Another "What Motorcycle for Me" thread.

So, here's my history of Motorcycle ownership:

- 73 CB350
- 92 Honda Shadow 600
- 04 Yamaha R6
- 86 CBR750
- 99 Yamaha R1
- 99 Kawasaki Vulcan Nomad 1500 (current bike)

I always preferred cruisers, but I did get on a kick of crotch rockets when I was in L. A. for traffic splitting reasons.  That got old fast, because they were like a Ferrari... single-purpose bikes that became a bit of a chore for my fat ass in commutes or daily use.  I couldn't really hop on one with my tent and take a week-long cruise.

I have loved my Nomad since I bought it about 10 years ago.  Every year I pull it out of the garage, hit the starter, it fires up, always passes inspection, rides nice, sounds killer, and with a full tour pack I can go on trips for weeks.  The last two years have been a little bit more of a struggle.  It only has about 45k on it, but it's starting to nickel/dime/dollar me.  I have also abused the crap out of it.  I treat it like an appliance, but the hard saddlebags leak, the tour trunk is rattling apart, the carbs often need tweaking, and it's just a tired girl.  She's lost her appeal for me and I find I don't ride it much because of that.  I'm thinking it might be time to retire her and get something more reliable/EFI/newer.

Budget is unknown since I haven't been in the market since 2011, but I'll throw out a ballpark of $6k

I'm likely looking at cruisers or touring bikes.  I'm also finding that seating position is important for my 49-year-old back that feels 94.  I'm thinking possibly more upright seating as opposed to slouched on a cruiser with my feet ahead of me, or bent into a pretzel on a crotch rocket.

Needs to have ample luggage space for 2-up riding on potentially longer trips, and be dead nuts reliable.  Zero off-road or adventuring, all on-road except the occasional gravel parking lot.

I'll out a plug in for something along the adv class of bikes.    Fast, nimble, comfortable and easy for long distance rides. 

That screams VFR with factory hard bags and bar risers.

What I'm gleaning is; upright riding position, nothing exotic, needs to handling touring duties, not really interested in an ADV machine, $6k total budget.  Anything else?

I almost want to say SV650 but touring on an SV650 for more than a day trip doesn't really rub me the right way.  Are there any bikes that you've already thought of on your own?

In reply to Appleseed :

If he didn't like the maintenance costs on a Vulcan I don't know that I'd recommend a VFR.  In fact I'm not recommending it for that reason + they're not the most relaxed in the ergo's department if you're over 6' tall.  I put a lot of miles on my 6th gen VFR and I'd do it differently if I still owned it and wanted it really right (find a good service department, pay to get it back into shape) but these aren't the most simple or easy to work on bikes in my estimation.

ADV style bikes have the upright seating you seek. It's the only position I can be comfortable in for hours. There are some that fall in the ADV category but are really road oriented bikes, like the Versys, V-Strom and mag wheel Triumph Tigers. Since you desire two-up capability I'd go for the liter sized versions. These are usually the less popular versions so used ones can be real bargains. 

It may seem like an odd suggestion, but you maybe ought to try a Goldwing. Lots of naysayers have taken one for a ride and become smitten. I've never ridden one myself, however.

I have no idea what $6k will buy you these days, but I'd be looking at a Goldwing.  Sitting up behind that giant fairing, you can ride all day long without anything going numb or stiff.  They also have copious amounts of room and comfort for whomever is riding, ah.. let's say "2up".

They tend to have Honda appliance reliability and an aftermarket catalog that can get you pretty much any extra comfort you could want.

If the built-in hard bags don't give you the space you need, they have trailers, too.

I somehow missed the part where "2-up riding on potentially longer trips".  If that's a real requirement, this sounds like Goldwing time.  Or maybe a Concours? 

BMW 1150GS, or a 1100RS

pres589 (djronnebaum) said:

What I'm gleaning is; upright riding position, nothing exotic, needs to handling touring duties, not really interested in an ADV machine, $6k total budget.  Anything else?

I almost want to say SV650 but touring on an SV650 for more than a day trip doesn't really rub me the right way.  Are there any bikes that you've already thought of on your own?

You nailed it.  It's not so much the cost of maintenance, it's that this Vulcan is getting long in the tooth and the 10 years I had it, it only needed oil changes and tires.  I quite honestly didn't put a dime in it otherwise.  Now it needs a starter, some electrical work, and one shock is leaking air (hopefully just the schrader valve). I would consider another Vulcan, but the seating position of a bagger tends to be slouchy.  It gets tiring after a long day.

My cousin has a BMW RS1200 that I plan on test riding in the next month or so, but he's about an hour away and my schedule is pretty rough.

The other thing that gets me is that nearly all of my bikes have been "oh look, cheap bike that I can ride." instead of "what bike SHOULD I get."  When I bought the Vulcan, I was shopping for a bagged cruiser and I rode a bunch and liked the Vulcan the best as a utility road gobbler so I bought it.  I never put the choice before the purchase, so to speak.  Now that I'm riding more and taking longer trips, I think I should put more thought into the choice.

I did borrow two different Goldwings.  The first one was an 80s model that I drove for two days, the second was a 2012?  I think?  I had that one for a couple weeks.  Both of them were comfy, but the riding experience was about as fun as driving a boulder with wheels.  Big, heavy, clumsy.  My Vulcan is no sports car, but the 'wing was a handful at any speed below about 40.  Great on the highway, but I would want to puddle jump sometimes, and many of my rides are just through the mountains for the day.  

pres589 (djronnebaum) said:

I somehow missed the part where "2-up riding on potentially longer trips".  If that's a real requirement, this sounds like Goldwing time.  Or maybe a Concours? 

