Yamaha MOTOROiD

I recently (2 years ago) made motorcycle license (Poland) and bought 600cc Honda CBF600s.

During training we had to switch motorcycles (we started on 250cc, then after a dozen hours moved to 600cc which is required by Polish law to pass the exam).

I have felt comfortable on 250cc but moving to 600cc felt like I had to learn everything again from the start.

On 250 (140kg?) I could throw my weight around and cause motorcycle to do stuff while the same no longer seems to work on 600 (210kg?).

Overall I feel better and safer on 600cc because at highway speeds it does exactly what I need it to do and place myself exactly where I want without feeling that it is overpowered and that slight mistake with the throttle is going to cause me to loose control of it.

I tried a dozen different motorcycles from 125cc to 1000cc before I made my final choice.

One disclaimer is that I am rather cautious driver/rider. As an example I never drive/ride fast in relation to other drivers. I may ride faster but only so much so I still am able to react if they make something stupid. I also spend a lot of effort learning to drive/ride safer.

When it comes to pratical matters I think that for safety it doesn't matter much how large your bike is, as long as you are properly trained. 125cc or 1000cc, your prospects in an accident are roughly the same.

Smaller bikes (125cc or less) may offer better handling if you are not well trained and you panic but on the other hand they might be less agile in traffic where it is important to constantly place you away from blind spots of other drivers, etc.

The only danger comes from speed and acceleration. But if you are an adult and can restrain yourself to safe speeds I don't think larger motorcycle is less safe.

What I mean is that it is not the size of the motorcycle but the driver that causes it to be unsafe. And unsafe drivers may prefer to choose larger motorcycles because it allows them to ride faster.

At least it doesn't have the upgrade that first crossed my mind when I read that the back wings were for a future HMI. I was immediately reminded of the recent articles on HN about the potential for oxygen absorption thru the anus. This led me to think that a more useful upgrade for an HMI might involve an anal probe connected to an on-board oxygen generator to feed oxygen to the rider to help them stay alert. It seems like it would be useful on long cross-country trips. The wings could be retained as part of a deployable crash cocoon to envelope the rider so that they are buffered from the impacts of collision.

I did read in the comments that the range of this bike is probably pretty low so the functionality of the batteries would need to improve before this is practical for long-distance trips. In the absence of improved battery life, my upgrade would not be useful.

It is probably good that I don't design and build things for a living. Some ideas are not worth pursuing.

EDIT: I have thought of another advantage to the anal probe/oxygen generator. In the event of a non-fatal crash where the rider is injured but still has a heartbeat, the anal probe could function to supply continuous oxygen to the body preventing brain and organ damage as long as the oxygen generator functioned and the rider's heart was still beating. Hardening the oxygen generator should be important so that it is shielded from crash damage. This would also negate the need for resuscitation by mouth and in the event the rider's heart stopped, the anal probe could allow rescuers to focus on blood loss/circulation.

With that in mind it should be self-contained and detachable so that it could travel in an ambulance without needing to be removed. That would also make it possible to become a discreet accessory that you would put on (in) before mounting the bike and you could just wear it concealed as you shop, refuel, etc.

Maybe not such a hare-brained idea after all?

I think I read too much.

I've always seen people who need/crave loud noises, bright/flashy colors, lots of bling, etc. as just not very bright people. It seems to correlate with lower-than-average intelligence. My theory is that those minds need more 'kinetic' stimulation in order to feel good. So far, after 50+ years of anecdotal experience I've found very few exceptions.

My favorite bumper sticker goes something like, "If loud pipes save lives, imagine how it'd be if you learned how to ride the thing"

As I said (GP here) - I rode motorcycles since 2008; I'll grant you that sound is absolutely part of the fun - but loud aftermarket exhausts, detonating straight pipes, etc which are the subject of the topic here -- I feel the world's balance is overwhelmingly on the negative in the "joy to self" vs "average impact to others".

I understand many people put the aftermarket pipes "for themselves", at least consciously, or at least claim so - but I feel at best, it's a degree of self-centerdness to not realize impact on others. I see it on Subaru forums too - fellow WRX/STi owners moaning about their neighbour's complaints and cops stopping them and people giving them dirty looks etc etc - obliviously blind that it was themselves who brought in on by installing ridiculous loud exhausts. A factory exhaust on my bikes gave me plenty of thrill, and while I did put a high-flow cat on my Scoobie, I searched for an exhaust with nice sound but quieter actual dBs than stock. Few things are B&W - but there is a loudness at which point it really really is about others.

(note that when you say "past 10k RPM", it sounds like you likely have a sportsbike, and as you say a stock one; those can be loud at high revs, but generally speaking the loudest bikes in my experience tend to be modified cruisers and wanna-be Harleys.

Also note that rider may not always get straight opinions from friends, depending who wants to fight what battle when - e.g. last summer, a rider was revving his throttle at a friends' cottage and boasting about his aftermarket pipes; given we were both guests, I politely nodded and meandered away... but everything for the rest of the evening confirmed the image I formed the moment I heard his pipes :-/)