The Rise of Micro Machines: Small Displacement Motorcycles

10 Super-Fun Small-Displacement Bikes

Cleveland Cyclewerks Ace Standard The Pride of Cuyahoga County, Cleveland Cyclewerks has been cranking out fun, stylish, small-displacement bikes in the Metropolis of the Western Reserve since 2009. The Ace Standard, CCW's base-model retro-standard-style bike, is powered by a Chinese-made, air-cooled, 250cc carbureted single with a five-speed trans. It's good for 70-is miles per hour and a good 80 miles to the gallon. It can also be had in Cafe Racer Scrambler trim if that's more your style. The Ace is zippy, handsome, has great ergonomics, and is very affordable at about $3,500 Yankee dollars. CLEVELAND ROCKS! Shots Fired! Cleveland Cyclewerks Sets Sights on India Cleveland CycleWerks Misfit: the missing link?

Cleveland Cyclewerks Heist Another of Cleveland Cyclewerks killer small-displacement bikes, the Heist is CCW's factory custom chopper. Heavily influenced by mid-century, California-style choppers, the Heist is powered by the company's tried and true 250cc air-cooled single. Style-wise it has a hardtail frame with a sprung tractor-style saddle, a classicly styled tank, bobbed rear fender with a tiny round taillight, forward controls, laced wheels, and everything else you'd expect to see on a chopper. It's not as practical or comfortable as CCW's other offerings, that hardtail must be a bear to ride on those frost-heaved and potholed Cleveland streets, but what it lacks in practicality it more than makes up for with style. CLEVELAND ROCKS! Cleveland Cyclewerks Enters Booming Indian Market Cleveland CycleWerks Hooligun: an affordable supermoto

Honda CRF250L Honda's CRF250L is another one of those small but capable dual sports that seem to be everywhere in the sub-250cc segment. A descendant of Team Red's CRF230L, the 250L is powered by a 249cc, water-cooled, fuel-injected single mated to a six-speed trans. It has optional ABS, Showa suspension front and rear, very respectable ground clearance, and a top speed of about 90 miles per hour. There's even a Rally trim level that includes Dakar-inspired bodywork, handguards, a bigger fuel tank, a windscreen, a skidplate, longer suspension travel, and more. BIG RED Honda Shows Dakar-Inspired CRF450L Rally Concept 2018 Honda CRF250L Recalled for Wire Harness Issues

Honda Monkey There are so many good sub-250cc Hondas out there it was hard to choose which ones to include here. Ultimately, though, it wouldn't be a proper list of pocket-rockets without the good old Monkey. Brought back from the great scrapheap in the sky for 2019, the new and improved Monkey combines modern running gear with classic Honda looks. Basically a reskinned Grom (but what an awesome skin), the Monkey features a 124.9cc air-cooled, fuel-injected single mated to a four-speed trans with chain final drive. It comes in banana yellow (of course) and a fantastic two-tone red and white with loads of chrome and old-school style. You can even get it with ABS! It's definitely not your granddad's Monkey, it's better. OOK? Honda Monkey and Super Cub C125 Coming to America World's Fastest Honda Monkey Bike

Kawasaki KLX250 Is the Kawasaki KLX250 the best sub-250cc dual sport on the market? Debateable. Is it really, really good? Definitely. Released in the mid-aughts, Team Green's little dual sport features a 249cc, water-cooled, carbureted single mated to a six-speed trans. It's a serious off-road machine, and is so capable that it's used by various militaries and high-speed, low-drag operators around the world. Seriously, if the KLX250 is good enough for SOCOM, it's good enough for you. MORE GREEN 2019 Kawasaki Z400 ABS: Everything We Know Everything New Under the 2019 Kawasaki Sun [UPDATE]

Kawasaki Z125-Pro Introduced in 2018, the Z125 Pro is the baby of Kawasaki's Z-series naked bike family. Don't underestimate it because of its size, though. It has a stout little 125cc, air-cooled, fuel-injected single with a four-speed trans and a chain final drive. Suspension consists of a pair of upsidedown forks and a rear monoshock, and the styling is pure Z-bike just, you know, smaller. It even has a digital dash and LED lighting. No ABS on this little guy, though. Okay, yeah. This thing is basically a Grom with Kawasaki badging, but that's not a bad thing. Not at all. SURPRISINGLY EASY BEING GREEN Local Madman Builds 2,300cc Kawasaki V12 In His Shed 2019 Kawasaki W800 Café: Everything We Know

