I don't regret taking a small (well 400cc) bike, but I do regret certain aspects of the choice. The problem is the majority of "small bikes" to choose from on this trip are dirt bikes, and dirt bikes tend to share some commonalities that can be really annoying when you're packing in the miles - they're tall, wobbly at speed, have the entirely wrong gearing, shitty maintenance schedules, and a torture device for a seat.
I get passed on the regular by guys with half the capacity I have, who are often incredulous that I'm so slow. I'm definitely going to change the gearing next time I change the sprockets but I suspect that's only a part of the problem.
There are days when I get stuck on a road that's WAY worse than I initially expected where I LOVE my bike, but there's also days where I wish I had gone with a cb500x or given the versys 300 more of a chance.
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