Is 650cc and 60HP Big Enough For A Motorcycle? DL650 The Yorkshire Moors Fast Ride

[@shempdoll]

What did we ride in the 80’s? Probably 40hp like me. Yes dreamed of a Honda 750, but never could afford it. Was 40hp enough- yes it was. Does the current G310GS have enough hp - yes it does. Can you ride across the UK on a 125 - yes Rob Little does.

[@barebonesmc]

amazing what they can convince otherwise sensible poeple to do 🙂

[@volt8684]

Honda 750/4 only 70 bhp. Same as my 21 vstrom650

[@barebonesmc]

@@volt8684 yep, hope you enjoyed the video mate

[@stevied6286]

It's not really about HP..it's the torque that gives you that instantaneous " Shove" that's as addictive as a top-end rush, in fact more so cos you can have it at "sane" road speeds rather than Life and Licence losing territory. I've recently bought a TDM 900 for exactly that reason and it does not disappoint even without any significant gain in hp as the revs rise..It's just instantaneous thrust and puts a big smile on my face knowing I don't have " Canbus" over-complexity and huge dealer-only Service costs..Top video and comments as always!

[@jimtitt3571]

TDM 900 is my weapon of choice as well, even two-up and camping gear it's enough for spirited main-road hauling and effortless at 100 on the motorway (I live in Germany). The aero's are kinda poor though!

[@barebonesmc]

yep, i always ran 1 tooth down on the front until the last few years, which increases the effective torque at the wheel, but these days ive gone back to standard, especially on tour 🙂

[@barebonesmc]

@@jimtitt3571 the TDM is a damn good bike, still underrated too

[@jimtitt3571]

@@barebonesmc An underrated bike in it's, the styling was challenging and it was in a niche back then, basically a bit before it's time really as a cross-over touring/sport enduro machine. A few years back there was a used sport/tourer shootout on1000PS (the largest German-language motorcycle media channel) and it won easily against the Africa Twins etc. The good thing is they are fantastic quality and cheap, for a vastly inferior AfricaTwin I'd pay double the money for something considerably worse in every respect. 88hp and 89Nm was always going to be nice to ride and brakes from the R1 superbike help.

[@barebonesmc]

@@jimtitt3571 by then the AT had just got fat, and i am just a sucker for the Genesis engines lol

[@moonclip8646]

I have had liters bikes and many other types over the years. 996 SuperHawk was my favorite. Very underrated. As an older rider now (50+) who’s always preferred handling over speed light weight is a priority as well. 2018 KTM 690 Duke is my bike of choice now. People ask why such a small bike for a larger rider. I tell them “It’s light, fun and fast enough! 370lbs wet the bike only weighs 70lbs more than me and still has more than enough power and speed for the streets! My only complaint would be the suspension but thats hardly the bike’s fault.

[@barebonesmc]

Great story 🙂Cheers for adding your bit mate. As you can tell, i agree completely :-) i like the LC4 engine, just not so much Kiska designs lol. Ride Free 🙂

[@moonclip8646]

@@barebonesmc It’s funny but that amazing motor is such a waste on me and my riding style. It lives below 6krpm but when I decide to go above I’m still impressed by the way the power turns on and the shove it gives especially for a single. And thank you for your brilliant content and high value production. We have our preferences but for me it’s 2 wheels and an engine for I care not whose badge is on the tank I love them all!

[@barebonesmc]

@@moonclip8646 I can relate to all of that comment mate, it isnt often i stretch the Vstroms legs these days 🙂 and i do love most things on 2 wheels 🙂

[@jubei6802]

Don't miss the Belgian Ardennes.. cross it on your way from France to Germany ✌️👍 From there go direction Eifel and then Black Forest. You can thank me later 😂😊

[@barebonesmc]

may come through Belgium on way back, but staying Riems then the Vosges to friends before Switzerland, then back up into Germany 🙂

[@jubei6802]

@@barebonesmc sounds amazing. Have fun and stay safe! 🤙

[@barebonesmc]

@@jubei6802 ill be doing my best mate 🙂 i don't bounce so well these days lol

[@joeclark7888]

1981 Yamaha XJ650 owner here. This bike is perfect for riding with a passenger up and down all of the many hills of SF,CA.

