I have been riding offroad and trials since i was 5 years old and have just started the move up to road bikes. I have been riding on a vintage 250 (My father is a colector and there is no insurance premium for L’s on a collector plate) to learn and so far so good. I have yet to bring her onto the highway as the bike wouldnt be too happy if I went any faster then 30-40mp/h.
I would be using the bike for general tasks like the odd commute to school when I’m climbing afterschool or for errands. I live in a very out of the way community and I have to travel an hour and a half on the highway to get to the real "town" so im wondering if the bike will have enough power at these speeds. I dont do this often, say onece or twice a month depending on the time of year, sometimes twice a week in the summer.
Will a 250 have enough power for me to cruise comfortably on the highway or would it be a wiser choice for me to move up to a 500, 600 or 650 to get that extra zip to get me out of a problem if need be.
Insurance was quoted at ~650$ for 110-400cc’s and ~1250$ for 400-750cc’s (ICBC, Im from BC gotta love them!) as I have an L and will have 0 discount level.
I weigh 110 (Im skinny) and im 5.11.
I know Road and Trail are very, very different but clutch management, balance and a general feal of the bike are gained after a few good years ofroad. As i mentioned above I have put down a solid 70-80 hours on a 1967 Puch 250 (On the road) and have found it quite easy so far. I havent gone any faster then 40mph as it starts to get unhappy at these speeds.
I live near Whistler/Vancouver, place called Squamish.
The Puch is quite heavy, comparable to a modern 500cc bike as its full steel and as solid as rock.
Its also a little interesting learning to ride and having to worry about varying your fuel mixture and sometimes air intake if its not happy. This adds some confusion at the start but ive passed this now and im very comfortable tickling the carb, kickstarting it and a few of the choke options. Slowly getting used to fuel mixtures but i wont have to worry about that onece i move up to a newer bike!