I was scared when I bought my CBR500 that I would not love it the way that I loved my first ride, the Kawasaki Ninja 250. Scared that I had grown accustomed to revving the rpms so high to be in the power zone that I wouldn’t thrill as I pulled on the throttle of my new Honda.
I felt like the creator of my Ninja. I had changed out the front fairing, adjusted the chain, bought new brakes and new tires, mounted a top carrier and case. I bought her a new windshield, tinted ever so gently blue. In short, I made her mine.
What would I do now with a bike that needs virtually so little from me? There is a bond that grows between rider and ride. My friend Jay calls it a bio mechanical connection. In truth it is so and more. It is compounded in every action the rider takes to ensure that the act of riding will commence; the faithful chain cleaning, the oil changes, the regular tire pressure checks. These go unnoticed to non-riders and might seem but an expression of a love of popular mechanics. But to the rider, these are the diligences that make the adventure possible. The reward is akin to the proverbial faithful steed; a well tuned motorcycle will not leave one stranded on the road side. It will respond at the twisted throttle.
All of this attention was needed by my 12 years old Kawasaki when she came into my possession. The work I put into it was for my own benefit. Out from that year in my hands came a well tuned and nice looking classic bike. I was proud to watch it being ridden away, knowing that I passed on a better bike to a newly captivated rider. And that feeling was what scared me.
I knew how it had developed, from not knowing to knowing how it would start, how it would respond on twisty back roads and old straight highways. My initial impression found the CBR 500 clearly more powerful and more true in the straights and surprisingly nimble in the curves. I cannot deny that it took a few weeks to develop that bio mechanical connection. My reference point went from having zero experience when I began riding my first bike to this year having 2000 miles of familiarity on the Ninja before I switched to the 500.
Expectations were that it would be faster. It is. It would be more stable. Yes. It would be less prone to being blown around in the wind. Yes again. More fun? I would not say it. It is as different as an apple from an orange. Both have there advantages. In these weeks, I have felt the connection and the absolute thrill and change in my riding.It is every bit as fun to ride as the employee at North Reading Motorsports said it would. And it has improved my ridership in that I have learned how it responds comparatively to the 250cc Ninja. I think anytime you grow in your body of knowledge about a thing, it makes for improvement.
Did I mention how much fun I’m having?😂
bikerbossons 