Is it just me or are there others who take the view that some bikes are getting just too big?

I ride an old 1980 GL1100 Honda Goldwing. It is a naked bike, i.e. it doesn't have all the touring paraphernalia of the later models. It is a heavy bike however it is reasonably manageable both for city riding and the open road. I have never ridden a bike bigger than my own and so admittedly I really don't know what it is like. When I first bought my bike I found it to be a bit of a handful, if not for its performance, then at least because of its weight. It was quite a contrast to the dinky little Yamaha XV535 Virago that I owned beforehand.

The Virago was admittedly too small for me. I am after all 6'6" tall, and I quickly realised that I was too big for it, I always wondered when I was riding, if I looked a tiny bit silly. It was originally bought because I liked the look of the V-twin engine and could never afford a Harley. When I saw my Goldwing for sale, I fell in love with it, mainly for its classic looks, after all I much prefer a retro cruiser to a modern sports bike. I simply had to have her, and my concerns about the size and weight of the bike were quickly offset by the knowledge that the owner before the one from whom I bought the bike was female. As a rather tall male I thought that it would sound a bit lame to say that the bike was too big. Mind although I have no idea what the female ex-owner of my bike looked like, I have an image in my mind based on the slogan that was written on the bottom of the number plate that said fat girls bounce better!'

When the Honda Goldwings first appeared (1975 GL1000) they were generally thought of as huge. It seems that since then they have got bigger and bigger to the point where it has become if not ridiculous, then way beyond the practical. The bike evolved into the GL1100 which was available both naked and as a full-dresser; the Aspencade. Soon after that came the GL1200, then the GL1500 and finally the current GL1800.

Undeniably they are wonderful bikes with a great history. They are renowned for their reliability, their comfort, the longevity of their motors, and considering their weight and style, surprisingly nippy performance. They are also very expensive, and consequently they have become a bit of a status symbol and plaything of the wealthy, much like Harley Davidson's have become to some owners. There must be many such bikes that rarely make it out onto the roads.

With regard to the

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