oh man what bike to get

[robertjlawler]

Hi

just got back from sailing the atlantic for 7 months and back into the motorbike world and fatherhood.

Im chopping in the chrome vt600 cruiser for something i can have a bit more adventure on.

so far i have been reading up on looking at several. Pretty sure the most of my riding will be 1 - 2 hour rides looking for the odd by road. Commuting to work with a detour on to a by road on the way home. And then the odd long distance ride usinging motorways to get there quickly. Sooooo. im trying to find the right bike for me! Still want the bike to work ok if i decide ive had enough of traffic but if i need to go a bit further say wales for the weekend whic is a four hour drive when im in a car I dont want to feel realy uncomfatable on the motorway. Ive been riding a honda vt600 cruiser before i went off sailing for a while. This i found fine on b roads and a roads with duel carridge ways but on a motorway with lots of other traffic about it didnt feel the most comfatble if a little unsafe! So thats my motorbiking experience and what im looking for.

I have been looking at reading up on. The other issue is Ive got a budget of about 2500 so for example i may be able to pick up a bmw gs but its going to be an old well used one where as something like a honda dominator will maybe not be such a good make of bike but will get a better bike for my cash.

BMW f650 gs
bmw funduro
bmw 1100gs

Honda dominator

Triumph tigre 955

yamaha tdm 850

yamaha tenere 660

Honda africa twin

Honda transalp

If anyone has any veiws opinions or pies they would like to give mt that would be just perfect.

cheers

[mwrmoore]

triumph 955i if you don't wanna do any extreme off road, comfort, speed, reliable, 2500 would get you an early one, later ones better but more expensive...

[Treadtrader]

Just to add to your confusion, think about the Suzuki V-strom, 1000cc or 650cc both in your budget.

And welcome to ABR mate.

[Hutchie]

650 v-strom (aka weestrom)

Does everything on your list.

[Lancastermick]

The suzuki V-strom is a cracking bike and shouldn't be discounted if you're planning to stick to the roads or very mild tracks.

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/search/used ... /adventure

With that budget, you're gonna get a decent machine. So it's more about personal preference really. Are there any dealers around you that can let you play?

Oh yeah! Welcome to the forum mate.

[ipswichbiker]

This sounds like a good excuse for some serious test rides. Another vote for the wee strom im sure if you were commuting the tenere might get a bit tiresome.

[Breva]

For a budget of £2500 you cant go wrong with the capable and dependable Transalp 650

[Peejay]

Just to be different and a bit bias,

A F650 GS/Dakar will do it all and are in your price range

[Guest]

I can recommend an Africa Twin. They're available in your price range. Look out for a bike with as low a milage as possible, preferably from someone who knows the bike inside out. There are a couple of issues with them (front sprocket, fuel pump & rectifier) but once sorted, you'll have an amazing bike that will suit all your needs.
Oh, look for an after market seat if you're going any distance. More than 100 mile will make your arse bleed!

[Lee]

The XT660Z is a fantastic bike – Ipswich is right, it'll get tiring on the daily grind if you've got a lot of miles to cover, my commute is 25miles each way, but its 15% town 85% B-road blast. The good thing about any of these bikes is you tend to sit high above the traffic – I'll also sing the praises of the V-Strom (I'm actually thinking of getting one as a second bike if I can persuade the better half)