The Heybike Explore is a great bike, and huge. I pulled the trigger on it about a month ago because they are on clearance. This is the last production run they are making of them before it gets replaced with a newer/different fat tire cargo bike next year. I picked it up for $1100 instead of 1800, so I bought a second battery pack with the money I basically saved. each pack is 20AH, so it has great range and a 750w motor. It can cruise at 20mph for quite a while on throttle only (about 45ish miles), or I can put it in PAS level 3 (out of 5) put it in top gear on the crank set and go 18-19mph and get about 60 miles out of it and a decent little workout. Hell, even in PAS1, the lowest assist level, I can get it crusing 15mph with moderate effort on my part and go even futher if I so desire. I really do enjoy riding it quite a lot.

As far as your Hawk. Absolutely do the Motocult head and big bore setup with one of their cam options. The power is amazing. My at-home port job was decent, but the level of port work on his heads is top tier stuff. The power bump is incredible, and because it maintains a lot of flow velocity and swirl with the added air flow, the setup I am running makes 20 wheel hp, revs out to 9000 no problem, all on a VM26 (yes, I went back to the ol' Mikuni clone) and with a main jet number that might surprise most people here. The motocult stuff is worth every penny.

there's no replacement for displacement. :)

Well look what the cat dragged in? Hey Dan. I love my Interceptor. A fine choice, indeed.

More rpm is. Just don't mind if your low rpm torque is a bit weak lol

I did see that you ended up with one. My envy is real. I am going to take my vfr in to the local RE dealer in April and see what kind of deal I can work out. It's gonna be another Orange bike lol

I did like the orange color on the RE Interceptor 650 tanks.

As far as high revs go, that way lies madness or a future traffic violation ticket :lmao:

There is a reason that bikes that put out a lot of torque down low are ending up popular bikes with riders (MT-07, etc). Letting you get a power rush down in the legal speeds ranges for thrills without infractions :tup:

I envy VFR interceptor owners. This bike was one of the true classic Honda triumphs. I used to walk by (gazing) one in the garage to get to my lowly Jetta when I parked a few blocks away just to get out of the baking sun. Red, of course.

I don't have to tell you that after you sell it, you will miss it. I felt this way after selling at least three bikes... 1. a modified first gen Bandit with Mikuni RS smoothbore (accelerator pump) carbs rack, dyno2000 ignition advance, D&D header with adjustable flow Supertrapp slip-on (paid for flat black anodizing), SS braided lines, 6 piston calipers from a GSXR750, more. 2. GSX1100F Katana race replica (electric adjustable windshield, full fairing with belly). Vance and Hines chrome comp exhaust, new Mettzler OEM tires, Euro rack, tankbag. 3, GS1100G shaftie with Vetter full OEM fairing/bags color-matched maroon taken from a Gold wing (complete with hooded chrome headlamp and new OEM windshield with pop-up louvers. Gold pin striping, NOS Aamco sliding backrest/luggage rack, three point engine guards with footrests. What was I thinking?

Well, you know what I am sayin'

I know I will regret it, but that's every bike I have sold. They are all unique and have their own personalities. That's the nice thing though, there is always another bike out there to suit your desires.

Want low RPM torque, my VFR1200 has it in spades. it makes over 90ft-lbs from 3500-9000rpm lol. even below 3500 it pulls ok. Not MT07 levels, but he MT07 does't carry the power like my bigger V4.

The high rpm, small displacement engine bikes usually have very short gearing. Lots of noise and RPM, but not much speed. The old CBR250RR and other 250cc 4 banger bikes from the 90's, and the current ZX25RR all spin to 18k+ rpm, and make around 40-50hp. They sound like F1 cars, but go about as fast as a typical 40-50hp motorcycle lol.

I miss the 2 1st gens i had. Never got to ride the '83 but cant remember why. Rode the '85 for about 6 years and ended up selling it to make room for the Deuce. Wouldn't mind picking up another, Though i think id opt for the 500CC version this round.

There are a couple other bikes in contention around that $7k price range. One that really has my interest is the CL500 Scrambler. Then there is the most expensive and most powerful option which is a Suzuki SV650. Yes, not really in the same class of bikes, but always a solid choice.

I just recently sat on the SCL500 and the DR650. Both very nice.

The SV650 is the bike I naturally gravitated to when I had a little $ and was looking for a motorcycle. At the time, ~2008, it was like $6000 out the door. I can remember swinging my leg over, sitting on it and thinking, "perfect fit".

Buddy of mine told me I was insane, I'm getting a Harley. He was convincing. Bought a '91 FXR for $6400. smh

I'm limiting myself in the price of the bike because I want to keep it reasonably affordable. I can afford a much much more expensive bike, but I really don't want to.

If I didn't care about the cost of a bike I would be getting this (I can easily afford it) https://www.ducati.com/us/en/bikes/s...reetfighter-v4
Because of this.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9UfT_Q1uAbI

I've had my fill of big powerful bikes that you really can't utilize even a quarter of their potential without breaking several laws and risking jail time. I love my VFR, but it's a hard bike to really enjoy.

A cheaper, smaller, slower bike like the ones I am looking at are just so much more fun, and can be practical too.

I may even keep my VFR and just put it down and take it apart to perform a bunch of in-depth maintenance and some small repairs to. Like I said, I do love it. I just don't enjoy it as much these days. I can go buy any of the bikes I named right now without hurting myself in the slightest.

RE 650 and SV 650 are similar in displacement, so different otherwise!

SV is like "half of a VFR" and the RE is a classic cafe style bike. Both have attributes to justify choosing it. RE might be more of a break away from the VFR and a whole new experience, but the SV might be more of a smile generator in the Twisties. I suspect the SV will be stiffer, more stable and confidence inspiring.