Yes, my second bike is a truck. I've bought the 1970 Toyota Landcruiser when I moved to Indonesia in 1985. It's still around and going strong. Forget about driving comfort or AC. The brakes are hopelessly out of date, the suspension kicks you around, it's hot, and crusing around country roads in this monster is serious work.

Still, a lot of driving fun, if you get into rough terrain.

I bought the Suzuki GSX 250 in 2000, when it became available as the first modern bike with more than 200cc. I took it to Bali and back, and on a couple of other rides around Yogya.

It's a reasonable bike in a ten years old design with no specific highlights. The engine looks ok and should last. Front brake is ok, rear drum brakes are yesteryears technology and couldn't handle the stress of a Bali trip with 2 persons. And I'm not very impressed, if the gasket sealing compound is smeared all over the engine of a fabric-new bike.

The GSX250 has the same shortcomings as all the other small bikes in Indonesia. They all come with a top speed of about 110km/h, and they all lack the extra bit of horse power to get ahead of that speeding intercity bus, that is poisoning your lungs since the last 20 kilometers.

The bike was my daily comuting bike and 'tourer' until I got the Zephyr. I hardly use it now, and it mainly acts as a visitors bike, if some friends come around.

 

 

I never actually owned a XT 500, but I had lots of opportunity to ride one. This bike is included here as one of my all time favorites. I got my leg over a XT500 when I studied and lived in Berlin. During that time, six of us lived together in a flat in Charlottenburg. We shared our fights against the political establishment, atomic energy, Neonazis, US warfare in Nicaragua and El Salvador, and we shared our transport ressources whenever needed.

I just met Jochen, the XT owner, here in Jogja in November 2002. He told me that he has restored the XT, now 26 year old, and is riding the bike again.