A bike choice question
in [Motorcycles]
|
Prev: RGD's next trip report
Next: 8th Grade Final 1895
From: dusty on 29 Jul 2010 16:48 On Thu, 29 Jul 2010 12:14:29 +0100, totallydeadmailbox(a)yahoo.co.uk (The Older Gentleman) wrote: >dusty <hard.rider(a)the.big.roundup.com> wrote: > ><snip> >> >> I haven't been keeping up with the industry since the early nineties >> so I'm wondering if there are any model suggestions out there? >> >Yamaha XT600E. Absolutely indestructible do-anything, go-anywhere basic >air-cooled trail bike. Fun on the road. Cheap, too. Thanx for the suggestion. I've had a look at the XT and noted it's scarcity in my region. Aside from that I can't say I care for it's look nor it's saddle. I could see me sliding off that without a prob on a power take-off. I'm only 5'8" so would gravitate more to a low-rider. Something like a 84-02Honda Shadow or Nighthawk or a Yam Virago or maybe a VStar. Keeping ground clearance in mind of course. I'm not talking off-road in it's greatest sense of the term, just something that'll let me take an advantage without worrying about getting bogged down with a weighty machine. The 84 Shadow 500cc is the closest thing I've seen to what I have in mind, so far. Thanx for the reply.
From: dusty on 29 Jul 2010 17:07 On Thu, 29 Jul 2010 07:39:10 -0400, .p.jm.(a)see_my_sig_for_address.com wrote: >On Thu, 29 Jul 2010 03:38:31 -0300, dusty ><hard.rider(a)the.big.roundup.com> wrote: > >> >>Yo all! >> >>New to the group with a question. >> >>I'm a former biker, BMW 500, Yamaha 500 among others (smaller). >> >>Next spring I retire and want to, "Live to Ride!" >> >>I'm one of those types who's heroes have always been cowboys so I see >>a bike as a 'stand-in' for a horse. > > You're gonna look awful funny trying to kiss a motorcycle. I'll be 65 so I'll be able to kiss anything I want without worrying about how funny I'll look. :) That's why I'll be wearing spurs when I mount up. The most important person in the whole, wide world will simply think I'm kewel. :) What anybody else will think couldn't be more meaningless. Ahhhhh! The Golden Years at last! :) > > > >>I'll probably be buying second hand to avoid financing. I weigh in at >>140lbs so I'd like to keep it in the 500cc class to avoid a heavy bike >>off-road. I'm thinking that would allow me to cruise legal highway >>speeds pretty much all day. Right? I toured most of Europe on my BMW >>and didn't have any problems. I'll be riding fully attired so outside >>a change of clothes, a netbook and some photography gear, I'll be >>traveling light. > > Look at the Suzuki DL650 Thanx for the suggestion but I'm not big on Suzuki and the 650 would be overkill to me. Thanx for the reply.
From: ? on 29 Jul 2010 17:18 On Jul 29, 1:48 pm, dusty <hard.ri...(a)the.big.roundup.com> wrote: I'm only 5'8" so would gravitate more to a > low-rider. Something like a 84-02Honda Shadow or Nighthawk or a Yam > Virago or maybe a VStar. Keeping ground clearance in mind of course. Dude! Forget the cruisers for touring, they are just for boulevard cruising. The cruisers you listed will kick your butt in about an hour of riding because of the feet forward position. Forward controls prevent you from lifting the weight off your butt with your leg muscles when you see a bump coming, you have to pull the bars instead. But, don't worry about needing a lower seat height. The best bike mentioned in this thread for medium/light touring is the Suzuki DL650 V-Strom and the seat height can be lowered down from about 32 inches to about 29 inches by installing a set of longer aftermarket "dog bones". The longer dog bones allow the rear shock absorber relay arm to rotate a bit further up into the wheel well, lowering the rear chassis. A lady who sometimes posts to this group under the nickname "TexasShadow" is only about 5' 3" and she rides her V-Strom solo all over the western USA. You can buy a DL650 equipped for touring from the factory. The DL-650 doesn't have any more off-highway capability than the KLR-650, but at least you can install some decent tires without having to buy aftermarket rims. So far as the Kawasaki KLR-650 is concerned, the stock Department of Transportation approved tires will only last about 3000 miles, they don't have much of a knob pattern and the KLR's true character in so- called "adventure touring" is to ride a very short distance on a flat dirt road from a highway to a campground. The very narrow (about 1.6 inch) 21-inch front rim helps to make the KLR look like a Dakar racer, but the front tire is so narrow it slices right into loose sand, stopping forward progress. I was *very* disappointed at my KLR's lack of off-highway capability. The KLR off the showroom floor is about 90% highway and 10% dirt, unless you want to throw hundreds of $$$ into wider Accel rims so you can fit wider tires.
From: BryanUT on 29 Jul 2010 17:35 On Jul 29, 12:38 am, dusty <hard.ri...(a)the.big.roundup.com> wrote: > > I haven't been keeping up with the industry since the early nineties > so I'm wondering if there are any model suggestions out there? > > Thanks. BMW 650: http://www.bmw-motorrad.ca/En/model.php?model=G650GS
From: The Older Gentleman on 29 Jul 2010 18:04
David T. Johnson <djohnson(a)isomedia.com> wrote: > A Honda NT700V is lightweight twin Nope, it's a heavyweight twin with a low-powered engine ;-) -- BMW K1100LT Ducati 750SS Triumph Street Triple Honda CB400F Suzuki TS250 Suzuki GN250 chateaudotmurrayatidnetdotcom Nothing damages a machine more than an ignoramus with a manual, a can-do attitude and a set of cheap tools |