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For the time being, I'd recommend staying put on your current bike. You've survived your first few weeks of riding - you didn't kill yourself, maim yourself, or scare yourself into parking it and walking away. That's more of a milestone than you probably realize at this point. Now spend the next year building skills & confidence, & at the same time finding out what kind of riding you're really going to want to invest yourself into, long term. Whether you find your passion in touring, two-wheel camping, dirt riding, or just enjoying a two-wheel commute daily will ultimately determine what bike you need, or whether you need multiple bikes to cover that ground.

I'm not averse to big bikes; big displacements do certain things that smaller displacements can't - like pull 300 lbs of trailer or carry a very hefty passenger, if that's your thing. But don't be fooled by the leather-chaps crowd into believing that anything smaller than a liter is "a beginner's bike." That's like saying that a 4-cyl, 2-liter Honda or Miata is "a beginner's car."

Me, I've never owned anything bigger than a 650cc bike in my life. I've ridden some, but never owned one. My DL650 will take me anywhere in the United States, and at well over legal speed limits. It'll climb an 11,000 foot pass much more quickly than many cruisers of more than twice the displacement. And it'll carry 50 or 60 pounds of camping gear with no more notice than a slight drop in the usual 50mpg mileage. The only reason I would personally need to buy a large displacement bike would be if I started carrying a passenger on long trips.

Take a year or so to figure out what you really need before you make any other large investments. Just my $.02.
 
What if I want to be both? :)



That makes too much sense. I'm more of the ready fire aim sort :)

I had a fun 200 miler on the AT today. Made me think I might as well keep it. It seems to pull just like the VFR to 75 or 80 and I don't need to be doing over 115 mph on a bike anyway. And I would be if I got something bigger.

I've followed this thread a little, didn't really realize you already have an AT, why in the world would you trade that for a pig.:giveup: The AT is an awesome bike for anybody.
 
What if I want to be both? :)


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Want to be both, but can have only one bike? Go small & off-road to develop bike-handling skills, as the constantly changing terrain under your wheels trains the central nervous system. Perpetual throttle/brake/body positioning changes translate into road skills in a way normal street riding cannot duplicate.

Nearly every road racer, from MotoGP to local clubs, rides off-road/MX to sharpen their skills. Few, if any, off-road racers ride street for the same purpose.


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I didn't realize it was a pig. Or rather, I don't see (on paper) what makes the AT such a better bike than the VFR1200X, but many reviewers seem to agree that is the case.

Well, my statement isn't totally fair, but it would be for a gravel rd bike, ect. Probably fine on street. And by your numbers almost a 100 pounds, that's a lot to me.
 
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Yes, it does matter, just to a less and less degree for every additional pound added.

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Generally speaking, as adventure riders get more experienced they either a) opt for lighter bikes for serious dirt riding or b) stop trying to ride too heavy adventure bikes on anything other than easy dirt. For example, Suzuki's research shows that very few Strom owners ever venture on the dirt at all.



Bingo, when the trail gets tough, I turn around on my 550 lb Africa twin.

Now throw the DCT option into the mix.......:)


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Speaking of being used to that getting your arms ripped out sensation from jet skis' how about buying a used Busa for when you have the urge. Then will the AT to me just in case. :lol2:
 
While I agree with the notion that riding off-road (whether it’s MX or trail/cross country) on a dirt bike is a great way to develop skills for the street, it also might ruin you.

I fully believe that my inability to find a street ride I really enjoy is because I’m hoping for street riding to be as fun and engaging as my cross country racing days. As it turns out, dodging Accords and F-150s is not nearly as exciting as navigating between trees that are barely a handlebar apart in third gear.
 
While I agree with the notion that riding off-road (whether it’s MX or trail/cross country) on a dirt bike is a great way to develop skills for the street, it also might ruin you.

I fully believe that my inability to find a street ride I really enjoy is because I’m hoping for street riding to be as fun and engaging as my cross country racing days. As it turns out, dodging Accords and F-150s is not nearly as exciting as navigating between trees that are barely a handlebar apart in third gear.

Another one I've heard, and experienced, is that guys starting on dirt never fully learn to trust their tires.
 
There is an ongoing trip report on an AT right now on the forum. It truly shows the versatility of the AT and bikes in it's class. It even has a few of the down sides.
If you feel you want to do less dirt than him and more pavement, then moving up from the AT is a good idea. If you want to do a trip like him with that kind of dirt then moving up is a bad idea.

https://r.tapatalk.com/shareLink?ur...&share_tid=117507&share_fid=5163&share_type=t

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Measure the two this way
HP is how fast you get to that wall before you hit it
Torque is how far you move the wall after you hit it

I was going to throw that one in.

Another, a body in motion tends to remain in motion. The heavier the body, the more it takes to change that motion. So, throwing a bike around on the road or off-road, when you "throw" it to the left, it's going to want to keep heading that direction until you counter-act it. The heavier the bike, the more effort you're going to have to expend to "manage" those changes in motion. A long day of throwing a heavy bike around on a trail is lots of work.

That's all I got. :mrgreen:
 
Took me a long time.....



Interesting. I never had a "trust" issue with street tires, as they can handle more than I could deliver, even as I made every effort to eliminate chicken strips from the rear tire. A Bridgestone BattlAx has more talent than I do.


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