[@barebonesmc]

thats 2 of you in the same night :-) great bikes :-), welcome aboard

[@chrisweeks6973]

In the 64 years I've been riding, I've had fun on almost all my bikes, which included a 175cc Bantam D14/4, 305cc Honda CB77, Jawa 250 and 350, Yamaha RD250 and SR500, Kawasaki Z750, plus many others and, currently, the Guzzi 750 Breva. Do I need a big 130hp monster to have fun? Definitely not!

[@barebonesmc]

A good point well put mate 🙂Cheers for the comment. Ride Free 🙂

[@barriewilliams4526]

Aged 87 now, so riding a smaller, lighter bike, a Yamaha MT-03. Just 321 cc, but even so, it develops 41 hp, and is good for 100 + mph, it's 0-60 time being a tad over 5 seconds. Not sure why I ever wanted all those horses and weight of my younger days, as my appendage is of average size😂

[@barebonesmc]

Lol, A good point well put mate 🙂Cheers for the comment. Ride Free 🙂

[@stillshakin2125]

I have just bought a Honda nc750x, a lot of folks recon they are slow but be honest it does not seem a lot different performance wise to my last 650 strom. Pulls well even 2 up with 26 stone on board I think 50-60 ponies is enough, although, as with pies, a few more are always appreciated if not actually needed...... .🥧

[@barebonesmc]

i have a mate who rides old Brit bikes in general, the only newer one he has is an NC750 and its been all over Europe multiple times. he swears by it, and rides 2 up and loaded. you get the advantage of screw adjustable tappets too, now that is a feature i would prefer over shim sets any day, progress eh 🙂

[@rokhnroll]

I have just spent 5 days riding around France on my Gen 2 DL650. Never missed a beat from urban areas to motorways and everything in between, economical too I was getting 65-70 mpg, enough torque from the V-Twin to keep it interesting but within the speed limits too. Not the prettiest of machines but I do not see that when I am riding it. Ride safe. Thanks for posting

[@barebonesmc]

weve been traveling down from uk to Holland then down through germany, just reached switzerland, theres some raw footage i am posting on the way if you havent seen it, still on my gen 1 🙂 happy travels

[@krazyjuicedan]

I've had plenty of fun riding all over the Derbyshire peak district, Yorkshire dales and North York moors on my smallest bike a 40hp 400 super dream. So 60 is more than enough. Hoping to get upto the moors this coming week off work if the weather forecast improves. Thanks for the upload very enjoyable footage.

[@barebonesmc]

Nice one! and yes, as i have said, better to ride a slow bike fast than a fast bike slowly :-) glad you enjoyed the video mate 🙂 Theres plenty more on the channel, hope you will look around and find something your interested in. there is more on the website too. and there will be more to come. Cheers for watching.Hope you will climb aboard. Ride Free 🙂

[@chrishart8548]

600cc is big enough. Otherwise in the UK it puts you in the highest tax band. May aswell have a 2500cc rocket

[@barebonesmc]

A good point well put mate 🙂Cheers for the comment. Ride Free 🙂

[@environmentsollution]

Agree, I had a V-StromX 2008 for 8 years and now I have a Honda Dominator RD02 1994. Even that is ok!

[@barebonesmc]

glad you enjoyed it mate 🙂 2008 was the best year :-) the Dom is a good old donkey too. Theres plenty more on the channel, hope you will look around and find something your interested in. there is more on the website too. and there will be more to come. Cheers for watching.Hope you will climb aboard. Ride Free 🙂

[@paulrendell8797]

Just been from the UK to Spain 2 up with luggage on a 650cc 40bhp Royal Enfield Super meteor. Absolutely no problems whatsoever.

[@barebonesmc]

Live the dream mate, happy travels

[@joeclark7888]

1981 Yamaha xj650 rider here. 71 hp,shaft drive,for me it is the perfect size.I love it!

[@barebonesmc]

@@joeclark7888 more than enough to have fun mate 🙂 people forget that

[@joeclark7888]

@@barebonesmc in stoplight drag-races and holeshots it holds it's own !

