Clearly this guy is out there - seeing a big bike and waiting for the 'crash' sound means he's looking at things from a very strange angle. All he does is stir up people and divide them, for and against big bikes, but things are not that easy. Big bikes are dangerous, antique cars are not safe, what's next?
But he may have one small point where I could agree with him - often things are not 100% wrong. If I look at the development of sport bikes, and see the horsepower figures, I can't help but think: is a bike with 170 or 180 hp really a good thing in the hands of Joe Average? A race bike for the track, sure, but a street legal bike? That's more power than most european cars make!
I remember when the V-Max came out, an unbelievable monster with 120 horses. It's lame today, now we get the 1700cc version with 190 horses; we got 'busas, ZX1400s, even BMW builds a 180hp bike. I ask myself: is that really a good idea that practically anybody with the money can buy a bike like that, and ride it if he has the right license? Is that really necessary or are we being sold on 'faster, stronger, better'? Like digital cameras which went from 2 megapixels to 3, to 4, to 5, there's no end to it! Now a simple camera has 10 megapixels - who needs that? Does it mean you can take better photos?
I remember (quite a few) years ago when in Europe there was talk about a voluntary 100hp limit.
Ten years ago I had a ZX9R which was supposed to have 130 horses, I revved it to 9000rpm and shat my pants. I put 1000 miles on it, then sold it. I'm not the guy who's really happy on a bike like that, I admit that. Once I was stopped at a red light, my mind was wandering a bit, then a car honked behind me and I realized the light had turned green. I gave a bit too much throttle, let the clutch out a bit too quickly, and shot over the intersection like a rocket. Whoa! You always got to be there 100%, and who is?
Doesn't owning a 180hp bike say "I can handle raw power" about the rider? Isn't there a bit of 'american megalomania' and macho bravado involved? Not just a little bit? On the motorcycle-usa website you can read this about the 2011 V-Max: "The VMAX carries a unique style that will appeal to those looking for a bike that will stand out from a crowd and lay down the power to draw that crowd to you."
Maybe I stepped on a few toes here, I'd like to hear your responses.
I'm NOT agreeing to any limitations of any kind by the government, I'm only raising the question if maybe we, the riders, should limit ourselves in some ways.