When is it time to move up to a Big Boy Bike?

General Honda Forza 300 chat, questions about the Forza, or questions about riding.

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Alibally
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Re: When is it time to move up to a Big Boy Bike?

Post by Alibally »

phantom309 wrote:have you concidered the honda NC750 ? as this is fantastic at lane splitting , has helmet size hole / storage where you would expect the petrol tank ,(that's under the seat) and very nice to ride... plus very good on fuel .
I've got one. You can get a DTC if gears are a problem.
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Re: When is it time to move up to a Big Boy Bike?

Post by bladerman »

Hi all, I'm new here.

I just moved the other direction from a BMW R1200RT to a Forza. After getting married I won't be taking long road trips and instead wanted a small bike for the commute and errands. My wife can ride it too whereas clutch gives her trouble.

I've had the Forza at 85 mph in windy conditions. It doesn't feel comfy there. I find it feels nice and stable up to 75. The biggest thing, aside from stability is the lack of acceleration in traffic. You need to leave more room when changing lanes, etc, and can't just twist your wrist to slip into a gap. I have the choice and take surface streets when on the scoot. If I wanted to travel regularly on highways I would go with a higher displacement bike.

For most of my uses, the Forza is more practical. No wrist fatigue from clutching in traffic and over 60 MPG. I also don't need to take the time to put boots on (no gear shifting). I especially enjoy the way I can just toss it around in town, slip by traffic by riding the shoulders and I feel like it gives me a license to park on the sidewalk in front of the food store, etc :-)
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Re: When is it time to move up to a Big Boy Bike?

Post by davenowherejones »

I think the Forza is a little too big for sidewalk parking. I used to do that with my Yamaha BWS 49cc but the Forza is bigger and hotter.
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Re: When is it time to move up to a Big Boy Bike?

Post by you you »

gn2 wrote:The Harley is an unbelievably bad pile of shite.

If you want a good motorbike to move up to from the Forza, look at the Suzuki SV650, Yamaha FZ07 or Yamaha XSR700 and make sure you get one with ABS.

That's very rude to shite. An apology is in order.
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Re: When is it time to move up to a Big Boy Bike?

Post by gn2 »

I apologise, I should have said faeces instead of shite.
Four decades on two wheels has taught me nothing, all advice given is guaranteed to be wrong
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Re: When is it time to move up to a Big Boy Bike?

Post by davenowherejones »

gn2 wrote:I apologise, I should have said faeces instead of shite.
No, you were right the first time. You guys talk funny over there.

The last Harley 750 Street I rode was annoying and uncomfortable. The hot cylinder between my legs was dangerous also.
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Re: When is it time to move up to a Big Boy Bike?

Post by montliz44 »

davenowherejones wrote:
gn2 wrote:I apologise, I should have said faeces instead of shite.

The hot cylinder between my legs was dangerous also.
I know what you talkin' 'bout, Dave. That thing has gotten me in trouble more than once. (Sorry, couldn't resist :D )

Anyway, welcome, Bladerman, and please stick with us. We need more good folks like you over here on the Forza side.

Luv my Forza!

Johnny
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Re: When is it time to move up to a Big Boy Bike?

Post by davenowherejones »

So what are you talking' about? Good one.

The rain has paused, take the dog for a walk and then a scooter ride to check my $55,000,000 LottoMax ticket.
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Re: When is it time to move up to a Big Boy Bike?

Post by ggs34 »

well go drive a honda nc700x dct going for very good prices up here nice ride nice storage and a whole lot more power great mpg for a motor bike go look you may like i like mine gs
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Re: When is it time to move up to a Big Boy Bike?

Post by chicaboo »

davenowherejones wrote:The hot cylinder between my legs was dangerous also.
montliz44 wrote:I know what you talkin' 'bout, Dave. That thing has gotten me in trouble more than once. (Sorry, couldn't resist :D )
davenowherejones wrote:So what are you talking' about?
I know what he's talking about. But I think he's confused cylinders with pistons​? At least I hope he has. The mind boggles! o_O
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Re: When is it time to move up to a Big Boy Bike?

Post by mikecalderone »

I have the Forza and I am in Orange County. I bought a Honda CTX700ND and love this bike, go take a look at the CTX, I think you will like it. It is an automatic with ABS brakes.
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Re: When is it time to move up to a Big Boy Bike?

Post by pja2536 »

dougfreeze wrote:I have some questions for the motorcycle riders here but I'm looking for input from anyone who has a comment...

My requirements: I need a narrow Lane Splitter. I drive around Los Angeles making house calls and splitting (sharing) lanes all day long and the Forza has been perfect for that, in fact, I really LOVE this thing. I need someplace to put a tool bag about the size of a full face helmet. Mounting a rack on back wouldn't be a problem for me so just ignore that comment.

