NEWS / EVENTS / SPECIALS / TOM'S TIDBITS

When you want to take your motorcycle on trips and overnighters you most often want your bike to have luggage and good wind protection. If you are short like a lot of people and me, you want it to have a low seat height and not be very heavy. It’s all about being comfortable. Big bikes, albeit comfortable, are heavy and harder to handle. Especially for smaller riders.

So, it seems like you’re in an endless search for that perfect motorcycle that offers you all of those things. I have tried countless windshields, seats, shocks, and luggage trying to turn my standard motorcycles into touring bikes.

It is frustrating that manufacturers don’t seem to get the fact that smaller people ride and have those kinds of wants and needs. There are lower, lighter bikes with decent wind protection that you can put luggage on, but they usually have smaller displacement engines and not enough power for the freeways. So we compromise. I usually wind up with a standard seat height bike, like my Bonnie, and put luggage and a windscreen on it. Of course, by doing this I have pretty much screwed up its good looks. However, the older I get, I find that comfort overrides looks.

I’m not really giving any answers here, just my normal thought process when it comes to making my bike work for me. Don’t stop trying to make your motorcycle the perfect fit for your riding style. And if you come to your wits end, there are so many wonderful offerings from all of the manufacturers, especially the ones we carry 😊