"Too much bike" or nostalgia? 100hp 4cyl vs <50hp twin for leisurely back road riding

[salty_monk]

It's way more fun to ride a small, lightweight bike fast than to ride a Big heavy 4 slow....

[Suzukian]

My '83 GS750ES is great for a 6 hour ride, or a 25 minute lightning ride through the back roads. I'm not going to ride a 450 lb. bike that puts out 48 h.p.. Not at this stage of my life. I'm not a very nostalgic person. I tend to keep what I buy, because I buy what I like. I still have my Honda CB400F (though that's a Kaz Yoshima Special Stage III motor), and my Kawasaki ZZR1200, which has 6 speeds, why, I don't know. 4 speeds would have probably been enough.

[rphillips]

All my bikes could use a taller HI gear. Why the bike Mfg. got to putting 6 speeds OD transmissions in 550 & 600cc bikes but not on the larger ones I don't understand. I've heard there was a 6 spd. from a smaller Kawa. that is a drop in for my ZRX, would love to try, but just not going to spend the money.

[Suzukian]

Money doesn't grow on trees, and looking at the bikes you have in your signature, you seem to have all the bases (and then some) covered!

[LAB3]

It's more fun to ride a slow bike fast than to ride a fast bike slow! My GS450 was a ball to run the twisties with and although my current bike, a Yamaha XS1100 is better all around for life as a nomad that little 450 was still my favorite.

[Suzukian]

Those GS450's were really nice bikes though. They were a lot of bike for a 450. It felt like a bigger bike, but was nimble machine. It really sipped the gas too.

[LAB3]

No doubt on the gas mileage, 55mpg on the interstate at 65mph and 60mpg on two lane state highways doing 55mph. Add a set of dual sport tires and it was like a billy goat, go anywhere you wanted with it.

[Gorminrider]

From what I remember hearing about the xs 500 wasn't it a pretty bad engine? But if not, I don't see why you'd go for a 80's Suzuki 450...I don't have one particularly but judging by my 81 Gsx400's they are better, smoother and don't give me a nostalgic feel of the 70s. Mine "don't put me back", because I didn't have one(suzuki) when I was 21.
,
So just stick with the XS500 or get a Real Triumph/Harley/Bmw from an earlier era...or newer twins-a NinjaEX500 or a Royal Enfield 650...or hey-for an "experience" the single cylinder RE500?350? BSA clone from India, (but stay off the highway with it)

[Buffalo Bill]

I certainly understand having too much power on back roads, and how to downsize to slow down.
Smaller displacement does work, or the P/W ratio.
It's really about each persons pace, and style.
I love sport riding. I've found that my 1100G power to weight ratio is ideal for me on back roads, after upgrading suspension. Seems like It's really fast but, not really because it's way heavy, takes time to get over 100.
My track bike is way too fast thru corners, inhale and it jumps over 100. Too fast in the woodsy midwest hills, all corners are blind.

[gtem]

From what I remember hearing about the xs 500 wasn't it a pretty bad engine? But if not, I don't see why you'd go for a 80's Suzuki 450...I don't have one particularly but judging by my 81 Gsx400's they are better, smoother and don't give me a nostalgic feel of the 70s. Mine "don't put me back", because I didn't have one(suzuki) when I was 21.
,
So just stick with the XS500 or get a Real Triumph/Harley/Bmw from an earlier era...or newer twins-a NinjaEX500 or a Royal Enfield 650...or hey-for an "experience" the single cylinder RE500?350? BSA clone from India, (but stay off the highway with it)

The earlier TX500s with two piece heads certainly have a well-earned reputation for problems with heads cracking, I know from my friend's '73 losing compression on one cylinder up in the Adirondacks. We stuck a later (77+ roundport) single piece head on there and never had another problem. My '76 XS500C (single piece, oval port head) is sitting at 57k and still runs and rides good. Both of the aforementioned bikes withstood a coast-to-coast-and-back loop back in 2008 from Central NY to the California coast and back. It's not a bad engine per se, and the counterbalancing truly works, vibration is very well handled. The later 76+ bikes actually handle and ride quite well too, comfortable for larger riders as well: they're a physically larger bike than say a CB550 or other "middleweights" in period. Where they kind of fall short is that you've got a small-ish engine in a pretty fullsized 450lb bike. You really have to rev the nuts off of it to get it to move out.

As we speak, I'm contemplating one of the old KZ750 twins. Another somewhat portly, counterbalanced twin cylinder "oddball" of sorts. Wasn't seeking one out specifically, but it might(?) scratch this particular itch that I've got.

[gtem]

It's more fun to ride a slow bike fast than to ride a fast bike slow! My GS450 was a ball to run the twisties with and although my current bike, a Yamaha XS1100 is better all around for life as a nomad that little 450 was still my favorite.

Ironically enough I've got a '78 XS1100E that I picked up last summer, working through the basics on it right now but it's plated and (mostly) rideable right now. A really sweet machine, I hate to admit it here on this forum but I prefer how it rides to my '81 1100E. Wrong direction on the whole bike weight side of the equation, but it has a certain more-vintage charm to me, where the GS1100E has always felt like a remarkably modern bike even being 40+ years old (which is quite complimentary of the bike I'd say).

[Gorminrider]

Ah! Right! T'was the TX500! Now the 2 cyl Kawasaki KZ 750?...that's one that triggers me too. I find they don't show up often around here- I would be tempted....But -the counter-balancer...well, given they work,and they do on all my twins, they actually work really, really well. Maybe TOO well. My Suzukis use gear-driven CW but I recall the KZ750 twin has chain-driven CW ...You might want to look into that as a possible weakness..?..not that I've had Chain-driven CW problems yet on the bike I have that has it but....

...if you think you want a bit of motion. The Yamaha XS( renamed/badgedTX a couple of years? in 74) 650 might be a thought if you want some of those vibes (and a really bad seat,too, so you could get the whole effect)... Not sure about the newer "Special"s per changes ....but I do miss the TX650 I had. It certainly had the "feel",the "look" in spades, was reliable all with its weaknesses , and was SIMPLE.

[Bert Patterson]

I went from a GS1100e to a Triumph Tiger 800. Lighter, about the same power, but probably a bit more "sterile" than you'd want. I love it, though. But the bike that might work is one of the V7 Guzzis. I've always loved Guzzis....down on power, but sweet machines and they definitely have character.

[gtem]

Ah! Right! T'was the TX500! Now the 2 cyl Kawasaki KZ 750?...that's one that triggers me too. I find they don't show up often around here- I would be tempted....But -the counter-balancer...well, given they work,and they do on all my twins, they actually work really, really well. Maybe TOO well. My Suzukis use gear-driven CW but I recall the KZ750 twin has chain-driven CW ...You might want to look into that as a possible weakness..?..not that I've had Chain-driven CW problems yet on the bike I have that has it but....

...if you think you want a bit of motion. The Yamaha XS( renamed/badgedTX a couple of years? in 74) 650 might be a thought if you want some of those vibes (and a really bad seat,too, so you could get the whole effect)... Not sure about the newer "Special"s per changes ....but I do miss the TX650 I had. It certainly had the "feel",the "look" in spades, was reliable all with its weaknesses , and was SIMPLE.

My search started with XS650s, a very natural fit for the question at hand, but the KZ750 sort of dropped in my lap (well, sort of, it's clear 7 hours away driving time). But when I see a clean unmolested older bike, for cheap, in need of rescuing from cafe/bobber intenders, one must act.

[Gorminrider]

passing thought-the kz has a chain driven starter too....not for any good reason maybe but somehow all the internal chains kind of turned me off..