Suzuki GSX250R It's a gixxer, brah! Sure, a little pocket-sized gixxer, but a gixxer nonetheless! Among the smallest sport bikes on the American market, Suzuki's little gixxer that could is powered by a 248cc, water-cooled, parallel twin mated to a six-speed trans. For as small as it is, the GSX250R is packed with modern conveniences. It even has ABS! It's a little spendy for a 250—MSRP of $5,490—but it does have that ABS and it comes with honest-to-goodness gixxer pedigree and a sharp-looking fairing which explains the price. Sure there are bigger, more powerful small sport bikes on the market, but are they gixxers? GIXXERS, BRAH! Next-Gen Suzuki GSX-R1000 Getting (Real) Variable Timing Is This The End Of The Suzuki GSX-R750? Probably Not

Suzuki TU250X If CCW's Ace Standard isn't your bag but you still want classic looks in a small package, Suzuki's TU250X might be just what you're looking for. Looking for all the world like a mid-60s British bike that got shrunk in the wash, this little Suzuki is powered by the same 249cc, air-cooled, fuel-injected single found in the VanVan and about a million other small Suzukis. For the longest time you couldn't get the TU250X here in The States, but that all changed in 2009 and now we can all enjoy, as Suzuki itself calls it, "a street motorcycle with a traditional, simple design, styled to create a feel that's both familiar and nostalgic with performance and equipment that make it optimally suited for casual, daily rides". Sounds good to us! BIG STYLE SMALL PRICE Popular Mechanics reviews the Suzuki TU250X 2010 Suzuki RMX450Z gets serious about enduro

Yamaha TW200 The Yamaha TW200 has been on the market, largely unchanged, for roughly a million years now. A killer little dual sport and the arch-nemesis of Suzuki's VanVan, the TW200 is powered by a 196cc, air-cooled single with a five-speed trans. It's just the thing for scooting around town or heading out to the farm for some light off-roading. It's also cool looking which, you know, doesn't hurt. GET DIRTY! Revisiting the Venerable Yamaha TW200 5 Things You Need To Know About Yamaha's New Ténéré 700

10 Small Motorcycles You Will Surely Love

Freedom comes in many forms in life, but none of them is like riding a motorcycle. Hitting the open road, wind in your hair – though you should always wear a helmet – and going across the country is a feeling unmatched by anything else. But that’s not everything a bike really is. There are all kinds of motorcycles around, and some of them are more fit for life in the urban jungle.

Meet the urban commuter. The idea is not new at all, but the big following it has recently is quite new. More and more motorcycle manufacturers have focused on this sector of smaller, playful bikes to ride around town, helping you avoid traffic and full parking places and even saving money on fuel. We’re not talking of scooters or mopeds here, but real motorcycles that have the perfect characteristics and fun factor for life on the open road – well, between home and the grocery store seven blocks away.

Most would think that small motorcycles aren’t motorcycles at all, but we’re here to prove you wrong. These new urban commuter beasts are built with quality and agility in mind so they’re super fun to ride and will give you the right thrills no matter how fast you’re going on your grocery run. And they are going fast. They’re even able to take you on small adventures beyond town.

So let’s not waste time and take a good look at the 10 small motorcycles you’d be proud to ride around town:

10. Honda MSX125 Grom – $3,400

As we mentioned, there are all kinds of motorcycles, from the big tourers and adventure bikes to the small capacity ones for riding around town, and then there’s the Honda Grom. This one is something a little more special. It might be too small, it might not be able to take you on a little adventure outside town, but it sure as hell is fun.

The Honda MSX125 Grom is a mini bike. Yeah, you read that right, a mini bike. And it’s a big hype around it lately. After its apparition on the scene in 2014, the tiny Honda Grom got plenty of worshipers. It’s not the most practical bike in the world, but it’s simple, reliable, fun and very cheap to run and maintain. And you surely don’t need a full parking spot for it. Maybe just one fifth.

The Grom is powered by a 124 cc liquid cooled single cylinder engine, which produces a humble 9.79 hp and nothing but smiles. It’s why everybody who’s tried it loves it. It doesn’t want to be something else, it’s just what it is. A super fun and simple mini bike. The only downside may be the fact that you can’t take your groceries on this pocket sized bike.

