The American Mentality (As Told by our Youth)

[outasight20]

Walked out of a CVS yesterday and started putting my helmet and gloves on. A boy, maybe 11 or 12 years old on a bicycle pulls up next to my bike. The conversation follows:

Boy: "Is that a 600?"
Me: "It is!"
Boy: "It's nice"
Me: "Thanks"
Boy: "How high are you gonna go?" (referring to engine size)
Me: "I'm actually pretty happy with this bike."
Boy: "Oh, my dad has a one thousand"
Me: "That's cool" **drives off**

Well here we go, in the eyes of our youth, bigger is better. And motorcycling is about how high in cc's you get!

 

[Erci]

USA! USA! :rof:

At least he didn't challenge you to a drag race :BLAA:

 

[Nappa]

Apparently you didn't "super-size" that when you ordered...

 

[Solarservant]

He will understand one day when he has a bike of his own. What's more fun? Straight line speed or ridiculous canyon carving? I'll keep my 6...

 

[SweaterDude]

He will understand one day when he has a bike of his own. What's more fun? Straight line speed or ridiculous canyon carving? I'll keep my 6...

the sad truth is that he probably wont. cant tell you how often people tell me that i should get a liter. then i explain that a 600 is actually faster 90% of the time, and the only thing they have to say: (and its always the same)

"You cant pull a wheelie at 120mph on a 600"

and my response is the same

"Who the F*** gives a S***?"

as i get as far away from their slammed civic as possible.

 

[GkS]

This doesn't happen only in the USA, such mentality exists everywhere in the world. It's as old as human and motorcycle history...

At least in the USA you have the roads to justify buying a liter, or more, motorcycle...Imagine in countries that the biggest and longest roads are one or two, with max 3 lanes and not more than 100km long...and where everybody is dreaming of R1's, multistradas, zzr's and fjr's, even when living on islands with only one main road!

People ask also me, most of the time, why don't you get a 1000? When will you change the fazer600? But I don't need the 1000 and the fz does pretty well and even more of what I need it to do, why on earth should I ever change it? maybe for the Fazer600 S3? Maybe.... :thumbup:

Sometimes they mention the word "torque".....I have never personally missed it in my trips...and I also ride in 2.

 

[pookamatic]

I know this is the consensus but every now and then, there is the occasional exception. My friend who is a bike mechanic and owner of an R6 told me when I bought mine: "You made a great decision. You don't need more than this, and will never truly outgrow it."

 

[why_not_Zoidberg?]

He will understand one day when he has a bike of his own. What's more fun? Straight line speed or ridiculous canyon carving? I'll keep my 6...

I loved my FZ and all, but my speedy will out-handle it any day. Most 1000's will really. The FZ is not a handling purpose built machine. Any R1/CBR1/etc is. I'm not sure of your point...The FZ is for comfortable sport touring. And it excels in that category.

 

[Karate.Snoopy]

Some weekends back I went to the track and saw a 2 stroke 125cc bike pummel and destroy all the liter bikes. The kid who was riding it was so nimble and fast in the corners.
I thought I had seen it all when I saw a Goldwing blow past a couple of 1k bikes in a sweeping turn.
So surreal, rider talent in my opinion is supreme in comparison to how many cc's you have between your legs.
The 'mentality ' of bigger is better is ubiquitous, a friend who saw my FZ6 asked me why I didn't pick a 'Rawr1'. Another acquaintance who recently got divorced is on the hunt for a Hayabusa (having little experience on 2 wheels). This sh** just keeps getting better.

 

[trepetti]

Walked out of a CVS yesterday and started putting my helmet and gloves on. A boy, maybe 11 or 12 years old on a bicycle pulls up next to my bike. The conversation follows:

Boy: "Is that a 600?"
Me: "It is!"
Boy: "It's nice"
Me: "Thanks"
Boy: "How high are you gonna go?" (referring to engine size)
Me: "I'm actually pretty happy with this bike."
Boy: "Oh, my dad has a one thousand"
Me: "That's cool" **drives off**

Well here we go, in the eyes of our youth, bigger is better. And motorcycling is about how high in cc's you get!

