I was a keen motorcyclist and have had all sorts of machines from chin on the tank racers to upright cruisers but as I got older the drudge of putting on protective clothing and a helmet started to wear me down .I had the idea a top down sports car would be the way to go and get the freedom of the wind around you without wearing a suit of amour .I first picked up a nice MX5 ( Eunos import ) and really enjoyed it but as a 1.6 it lacked some speed .I sold that and after watching a program about the SLK I decided to get one as it had a folding hard top unlike the mx5 rag top .I bought a 170 230 and was hooked .
Lately I upgraded to a 171 because I liked the new shape but opted for a 200 which is a bit underpowered but speed is not my thing anymore and just happy to cruise top down on sunny days .Plus the fact UK petrol prices are so high it fits within budget and mpg .
I agree with you John, I rode bikes for 50 years, 18 of those years as a Highway Patrol cyclist so I was highly trained and always rode large capacity bikes, my last one was a Kawasaki GTR 1400. In the last few years nearly every time I went out on the bike some idiot would overtake and cut back in cutting me off, others turning in front of me etc etc (a lot of drivers don't give a sh#t about cyclists) and now that I'm getting a lot more experienced in life (not old) one tends to break easier and take longer to repair (if ever). My wife was more than happy about getting rid of the bike so much so that she bought me a late 2013 silver SLK 200 and now I still get that out in the fresh air feeling like the bike, and like you I don't have to put all that protective on, just sun protection lotion.:smile:
Regards
Paul...(Ramprat):smile:
Makes it no surprise that there are so many current and formers bikers here.Sold my '99 Cadillac Seville at the start of the summer, making a Kawasaki Z750 my only mode of transportation. Traded that in for an '04 Suzuki Hayabusa, delimited and tuned a little, and realised that the 'Busa isn't really a winter vehicle as twisting the throttle slightly will launch it like there's no tomorrow. So wet, slippery roads and the 'Busa aren't really friends.
This plus realizing a car is nice to have when going grocery shopping, when the weather is bad and when it's really cold, I started looking for a small, fun car, not too heavy so road taxes aren't too steep, but convertible + hardtop were requirements. At that point, the cheapest ones are Peugeots 206 CC's but I don't like them. Next up are SLKs and I've always liked them. Opted for an SLK200, because if I want to go fast, I'll get on my bike