AMERICANS: Would you buy a 125cc motorcycle for the street?

[Grant-53]

If you mean splitting a lane then a tail should make little difference. We are talking half a car length. A Kamm tail would keep overall length to about 7 feet.

[Bicycle Bob]

Originally Posted by Grant-53

If you mean splitting a lane then a tail should make little difference. We are talking half a car length. A Kamm tail would keep overall length to about 7 feet.

My impression has always been that it is easy to get more length through traffic, unless there's a slow jog to negotiate. To stay nimble, the fairing could be made of corrugated polypropylene sign board arranged to deflect readily. This could help in crosswinds, too.

[JSH]

Originally Posted by Grant-53

If you mean splitting a lane then a tail should make little difference. We are talking half a car length. A Kamm tail would keep overall length to about 7 feet.

In stop and go traffic yes. In real grid lock you have to filter between and across lanes to get anywhere. In that case the motorcyclist is making 90 degree turns to squeeze between cars bumpers a few feet apart

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

Originally Posted by JSH

Filtering is illegal is most of the USA which, in my opinion, is one of the reasons that motorcycles are not used for transportation here like they are in Europe. Filtering is legal in California and as of last year Utah.

AFAIK filtering is illegal in Brazil too, but it's tollerated by traffic enforcement. Otherwise it would be nearly impossible to rely on motorcycles for commuting.

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

OK, it's a CG 150 with EFI instead of the old faithful CG 125, but just look at the higher front fender and knobby tyres. On a sidenote it's flexfuel too...

[JSH]

The high fender is an interesting addition.

RANT: It drives me crazy that manufacturers make $2000 motorcycles that are fully flex-fuel for Brazil but refuse to spend the tiny investment required to make $20,000 bikes work with E15 in the USA. Any EFI bike should be flex-fuel today.

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

Originally Posted by JSH

It drives me crazy that manufacturers make $2000 motorcycles that are fully flex-fuel for Brazil but refuse to spend the tiny investment required to make $20,000 bikes work with E15 in the USA.

Nowadays only the ones which have at least front disc brakes are flexfuel, but usually only motorcycles up to 300cc are available as flexfuel.

Any EFI bike should be flex-fuel today.

Gotta have to agree with that. However, since in Brazil ethanol is effectively widespread as a motor fuel, it won't become a trend elsewhere so soon. Not even in Paraguay where flexfuel cars have been more common as they can be sourced from Brazil or following Brazilian specifications (at least Kia is now selling Korean-made flexfuel cars there), since most motorcycles sold there are Chinese and often carburettor-fed.

[JSH]

Originally Posted by cRiPpLe_rOoStEr

Gotta have to agree with that. However, since in Brazil ethanol is effectively widespread as a motor fuel, it won't become a trend elsewhere so soon. Not even in Paraguay where flexfuel cars have been more common as they can be sourced from Brazil or following Brazilian specifications (at least Kia is now selling Korean-made flexfuel cars there), since most motorcycles sold there are Chinese and often carburettor-fed.

I was specifically speaking about the US market were E85 is wildly available and we are about to change our standard blend from E10 to E15.

Motorcycle manufacturers are resisting this change because they claim E15 will destroy even newly made motorcycles. Bikes that were manufactured well after the timeline to move to E15 was announced. When E10 was mandated they didn't bother to look ahead to the next step and make their engines E15, E20, E25 compatible.

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

Originally Posted by JSH

Motorcycle manufacturers are resisting this change because they claim E15 will destroy even newly made motorcycles.

Brazilian gasoline usually goes from 22% to 27% ethanol by volume depending on the season and availability of anhydrous ethanol for the mandatory blend. Yet it doesn't prevent most motorcycle makers to keep a foothold here.

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

Once in a while it's still easy to spot a nearly 40-years old Honda CG 125 being a daily ride, often used for work.