9. Harley-Davidson Street 750 – $7,550

Harley Davidson couldn’t have missed this opportunity, so they’ve come on the market with the Street 750, available in a 500 cc flavor as well. The Harley Davidson Street 750 is a cruiser with enough agility to corner well around town. It has that long-haul look to it, but it’s been tamed enough for life on the urban road.

And for a base price of $7,550, it’s a quite affordable motorcycle for those who only know how to ride Harley Davidsons. For a lesser price, you can go for the 500 cc version.

8. Yamaha TW200 – $4,599

The Yamaha TW200 is not a city bike in the real sense. It’s a dirt bike with the capabilities of a tank. Well, a small 200 cc tank, but enough to handle tough pavements and hard highways, so no need to worry when your commute goes a little rough. In the countryside it’s where this bike shines, and not off-road, but off-trail for good. It can take you anywhere, from the crowded city streets to the roughest terrain out there.

It’s simple and fast enough for its 270+ pounds, doesn’t need much maintenance and at 80 miles per gallon, is quite a bless. The base price tag hits $4,599.

7. Suzuki TU250X – $4,399

The cute tiny Suzuki TU250X is a lovely 325 pounds motorcycle made to simplify everything. Your life, your commute, and its maintenance. It’s accessible for new riders, both price and maneuverability wise and it’s almost perfect for riding around town.

With its 16 horse power, it won’t climb hilly streets too fast, but it will get you there, and without much fuel burned. It’s able to deliver over 80 miles per gallon, which is nice and it really looks stylish for a small unintimidating bike. The base price rises to $4,399.

6. Honda CRF250 Rally – $5,199

This bike is built to survive the roughest terrain, so you can ride it anywhere. Even in the city, should you look for a beast for your daily commute. No matter your purposes, you can always find a good use for this bike. The Honda CRF250 Rally is actually a CRF250L dirt bike that has been made a little bit more friendly.

It comes with a re-tuned CRF250L engine which outputs 24 horse power in a friendlier way and many other features otherwise unavailable on a bike like this. There are LED lights, advanced trail oriented tires and a good road presence. Overall, it’s a fun bike to ride both on and off-road and a very practical one for everyday life. And it only costs $5,199.

5. Triumph Street Cup – $10,500

Now on to something more cool looking, the Triumph Street Cup, with its café racer style borrowed from the Bonneville range. Beyond its retro looks, the bike comes with ABS brakes, throttle by wire, and other high-tech gear on board, so don’t get fooled by its appearance.

Its 900 cc will get you far, far away, while the superb cornering abilities will make you want to play on city streets. Maybe only the base price of this motorcycle will make you want to stand back a little for it rises to $10,500. But that before you realize it’s totally worth it.

4. Ducati Scrambler Sixty2 – $7,499

The Ducati Scrambler Sixty2 is the new pop star of the motorcycle world. Coming with some of the best features from the 800 cc bike, the new smaller 400 cc Ducati and its 46 horse power will attract both the beginner riders who want a cool looking bike and also seasoned riders looking for a good and more economic ride around town.

The Ducati Scrambler Sixty2 works smoothly and is able to get you on small weekend adventures as well, without leaving you feeling it’s either too much or too less of a motorcycle. One downside might be the price, which rises towards the higher end of the spectrum for this category, $7,499.

3. Suzuki VanVan 200 – $4,599

Suzuki have made a very good choice reviving an old classic to life. The often overlooked VanVan 200 motorcycle is a lot of fun. With its 199 cc single cylinder fuel injected engine and 16 horse power, the new VanVan passes as one of the best bikes for riding around town, but it can even take you on nice little weekend adventures into the wild.

Its awesome ’70s looks will make heads turn in the city traffic and the simplicity of it all will give you a relaxed mood every time you take it for a ride. And let’s not forget about that huge rear tire, which means a lot of playfulness both on and off-road. The Suzuki VanVan 200 loves cornering and dodging through city traffic. That if you like it too. And with a base price of $4,599, it’s an affordable fun bike to own.

2. KTM Duke 390 – $5,299

The KTM Duke 390 is KTM’s take at small road motorcycles with super good engines. Despite its performance, this bike is underrated and seen on the road less than it should be. The KTM Duke 390’s character comes with a 375 cc single cylinder engine which pushes the bike forward with the help of 44 horses.

