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KICKSTART THE CONVERSATION

NINJA AT 30 -> MEAN MUPPET -> H-D STREET 750 -> WR250R

I WAS SHOCKED TO SEE THE 1984 NINJA 900 ON THE FEBRUARY COVER. I REMEMBER THE FIRST GUY IN TOWN WITH ONE AND IKNEW I'D HAVE ONE SOMEDAY. IT COULDN'T HAPPEN UNTIL 1996, WHEN I FOUND A NICE SURVIVOR IN A SMALL DUSTY SHED. I PUT 30,000 MILES ON IT. THE ORIGINAL NINJA IS A BII(E YOU JUST CAN'T FORGET ONCE YOU RIDE ONE.

H. ROBERTSON READING, PA

30 IS THE NEW 20, RIGHT?

As a child of the '80s, I was very impressed with Mav's ride in Top Gun, and I purchased one of its descendants, the 1998 ZX-9R. If Ninja is now 30,1998 was the arrogant teenage years after puberty when it started working out, dropped 70 pounds, and made the team as the first production bike to break into the 9s at the dragstrip.

Hard-core became harder that year with Yamaha's R1, but the 9R managed to contain its performance as a great daily rider and sport-tourer. I can vouch for that, as I put over 70,000 miles on mine before I sold it six years later.

JASON BRAGG JACKSONVILLE BEACH, FL

I enjoyed the article on the '84 Ninja. I bought one at the end of the model year, and it was a huge step forward compared to my '83 Eddie Lawson Replica. One suggestion: There are a number of "inflation calculation" sites on the web. In the one I use, entering a value of $4,339 in 1984 results in this equivalent amount in 2013 dollars: $9,748. I'm sure most readers are aware that there's a difference between 1984 and 2013 dollars, but in this case, it might be useful to document how large the difference really is.

DICK FlSK DENVER, CO

ONE MEAN MUPPET?

Is it just me or does the new Honda Valkyrie remind anyone else of Sam the Eagle on the old Muppet Show?

DENNY jOE SIMPSON GILBERT, AZ

WE TOLD YOU HE WASN'T GONE

I enjoyed Egan's tale of his quest for the ideal sport-tourer ("Built for Comfort, Built for Speed," Feb.). I share a similar history. Starting with a soft-bagged Honda VFR750F in 1991,1 worked my way through Japanese offerings, then on to various BMWs, including an R1150RT and several iterations of the GS family, and finally solved the riddle. The finest sport-touring bike ever: Ducati Multistrada. I have had three of them, and my current 2013 with the magic suspension is by far the best. Light, crazy fast, great sound, comfortable, bagged, and even a bit of gravel capability. What else is there? (But where's the cruise?)

STEVEN TAYLOR BECK SIOUX FALLS, SD

Egan nailed it (once again) about the weight "going away once you get rolling." You can plant both feet flat on the showroom floor and heft the 8oo-pound cruiser off the sidestand thinking, "Not so bad. I can handle it." Then you pack on 180 pounds of passenger and gear and raise the CG a smidgen. It's not quite agile but is stable on the road. Then, sooner or later, you stop across a 15-degree grade and the passenger shifts her weight maybe with a little crosswind and the 980 pounds lean downhill. That's when a 650 starts sounding like a good idea.

BRUCE KASTEL LITTLE ROCK, AR

LIGHTER HARLEY YES

I've owned a number of motorcycles over the past 32 years but never a Harley. I can appreciate their looks and their quality, and I would prefer to buy American, but they simply don't make anything that really suits my needs. I find most of Harley's lineup to be too big, too heavy, and too expensive to be of interest.

Most of my riding is weekday commuting with some bombing around back roads on weekends. For my purposes, I've found that, generally, bikes in the 600 to 900CC range and less than 500 pounds are just easier to live with. Smaller, lighter bikes are easier to store, take less effort to maneuver, are more nimble in traffic, and more fun to throw around when the pavement gets twisty.

And so I'm excited to see Harley introduce its new 500 and 750 Street models. A75OCC, water-cooled, 480-pound (wet!) Harley that lists for $7,500? I'm a long way from the "young urban" and newrider demographics this bike is supposed to attract, but, Harley, you got my attention! And I'll be a little surprised if I am the only older experienced rider strolling into my local dealer come spring to check out Harley's new "entry-level" model.

TERRYARNOLD ST. LOUIS, MO

LIGHTER HARLEY NO

I read the long-term-test review of Harley's Switchback (Feb.) and found the article to be spot-on. I purchased a Switchback in February of 2013 to replace my well-worn '07 Street Glide. As I'm closing in on 60 and having had surgery on both shoulders, I figured a smaller, lighter bike might be easier on these aging bones. Wrong! That thing shook like a dog crapping carpet tacks. The suspension was awful. The brakes were awful. When I saw a '14 Project Rushmore Street Glide at my dealer in September, I immediately traded the Switchback. Good riddance! The Glide is amazing.

¡0HN CLASS HESPERIA, CA

SEEING THE LIGHT

Congratulations to Editor Hoyer for seeing the light and purchasing a Yamaha WR250R (Up Front, Feb.), the best allaround light dual-sport on the market. The standard upgrades and quality of this bike are amazing for a smalldisplacement d-s bike.

DENNIS HICKMAN VIA CYCLEWORLD.COM

I was pleased to read about Hoyer's new bike purchase. The summer before last, I purchased a 2008 WR250R with around 1,600 miles on it. I love this motorcycle! The only negative thus far has been a fuel pump failure at about 1,800 miles. At 51 years old and with all the responsibilities that come with it, I find it's the perfect bike to just go out and get my riding fix.

MARK SANDERS VIA CYCLEWORLD.COM

ANOTHER HUSKY APPLIANCE?

The Husqvarna 701 ("Forbidden Fruit," Feb.) appears to be industrial sabotage from an evil designer at KTM. That sheet of white plastic under the seat reminds me of my mom's '6os-era Frigidaire.

¡0ENACY JEANNETTE, PA

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