sounds like HOG = Harley Owners Group China........
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In fairness, I don't see any baijiu on the tables, but, yes, plenty of the noxious weed being consumed. Blue-sky days are so rare in Beijing these days, it's hard to understand why guys would voluntarily set their own heads on fire and assault their lungs with toxins. Whatever.
Full disclosure: Yes, I did have three or four beers at TB-Racing's awesome BBQ yesterday, but it was over the course of four hours, and I only consumed the Ducati cake in the final 90 minutes before riding home...
cheers
In my experience, not just with motorcycle clubs, but also with Chinese bicycle clubs, being the same or similar to the rest is important. A long meal with alcohol and cigarettes and much guanxi being gained is highly important. Bikes and riding take a massive second place to all but the very hardcore few.
We're moving a little off-topic, folks, but here's my hat in the ring ...
I'm totally supportive of these clubs, groups, and get-togethers. In my experience, I've met several really amazing & interesting people whom I would have never otherwise met. Recreational motorcycling cuts through that social strata crap quite nicely. It is a convenient way for people to socialize with at least one common interest. This is no different from alumni associations, golf clubs, sailing clubs, music clubs, bridge clubs, or whatever other type of club one joins. There will always be the odd-ball idiot in whatever group association (including motorcycling), but my experience in Beijing (and other past resident locations) is that these idiots are few & far between, versus the dozens & dozens of great folks I've met.
I'm all for activities which promote recreational events that change the face of motorcycling in China. Not all of us are peasants hauling our pigs to market, or purse snatchers, or supporters of the stolen/illegal bike trade. Some of us are just ordinary family people who like to get together with others, now and then, who share a common interest - riding a motorcycle.
Yup, HOG can be a little off-the-wall sometimes, but I've not come across any other motorcycling association, club or group which even remotely promotes intelligent, fun and safe riding to the scale that HOG does. It is a very well organized group, with lots of activities, albeit still in its infancy in China. Yes, the pirate costumes are kinda silly (ok ... very silly), but you ain't seen nuttin' till you get involved in the sailing community - you're a complete nobody unless you're wearing Sperry top-siders (with an appropriate sailor's knot) and at least one HH emblem prominently displayed.
Humans are social beings and, IMHO, it is a lot more fun to be belting out the B.S. with motorcycling buddies over protracted lunches, even at a Starbucks, than isolating oneself in Chinese traffic.
I guess even MCM is a social group - I've met several really neat people through it, both online and offline.
OK ... back to the GW ...
I mentioned earlier that I thought the tires might be a bit on the soft side, until I started looking at my other bikes - several had little punctures, which I've now attributed to all of the rubbish strewn around my neighborhood streets during the current subway construction.
During a ride yesterday, I paid attention to the GW's cornering versus the YBR's (which I had ridden just an hour earlier). The GW definitely feels to corner better, on pavement, than my YBR250 ... and I do think that it is because of the heavier weight, with an apparent lower center of gravity, and the slightly beefier tires. The GW simply inspires more confidence. I felt I could attack curves, rather than just ride around them.
Pics coming once I get my camera back (borrowed by a motorcycling friend).
Hey Pete
I think the YBR250 is a great bike, and so too the GW250. The two bikes are actually quite different, in my opinion, even though people (myself included) tend to lump them together. In some ways, it is like saying the JH600 and Benelli 600 should be lumped together (both 600cc), but they are obviously different bikes. I think what happened was the YBR250 was the unchallenged King of the 250cc class in China, and then the GW250 came along.
The YBR certainly gives me more confidence outside the city streets, on broken, rough roads. It is lighter, better ground clearance, slightly better riding position, and very well-known (repairable) in 2nd and 3rd tier cities. The GW seems to perform better on paved roads that are in good condition. The GW is a great bike for Beijing, and surrounding mountains, which is what most of my riding looks like.
I have several bikes, and whenever I need to do something without any worries, I reach for the YBR250's keys. Only once has the YBR250 let me down (my fault with a dead battery), but it bump started on the first try and I was good to go.
Cheers
Good to know. I think I made the right choice, getting the YBR for it's more practical benefits, but the fun factor of a twin makes me wish I had the Suzuki.
By the time I have enough money (it takes a while when you have a wife and baby), hopefully, there may be some kind of a 400 or 600 twin on the market. I don't know if I want a 4 cylinder bike; they sound a bit scary. I don't want to poop myself while I go fast.
honda are making a CBR500RR/CB500 soon a parralel twin with double the bhp of the single cylinder CBR250 so its a step between the 250 and 600cc supersport bike
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it is a shame that the honda will probably not be available it looks like a nice bike hopefully i will see it at the NEC motorbike live show this november. going back on topic of the Suzuki are there any performance modifications for the bike yet?
Kennon