The other features are great as well. It has WP suspension, Brembo brakes, ABS, and lightweight wheels, and everything in under 300 lbs if you can believe it. And with a decent price of $5,299, it’s one of the best options for riding around town.

1. Honda Rebel 300 – $4,399

Honda Rebel is the classic example of a survivor. Famous as an entry level motorcycle especially among driving schools and beginner riders, the Rebel has stood the test of time and today has made a comeback wearing a fairly new jacket.

The new Honda Rebel 300, with its bigger 500 brother, takes the old bike into the 21st century. The 300 Rebel is a sporty bike with a cruiser look and has a few aces down its sleeve when on a city street. It’s not your take it anywhere motorcycle or one with the best performance, hell, it’s not even comfortable enough to ride for hours and hours on end, but it does one thing well. The Honda Rebel 300 loves to play in the heart of the urban jungle.

Powered by a 286 cc engine able to offer 24.4 horse power and with a 71 miles to the gallon consumption and a base price of $4,399, the new Honda Rebel 300 is your urban warrior.

Video

The Rise of Micro Machines: Small Displacement Motorcycles

The category of small displacement motorcycles gets more intriguing with each passing day.

Build it small and they will come. Or so the theory goes, although whether that actually happens remains to be seen. It is no secret that the motorcycle industry is looking for its next generation of motorcyclists but it may take a paradigm shift to even draw the attention of the target demographic: the elusive new rider who will take over when those who comprise the current but aging backbone of the motorcycle market decide to hang up the gloves.

There are many theories why the past 15 years have seen the wane of the market following its prosperity in the early to mid 2000s. One is that there are simply fewer motorcycles being sold in general. While there has been growth in the last several years it has been segmented with only some brands experiencing the benefits. A mass influx is what the market needs. To paraphrase an ancient expression: a rising tide lifts all motorcycles.

But there are the barriers to entry, starting at cost. The days of plentiful heavyweight cruisers with substantial price tags from each and almost every manufacturer are done. Those bespoke machines were for upgrading and returning riders, less so for the neophyte—and certainly not for today’s neophyte who has a notoriously short attention span and interests in many other activities. Prohibitive insurance costs, the active dissuasion of non-motorcycling parents, and the lack of any real working knowledge about the sport and culture of motorcycling inhibit the involvement of many potential new customers to whom the concept of motorcycles might all seem a little vague—like granddaddy’s Oldsmobile.

Mitigating some of these problems is the simple solution of going small: lower costs, less perceived danger, and more manageable insurance premiums. Sounds great so far but for goodness sake don’t make it utilitarian. With a social media posting on every corner whatever the little bike does, it better look good doing it. Fortunately this is happening. Kawasaki recently announced the Z125 Pro will be coming to Canada to join the Honda Grom in Canada’s portfolio at the 125cc threshold—a new entry to a very open market.

Why the 125cc small displacement motorcycle category? Well, because it already exists as a healthy segment elsewhere. We need look no farther afield than the UK to illustrate. In the motorcycle hierarchy 125cc and 15 horsepower are the first and earliest cut-offs if you want to get a motorcycle at 17 years of age in Manchester. Any younger and you are limited in your two-wheeled selection to a moped with a top speed of no more than 45 kilometres per hour. After the 125 segment you must be 19 to legally ride a motorcycle with a power output of over 50 horsepower, or 24 years old if you want an unrestricted licence. The caveat to that holy grail of licences is that if you had begun on a 125 and progressively worked your way up, you could get an unrestricted licence with a minimum of two years experience when you are only 21 years of age. That all seems complicated enough without mentioning the other categories of three wheeled and quadricycle vehicles but the crux is that below 125cc begins a progressive licensing system that takes into consideration both displacement and power-to-weight ratios. All said and done, you can be a kid with a motorcycle.

Wander further afield and you will find a surprisingly robust segment in the micro machine category because, like the UK, there are many countries that place restrictions on the size and power of motorcycles for the simple reason that many countries just don’t have the roads or income levels to justify the larger machines. Intriguing in these offerings is the KTM 125 Duke which, while at the premium end of the segment in terms of cost, comes equipped with a liquid-cooled motor that produces enough power to bump right up against the UK’s limits for the category. Yamaha is also in the category with a liquid cooled machine, the MT-125—otherwise known as part of the FZ family in Canada. Suzuki likewise is represented in the category.