[@barebonesmc]

@@joeclark7888 its how you ride em not what you ride 🙂 thats my philosophy 🙂

[@Free_Ranger_CT110]

Absolutely, 650cc & 60hp is plenty. Backed up by what I've read that the 650 v-strom out sells it's bigger brother(s) by two to one. Years ago I toured France two up on my MZ TS250, so it's probably best to ignore any advice I may offer 🙂

[@barebonesmc]

and im sure you had great fun :-) the 650 is just better in every way except power than its bigger brother, been looking for a replacement a long while now lol, i wont even buy the newer Vstrom lol

[@davidrochow9382]

With the low speed limits and large fines it's not worth having anything too powerful these days unless you use it on the track. I got pinched for speeding in South Australia just over 4 years ago and the fine was Aus. $210 for being 9 kph ( 5.5 mph) over the speed limit when I was catching up with a group. The best fun I've had in a long time was on my 2012 Royal Enfield with the sidecar attached. It had a top speed of about GPS 103kph downhill with a tail wind but I could take it anywhere I wanted to go.

[@barebonesmc]

ouch, and yep, playing avoid the cameras here is now a nightmare

[@fredclow9326]

40 hp is enough.

[@barebonesmc]

true, im glad i have a bit more today though. ive got about 7 hrs riding to do, down through England to Dover then across France to Reims

[@leandroflaherty]

Power to weight. I rather have a lightweight bike with a higher power to weight, than a monster amount of horsepower which also comes with elephant weight. Weight negatively affects handling, offroad, etc. the only place weight is a bonus is cruising in straight lines in the highway, which frankly its the least appealing way to ride a motorcycle. I ride a bare bones supermoto for this reason, a xr650r. Plenty of power at half the weight of most adv bikes.

[@barebonesmc]

indeed, and if i wasnt riding with a passenger and luggage so much that would probably be the way i went. the 650 Pegaso gives me my lighter option, but the Vstro always gets used most

[@azimuth2142]

Enjoy your holiday trip. I would rather have a smaller bike I can ride hard than a big one that'll scare me. That's why I'm looking at 500cc and 650cc bikes.

[@barebonesmc]

cheers mate, that is the sweet spot as far as i am concerned

[@garyronaldgray4978]

It doesn’t matter the HP if your out to have fun I ride a fireblade but go out with my buddy on a 125 sometimes and can still have a great day on this, yes it won’t do sill speeds but you see so much more around the roads and still brings a smile to your face. Keep the videos coming some great roads rides and great information 👍

[@barebonesmc]

thanks for your support 🙂Cheers for adding your bit too mate. Ride Free 🙂

[@mohammedziauddin601]

Sir. You are truly young at heart ❤️. God bless you on your vacation. Ride free, ride safe.

[@barebonesmc]

cheers my friend, and i will do my best :-) all the best to you and those that are special to you

[@djrichylaurence8991]

I have a Hornet 600 that makes 105 bhp.

[@barebonesmc]

enjoy it mate 🙂Cheers for watching. Ride Free 🙂

[@chrishart8548]

Those bikes are a bad influence they don't encourage sensible riding

[@barebonesmc]

@@chrishart8548 lol, tis true they like you dancing on that gearbox 🙂

[@chrishart8548]

@@barebonesmc I remember when they first came out I knew I didn't like the bandit 600. But I couldn't decide if I wanted a fazer 600 or the hornet 600.

[@barebonesmc]

@@chrishart8548 both great bikes 😊 I will be rolling the 600s out at some point when I’m back 😊

[@upsidedowndog1256]

I sure enjoy my WeeStrom! The gearing makes the most of what it has for power. That is more important than the power itself.

[@barebonesmc]

i always ran 1 tooth down on the front until the last few years, now i like the more relaxed ride of the standard 🙂

[@smithgroove945]

Thanks for sharing. Be safe.

[@barebonesmc]

cheers mate, i will be doing my best, just sorting out the final bits and getting the packing done

[@marksparks59]

Good to see you enjoying 'our back yard'.

[@barebonesmc]

i visit the Dales more, i dont know the Moors so well but i do like it, cheers for watching

[@marksparks59]

@@barebonesmc there's also lots of great riding roads through the Yorkshire (and Lincolnshire for that matter) Wolds - I'm sure you'll be familiar with some of those.

