What bike do I want?

I recently sold my EX650 Ninja to my nephew after 11 years of ownership.  This bike served me well during that time both as a commuter bike and as a weekend escape bike.  It did everything I asked and never missed a beat.  Now it's time to replace it and while I have some ideas I'm really not sure exactly what to replace it with.  If I had the budget I would be riding an FJ09, but I don't.

Here are some of the things that are important to me...decent enough seat for the occasional passenger, 600cc or bigger, comfortable enough for weekend trips (usually solo), max $4k, fun to ride.

Here's my somewhat eclectic list so far...Yamaha FZ6, Yamaha YZF600, BMW F650 (not sure about the single, prefer the bigger engine), BMW F800ST (may be a little over budget), Suzuki V-Strom650...

What do you guys suggest?

Thanks,

Mark

Another grand and I got the perfect bike for you! 

VFR Interceptor. 

I've had a couple of F650s as service loaners and for my taste they were a little bit too much "Horizons are less blurry than they appear". But then again I'm not a big fan of singles.

I'd also look a the Triumph Tiger 800 if you like this style of bike although there is a good chance that's over budget, too. VFR is pretty much the answer if you're looking for a sports tourer. Triumph Sprint ST is also pretty close and can often be found with factory luggage.

If you want sporty touring bikes with the potential for factory bags and do the maintenance yourself, you can get Ducati ST2/3/4s and Aprilia Futuras within your budget.

Wee-Strom

You want a Tiger 1050. It's arguably the best bike in your price range for what you want to do. I have mine for sale.

https://grassrootsmotorsports.com/forum/cars-sale/il-2007-triumph-tiger-1050/138763/page1/

Appleseed said:

VFR Interceptor. 

Yep, second this.

I bought a 2008 a few months ago.  I freakin love it.

How about a Bandit 1200 or 1250?

Thanks for your responses everyone!  I just wrote a detailed response to everyone and then lost it.  Here's the condensed version...

Unfortunately my dollars are in Canadian so i'm pretty sure Bobzilla won't still have that offer on the table!

VFR's are great bikes for sure.  My brother has a '93 and it's a great ride.  I feel like I went into this thinking I wanted something a little more adventure bike'ish but i'm open to looking at other options.  I'll look into these more.

I think i've ruled the single cylinder F650's.  The '09 and later bikes with the twin would still be a consideration.

The Tiger 800 looks great but I think it will be beyond my budget at this point.

The bandit is a smart choice but for some reason I just don't get too excited about them.  Not sure why.

That blue V-strom looks like fun.  I think I need to take one for a ride and see what it's like.  Anyone have first hand experience with one?

Also, anyone have first hand experience with the FZ6 or YZF600?  While I realize neither are "adventure bikes" per se both seem to be available at good prices and look interesting to me.

Thanks for your input!

In reply to Riley_88 :

I test rode a wee-strom back when I was shopping. Very comfortable, it fit me like they designed it around me. Very nice comfortable suspension, but not to squishy, more on the comfort/touring side if the scale rather than sport. The engine was competent, it had adequate power but delivered it in a rather unexciting manor. Overall it was a very nice bike and was the front runner, until I rode the FJ-09. If I hadn't rode the FJ I have no doubt I would have been perfectly happy with the strom. 

However the FJ is not an ADV bike. It's a sport touring bike with the emphasis on sport that happens to have an ADV seating position and wide handlebars.

I have a V-strom myself, really love the bike. Mine is a 1000, so it has a bit more power than the Wee. Like Nick said, they are very comfortable bikes, felt like riding an old familiar bike when I first rode mine. The V-strom engines make their power in the mid range, so no need to rev them high. 

The SV650 is another option, fun bike that is quite common and reasonably priced as well.

Fifth-gen VFR, '98 to '01, would be high on my list.  $4k should get you a bike and a grand or so for maintenance and tires.   The Honda 919 would also be pretty high on my list.  Moto Guzzi V7 or Triumph Bonneville might be of interest although neither are close to the others I mentioned as far as performance.

I used to have a Wee Strom.

I was riding a KLR before so this was like going to a Rolls-Royce after driving an air cooled Beetle. Smooth engine, easy power delivery, comfortable ergonomics. It was a good road and touring bike, mediocre on dirt. I had zero problems with it as a used purchase. However, while capable ('competent' is the best descriptor) I really had no passion about the thing. I found I was riding it less than the KLR it replaced. It was a vanilla experience only slightly better than any of the Hondas I've ridden.

I replaced it with a Triumph Tiger 800, a bike that is IMO superior in every way. I've ridden the Tiger up and down much of the mid-Atlantic states. Aside from a snapped clutch cable it too has been very reliable. You may be able to find one in your price range or a 955i (slightly different ergos, same basic great engine).

If you're considering a Strom then also look at the Kawasaki Versys.

5th gen VFRs are great bikes.  I'm not all that enamored of the 6th gen with the Vtec nonsense, but they're good bikes, and look great in the Freddie Spencer colors.

Like Nick said, the FJ09 is a great sport touring bike, and really fits all your parameters.  I've even seen leftover NEW '15s under $6k, and used bikes are dropping into the low $5k and high $4k range, so I'd suggest finding a way to stretch the budget just a bit and get the bike you really want. 

WeeStrom is a great bike, but that 650 motor which is a lot of fun in the SV is just a little over tasked IMHO in the 'Strom.  It's kind of like the F800... it goes, but it just doesn't have a lot of oomph, especially loaded up, two up, or in the mountains.  Go find a 1000 VStrom to ride...  that's a fun bike, and there should be some in your price range.

Another option is a BMW R1100-1150 RS/RT.  They should be pretty cheap now, and are fantastic bikes that will run just about forever.  One disadvantage is parts are pricey when they do need to be replaced.

On the sport tour end of the spectrum, in the interesting and depreciated (under 4k) category in no particular order: 

Kawi zrx1100/1200

Aprilia Tuono/Futura of any year

Zook sv1000

Honda 996 Superhawk

Triumph Speed Triple

Monster S2R

On the more adv end, maybe:

Ducati Multistrada

Aprilia Dorsoduro

Tiger of any year

 Based on your description you want Suzuki GS1000.  All day seat, competent power and loads of aftermarket/spares.

I happen to know where to buy one.

Unfortunately here in Canada some of the bikes mentioned aren't quite as close to my budget as they are in US.  Used FJ's seldom seem to drop much below $8-9k in my area.  Tigers can be found in my budget but would typically have pretty high mileage in order to be in that price range.

I'm thinking good options to consider are Tha Yamaha YZF600, Yamaha FZ6, V-Strom 650 and Versys 650.

YZF - not exactly what I had in mind but a good, reliable bike that looks good, performs well and probably the cheapest option

FZ6 - at or near the top of the list. seems to be a good all-rounder, looks pretty good, good performance, good price

V-strom - looks like the right choice on paper. the comment about being  kind of "vanilla" worries me as that's what I was concerned it would be like

Versys 650 - I was overlooking these as they are mechanically pretty similar to the 650 Ninja I just sold...no issues with teh Ninja, in fact it was 100% reliable for the 11 years I rode it, just think i might want something different. These do seem to tick a lot of the boxes though.

I'm thinking whatever I get might be a 1-2 year deal and then I'd be looking for the FJ/Tiger/etc but I guess I should be prepared to live with it longer if needed.