Japan/USA - motorcycle - 250cc
The majority of sportbike riders have eyes bigger than their stomachs, apart from a few who really know their machines and their limits. But most new sportbike purchasers overestimate their abilities and underestimate the potential of what they buy. They forget that these bikes are essentially rockets built for a flat black ribbon of tarmac with no loose gravel, no cars or trucks to navigate around, no wet patches, no potholes and with hay bales flanking the margins in case you spill. On such a speedway that bike can really be opened up and enjoyed...but you put that machine on a public road with every conceivable hazard known to biking-man and you're either ending up dead, relieved of your license or permanently frustrated. There is nothing worse than trotting on a stallion who wants to gallop. This is why Harleys have such a devout following: for huge engines they are shamefully underpowered, and from every angle they are decidedly farmyard, but their popularity stems from these two factors. You can roll that throttle all the way back and make a ton of noise and re-live your childhood tractor fantasies and feel like your propelling at warpspeed through your imaginary universe...but in actual fact you're only going 50. I know, crotchrocket riders laugh mockingly. It is the greatest con on the road, but goddamit I'll be buggered if it isn't one of the most lucrative. You do that on your Japanese litre bike and you're fugged! Solution: buy a Ninja 250 and ride it to its maximum potential on every back country twisty you can find. You'll love every minute in the saddle, you'll still get enough adrenaline to buzz like a chainsaw, and you won't be half as likely to end up roadkill or losing your license (which for a biker is worse than death!). These bikes are simply awesome, trust a Brat.
