Post by urbanmadness on Jun 11, 2014 16:19:21 GMT -5
Riding my 500cc out to Mother Honda to get parts for the Goldwing, I had a chance to think about the little 150 that started my foray into the world of two wheels.
My Aprilia is a better bike in almost every way, but I still have a soft spot for that little 150cc, Chinese fortune cookie. It had three of my favorite things, going for it. It was red, it was fun and it was cheap. . Sure, you couldn’t take it on the freeway, it wasn’t quick, and the riding position was a bit cramped but these limitations made it enduring, gave the bike character and made riding it, an experience. I liked it so much that in the year and a half I owned it; I put nearly 7000 miles on it.
You always rode the 150cc at its limit. Running at WOT on those little 10” wheels always made you feel like “boy racer” riding on the ragged edge. The Aprilia, by contrast is never ridden at its limit. You get out on the freeway at 65mph and it feels like the bike is bored. At 70mph, it’s just waking up.
The Aprilia is fast, poised and is perfectly happy in the fast lane. On the open road, it’s the best scooter I’ve ever ridden, but around town, it’s a real pig. You have to work, to ride the Aprilia in an urban setting. In contrast, the 150 felt like a little sports car in an urban setting and it made riding in traffic almost fun.
The other thing is you were not afraid to customize it, or drill it full of holes. After all, I only paid 500 bucks for it and it would never become a classic. The Goldwing and the Aprilia you always cringe if you do something to the bike that isn’t stock. You’re always afraid you will take something away from the bike, rather than make it better.
Riding the 150 was always an event while riding the Aprilia is simply “un-eventful”. Don’t get me wrong, the Aprilia is a great bike, with its distinctly Italian styling that I love but, someday, I hope to own another 150 for those times I want to go bombing around the neighborhood.
My Aprilia is a better bike in almost every way, but I still have a soft spot for that little 150cc, Chinese fortune cookie. It had three of my favorite things, going for it. It was red, it was fun and it was cheap. . Sure, you couldn’t take it on the freeway, it wasn’t quick, and the riding position was a bit cramped but these limitations made it enduring, gave the bike character and made riding it, an experience. I liked it so much that in the year and a half I owned it; I put nearly 7000 miles on it.
You always rode the 150cc at its limit. Running at WOT on those little 10” wheels always made you feel like “boy racer” riding on the ragged edge. The Aprilia, by contrast is never ridden at its limit. You get out on the freeway at 65mph and it feels like the bike is bored. At 70mph, it’s just waking up.
The Aprilia is fast, poised and is perfectly happy in the fast lane. On the open road, it’s the best scooter I’ve ever ridden, but around town, it’s a real pig. You have to work, to ride the Aprilia in an urban setting. In contrast, the 150 felt like a little sports car in an urban setting and it made riding in traffic almost fun.
The other thing is you were not afraid to customize it, or drill it full of holes. After all, I only paid 500 bucks for it and it would never become a classic. The Goldwing and the Aprilia you always cringe if you do something to the bike that isn’t stock. You’re always afraid you will take something away from the bike, rather than make it better.
Riding the 150 was always an event while riding the Aprilia is simply “un-eventful”. Don’t get me wrong, the Aprilia is a great bike, with its distinctly Italian styling that I love but, someday, I hope to own another 150 for those times I want to go bombing around the neighborhood.
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