Finally! After 2 years and almost a dozen, mostly minor mods, perfection is a reality. Tweaked intake, better exhaust, bigger tank and on and on… she’s just perfect.

Comfort: Been on her for 450 mile days and got off wishing the ride could go just a little further. It’s even better now since I installed the ROX risers. Upper body is much more relaxed. Leg room for my 33 inch inseam is plenty. It’s a big bike.

Handling: Off road she’ll do almost OK but admittedly not all that well. Which is fine by me. As poor as she is in the rough stuff, I’m worse! Road handling is another issue altogether though. I’ve run out of tread with her on several occasions and chased down sport bikes on the Dragon. Dual sports, when the road gets tight will eat a sport bikes lunch! Period.

Duration: haha. With her Acerbis 5.8 gallon tank she’s good for well over 250 miles. Once gave a lady who ran out of gas 2 gallons. I still rode 100 miles before I hit reserve. I have 2 reserves BTW. Each is good for roughly 30 miles. She’s my little 2 wheeled fuel depot.

Ruggedness: Nearly a foot of travel she takes bumps, curbs, trails, medium sized dead animals in the road pretty darn good. With the Ricochet Off Road bash plate the engine and frame are well protected and cozy.

Trunk Space:  PMR luggage rack still allows access to the tool kit pouch. On top of that I can carry a few days worth of necessities. Never needed saddle bags, So far everything has fit just fine up top. Moose ATV fender bags also saddle the tank on longer trips. She can haul some serious cargo too.

HP and Torque: Not much in the HP department (45ish I guess) but she’ll get moving as fast as I care to go. 110 mph indicated so far. And torque? How much do you want? I’ve got so much I could donate a few foot pounds to an I4 and probably not notice it.

Speed: Since I’ve installed the FritzCo 16 tooth front sprocket she’ll comfortably haul down the interstate at 75-80 all day long… or the 2500 mile full service. Whichever comes first.

Simplicity: hmm. Full service, and I mean full service in just over an hour. All done with a minimum of tools. So minimal I carry all that I need but the oil and filter in the pouch. If I had to, I’d carry them as well.

Charisma: Something I’ve found most Japanese bikes lack. She’s got as much as that Italian bike I use to own. But unlike my old Sophia, Ms Piggie will do anything. And have fun doing it.

Looks: She’s so fugly she’s good looking again. I get comments on how fugly she is on a regular basis. I usually respond with a big smile of agreement. They’re right! But they’ve never been on her.

Meet Ms Piggie. Ain’t she a looker.

One of my all time favorite bikes. Clearly the most functional and dependable.

1978 Yamaha SR500E. Single cylinder, simple to maintain with screw tappets and she’s just lovely.
A resto mod I guess. Engine is bone stock but she has a few suspension mods as well as intake and exhaust goodies. Every one of them is period correct and nothing is a copy. All of her and her goodies are the real 35 year old plus deal.

My only other lady at the moment is also a single. Easier to maintain than the SR even though she has twice the valves. In just over two years I’ve put nearly 19,000 miles on this 2013 Honda XR650L. The most fun bike I think I’ve ever owned. Toured the southeast on her as many times as I could. Hoping we can do it a few more times as time permits.
Supertrapp pipe, carb kit, Acerbis tank and a few other goodies. All purely for function. She’ll do just over 260 miles to a tank getting roughly 40 mpg on the highway. Local boppin around she gets an additional 6 mpg or so. Handles like a dream in the twisty stuff and has no problem getting away from humans and taking me for jaunts in the woods.