another what bike thread

i recently sold my XJ600 seca because i wasnt riding it enough but i still have the bug to ride. i want the next bike to be better suited to my needs so i can make that happen.

what i am looking for is:

quick to start and go. no waiting for it to warm up for 10 minutes or more

low rpm power. im not that fond of high revving motors

can go on the interstate comfortably

upright riding position or at least mostly upright naked. not a big fatrings fan

simple to work on with reasonable parts availability

and...... go!

You forgot to mention what sort of budget you have .

I like my ZRX1200R, enough low-down grunt, at this altitude it's a matter of firing it up and jumping on it and it'll certainly work on in Interstate. Not sure about the "simple to work on" part, you can get at everything but it's the usual disassembly job. There are a couple of other large capacity UJMs that would qualify, too.

Other than that, a BMW R80 GS or R100GS comes to mind - pretty simple, good for long distances. The "fire and go" version would be the R1100GS/R1150GS but those aren't simple to work on anymore.

Any modern literbike will suit your needs. Yes, they can rev high, but they also make LOTS of power down low.

in reply to bovhead... i am looking for something ready to ride under $3K i am also looking for something smaller than the 900 to 1200 range for insurance rewasons. i wont be riding it hard and the 600 had more power than i needed.... and had it way beyond the rpm range i wanted to be running in.

rotard... waht exactly kisa literbike? i dont know if i have heard that term before.

Triumph Speed Triple

It pulls hard from idle to redline.

As far as limiting yourself to a certain size because of insurance...you just need to get quotes. My 170HP 1200cc BMW is half the cost of the 140HP 1050cc Triumph.

Liter bike is 1000cc plus.

itsarebuild wrote: in reply to bovhead... i am looking for something ready to ride under $3K i am also looking for something smaller than the 900 to 1200 range for insurance rewasons. i wont be riding it hard and the 600 had more power than i needed.... and had it way beyond the rpm range i wanted to be running in.

Well, the issue is that you need displacement for low end grunt and your "need to take the bike on the highway" requirement basically rules out 600cc-ish dual sports (which would have been my other suggestion).

If you're willing to search long enough you might be able to find a 500cc thumper like an SR500 or maybe an SRX660. Those might work for you, too.

On something like a BMW R75/R80/R90/R100 you can get classic insurance, which is probably the cheapest option insurance wise. They'd be hard to find in your budget, though.

itsarebuild wrote: rotard... waht exactly kisa literbike? i dont know if i have heard that term before.

A bike with a 1000cc engine

Suzuki SV650? Honda Hawk 650?

FZ1. have one. love it. 1000cc of awesome.

My SV650 was less than $2k. It's the only functional bike that I have ever owned, but it ticks all of your boxes.

I have many of the same requirements as I shop for a replacement to my reliable but not always comfortable KLR 650. Some of the suggestions when I asked a similar question on ADV:

Triumph Scrambler or Bonneville Kawasaki Versys Suzuki SV650 Suzuki Bandit (there's a guy selling a nice 650 version in PA right now) Triumph Tiger (what I'm leaning towards) Suzuki DL650 Wee Strom

I'd also say a 650 BMW with the one lung Rotax engine would be in there. I'm just looking to get away from the single's vibrations.

The KLR will do pretty much all of what you ask but it's a dual sport, very tall, and only has 5 speeds so isn't much fun on the highway above 70.

Suzuki SV650 or Suzuki DL650 are both excellent, and an older Honda Hawk is probably exactly what you want.

I'd nix the Hawk idea. They're usually more expensive than a comparable SV650. That said, what kind of power are you wanting at freeway speeds? The SV650 will work fine, but definitely won't have explosive acceleration. If you plan on doing a lot of interstate riding, you should probably get something with fairings.

DVD are definitely something I like looks wise, and I like v twin goodness,I just can't seem to find a good runner for less than 3k here. Barron's and dual sports are usually too tall for me at 5'7", I can't seem to find any Honda hawks around I have found a couple 2000 model burls for around 1500 (blast) I am liking the rider position an SINGLE carb, for the little bit of highway I will be traveling (less than 10 miles or so per direction) that may be enough grunt. What say thee?

Prices seem to drop a lot faster for the lesser known models (aka not the 600/1000 supersports). A few minutes of searching found the following:

2002 SV650 $1600

FZ6 $2999

2005 FZ6 $2991

2002 Honda VFR $2500

2000 Bandit 1200 $2800

You may also be able to find a Honda 599 in this price range.

Mitchell wrote: Prices seem to drop a lot faster for the lesser known models (aka not the 600/1000 supersports). A few minutes of searching found the following: 2002 SV650 $1600 FZ6 $2999 2005 FZ6 $2991 2002 Honda VFR $2500 2000 Bandit 1200 $2800 You may also be able to find a Honda 599 in this price range.

I wish I could find an sv for 1600 here!

Going to look at a buell blast now......

got the buell. it is interesting to have one (BIG) cylinder as it sounds broken at idle. but cruising it is VERY nice to have the torque. brakes are intensly strong compared to the yamaha..... or maybe it is just that much lighter. much easier to handle.

I was going to say Buell M2...but that said, enjoy the Blast.