The Amazing Derbi Jr
I've wanted one of these since the first time I saw one. Now I've finally got one!
For those of you who've never seen one of these before, it's a Derbi GPR50R. It's a 50cc 2 stroke, built in Spain, that's approximately the size of a 250 Ninja or 250 Interceptor. It's identical to the Cagiva Mito 50 (Derbi assembled them for Cagiva) and tips the scales at approximately 200 lbs full of fuel and ready to ride. Derbi (stands for DERivative of BIcycles) has been involved in Grand Prix racing for decades, winning 8 world championships. I know the pic doesn't show very much, but it's the only one I've got for now. It's extremely trick for such a small road-going bike and it's GP heritage really shows. Inverted forks, rising rate linkage in the rear, cast aluminum wheels, front and rear discs, and braided stainless brake lines from the factory. From the rear, it looks ALOT like a Ducati 748/916/996/998, but the graphics look VERY GSXRish. But here's the part I like the best: The part that *looks* like a gas tank, is really a huge locking storage compartment big enough to hold a full face helmet! The real fuel tank is a plastic unit under the tail section and accessed by removing the passenger (yeah, right) seat.
Although these aren't very well known here in the U.S., they are considered very desirable in the U.K. Having gotten to ride it now, I'd say we yanks don't know what we're missing. This thing is a BLAST!!! No, it's not very powerful, topping out around 70 mph in stock trim, and yes, you have to rev the life out of it all the time to get any motivation, but doing so pays off with major grins. I was laughing and smiling in my helmet the whole time I was riding it! It's actually at least as comfortable as my R1, with better wind protection...go figure. At 70 mpg, and $17/year for full coverage insurance, I'm going to ride the heck out of this thing! What a backroad blaster! Everybody should have one of these. I just got it so I could reduce my dependance on foreign oil...yeah, that's it. ;-}
