First off I don't like borrowing peoples things as it makes me nervous to think of wrecking something and having to deal with the guilt and then replacing their property. But for some reason today was different and I really wanted to take his motorcycle for a spin.
Sam has put on some really nice accessories that I think make his Bolt R-Spec look really cool. He changed out the stock seat and replaced it with a springer bobber solo seat in a rich oxblood and black colour. He added a brass speedometer visor (to help with sun glare), rear fender rack, highway pegs, quick-release windshield, and oxblood colour leather saddlebags. I think these accessories make his bike look awesome. These parts were all ordered through our local Yamaha dealer and arrived quickly, with no hassles.
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| Nice scenic roads riding a Yamaha Bolt R-Spec |
I ride scooters and also a 2009 Suzuki Gladius. So the first thing I notice when starting off on the Bolt is the friction point on the clutch is really different from my Gladius. On the Bolt you have to find it while letting out the clutch lever and it's a lot farther than I'm used to, where on the Gladius it is almost instant. So I found myself revving the motor a lot more while trying to get used to it when leaving from a stop, kinda embarrassing but I'm just going out with my husband so there will be only one witness to my learning curve . Not a big deal, I will just have to get used to it. I decide the nice country roads will be perfect while I get accustomed to the differences between this motorcycle and the ones I'm used to.
The riding position is really different for me as I am used to being in an upright position and sitting higher up on my bikes. With the lower seat height of 27.2"/690 mm, sitting on a low springer seat and with a straight arm reach slightly upwards to the handlebars I instantly know this is different territory for me. But it makes you quickly feel like a young rebel and that's okay. The inner child will have some playtime today.
We head out on the road and I am instantly laughing in my helmet. The sound from this cruisers air cooled 942cc V-twin is awesome and makes you feel like your riding a slightly tamed beast. My inner child is already having fun and I feel my older years shedding from my body with every kilometer I drive. I am now starting to understand why so many people own and drive cruisers. I used to think they were a little confused and must have never read a motorcycle review on cruisers as most are very negative, as I have read many, and always thought to myself they were not the bike for me. Maybe after today everything will make sense.
Traveling on rough roads you will for sure feel the imperfections of the pavement coming up into your seat area. But I found it tolerable and compared it to the same feeling as when I owned my Jeep TJ, it's definitely not a Cadillac ride but I am still having fun. And I bought my Jeep because it was a Jeep, back then I felt Cadillac's were for old people and Jeeps were for the cool people, boy has time flew by because now I am the old gal needing the comfy ride. But today is different, I wanna experience a different kind of fun.
We travel into a quiet town called Warburg and go to a gas station for a snack. While walking around the store I notice that there are now Oreo ice cream sandwiches in Birthday cake, well who knew?! I gotta try one of those with a cold Coca-Cola. Outside I guzzle down my cola and realize that I was a lot more thirstier than I thought, next time I will get a bottle of water, the coke did nothing for my thirst. The ice cream was good and the inner child was getting spoiled and feeling happier, well even the older me was having a good time, an ice cream is always nice on a warm day, and with a motorcycle ride included, it adds up to a great time.
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| A great day on Sam's Yamaha Bolt |
A couple months ago my husband had bought an antique tractor seat to put on the Bolt to help my son with lower body pain caused by the suspension having shorter travel which can cause you to have a rough ride on some roads. Sam's previous motorcycle was a Kawasaki Versys and he found out on a trip to B.C. that a cruiser can be unforgiving at times if you get on a poor maintained highway. Before going out on our ride I had asked my husband if he could switch out the tractor seat. It came off easily and Dave had put the bobber seat back on for me, it took him less than 5 minutes. I found with my leg length the tractor seat was horrible and not going to work for me. However Sam and Dave both like the tractor seat and how it provides a bigger sitting area, and also the higher springs he put on it absorb the bumps way better. I love the look of this bike with the bobber seat and would keep it on even if it's not as comfortable as a touring seat. To me, it just looks so good.
I love the sound of the Bolt's engine, the strong acceleration, and the disc brakes worked well. I also like that the curb weight is only 246 kg/542 lbs. and it was easy to move around when parking, which for me is great, as I am only 5' 5" and that is extremely important to me. A couple things I would like to have if I was to buy this motorcycle would be a fuel gauge and brighter signal light indicator on the LCD digital meter assembly (instrument panel), I found it to be too light to see at a quick glance on a sunny day. But if they are trying to keep it all old school cool, it works.
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| Out for the Day with my husband Dave and his 2008 Kawasaki Concours |
On our ride returning home my Bell 500 helmet decided it was time to have a snap on my visor unscrew while cruising at 110 kph and a very quick stop on the side of the road was in order as I didn't want my visor blowing completely off and maybe breaking or being lost in the ditch. I was very thankful and relieved that my husband had a full tool kit on his Kawasaki Concours as I really didn't want to take Sam's bike apart to find his. We did a quick fix to my helmet on the side of the road and off we went. Going down the road I got stuck behind a slower moving car and decided that it was time to see what this bike could do. As soon as I entered a passing zone that was safe, I passed the car quickly and with no fuss, and was quite surprised to glance down at the speedo to see that I was traveling at 136 kph. The bike felt solid and I was quite impressed with how quickly it reached that speed. We travel in a high RCMP patrolled tourist area so I decided that was enough shenanigans for the day, I was not interested in getting a speeding ticket.
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| 2014 Yamaha Bolt R-Spec with a tractor seat |
We went through some twisty corners and the Bolt was a lot of fun, I had a grin on my face the whole time. I didn't of course take the corners at lightening speeds as I was still learning the capabilities of the bike and also I had no interest in making the call to my son that I had wrecked his Bolt. I know Sam has told me he can easily scrape the pegs on it but today I did not experience it. Maybe with longer seat time and a nice ride in the Nakusp B.C. area it would happen to me also.
Later we traveled on a short dirt road, the Bolt did great and handled the situation really well. Never did I feel nervous or not in control. I was happy when we returned home. Nothing better than parking a borrowed bike still in the same condition you borrowed it in. With only the extra kilometers on it to show I had taken it for a ride and a little less fuel, all was good. My fuel light never came on so we didn't have to make a fuel stop. The fuel capacity on this motorcycle is 12 litres/2.6 Imp. gal. which is really good.
I would for sure take the Yamaha Bolt out again for a longer ride. The seat wouldn't be great for touring but with a gel cushion it could be quite tolerable. You can purchase through Yamaha a Mustang Solo wide touring seat, which I would recommend for long day rides. The bobber seat has thinner foam so it's not a real soft comfy seat but it does look cool, so you have to decide if a motorcycle looking really cool is a more important quality than your comfort. When we had stopped previously for a break after 45 minutes of riding I had a little fatigue starting in my lower back but our 20 minute break was great. I felt good when I returned to riding again.
So maybe today you have found yourself pondering the thought of borrowing your son or daughter's motorcycle for the day, I say go for it! You might be pleasantly surprised with their choices and get to try something different. It might also make you become more understanding of why people choose the rides they choose. I know I will look at cruisers a lot more differently and understand what it is about this style of bike that a lot of North Americans gravitate to. I still prefer a sportier motorcycle or scooter but would not hesitate if I was far from home on holidays and wanted to rent a motorcycle to do some touring. I also like the thought of someday in the future if Sam decides to sell his Bolt I might just be it's next owner. Life is short and you have to make it a priority to have some fun, with a Yamaha Bolt that can easily happen.
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