Character?

[B_A_B]

Why is this word used so much when describing bikes?It`s confusing.
To me personally it should be left as part of the vocabulary arsenal for reviewers and magazine article writers....but it`s not.
I`ve owned a fair few bikes in my time but only 3 modern ones and i can`t honestly say any of them had,or lacked,"character".I don`t get it.
WTF is "character" in biking terms.

What bike have you got and what things about it make it have,or not have,character?
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[BanditsHigh]

[B_A_B]

Tosser...

seriously though....i wanna know what things about your bikes make you say they`ve got character.
Might help me to choose my next one (when the time comes) if a couple of particular models get the same feedback from a lot of members.

I`ve had crossers (125-500)..a few older 50-500 road bikes, a new model rs125,new model rsvr1000 and new model cbr6rr.
^^^That`s quite a broad spectrum and i can`t pinpoint anything that gives them character.
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[KLR600]

For me it's the things that the bike does that's not bad or annoying but that you notice all the same. I could get all sentimental about my bike going on about character because I know exactly what it means in my head but trying to explain it is a bit harder I think. I'd say some of things that add character to my bike are:

The way I have to bully it into corners sometimes when I'm riding fast

The way the bars shake when I'm gunning it from the lights

The way it draws looks from people (when it's clean... )

The way that it makes every journey fun instead of just a commute

The way it sounds when I go through a tunnel

The way it keeps me in check in the rain when I'm a bit cack handed on the throttle

The fact that I can't ever wait to get on it and ride the damn thing!

Some people would probably argue that some of those things are bad and I'm just making excuses for it but I can honestly say it's the best handling bike I've ever ridden and I just love it to bits. I've ridden other bikes that just seemed boring, that had no pazzaz or that just lacked a certain something but all the while being a perfectly capable bike (bandit 600 springs to mind (no offence to anyone though)).

I don't know if that's any help to you but that's how I see character, other people will probably think of it in a different way, I think it's one of those things that's down to the individual more than anything.
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[Seb]

I'd say character in cars and bikes is more down to quirks and oddities that keep you on your toes.

Look at it this way, my ZZR was a little bland, it was smooth, it was rapid and it was 100% ultra reliable, it always did what I asked of it and about the only thing I ever had 'go wrong' was a blown rear bulb.... which had a backup anyway in my mind the only real interaction with the bike was popping the key in and the locks off, it was pretty much characterless and a bit too forgettable.

The Fut has no shortage of little flaws that always keep the bike itself on my mind, in terms of simply getting me from A to B with no hassle its the inferior bike, but it makes my daily ride more fun knowing that that bikes got a little rebellious streak going on, if I forget about it, who knows what its going to get up to whilst I'm not paying attention

Its the same with people saying Alfa's are full of character, its really just another way of saying 'keep a close eye on it as somethings bound to break', not good, but it really does wonders for breaking the tedium of the daily commute
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[craigs23]

I kinda define it as what someone feels about a particular bike. Everything has its own characteristics, be it good or bad, for the different components that make, in this case, a bike. It's down to the individual on how they bond with their machines.

[Villers]

Some attribute it to minor flaws etc but thats not the case for me. The character of the bike is like its persona, sort of like knowing how its going to react to something like its a thinking machine.

Now I suppose those reactions can be positive or negative. The bike Ive got now draws attention at a standstill or in the rear view mirror, to me thats character. Its a big heavy lump and needs to be manhandled into twistys, I approach these sometimes thinking 'shes not going to like this' much as I do when its pissing down. The positive side of its character is when it casually strolls past the other 'commuters' of a morning whilst Im sat upright and theyre 'head down arse up balls to the wall with fists pointing to the sky and frantically changing gears'.

Now Ive wrote that and read it back through my hangover it doesnt make a lot of sense. Meh
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[craigs23]

[Wafer_Thin_Ham]

My mille had character, the crap sidestand, the stupid indicators(aprilia put the indi's where the horn should be and vice versa), the hugely loud exhaust, the way the battery was too small that if you left it too long the alarm would drain it.

Still love it though, handled like a dream and as hufely fast.
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