I wonder how many of these kids think a 75 in a class is 'big enough'?

 

[why_not_Zoidberg?]

Some weekends back I went to the track and saw a 2 stroke 125cc bike pummel and destroy all the liter bikes. The kid who was riding it was so nimble and fast in the corners.
I thought I had seen it all when I saw a Goldwing blow past a couple of 1k bikes in a sweeping turn.
So surreal, rider talent in my opinion is supreme in comparison to how many cc's you have between your legs.
The 'mentality ' of bigger is better is ubiquitous, a friend who saw my FZ6 asked me why I didn't pick a 'Rawr1'. Another acquaintance who recently got divorced is on the hunt for a Hayabusa (having little experience on 2 wheels). This sh** just keeps getting better.

I agree that the rider skill is the biggest factor. Were the riders of those liter bikes that he "pummeled and destroyed" any good? I'm not sure if you're talking about just a track day...

And a howelabuser is all about straight line speed. I'm biased against Suzuki's because I can't stand Suzuki Joe's voice (local used car/bike salesman), his commercials are so obnoxious.

 

[FIZZER6]

My son will be taught that "Bigger is better" only applies to boobs, beers and brains!

 

[Erci]

I, for one, am super happy that I now ride a FZ1 and it gives me great joy to know I can impress 11 year old kids on bicycles! :rof:

Funny that the same kid (and everyone else with that mindset) would be impressed by R1 with massive chicken strips and would just about laugh at a Ninja 250 with tires melted all the way to the edges.

 

[FIZZER6]

What is odd is that while Americans are power crazed on motorcycles the auto industry is going the opposite direction, more econo cars are being sold, less performance cars are being sold.

 

[Xavias]

What is odd is that while Americans are power crazed on motorcycles the auto industry is going the opposite direction, more econo cars are being sold, less performance cars are being sold.

It's true. We're becoming boring.

 

[CZAR357]

I feel like this is fitting. lol

http://youtu.be/OnA3C9Af_oc

 

[mxgolf]

I myself don't need a liter bike. I really do love my FZ6. I am getting old and a 600 is plenty fast for me. She still puts a big smile on my face everytime I go for a ride. I would probably get into trouble on a liter bike and crash or do something stupid. :thumbup:

 

[outasight20]

I feel like this is fitting. lol

AT&T TV Commercial, 'We Want More' Featuring Beck Bennett - YouTube

I honestly hate these commercials. They make a joke out of something that is actually a deeply rooted and disturbing cultural phenomenon in this country.

To get an idea just how spoiled this country is, go to any other country in the world.

 

[FinalImpact]

Of course I'd always want the torque of liter bike but beyond that I've been content (its usually only good for being squidly with anyways). Well, until last weekend.
I was on a mile long pull of about 7% grade and found Fiz was getting walked on by 750cc gxr(s). She just didn't have the balls. I ended up in the middle of two strangers and really wished it had more beans as she was near WOT and had nothing more to give. First time I wished she had more to offer!

FWIW: my 16 y/o son looks to bigger as better also. I told him to observe who gets their money out of the "whole" rear tire! :thumbup:

 

[Karate.Snoopy]

I honestly hate these commercials. They make a joke out of something that is actually a deeply rooted and disturbing cultural phenomenon in this country.

To get an idea just how spoiled this country is, go to any other country in the world.

I do agree with you but honestly having traveled and lived across multiple geographies I find more and more that the cultures are fusing/fused together into one.

Unfortunately for the human race it is a cultural revolution that is/has been led by the likes of MTV & the rest of its ilk with their bevy of bad trashy 'Reality' Tv shows,24 hour bad news and illusions of grandeur that are totally divorced from reality.
I do miss the time when life was simpler and romantic, when we didn't get all the answers from Google and used deductive and intuitive reasoning.
When Carl Sagan was a bigger star than most other celebs.
I do like what the Danes are doing
happy-danes/
oops went out on a tangent here.. :hijack:
We need to work less and play more.. some one shut me up..