Thinking of a new bike

I'm thinking of moving to newer bike. My current steed is 98 VFR800. Love the sound and power! However it is A LOT of bike for most of the riding I do.

I've been pondering the 300-750cc class of standard and psuedo cruiser bikes

• BMW G310R
• KTM Duke 390
• Yamaha FZ07
• Kawasaki Vulcan S
• Honda Rebel 300/500

All of these are available locally for under $6200. The 300cc displacement bikes ticks the boxes at lower weight and low buy in ($4500-5300) but may be tiring screaming along on rides to Charlotte, Charleston, or Atlanta via the Interstate. That leaves the FZ07, Vulcan S and Rebel 500 . . . But those 300s gives me the tingles!!

Another option is continue on my trusty steed!

Opinions . . . Thoughts . . . Suggestions?

Honda CB500...I prefer the CB500X...but the CB500F is more the standard, where the X is more of the ADV look.  Everyone rates them highly----rather fun to ride and very capable.

How did I not know about CB500F?

Per the specs, it ticks a lot of boxes. 

I really get the appeal of a smaller light weight bike. Even though it's not super heavy the big wide handle bars and wide tank on my FJ make it feel like a much bigger bike than it is. I think I would be pretty happy on a Yamaha R3. 

I've been eyeballing the Duke 390, especially after the 2nd gen came out.  We've been on somewhat parallel paths with the Bandits & VFR's, so take the leap & show me the way...

I love smaller bikes, but I don't think I would want to ride any distance on the interstate on anything smaller than a 500. 

In reply to secretariata :

That Duke 390 looks the business!  But like Cooter said, I'm not sure it would be fun for extended interstate traversal.

The CB500F looks pretty enticing @ 414 lbs (claimed) and should be a bit better on the interstate.

For a few hundred dollars you could take 20-30 lbs out of your VFR and have a bike with a very different character.

Switch to a double-sided swingarm (heresy), get rid of the linked brake system (please don't crash the first time you pull the lever), remove the centerstand (if you have more than one bike you'll have lifting equipment in the garage), rebuild the 20-year-old forks and put in springs with 1" of rider sag.

I like the FZ07 a LOT, the power, weight, size, appearance, and fuel economy all seem to be just about right.  Go ride one?  

I wouldn't want to spend appreciable time on the highway on a sub 500cc bike.

FZ07 is the only one on the list I would look at seriously. They are avalble used as well with minimal miles at a good discount.

Yamaha FZ-07 gets my vote. Sounds great uncorked a bit and will be a great all rounder.

I rode the Duke 390 for a half hour test ride and liked the handling, but down low it felt surprisingly weak. They seem to be having a lot of reliability issues that I've been reading about. Both those things would keep me away. 

FWIW, the BMW fits my 6'4" frame well. Surprisingly. And has good power along with BMW build quality. I agree with most above that I wouldn't do much riding on a sub 500 on the highway but, most Japanese bikes feel heavy to me. Ever consider looking at a little bit bigger BMW or Duc?

I have a friend that owns a bike shop. He had a cb500r in there that was probably a first or second year of the cb reboot. He said that the engine wasn't real exciting but it rode really well. Like sport bike handling in a more comfortable package.

Strike_Zero said:

In reply to secretariata :

That Duke 390 looks the business!  But like Cooter said, I'm not sure it would be fun for extended interstate traversal.

The CB500F looks pretty enticing @ 414 lbs (claimed) and should be a bit better on the interstate.

I agree that it wouldn't be fun for extended interstate runs, but that becomes an excuse for the long way around and sporty bikes aren't for interstate travel anyway...

I sat on the 2017 CB500F yesterday and it felt good egonomically. The price was pretty good as well @ 5700 OTD.

I need to find FZ-07 to try out. There was 2017 for $6100 that was snatched up before I got there.

In reply to markwemple :

Definitely considered the bigger BMWs. But I'm aimming at new to slightly used and around $6500 . . . That puts those brands out of reach for me.

I like my Honda CBR650F. They call it a "commuter bike" and that seems pretty accurate. I spent a long time looking at 300 cc bikes of all kinds, but I realized I would get bored with such a small bike pretty quickly. The 650 isn't too racy, but still has plenty of power on tap if I want it.

FZ-07 as metioned, Suzuki SV650, Moto Guzzi V7

I just realized I picked the absolute worse time for motorcycle shopping.

I also forgot about freight & prep fees . . . Berk

This is why I love this bike!!

Want to buy my CB500X? I'm sure I can ship it to you pretty cheaply.

I'm semi sure I'll stick with the VFR. I'm taking it down to Honda next week for a full service once over.

In reply to cmcgregor :

I'm being an extreme cheap ass! I want something shiny, but don't want to spend the cheese.

I should buy your VFR before you and I both realize what's happening.  A 5th gen VFR in good condition is a nice bike!  I never really liked the look of carbon exhaust cans but you can't argue with how that bike sounds.