[@barebonesmc]

@@marksparks59 i know the lincolnshire wolds around Cadwell most 🙂 the rest i have ridden through often, but being honest, its always been where the f7ck did i end up this time lol, but yep, some great roadsr

[@abruptlyblunt]

you can have fun on any bike? so you've ridden a honda shadow 750? rhetorical question because seeing the way you ride it is easy to conclude that you never have because if you had ever ridden one, your statement would have been, "you can have fun on any bike as long as it's not a 270 kg 750 that only has 40 horsepower!" btw, i have read more than once that with chain driven motorcycles the hp loss between the crank and rear wheel can be as high as 15 hp, depending on bike and things like transmission design of course......

[@stevied6286]

Sometimes, the smart choice is to change the kind of road you ride on..60 or 70 mph can feel extremely exciting on a country lane when it would be boring on a bigger route so choose roads that make less horsepower more rewarding. I did exactly that when I had smaller capacity bikes with less Hp but the beauty of many of the adv style machines is they can handle the poor road surfaces of smaller roads with poor tarmac and this means the riders can enjoy " spirited" riding without huge speed and smaller machines can have an advantage in these circumstances..So ride on routes that make journeys exciting rather than ones that show up the disadvantages of lower power or extra weight and just go and enjoy it

[@Mar_Tin]

At 12 kW loss of power the chain would glow red.

[@barebonesmc]

@abruptlyblunt losses with a chain are 10% max, usually a bit less if well maintained, and depends on chain weight too, so for a 15HP loss it would have to start as a 150HP bike, and no not ridden a 750 shadow, but i owned and rode a 600 Shadow VLX for a while, loved it, and showed some very embarrassed riders a clean pair of heels, the 600 was a far better and much lighter bike than the later 750, i even had an old 700 shadow for a bit, but preferred the 600 anyday

[@barebonesmc]

@@stevied6286 well put 🙂

[@noodles2x4]

Too funny seeing you pass the GOAT' on the road ;-)

[@barebonesmc]

moorland sheep :-) they get grumpier the higher you go :-) but Welsh sheep are the worst lol

[@noodles2x4]

@@barebonesmc The first two looked like goats, I wouldn't want to hit one because running over a dog resulted in a few more knee surgeries & these sheep look tough. Ride safe but have fun ;-)

[@barebonesmc]

@@noodles2x4 they are tough buggers 🙂 they do tend to run away from noise though, so not as dodgy as they might be otherwise

[@noodles2x4]

@@barebonesmc A study was done about 40 yrs ago that some bikes made a noise like a dog whistle from bearings? I don't know; that drove dogs crazy. My friend in front on his new 1988-9 Zx10 was the target of the dog to go after him, friend never saw it, but the dog gave up on him and came after me. "He did everything humanly possible to avoid the dog & it should/could have been much worse" said the witness policeman following behind us. Accidents happen

[@barebonesmc]

@@noodles2x4 indeed mate, sounds a harsh one. not come across that piece of science, but little surprises me these days 🙂 have a great weekend

[@davidlagno7717]

Supermoto's with alot less HP are super fun. But that bike is shite

[@Team-fabulous]

Idiot

[@barebonesmc]

so shite its taken me 2 up to about 12 countries and ive kept it over 15 years mate lol

[@davidlagno7717]

@@barebonesmc Anyone on 2 wheels is a friend of mine. It's just not my preference. That's fantastic

[@barebonesmc]

@@davidlagno7717 being honest, i accept it is ugly as sin, and being fair, i ended up with it almost by accident, but it has been a fantastic tool, others have come and gone, but the Vstrom lives on and i cant imagine getting rid now

[@davidlagno7717]

@barebonesmc I know how that is. I've got an old Bandit I'm not selling. And parked right next to it is a 2015 S1KRR that I'm thinking about selling that after this season. Track days are too expensive in the US, the closest one i have to stay overnight in a hotel its so far away and there's bumper to bumper traffic Its a sin I can't use it for what it is anymore. In 25yrs since I started the world went down the toilet. That's why 60hp is great 👍