Sorry about the lack of posts recently, things have been quite full because of the holiday season, and then work.
Well, over New Year I went to Praia Seca, near Araruama, by bike, with the wife and luggage on the back. A fun little trip, although rather uncomfortable in the backside by the end. The 150cc bike was fully capable of the trip, though it was pushed to the limit much of the time (especially uphill), despite the speed limit never being higher than 80 km/h. It really is a city bike, not an intercity one. You can see the tour log of the trip back, here.
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| Arrived at Praia Seca |
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| On the way home |
I did reach a new maximum speed on it later, though - 93 km/h, after compensating for the 5km/h error in the speedometer. In a tunnel, on excellent tarmac, although with my brother-in-law on the back.
Well, the Mirage 150 is a great one-person city bike, and was a fantastic bike to learn on. However, something has happened: I'm now the owner of a Mirage 250!
I was just browsing the used bike ads out of curiosity, and saw a Mirage 250 for sale at a low price - low mileage (under 8,000km), but the owner wanted to sell it quickly as he was going to travel. On the spur of the moment, I went and had a look-see and a test drive. The bike was in good shape, apart from some rust issues which seemed to be completely cosmetic. The engine appeared impeccable. Only the horn wasn't working, as it had rusted away.
Well, with rust stains on the left rear shock, a malfunctioning horn (which the seller replaced while we were negotiating), the 2013 taxes not paid yet, and a motivated seller, I managed to negotiate a price which was almost robbery. It helps that Kasinski isn't a very sought-after brand and that their second-hand products don't sell well. So: I have a new bike! It's been raining too much recently to get a decent picture, but as soon as I have one, I'll post it. Reviews of the two Mirages will also follow soon.
Happy motorcycling!
