love to take the bike further next time, maybe to San Jose…? lol.

Suzuki GSX R1000

Monday rolled around next and as I was cruising on my way to work that day I saw CHP posted up under an overpass next to a bus stop waiting for a sucker like me… What can I say, it is after all Monday.

Riding larger bikes, a 900cc and 1000cc motorcycle, made me realize that the large bikes are not as intimidating as I thought they would be. Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that I don’t respect the power that they have, just thought that riding a larger bike would be scarier.

Anyway, thanks Stephen and Jon for allowing me to ride a couple big bikes. Now that I’m back on a 250cc, the Lil Green Monster felt a bit more LITTLE yesterday morning…

Rebel!

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This weekend I had the opportunity to test ride a Honda CMX250c, or better known as the Rebel 250.

Honda Rebel 250
This ain’t no ordinary Rebel 250.

The Rebel 250 that I rode was in its third iteration from its former original self. The third iteration brought the Rebel back close to its former self. Even in its third iteration, one can tell that this bike was a little different from a stock Honda Rebel, just by the way it sat one knew that the bike had attitude. Asides from the custom paint job on the bike, one would notice the ape hanger, and maybe the violet grips. But once you fire up this Rebel, you definitely knew that this was not ordinary Rebel!

As for the ride, this Rebel had guts to match the sound. No, I wasn’t going zero to eighty in two seconds, hell I honestly think I had to switch gears by the time I hit 20 mph lol. But none the less, this Rebel can get up. The Rebel had better power in its third and fourth compared to its first two gears. My only regret is not taking this bike onto the freeway. I was running errands and felt that I didn’t have the time to spend zipping up and down 880.

Now the only thing that I can compare the Rebel 250 to is what I’ve only been riding, a Ninja 250. Overall the difference is night and day; different riding position, different power bands, and just a totally different feel. However so different there are some similarities such as the bike being nimble. The Rebel felt so nimble and light that if it weren’t for the loud grumbling exhaust, I would had thought that I was riding a bicycle! It was easy to flick the Rebel left and right as well, also the bike was very responsive. I was surprised how easily the bike leaned, took almost no effort. The low center of gravity on the bike gave me confidence that I can lean pretty far without worrying that I was going to fall.

Incase you were wondering how the second iteration of the Rebel 250 looked like; imagine a mean looking bobber with a peanut gas tank, ape hangers, and a simple leather seat pan. Now imagine that bobber a tiny bit smaller, it is a Rebel 250 after all… Here’s what the bike looked liked while it in its in progress stage:

https://instagram.com/p/fqubj5C_nu/

My biggest take away from riding this Rebel was that I would love too, scratch that, I need too ride a ton of different bikes! it would be awesome to get a feel of different riding positions, learn what it feels like to have a range of power between my legs, and understand that each bike has its own personality… I wonder if I can find a job like that?