In an attempt to lure the young gamers and “illustrated novel” readers onto the pavement and to the benefit of all motorcyclists these new machines have borrowed heavily from the stylings of larger naked bikes—one of the “it” categories in today’s market. Kawasaki’s new Z125 is undoubtedly part of the Z family: a 3/5 version of the Z1000 or Z800. In the two dimensional world of photography there is little to give away the size of the motor in this feisty little machine. An aggressive headlight treatment, stubby under-slung exhaust, inverted fork; the new bike is all check, check, check. It isn’t until you see someone seated on the Z125 that you realize that it is a small machine yet not “funny clown on a minibike” small, just downsized onto 12 inch wheels. Nor does the bike look budget with its disc brakes, LED lights and full instrument panel. With fuel injection and 7.4-litre tank, the bike should go far and keep the cost of fill-ups low. Honda, not wanting to lose ground to Kawasaki, has taken a little of the fun and friendly out of the Grom for 2017 as it also gets a more aggressive facelift (while standing pat with the unfortunate name). Both the Z125 and Grom will list at MSRP $3,399 in Canada. Both are powered by air-cooled singles so the battle of equivalents will be similar to the recent days of Honda and Kawasaki tussling for the right to claim “best selling motorcycle in Canada” with the smallest of the CBRs and Ninjas duking it out in the 250 and then 300cc class.

Are the aggressive looking new small displacement motorcycles the answer to the elusive new rider problem if they do in fact surface in the Canadian market? Small, insurance friendly and not a whit of heritage styling is a good thing. How much heritage does an 18-year-old demand? The little machines are fun, big in style and shift with a clutch and a foot pedal, just like a “real” motorcycle. Honda has shown with a couple of Grom concepts that the segment can be really unique. But fun is the key. Even us old riders know that it has to be fun. You can’t drag the kid out of the basement to do something boring. We know how successful that will be.

Small Displacement Motorcycles Through the Years

In a reversal of the old notion of there being “no replacement for displacement,” there have been several machines that have carved their own niche by getting smaller not bigger. Sometimes the results have been successful while at other times the concept started well but eventually sputtered.

Honda Z Bikes

Colloquially known as the “monkey” bikes, Honda’s Z50 bikes began production in 1966. The first iterations were basic with no front or rear suspension but did come outfitted for the road with mirrors, headlights and taillights. The following generation introduced in 1969 eventually received front and rear suspension giving an even more compliant ride than that supplied solely by the thick seat. These fun little bikes fueled a mini-bike craze in North America. They were reliable, had an MSRP below $300 and flew out the doors of Honda dealerships while looking good on their little eight-inch wheels. They were small in size and power but they were accessible and fun and, considering the boom in motorcycles that followed, the air-cooled 49cc machines probably sparked a lifelong love for motorcycles for thousands of riders. They carried on for years without huge changes before giving way to Honda’s XR50 dirt bike. Honda recently revealed prototypes of new models that echo the original monkey bikes while embracing the name.

Yamaha YSR50

Back in the early 1980s there were a couple of gorgeous and lustworthy sportbikes by Yamaha that still hold a dear spot in many a rider’s heart as it is unlikely we will see anything quite like them again: the RZ350 and RZ500. The RZ500 in particular was potent and exotic with “got to have it” appeal. But a half litre of two-stroke power was more than most riders needed. There was however the YSR50 that took the style, paint scheme and idea of the RZ bikes and shrunk it all down to a 3/5 scale. It became a favourite of the pocket racer enthusiast due to its authentic looks, five-speed transmission and front disc brakes—all that and the ability to squeeze more power out of the miniature platform. The bike was produced from 1986 to 1992. The sight of one on the street always produced smiles because they were so small.

Harley-Davidson

Harley-Davidson had a long history of building small displacement motorcycles. Following World War II, Harley-Davidson built the S125 that incorporated classic Harley lines in a small, inexpensive machine. These bikes progressed through the 1960s slowly but not drastically gaining displacement and power. The final straw may have been the last bike. As rare as hen’s teeth and originating in the AMF period, the Harley-Davidson SXT125 was an Aermacchi supplied air-cooled single that existed from 1975 to 1977. Set up as a street legal dualsport, the bike was only mini in displacement in comparison to its Harley-Davidson stablemates. It may have been the answer to a question that no one asked but then as now, it was an attempt to extend the brand beyond the big cruiser market.

By John Molony Canadian Biker Issue #324