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what would you build?

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I wouldn't make anything new. I'd like to see Walmart or Canadian Tire sell the following city bikes:

1) Yamaha R15 that sells around the developing world for less than $2400 .
2) Yamaha Saluto 125 that sells around the developing world for less than $999

Cheap, slow, cheap to insure and about 1l/100km. Take a few thousand cars off our local roads, and a few thousand tons of greenhouse gas out of our air. You can't do much more than 80kmh in the GTA, a 140kmh bike should do fine in the confines of the city.
 
I agree with Mike, lots of small simple and cheap bikes out there in other markets that I wouldn't mind seeing here. Honda CG 125 for example

Personally, I'd like a small ADV bike, 200-ish CC air-cooled single cylinder, fuel injected, with good ground clearance. Single disk front brakes and a drum rear, maybe? And a utilitarian cargo rack like my Honda CT90, as standard. Twin shocks? Sub 120 Kg wet weight. Kick start only! But I'm weird
 
Drum rear brake!!!!!!?????

Haven't had one since the 80s. Don't want one now. I like the idea of a smaller more fuel efficient bike. Urban ADV format. Dual front disks, good suspension for the frost heaved potholed streets. Need to run highway speeds easily.

370_rotsab_vstrom250.ashx


though I'd prefer maybe a 500cc.....
740_honda_sr_500x004.ashx
 
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TK4 said:
Kawasaki EX650 based ADV bike
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Isn't that what the Versys 650 is? I know many engine components were swappable between the Ninja 650R (EX650) and Versys.

tricky said:
Personally, I'd like a small ADV bike, 200-ish CC air-cooled single cylinder, fuel injected, with good ground clearance. Single disk front brakes and a drum rear, maybe? And a utilitarian cargo rack like my Honda CT90, as standard. Twin shocks? Sub 120 Kg wet weight. Kick start only! But I'm weird
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Versys 300 is probably about the closest to this right now I think.
 
Something like a modernized DRZ400 or a WR250X but with a 400 (so a WR400X).
 
Mad Mike said:
I wouldn't make anything new. I'd like to see Walmart or Canadian Tire sell the following city bikes:

1) Yamaha R15 that sells around the developing world for less than $2400 .
2) Yamaha Saluto 125 that sells around the developing world for less than $999

Cheap, slow, cheap to insure and about 1l/100km. Take a few thousand cars off our local roads, and a few thousand tons of greenhouse gas out of our air. You can't do much more than 80kmh in the GTA, a 140kmh bike should do fine in the confines of the city.
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Ha! and so far I'm the only one who expects it to be electric :D
 
Electric is still relatively new, more so with bikes. It would make lots of sense for a summer commuter, but many do day rides, cause bikes are more recreational and electric bikes aren't there yet.

Can I add a sound can to the electric bike?
 
A lot of these suggestions are variations of what's already out there, or models that are already available elsewhere in the world.

Viewpoint from higher up ...

Harmonize all Canadian motor vehicle technical regulations with the rest of the world so that anything sold elsewhere in the developed world (e.g. europe) is legal here. That this would also allow us to tell the Americans to go take a flying leap, is purely intentional.

The Honda CB500X is already a mini ADV bike. There are tons of accessories for it. If you want to make it into a mini Africa Twin, you can do it yourself. I'm not sure what would be missing other than the DCT automatic transmission, which they can keep as far as I'm concerned.

There's a naked CB125F (I think) that is the replacement for the CBR125, which is sold in Italy; neat looking bike.

The Kawasaki 400 Ninja has outgrown its original market. Good bike but it's not a 250 any more. There is a single cylinder 250 sold in other markets that still really is a 250.

There is a cool looking Honda CBR250R sold in other markets.

This is mostly about smaller bikes, because we already get the same bigger displacement premium models that everyone else does, and there is already a proliferation of those (e.g. Aprilia RSV vs Tuono, BMW S1000RR vs R vs XR, Yamaha MT10 vs R1, Suzuki GSX vs GSXR).
 
