Joined
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137 Posts
...it is how you use it. At least as far as bikes go (and I hope in other things too :redface
.
Some of you already know I have been considering buying a Mean Streak 1600 next spring. I had not considered one until one of the salesmen at the bike dealership said he rides one and loves it.
I went there a couple days ago on my new Versys to pick up a new pair of gloves. While I was there the salesman showed up on his Meanie. He asked how I was liking my new bike and I told him I loved it but was wanting a cruiser too. I mentioned to him how a person on the board said I already had a bike that would outperform the Meanie so I should go for the 900 Custom instead (the other bike I am considering). To my suprise he agreed.
After talking a few minutes I mentioned I was going to stop at a local paintball shop next and he said that was on his way home.
We ended up taking a ride out towards Battleground (for those familiar with the PDX/Vanc area). There is a stretch of road that consists of about a 1/4+ mile straight away followed by a couple of miles of nice curves before staightening out for a couple miles.
He told me he was going to be moving and I should too. To my suprise I smoked him when we hit the 1/4+ mile stretch. We were doing about 50 when we hit it and I ended up at a registered 114mph before slowing for the oncoming curves.
When we hit the big curves I quickly lost sight of him. On the lighter and more nimble Versys I was able to hold the inside of each curve with ease while doing a pace well over the posted limit (not that I would ever recommend speeding). By the time I was to the second straight away I had to pull into parking lot and wait for him to catch up for a minute or two. This is really a testimate to the versys when you consider that I am a very average rider skill wise.
After we got to the paintball shop we had a few minutes to talk. I told him I thought he was letting me get ahead of him. He said he did not and that the Versys would smoke the meanie in a drag race any day and on winding roads. He said even though the versys is only a 650 and his bike is a 1600 that the Versys just uses it's power different and is smaller and more agile. He said the Meanie did not even put out that much more horse power but it was set up to shine in different areas. If we had been two up on the highway he would be cruising along with power to spare while the versys was screaming to keep up.
That is where the meanie really shines. The meanie would not be much faster but it could maintain that speed more easily without straining. Meaning he could maintain the same speed at a lower RPM and with a smoother ride while carrying more weight.
It really amazes me what the manufacturers are able to get out of these smaller engines these days.
.Some of you already know I have been considering buying a Mean Streak 1600 next spring. I had not considered one until one of the salesmen at the bike dealership said he rides one and loves it.
I went there a couple days ago on my new Versys to pick up a new pair of gloves. While I was there the salesman showed up on his Meanie. He asked how I was liking my new bike and I told him I loved it but was wanting a cruiser too. I mentioned to him how a person on the board said I already had a bike that would outperform the Meanie so I should go for the 900 Custom instead (the other bike I am considering). To my suprise he agreed.
After talking a few minutes I mentioned I was going to stop at a local paintball shop next and he said that was on his way home.
We ended up taking a ride out towards Battleground (for those familiar with the PDX/Vanc area). There is a stretch of road that consists of about a 1/4+ mile straight away followed by a couple of miles of nice curves before staightening out for a couple miles.
He told me he was going to be moving and I should too. To my suprise I smoked him when we hit the 1/4+ mile stretch. We were doing about 50 when we hit it and I ended up at a registered 114mph before slowing for the oncoming curves.
When we hit the big curves I quickly lost sight of him. On the lighter and more nimble Versys I was able to hold the inside of each curve with ease while doing a pace well over the posted limit (not that I would ever recommend speeding). By the time I was to the second straight away I had to pull into parking lot and wait for him to catch up for a minute or two. This is really a testimate to the versys when you consider that I am a very average rider skill wise.
After we got to the paintball shop we had a few minutes to talk. I told him I thought he was letting me get ahead of him. He said he did not and that the Versys would smoke the meanie in a drag race any day and on winding roads. He said even though the versys is only a 650 and his bike is a 1600 that the Versys just uses it's power different and is smaller and more agile. He said the Meanie did not even put out that much more horse power but it was set up to shine in different areas. If we had been two up on the highway he would be cruising along with power to spare while the versys was screaming to keep up.
That is where the meanie really shines. The meanie would not be much faster but it could maintain that speed more easily without straining. Meaning he could maintain the same speed at a lower RPM and with a smoother ride while carrying more weight.
It really amazes me what the manufacturers are able to get out of these smaller engines these days.
