Motorcycles, Travel & Adventure

Motorcycle TourMagazine

Always on the cutting edge of the motorcycle industry, Bill Heald’s Postcards from the Hedge provides readers with an exceptional look into all things motorcycle. From racing to design to day-to-day riding, Heald has a grasp on it all.

Name: Bill Heald

Current Rides: Honda VFR and V45 Magna, Kawasaki Ninja 500, Triumph Street Triple R

Favorite quote:

The Wand chooses the Wizard Mr. Potter. It is not always clear why.

- Mr. Ollivander in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

Picking a Bike? How Hard Can It Be?

Well, I have gone and made a decision. I didn’t beat about the bush, or shilly-shally, or dilly-dally, oh no. I did my usual ritual of girding me loins, and just laying it down in a firm decisive matter.

And what is my momentous decision? I have decided that I may decide to get a new motorcycle.

Bold, I know. But it’s the kind of guy I am. I mean, it’s been 16 years since I’ve purchased a new machine, and even though I’m amazingly fortunate to get to ride the latest and greatest from most of the manufacturers I don’t think it would be an entirely bad idea to personally own something a bit more contemporary than what I have now. And by more contemporary, I mean something that was actually built this century. This is not exactly an impulse move, but at the same time it’s weird to actually be looking at the latest motorcycles with an eye on actually buying one. Should be a fun and relatively easy task, right?

As it turns out, this is proving rather difficult. You see, I have a bike in my stable right now that is a press bike, and I’m seriously thinking of purchasing it from the OEM if they’ll let me. I am smitten by this machine’s performance, build quality, and most of all ergonomics and handling because I feel extraordinarily comfortable on it. But, there’s a problem. I always thought when it came time to get a new bike it would be (like this) a street bike instead of a dual sport, but I also thought it would likely be a sport-tourer like my old ’93 VFR. I also believed I would insist on two things: available hard luggage and ABS, because these things are too valuable for the touring motorcyclist to leave out.

Ironically, the review bike I have at the moment (that I’m thinking about purchasing) has neither of these things. Yet, I am still considering it. Here’s the thing: whether it comes to a jacket, or a new car, or especially a motorcycle, I am a huge proponent of the Harry Potter Sorting Hat theory of Item Selection. Whatever you may be test-riding, it will speak to you much like the Sorting Hat selects which House in Hogwarts a new student belongs in. Likewise, the Sorting Helmet will speak to you, and tell you when the ride you’re riding is a willing partner or not, for it all comes down to finding the right fit to insure a long and happy relationship.

So Anyway…

This particular bike and I got along swimmingly from the get-go. I shall not go into the details on the machine, other than it has an Inline Triple which goes far in identifying its make. Oh, and like I said it has no hard bag option nor ABS. One of the interesting asides of this new bike fever is I truly still love my VFR, and you might think I’d just want to get the latest version. But truth be known, I haven’t been that wild about the latest generation VFR even though you can get excellent ABS and beautiful (but costly) saddlebags. It’s a V-Tech thing, as the character of the engine is not simpatico with me for some reason.

However, Honda has done a fiendish thing. They know I love the VFR, and the fact that the V-4 is one of my all-time favorite mills. Any new bike not so equipped would tread into this relationship, so what does Honda do? The moment I started seriously thinking of replacing the V-Four with an Inline Triple, the rumors on the InterTubes surface. A new VFR is coming, and it will be amazing. Said rumors state wonders like shaft drive, 1000-1200ccs, maybe even a V-5 instead of a V-4 (which I seriously doubt). Honda has gone as far as to tell me “we’ll have something to show you soon. . .” which is a tantalizing statement. So, should I wait to see what they’re launching? There is a factor of timing here, for if I want to snag the bike I’m testing I need to do it very, very soon. Oh, and then there’s the cost. No matter what they do to the next generation VFR, I know it won’t be cheap. The candidate in my possession is a much simpler, and less expensive, machine, and I might be able to actually afford it. What will I do? I have decided I will decide quite soon.