Is it a matter of Harmonize all Canadian motor vehicle technical regulations or that the manufacturers aren't being them in cause they don't think they will sell? NA(well CAN and US) is the land of bigger is better.
 
some licensing regulation may help drive more choice in bike models
like in EU and Aus, HP restrictions for new riders = smaller cc bikes

strange that we have restrictions with the M1 and M2
but not as far as the bike goes
would help a lot of things - bike choice, safety, insurance costs
if we prevented new riders from jumping on a 200 HP sport bike
or a 900 lb cruiser
 
unL33T said:
Versys 300 is probably about the closest to this right now I think.
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I am glad the manufacturers are adding smaller bikes in the lineup!

I am currently eyeing the Yamaha XT250, the curb weight (132 kg) is whopping 43 kg less than the Versys 300 (175 kg), and the XT is air-cooled
 
Riceburner said:
Is it a matter of Harmonize all Canadian motor vehicle technical regulations or that the manufacturers aren't being them in cause they don't think they will sell? NA(well CAN and US) is the land of bigger is better.
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I think the appetite for smaller bikes is growing, enough the manufacturers are paying attention. The Grom is huge, now we have a whole host of 300s which have shown up in the last few years. Even BMW!

And to top it all off, Honda is bringing back the Monkey and the Super Cub to North America later this year
https://www.autoblog.com/2018/06/08/honda-monkey-super-cub-motorcycles-return-to-us/#slide-7350194

Maybe its somewhat similar to the NA automotive market in the 70s, a move away from big big big power to something more modest?
 
we already get the same bigger displacement premium models that everyone else does, and there is already a proliferation of those (e.g. Aprilia RSV vs Tuono, BMW S1000RR vs R vs XR, Yamaha MT10 vs R1, Suzuki GSX vs GSXR).
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Honda dropped the CBF1000 :( - still current over the pond.
 
Riceburner said:
Electric is still relatively new, more so with bikes. It would make lots of sense for a summer commuter, but many do day rides, cause bikes are more recreational and electric bikes aren't there yet.

Can I add a sound can to the electric bike?
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They would be there Real quick if they were allowed on bicycle paths.
We could be so lucky if it was totally silent but it won't be.
Playing cards on the spokes ;)
... better yet, headphones and we can make it sound any way you like just for your personal enjoyment !
 
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Trials said:
... better yet, headphones and we can make it sound any way you like just for your personal enjoyment !
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I think we need that now, switch the slogan to "loud headphones save lives" and then everyone is happy.

As for a proper fantasy build, there's no doubt: an electric chopper with Telsa coils instead of mufflers, so I could rock Dio via zeusaphone, shock brain-dead boomers and whip luxury cars in the stoplight drag races with MASSIVE torque/lightning. A small pixelboard would flash "slow in a slow car!" each time my superior machine arrived at the intersection. Aww Yiss!
 
Flywheel said:
I think we need that now, switch the slogan to "loud headphones save lives" and then everyone is happy.

As for a proper fantasy build, there's no doubt: an electric chopper with Telsa coils instead of mufflers, so I could rock Dio via zeusaphone, shock brain-dead boomers and whip luxury cars in the stoplight drag races with MASSIVE torque/lightning. A small pixelboard would flash "slow in a slow car!" each time my superior machine arrived at the intersection. Aww Yiss!
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LMAO if you're gonna dream...dream large.
 
Trials said:
Ha! and so far I'm the only one who expects it to be electric :D
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The problem with electric motorcycles is they are impossibly expensive, particularly small ones. Yamaha, Honda, and Suzuki make 150cc 18hp ICE motorcycles with a top speed of 140kmh and a range 800km -- they sell them around the world for $1000 to 2400 CAD. An electric bike with the same top speed and a range of 30hwy to 75 city costs 3-5 times as much to build and sells for well over $10K. There is no economic argument, no convenience argument (5 hour charge?), and the green argument is tough when considering the ICE bike goes 80km on a liter of fuel.
 
for now :D

You are used to cheap fuel and long commutes...that ain't so in other countries.

What's going to kill ICE is legislation...China already bans motorcycles and scooters in polluted cities...that drives a lot of technology.
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