Doug Westly | Safety Editor
IMPORTANT NOTICE: Ultimately, the safety of motorcycle riders and their passengers is their own responsibility. Nothing presented in the column supersedes, negates or relieves a motorcyclist and/or passenger from assumption of personal responsibility for their actions and safety.
You read about it all the time in the motorcycle magazines. The editors and test riders are always gushing about horsepower. They always want more, more, more. Riders are always bragging about how much horsepower they have in their bike. So the question is: How much is enough? And…what does all this have to do with safety?
My current 2012 BMW R1200GS is OEM-rated at about 110 hp. Before that I was riding a Ducati Multistrada with about 165 hp. “Whoa!” you say. Doesn’t that fly in the face of “…more, more, more?”
I had been riding my Multistrada for about a year when I noticed a change in my riding style. The power and handling of the Multistrada had actually changed the way I rode. I was more aggressive in traffic, using the power and handling of the bike to push through traffic and gaps in the vehicles. It took a polite discussion with the local constabulary to get me to realize I was probably overly aggressive in my riding, just because the motorcycle would let me.
“Wait a minute!” you say. “That’s your fault.” Yep, you’re right. I just don’t have the willpower to not ride a bike to its potential. As a result, I gave up the Multistrada for the GS. You know what? I’m much happier on the GS. I don’t have to be as focused on the bike with the GS, can relax and my street riding has calmed down more than a little.
(Oh, and I do have my Ducati Hypermotard SP when I feel the need…)
So why do we think that more is always better? I’m sure it has something to do with our culture; our consumer-oriented society, advertising, etc. We’re constantly being told more is better. 165 hp is better than 110 hp. 190+ hp on the BMW S1000RR is better than…well, you get the point.
I’m going to commit heresy here and suggest that perhaps more isn’t always better. How much horsepower does it take to accomplish the kind of riding YOU want to experience?
Becky (awesome wife and best friend) recently had the same experience. She had been riding her 2012 R1200R for a couple of years, then jumped on a 2013 Honda NC700X with automatic Dual Clutch Transmission (DCT) that we just purchased. The R1200R has the same 110 horsepower motor as my GS. The NC700X is doing well to just put out 60 horsepower. But Becky discovered she enjoys the NC700X a lot more, for a number of reasons, not the least of which is the DCT. In fact, she’s just put her R1200R for sale (email me if you’re interested, LOL!)
What about you? Have you taken a look at the horsepower under your…uh, seat? Are you riding what you really enjoy, or is it important to have more, more, more? Is your riding being influenced by the seductive lure of power?
Why not take a moment for some introspecting thought into what you’re riding?
Ride Safe!
