Boxerworks.com

Zombie Master wrote:Lovely bike, and I really appreciate that the "T" word wasn't used!

Traditional?

Tits?

Teutonic?

Twin?

Tubular?

Tire Thread? (counts double!)

Taco Time? (as above)

seventy-Two?

ME 109 wrote:TOASTER

Oh YEAH. THAT one!

No question that the finish and attention to aesthetic decisions are wonderful on that bike. Like Ken, I have a problem with the handlebars. Not the same problem, though. I wouldn't be able to hang with clip ons (that is, clip on "position" in this case) without moving the pegs to an appropriately rearward (rearset) position.

In other woids, that bike cries out for rear sets. All bikes with clip ons should have rear sets. To me, if they don't, my mind goes straight to that glaring fault and the gleaming finish fades to the background.

There are a lot of customized motorcycles that have awful ergonomics. I mean ergonomics you can spot without even seeing a rider on the bike. Once a human is (poorly) situated on some of them, they change from an object of high level finish and "edgy" design elements (now, I'm more thinking of chopperesque stuff) to a botch job that looks silly at best.

One of the things I like best about the Cafe' Racer design ethic is that riding ergonomics are usually considered and honored. Along those lines, a Hondapotamus in well used condition, appeals to me much more than a lavishly finished bike that has a bad rider position. I really do respond to flashy and elegant finish work. It is for naught, though, on a bike I don't like. I should explain here that my rant against bad rider ergonomics went further than it needs to for the R75/5 that is the subject of this thread. It is a super nice bike with just that one shortcoming (in my mind).

Chuey

Interesting. Around town I'd rather ride that bike than one with clip-ons and rear-sets. My hands and wrists can't handle the "correct" seating position except when at speed with the wind-blast that clip-ons are designed for. With that bike, you keep your legs under you and can keep more weight off your hands.

Horses for courses, I guess. Even ergonomics are personal, not universal.

Beautiful bike. I have mixed feelings about the bars but it has all been covered. I usually don't care for red airheads but it looks great here. I love the way /5's and /6's can be so tastefully cafe'd in such an understated way.

Major Softie wrote:Interesting. Around town I'd rather ride that bike than one with clip-ons and rear-sets. My hands and wrists can't handle the "correct" seating position except when at speed with the wind-blast that clip-ons are designed for. With that bike, you keep your legs under you and can keep more weight off your hands.

Horses for courses, I guess. Even ergonomics are personal, not universal.

The bars on that bike are basically in the clip on position. I didn't say cafe racer position is good for around town. I said that bars and pegs, hands and legs, need to have a specific relationship to each other. I do know that others can have other opinions but if you move the hands down and back as this bike has, it changes the relationship of the foot to hand position in an awkward way. I would guess that the main reason bars are "Cafe'd" while foot position isn't is that it is more involved to change the foot position (more costly as well) and some people see the bars as the essential part of a cafe bike and may not even give foot position a second thought.

I don't think that a bike with such low bars and stock peg position would be ideal around town or in the mountains.

Chuey

Chuey wrote:
I don't think that a bike with such low bars and stock peg position would be ideal around town or in the mountains.

Chuey

Those bars aren't far from our RS bars Chuey. Rear sets may be good on a track that's as smooth as a baby's bottom, but in the mountains where one finds mountain roads that are often bumpy, rear sets would be a pain in the butt.
The stock peg position allows far better control ime.

ME 109 wrote:

Chuey wrote:
I don't think that a bike with such low bars and stock peg position would be ideal around town or in the mountains.

Chuey

Those bars aren't far from our RS bars Chuey. Rear sets may be good on a track that's as smooth as a baby's bottom, but in the mountains where one finds mountain roads that are often bumpy, rear sets would be a pain in the butt.
The stock peg position allows far better control ime.

I've seen proof that you're a much better rider than I am. That said, I like my Cafe' in the mountains and not just on smooth roads. My pegs are affixed where the passenger pegs are normally situated.

Chuey