I am also concerned about leaving my helmet locked and hanging on a mirror since I have a small Mobius Action Camera mounted inside and don't want the camera to get stolen. Any ideas how to hide the camera from prying eyes?
I've ridden bikes AND scooters for many years so I'll give you my twopence worth. I support the comments about the Harley; I once had my heart set on a 883 Sportster but when I went to look at one in the dealer's shop it had rust on the pipes (it was brand new) so I've not been a fan ever since. Really the Japanese brands are all very good. IMHO most riders don't need anything bigger than 500 - 750 cc. The Honda CB/CBR 500 is a good range of bikes as is the Honda NS(X)750. The Yamaha XSR700 looks fantastic. If you want to try something a little different the look at the Yamaha SR400 (you will have to learn how to kick start it - but are you a bike rider or what?) Last but not least is the Kawasaki Z650 or Ninja 650 or Vulcan S. Again a "left-fielder" is the Kawasaki KLR650 - a bike you could own forever and do anything on. I had a Yamaha XT600 many many years ago and it was not just a good trail bike it was simply a great bike.

Visit lots of dealers and ride lots of test bikes. You will soon find what you like.

I hope that helps.

Regards,
Peter
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Re: When is it time to move up to a Big Boy Bike?

Post by gn2 »

You left out the best of the current crop of middleweights, the SV650AL7 ;)
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Re: When is it time to move up to a Big Boy Bike?

Post by Dufus »

My bikes are the Forza and a 23-year-old Vulcan. The Kaw is rock solid smooth on the Interstate - yes - but it's also 540 pounds of danger, what with no ABS and front brakes that are designed to give you a high-side or handlebar dismount at the slightest provocation. It also guzzles a gallon every 50 miles. It's up for sale. Wanna buy it? I'll send flowers to your funeral if you don't put organic pads on it. The four-piston twin-disc front brake makes the bike a death machine when outfitted with sintered pads.

My Forza is a bit of a rough ride around town but smooths out nicely at Interstate speeds. I'm surprised yours doesn't. Do you have a tall windscreen on yours?

Bottom line: It's time to move up to a "big boy bike" only if you care more for what others think of your ride than you care for being able to enjoy that great-handling Forza of yours, which stops on a dime and gets 66+ mpg without even trying.

My 2 cent's worth...
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Re: When is it time to move up to a Big Boy Bike?

Post by you you »

gn2 wrote:You left out the best of the current crop of middleweights, the SV650AL7 ;)

Bus pass :lol:
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Re: When is it time to move up to a Big Boy Bike?

Post by drol343 »

I don't know about lane splitting. I went from a 2014 Forza ABS to a 2016 Honda CTX700D. Missed the storage on the CTX700D; and the Forza was too cramped. Solved the problem and got a BMW C650GT... pretty incredible scooter!
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Re: When is it time to move up to a Big Boy Bike?

Post by you you »

drol343 wrote:I don't know about lane splitting. I went from a 2014 Forza ABS to a 2016 Honda CTX700D. Missed the storage on the CTX700D; and the Forza was too cramped. Solved the problem and got a BMW C650GT... pretty incredible scooter!
Now that's interesting. Opinion/pictures??
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Re: When is it time to move up to a Big Boy Bike?

Post by TheMaverick »

drol343 wrote:I don't know about lane splitting. I went from a 2014 Forza ABS to a 2016 Honda CTX700D. Missed the storage on the CTX700D; and the Forza was too cramped. Solved the problem and got a BMW C650GT... pretty incredible scooter!
It's a pretty old thread now, so original poster probably isn't monitoring it anymore.

Even watching people lane split breaks me out into a nervous sweat; even if someone does it OK 99,999 times out of 100,000, I've seen YouTube videos of riders passing over 200 hundred cars in a single ride - so if they did that every day then even one accident per 100,000 lane-splits would mean that they had a crash every 16 months. For me anyway, it's not about the number of times that I do something dumb and get away with it - it's about trying not to do something dumb in the first place so that I'm permanently on top of many risk factors that could form part of an accident chain in other circumstances.
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Re: When is it time to move up to a Big Boy Bike?

Post by easyrider »

Big boy bike?? that would depend on what type of driving you do mostly. I think a big cruiser bike is nice and mostly for the guy going cross country rides or have a long highway commute at high speeds. I think the Forza is a multi dimensional bike where you can do a little of both. The Forza handles great and is nimble in the city and can handle a short highway stint as well. Light enough to push it around the garage and do your own maintenance. I had a Suzuki burgman 650 and it was a truck in the city.. I can park the FORZA on the sidewalk at most grocery stores without any issue or hard looks from people. As far lane splitting goes in the US its an accident waiting to happen.People in the US are just not wary of this and open doors to vomit after a drinking all night and throw out cold coffee or spill out a drink. If your coming you're going( to heaven that is) ?? Good luck with that maneuver.
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Re: When is it time to move up to a Big Boy Bike?

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