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So confused as to what bike I should get....

Joined
Feb 4, 2008
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Location
Houston, Republic of Texas
Lookin on the internet has done nothing for me and lookin at bikes in a dealership arent helping out either...

Maybe this is me venting cause I dont have enough money to buy EVERY bike I want but I'm between a 06 Triumph Tiger ($4995), 08 Honda VT750($3995), and a HD Sportster 1200($5495). Decisions decisions....I want an affordable bike to ride long distance is all.

I already have my xr650r for adv riding so I argue with what the point of the tiger would be...
 
Count out the Tiger for ADV riding anyway. Too street oriented.

But it would be the best "all around/do everything else" bike on your list.


You lookin' to Cruise? The Honda be bullet proof I'd bet. The Harley, most looked at...
 
My preference of the three listed would be the Tiger. Smoother and more powerful than the other two, with better handling and brakes.

I would cross off the VT right off. My neighbor has one and constantly gripes about the lack of giddy-up at freeway speeds. In the next breath he talks about crummy gas mileage with the slightest head wind. Being down on power the tendency is to twist the wrist a bit, and there goes the gas. 90 miles on a good tank, looking for gas at 75 miles in the wind. Not conducive to fun road trips.

I have nothing bad to say about the sporty... just not my choice for road trips. YMMV.

p.s. there in an 04 FJR in the for sale section in your price range. Talk about a comfy road trip bike.
 
I'm biased as well, but don't forget the Z-Rex. It sounds like exactly what you're looking for:

zrx_1200_r.jpg
 
Kenny I keep saying that but my bed remains empty when I get home "least expecting it"

I'll check out the FJR....yeah on a cruiser i'm thinking anything less than 1000cc will be underpowered for my tastes...thanks

I know nothing about cruisers and have only rode a HD once and a vtx1300 a few times
 
Go visit the International Motorcycles show at Convention center in Dallas downtown. Not many choices to choose from, I found it pretty low key and a disappointing display of local dealers. Maybe it was the 1st day and Saturday maybe a better turnout. On accessries Everyone selling their their stuff at retail price.
Not worth the $ 15 ticket, but you may find a bike of your choice depending on your budget as there are few choices. Triumph, Yamaha, Honda Fury impressve, Victory OOOooh! Only saw 3 beamers, lots of Kawasaki, Yamaha and Hondas and HD.
 
OK Tim, regarding the ZRX1100....why do you like em so much?

Well, mine's a 1200. The things I like most about it are the almost-immediate torque delivery, great riding position, early 80s retro styling, and the sound.

Basically, it looks like the old bikes I grew up around, but performs like a modern bike.

:thumb:
 
Hey landman, I'll throw my 2 cents in here.

We all have preferences in what we look for in a bike. When I get asked about what someone should buy. IMHO, here's what they should answer then start looking for bike that fits the job it is going to asked to do.

1-What type of riding will the bike be used for? Do you want a canyon carving sports bike, or a laid back cruiser? Do you want a bike that is comfortable but will carve us back road when you feel a little sporty. Then a sporty standard may be the right call. Also, think of what speed you like to ride. Differing style bikes are more comfortable at varying cruising speeds.

1a-How much power do you want or need? There are bikes today that are truly beast and fun to ride. But in the real world, what do you want/need? Riding 2up will bring the need for power up a little. I hate to admit it, but I am pretty spoiled to the more powerful bikes. I just like the torque and the no down shift passing. But you may find that a 70hp bike may be just what you need.

2-How much, if any, 2 up riding will you be doing. This will help include and exclude a lot of bikes.

3-What type of seating position do you prefer? Coming off a dirt bike you might light some of the sportier standards like a bandit, a ZRX like Tim posted, a FZ1, or a Honda 919 hornet. In the more heavy duty sports touring bunch you have the old connie, the new connie, FJR, ST1300, plus a lot of euro choices.

4-How much wind do you like to be in? Some people like to stay behind a larger fairing and shield, while others enjoy being in the breeze. This is just personal preference. I will say the larger fairing I have on the FJR makes it nice on cooler days, and a little warmer in the summer. Overall, I like to be in the wind a little more than most.

5-Does the bike have something about it that attracts you? You say you don't like the stroms much. I have one now and am slowing falling in love with it, but it looks much better from behind the bars looking out down the road than it does from the side that's for sure. For most of us bikes are luxuries and I think the bike a person buys should "turn them on" so to speak. It's hard to really enjoy a bike for me if it does nothing for me when I look at it. Again, this is a huge personal preference deal.


Bottom line, buy a bike that will fit the task you are going to ask it to do, has a look about it that you like and makes you want to go for a ride on it. This is different from person to person, that's why they make so many styles.

OK, that was more like a nickles worth. :loco:
 
Before you buy a VT750, please give it a good test ride. They are really gutless.

