New Focus on Smaller Bikes Is Beginners’ Luck
If you miss the good old days when there were lots of zippy, lightweight motorcycles on the streets, blame Harley-Davidson. The Milwaukee company’s phenomenal success with big cruiser bikes (with correspondingly big engines and big price tags) has steered the industry away from the relatively small sportbikes and standard motorcycles.
These types are still made by foreign manufacturers, and some models do get imported into the U.S. But they get so little promotion and advertising, it’s easy to forget they exist.
That’s about to change.
A new 500-cubic-centimeter motorcycle has arrived that is lightweight, is easy to maintain and costs less than half the average price of bikes sold in this country. In size and price, it’s not much different from other 500cc motorcycles being sold here, but this new bike will be heavily promoted and at the heart of an advertising campaign aimed at beginning riders.
And who’s responsible for bravely bucking the current trend in motorcycling? Harley-Davidson.
Buell, the sport-standard motorcycle company 98%-owned by H-D, designed and manufactures this new bike, the Blast. At $4,495, it’s a defiantly non-state-of-the-art model on a mission to attract younger riders to the world of motorcycling, now dominated by baby boomers. The Blast’s first year will be closely watched by an industry that has learned not to ignore the instincts of the Harley-Davidson management team.
“I think Harley is beginning to grapple with the problem that will be facing all manufacturers in the years to come,” said Don Brown, an independent motorcycle industry analyst. “The baby boomer group, which has been driving the industry, will eventually be riding off into the sunset. The manufacturers will have to aim at a much younger customer base.”
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Alas, the Blast is a better marketing idea than it is a bike.
But first, the good points:
Except for some 250cc bikes, the Blast is the only sport-standard motorcycle sold in this country that is suitable for shorter riders.
“This is the first non-cruiser I’ve ever been on that fits me,” said my riding buddy, Claire Vitucci, whose height is an even 5 feet, as she tried it out. “My feet are actually flat on the ground.”
This is a result of the Blast’s relatively small stature as well as a neat wrinkle--a choice of seats. The lower seat puts the rider 25.5 inches off the ground. (Conversely, even with the higher seat, at 27.5 inches, the bike was a bit too small for my 5-foot-11 self.)
Another plus, the Blast has been designed to be as maintenance-free as possible. Because it uses a belt drive, there is no chain to lube or adjust. And because it’s a single-cylinder bike, trips to the mechanic for servicing should be minimal. All this stripped-down simplicity makes the bike a breeze to operate--it doesn’t even have a manual choke.
(It should be noted, however, that Buell bikes do not have a sterling reputation when it comes to mechanical performance. Last year, the company recalled virtually every motorcycle it made since 1994 to correct a variety of problems.)
Also on the positive side is fuel economy: I logged better than 50 miles per gallon in a combination of street, freeway and canyon riding. And the five-speed gearbox allows for positive, smooth shifting, which is especially important on a limited-powered bike that will have to undergo a good bit of downshifting.
So if you are looking for a lightweight, ultra-simple, rather-uninvolving machine to get you from Point A to Point B in street riding, the Blast might be for you.
On the down side, the Blast is such a stripped-down bike that even beginning riders are likely to outgrow it fairly quickly.
Much of the joy of riding a sportbike is derived from improving your skills as you gain experience. You learn to use power and suspension to make your ride more graceful, smooth and fun. As they say at the Motorcycle Safety Foundation, “The more you know, the better it gets.”
The Blast doesn’t allow for much of a learning curve, however. Because of its engine configuration, its usable power seems to be even less than those of some 250cc models. That’s important, and not just for raw speed. Power is a valuable tool in positioning yourself in road riding--especially on the freeways--to stay out of harm’s way.
The Blast doesn’t have a tachometer, another valuable ally in learning how to ride a sportbike efficiently. And because the suspension is on the soft side and not adjustable, it limits how much you can learn about using it to help ease the way around curves.
Finally, because of the nature of single-cylinder bikes and the fact that the Blast uses an H-D Sportster engine, it generates a lot of vibration. This will be entertaining to folks who like their bikes to have a good bit of rumble to them, but I found it to be quite wearying after awhile.
In sum, the Blast is in many ways closer to the cruiser riding experience than that of a sportbike.
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After a few days of riding the Blast, I had a chance to take a spin on the Kawasaki Ninja 500R twin-cylinder bike that has been around for years without much promotion.
At $4,999, it’s a bit more expensive than the Blast and about 25 pounds heavier, but it’s also a much more substantial motorcycle, with far more available power, a smoother ride, a good lineup of gauges and accomplished suspension. It’s a bike you could spend a lot of time growing into and have a heck of a lot of fun along the way.
Suzuki also makes a well-regarded 500cc bike, the GS500E, that’s even a bit less expensive than the Blast and only about 12 pounds heavier.
Even with my reservations about the Blast, I wish it well. If through its promotion and ease of use it can bring more riders into the sport, I’m all for it. And if it causes other motorcycle companies to more heavily promote their own lightweight bikes suitable for beginners, even better.
Two-Wheel Ride surveys the motorcycle scene in Southern California. David Colker can
be reached at david.colker@latimes.com.
