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Saturday, 07 September 2002 |
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Page 2 of 4
| Cheap Car Versus Cheaper Bike |
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We took the SM and the RT to a local closed course street style track. It's a 7-turn tight and twisty track that usually sees a 600 Supersport do a lap in around one minute flat.
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We were also a little leery about the traction for the 125's as they were both equipped with relatively unknown Heidenau 110/70-17 front and 130/70-17 rear tires. Now Heidenau are traditionally a scooter tire provider. They looked a little like Bridgestones and surprisingly gripped all the way down to knee drag angles and back up again. Wear looked good too, even with our constant abuse, tire life should be substantial as well.
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Both the RT and SM were nice, no fuss, entry level or handy utility bikes to have tucked away in the corner of your garage to rack mileage on instead of your Sunday ride. The SM drew most attention; a fact bore out with it having twice the mileage put on it over the RT. The SM particularly, is a full size bike and a great first bike for a budding motorcycle star.
The fit and finish should see you not lose too much when trading up to a bigger bike. My son's an MX boy. He doesn't know it yet, but if he wants to get on the street this will be his first bike. The SX might be a great way to introduce the wife to some offroad fun too. It's not the least bit intimidating and offers an alternative to the traditional XR/TR route So, overall, the attention to detail of these bikes was spot on. Handling was predictable, verging on good. All we needed now was a suitable car to put them up against.
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Off I went to a Fudget rentacar to pick up a 2001 Suzuki Swift. Trouble started early though when I got upgraded to a "nice" four door Ford. "No" I protested, "I want my Swift back". That was a first in their book, to say the least. Declining rental car upgrades is harder than it sounds. I have no idea how I kept a straight face when I ticked the full insurance coverage box.
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What can I say about the car?
It was blue, had two doors and I kept falling asleep at the wheel. In 1999 the car was named one of the top 12 environmentally conscious cars, so I suppose it can't be all that bad. Can it? Similarities to the bikes extended to speed and handling, yet it still cost three times as much as the MZ's, go figure.
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However, the bikes kicked its arse. Faster away from the traffic light, faster round our track and 10 times more fun. The bikes prices come into play here too, the RT was $3495, the SM $3695 and the FunX $3295. All three for the price of the Suzuki. Sure, the Swift had air conditioning and four seats, but it couldn't wheelie, stoppie or even pick up chicks.
That my friend… is game set and match.
Mike Emery Here's DaveW's view
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