If you like that style, try to find a Shadow Sabre and take it for a ride. There is a pretty nice one on Dallas Craigslist this morning for $2900 with 16000 miles and it is loaded with extras. A friend has an 05 and it is a really good bike if you like that style. Comfortable, plenty of torque, about 40 mpg, the down side is the smallish tank which means you have about 150 mile range.

I have an 02 Kaw Concours. Probably the most bang for the buck in motorcycling. About 100 HP IIRC, let's just say it is plenty fast enough, 42 mpg, handles reasonably well stock, but can be improved dramatically very economically. You have to ride one to see if you like the way it fits, but I really like mine. Most of all CHEAP and DEAD RELIABLE. I have 30,000 on mine with narry a mechanical failure. Lots of Connies on the road with 100K miles on them.

Wayne
 
Went to the IMS last night and it was pretty predictable, but had a good time with the guys I was with, nothing really new that impressed me. Well I do like the Kawasaki Teryx 4x4, maybe my next adventure. It takes me three bikes to get the riding in that I like to do, there listed below. As you can see I'm pretty much into dual sport riding so those bike all do a great job for me. Your just going to have to pick the bike that just fits your riding style, it's not easy picking, too many to choose from. I like my V-Strom, just does everything well for the price, probably better than other higher priced bikes, but than that's just my opinion. Good luck

John
 
I would lean towards the tiger myself. i rode my trophy to a dealership, just messing around and they had a tiger sitting outside. so i went over and sat on it, and man, i did not want to get off! they let me take it for a little test ride and i fell in love. it was more comfy than mine and felt like it had more go. now, it did have a Russel day long seat which helped out a lot. as far as a bike to take long trips on, it would be hard to beat. if i didn't love my bike so much, i would trade it for a tiger in a heart beat! there is a yellow tiger for sale here real cheap too. if i had the extra cash i would be all over it. just my .0002
 
I'll vouch for the Shadow 1100 (Sabre or Spirit). I like mine because it's basically bulletproof, has plenty of power, and it has the seating position (actually the legroom) I need. One of the nicer things about these is that they have hydraulic lifters--no valve adjustment. It does lack a bit in range.
 
OK Tim, regarding the ZRX1100....why do you like em so much?

I'm not a big fan of Stroms....I wish I was



I love the ZRX....was going to be my first bike but I bought the Blackbird.

I read a while back that Kawasaki was going to bring it back with a lot of new goodies.

I will for sure have one if they do.
 
YOU have to decide what YOU like.

If you just like riding, seeing the country, nice upright position, storage, a little motor rumble that only a V-Twin delivers, you are a cruiser man! Let no one discourage you. They are great bikes with pickup and handling more than enough for that sport - period. I have many friends in this catagory and for the most part their bikes do just what they want them to do.

If you want a much more sporty ride, like lots of leaning in corners, high-rev motors, and more power than any person can sanely use - you are a sport bike rider! Go for it. I have friends here also - their bikes are great!

If you like a mix of the above - go to a sport touring bike. Have friends here also with bikes in all price ranges and all have great value.

If you are more of a gravel road & fire road type with a little pavement in between, do a dual sport.

Point is; every one gives you their opinion of what they would buy... not an unbiased opinion of what YOU should buy. Most people are brand biased, style biased, price biased, etc. They have Vastly different brands of bikes for the same reason there Vastly different brands of automobiles.

You should look at all brands open mindedly and enjoy the shopping! It is a fun process! And, don't make a choice without riding it!
 
YOU have to decide what YOU like.

If you just like riding, seeing the country, nice upright position, storage, a little motor rumble that only a V-Twin delivers, you are a cruiser man! Let no one discourage you. They are great bikes with pickup and handling more than enough for that sport - period. I have many friends in this catagory and for the most part their bikes do just what they want them to do.

If you want a much more sporty ride, like lots of leaning in corners, high-rev motors, and more power than any person can sanely use - you are a sport bike rider! Go for it. I have friends here also - their bikes are great!

If you like a mix of the above - go to a sport touring bike. Have friends here also with bikes in all price ranges and all have great value.

If you are more of a gravel road & fire road type with a little pavement in between, do a dual sport.

Point is; every one gives you their opinion of what they would buy... not an unbiased opinion of what YOU should buy. Most people are brand biased, style biased, price biased, etc. They have Vastly different brands of bikes for the same reason there Vastly different brands of automobiles.

You should look at all brands open mindedly and enjoy the shopping! It is a fun process! And, don't make a choice without riding it!

My major problem is finding threads regarding these bikes that arent too biased. Wish I could test ride each bike. I already have the dual sport thing covered(xr650r). My bike history is this(ducati monster>cbr600rr>drz400sm)...Liked em all
 
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