Throttled

My recent threads on Chinese bikes, no more camping and cruisers are significant clues!

Today I started the process to trade my Versys in and ordered my new bike. Fourteen years with four Kawasaki adventure tourers, is coming to an end.

Two dry bags on the pillion, the top box and two panniers.

I used to get lots of looks, as I rocked up on a motorbike and pitched a huge Vango Stelvio that the bike could fit inside, or an 8 man teepee tent, along with a table, full sized camp chair, a sleep mat like a mattress and all my cooking kit and awning.

We are the same height and I felt the Road King was a good fit. I have sat on lots of other cruisers and just like many bikes, if I have to lean forward, that plays havoc with my bike. I get to sit bolt upright with the Versys, so a cruiser has to be the same. The 650 Versys I used risers, the 1000 I did not. Parked next to other bikes and the Versys 1000 is one of the largest motorbikes you can buy. I will need a big cruiser. As for slow speed U-turns, I carried an 18 stone pillion on the Road King and felt fine. I have never tried to do U-turns without putting my feet down, I don't care if it makes me look like I am inexperienced or lacking in confidence!

I live near a straight that bikers use as a drag strip. I also prefer quieter exhausts.

After an hour or so, I want to stretch my legs out. The Road King I had for 24 hours was a comfortable bike. I like bikes with footboards, rather than pegs, because I can move my feet about.

No, for me the two biggest reasons to change are that I would describe my riding style as cruising and a need to stretch my legs out, rather than they are tucked under me.

I have only ever ridden adventure type bikes, as in they are tall and had various off road and long distance touring capabilities. A KLE & three Versys from Kawasaki. I enjoy the high sitting position and being able to see over cars and go eye to eye with big SUV drivers. I hate the high centre of gravity. Obviously a cruiser with lower me & the centre of gravity down, but is there anything else to expect?

Many years of Scout camps, taught me how to pitch a tent in the rain and stay dry. You just pitch the outer tent first, before you do anything else. I will miss the sound of rain on canvas. The cold was harder to deal with.

I just enjoyed being outside. I also prefer outdoor rather than office, indoor jobs. I think that is why I like biking, as it is also more outdoors than being stuck inside a car.

My last couple of trips where I camped were pretty miserable. It was the weather that was the problem, followed by that long walk to use the loo at 0300. So, this morning has been spent in the loft sorting through all my camping gear. Most of it is ancient and well-used, so it is not going to be sold or given away, as I would not trust it. It splits up into hard plastics and metal that can be recycled at the local dump and the rest if for landfill. I have kept sleeping bags, mats and chairs and a huge tipi tent, for possible use in the back garden, or maybe a trip in the car. There is nothing left for camp cooking, so it would need to be a site with full facilities, which a group of us used to do, but not for a while, as the kids are now adults. Motorbiking is now going to be hotels, B&B or maybe do some Airbnb. I tried a pod last year, but that long 0300 walk to the loo is a pain, so never again. I have been camping regularly since I was a kid as a rough estimate, I have spent at least 6 months, maybe heading to a year, of my life under canvas. I know I am going to miss it, but it is time to stop. Or is this an excuse to get new, up to date equipment......?

I think bikes got too expensive and the wave of Chinese and Indian cheaper, but nicely designed and well made bikes will literally ride to the rescue.

I have never had any issues in Ireland, but I have always ridden and stayed in rural areas. As for Litelock, the Youtuber Freddie Dobbs left his motorbike overnight with the front wheel locked and found it had been attacked with an angle grinder, but only the outer plastic coating had been damaged. He could still use the lock. Very impressive. But, I would not get one as I do not need that level of security. My bike is never left anywhere risky.

First wash of the year, getting rid of all the winter crud. The ACF50 valet I got at the start of the winter has worked, with only some minor corrosion reappearing on one small part of the rear frame.

Yes. My father remembers that. The British brands dominated and did not think they were a threat, in part because of tariffs making them more expensive. Chinese bikes are starting out cheaper, rather than more expensive, so they do not have that hurdle to get over.

Slightly over the cc, the Kawasaki Versys 650. The whole point of the Versys range was its suitability for all sorts of uses. It has proven to work, as they have hardly changed since they first appeared in 2007.

For me, the positives outweigh the negatives. Build quality has leaped forward, which will help residuals. The prices massively undercut the opposition, which makes Japanese and European bikes look overpriced, which will hit their residuals. What the Chinese are doing makes sense. Their own existing brands remain the bargain basement bikes, like Keeway. Then buy pretty much defunct, obscure European brands like Benelli, Morbidelli and FB Mondial, use their design expertise and image and produce more expensive bikes. Benelli fits mid range, with many 500cc bikes and Morbidelli get the 1000cc engines. Morbidelli becomes like Lexus or DS and the top end of the brand. The Chinese are copying what others have done, that worked. A European design studio, with parts sourced from all over the world and Chinese build and pricing and you get this amazing looking bike for £5699

My local dealer described MotoGB as their supplies for bikes and parts. I presumed that to mean they import, rather than make and they now have a large dealer network, which my local dealer has joined. I know the owners well enough that they told me they were signing a deal that would increase the range of bikes they have to sell. It looks like lots of small deals have been rationalised into one big one, as they already sold the likes of Royal Enfield and Keeway. Business is not my world and it looks awfully complicated who owns what!

MotoGB, who supply Benelli and Morbidelli, are also now the Moto Guzzi suppliers. Add in Aprillia and Lambretta and they have the Italian market pretty much sown up.

From Wikipedia "Since 1999, Qianjiang has marketed motorcycles outside China under the Keeway brand. The company acquired the Benelli brand in 2005 and debuted the MBP Moto brand at the 2022 EICMA motorcycle show in Milan, Italy. With the purchase of the Morbidelli brand in 2024, MBP Moto became Morbidelli MBP." It looks like the Chinese are buying companies that are better at design and some manufacturing than they are, creating multi-nationals. There was no doubt that the build quality of the bikes on display, Keeway, Vogue and if you regard Morbidelli and Benelli as Chinese, have improved dramatically.

This is the most bonkers bike at the show; It has 77hp inline 4 cylinder engine and a 310/35-18 rear tyre.

How much Chinese would you accept? The bike that caught my eye is the Morbidelli C1002V. It is an Italian brand, resurrected by Keeway, who also resurrected Benelli. The C1002V has German tyres, Japanese suspension, German wiring loom and ABS, Spanish brakes and a search online finds that spare parts come from Italy, but where there are made is not clear. The HQ and design studio is in Bologna. According to the website, "Morbidelli is a division of MotoGB", a UK company that supplies parts and bikes to dealers across the country. I get the ethics, but would that stop you buying an Indian manufactured Triumph, which has a RRP far lower than anything else in their range, because of cheap Indian labour? How protective are Indian labour laws? Motorbikes are international brands, with only H-D and Ducati coming to mind, as makers who are pretty much entirely based in one country, with ownership in that country as well. Everything else sources parts from and has ownership links with other countries.

I find Nikwax visor proof to work, but an application will last a day at best.

My local dealer has become part of the MotoGB group, who sell a whole range of Chinese brands, along with others such as Kawasaki, KTM, Yamaha and Moto Guzzi. Considering how brands now cross over, with many Japanese bikes made in China and Morbidelli using parts made in Spain ans spares coming from Italy, what constitutes a Chinese bike is very European. I think that is going to be the secret to their success, make good bikes and undercut the established Japanese, European and US brands, rather than appeal to bargain buckets sales.