The Honda Era Ends... Hello, Suzuki!

A personal era ended recently with the sale of my 1989 Honda NX250 dual sport to a fellow in Greeneville, TN this morning. As I waved goodbye to my old ride I mentally reviewed its colorful past- bought use and ridden for 5 years, stolen for 3 years, then recovered and restored to mechanical soundness this past fall. A shining example of Honda reliability throughout its-not-over-yet lifetime, the NX stands as a testimony to what all bikes should.

That little 2500cc water-cooled, six-speed conveyance defined what I still look for in quality two-wheeled transportation. Reliability first - performance and fun factor second. Every feature of that bike is still working except the problematic speedo assembly (I balked at a $100+ parts list to make another attempt to keep it working). And that's it. The tranny is shifting a little harder and the throttle is less snappy in its response, but the bike is more than drivable and relatively safe with its ancient disc brake and rear drums. Getting 85 mpg is a nice feeling, too.

Having owned 3 Hondas all told - a 1966 305 Super Hawk, a 1975 CB350, and the 1989 NX250 - my overall experience was very positive. Few if any breakdowns. No maintenance problems. And a couple of tumbles due to my foolhardy driving. For me, motorcycles are Hondas. Until now...

With a much lauded 2007 Suzuki DL 650A V-Strom, I have entered the midsize bike realm. For me, it is a whole new era of comfort and performance with a bike that can take me anywhere. Power and handling are first rate. ABS braking technology is a must-have now in my mind. And careful accessorizing has now turned my V-Strom into a capable adventure tourer. But reliability is still an issue. With just 6500 miles on it, the speedo is malfunctioning and an intermittent stall occurs when I come to stop. Some things never change... (we'll also see what kind of dealership experience is in store for this era too).

Will the Wee stand the test of time that the NX has managed to endure? Only time will tell in this new era of modern motorcycling - and I can only hope so....