Solo, I've been known to take really long trips.  I did a PA-TX-LA-FL-PA for three months a few years ago.  2-up she can do a few days with me, but it's not a passion for her.  She does it for the novelty and because I like it.

Someone just had a thread on a Honda ST1100 that sounds like it could fill that role, the ST1300 would be a bit newer. 

Despite being a serial BMW motorcycle owner, I never warmed to the Boxer RSs as long distance tourers. RT and GS are much better for that, with the RT being somewhat cheaper. The main issue with those bikes (R1150/R1200) is that they tend to see a lot of use, the finish doesn't hold up that well and some people cannot be bothered to maintain them by the book, with predictably expensive results. You'd also need something like GS911 to maintain them properly yourself.

In your budget, the K1200GT/K1300GT might also be something to look at. Id go for the 1300 as the 1200 has a bunch of documented issues. In general, BMW K bikes tend to offer better value than the boxers, but there are also a bunch of models to avoid. K1200LT, for example.

IMHO a good ST1100 is a better bike than an ST1300, both are good though.

Another cruiser option that might be worth considering is a Yamaha Stratoliner. Even though they're big, they don't seem to follow the "let's make it from pig iron and as heavy as possible and then some" philosophy a lot of cruisers follow.

Since you've had the time on all different styles of bike and it sounds like you want a bigger but fun bike I'd say look right down the barrel of a sport touring bike. Concours, FJR, etc. Sit upright and are great for two up, plus have hard bags as standard equipment on most of them.

Biggest issue with an ST1100 would be the relative age of the bike.  They do seem interesting and probably one of the most rational bikes for the task.

For a little more sport, what about a Blackbird?  

gunner (Forum Supporter) said:

Since you've had the time on all different styles of bike and it sounds like you want a bigger but fun bike I'd say look right down the barrel of a sport touring bike. Concours, FJR, etc. Sit upright and are great for two up, plus have hard bags as standard equipment on most of them.

This was my thought as well, but many of them have more of a sport bike posture for the rider.  Maybe not a bad thing in real life, but I compare pictures like these and it makes me wonder which one is more comfortable.  These are meant to demonstrate rider position only, not as a comparison of bikes that I might want.

FJR

R1250

as others have said the ADV sitting posture is amazing... more upright than a sport touring bike and they handle the road nicely and have adequate wind protection...

I've got a versys 650 that I love for a commuter and shorter "long" rides... haven't done anything more than about a 600 mile weekend on it still but it is the perfect bike for my 60-110 mile houston commuting every day (depends on what schools I have to goto)... if I spent more time above 70mph I'd change gears a little bit.

my tiger 955i sits super comfy... I haven't had a chance to ride it yet... got it running but it needs a few another afternoon of work before I'll take it out for a ride... I think ergo wise and engine wise it'll be amazing with that big 3cyl... but if I was doing long days I'd want ABS so I'd prob look for a tiger 1050 or something a bit newer.

for long slab runs a goldwing would be a peach... 

really there are so many amazing bikes out there... this is a great tool for figuring out how you might fit on it https://cycle-ergo.com/

also hit some dealers... you won't find many bikes in your price range (around here at least the budget used bikes get sold quickly)... but you can always toss your leg over and get a feel for some of the different models and see what might actually work for you and get a feel for how big some bikes actually are.

donalson said:

as others have said the ADV sitting posture is amazing... more upright than a sport touring bike and they handle the road nicely and have adequate wind protection...

I've got a versys 650 that I love for a commuter and shorter "long" rides... haven't done anything more than about a 600 mile weekend on it still but it is the perfect bike for my 60-110 mile houston commuting every day (depends on what schools I have to goto)... if I spent more time above 70mph I'd change gears a little bit.

my tiger 955i sits super comfy... I haven't had a chance to ride it yet... got it running but it needs a few another afternoon of work before I'll take it out for a ride... I think ergo wise and engine wise it'll be amazing with that big 3cyl... but if I was doing long days I'd want ABS so I'd prob look for a tiger 1050 or something a bit newer.

for long slab runs a goldwing would be a peach... 

really there are so many amazing bikes out there... this is a great tool for figuring out how you might fit on it https://cycle-ergo.com/

also hit some dealers... you won't find many bikes in your price range (around here at least the budget used bikes get sold quickly)... but you can always toss your leg over and get a feel for some of the different models and see what might actually work for you and get a feel for how big some bikes actually are.

 

That's good info.  Comfy on long rides is key, and so is "not crappy as a daily commuter"

I pretty much ride the bike on any day when I don't need to haul cargo.  That's sometimes a 200-mile day trip, and sometimes 7 miles on city streets going to work.  I don't want to necessarily get a purpose-built long hauler if it is a chore everywhere else.  Hence why I'm hesitant to jump on the Goldwing train.

TL;DR... I want a bike that is perfect at everything.  (not really).  Good for commutes, day-trips, or long hauls.  No off road.  Even when I had a sport bike, I never got much into the knee-dragging and corner carving.  I just rode it without pushing it because I'm not a racer on a bike.  The Vulcan is perfect, except the slouched seating gets tiring.  I feel like I'm sitting like this:

I did hit a few dealers.  We have a Honda/KTM place that is primarily repair, but they usually have 40-50 bikes around.  Right now they have 6.  We have three massive Harley dealers that normally have up to 100 used bikes and they have 20-30.  Bad timing.  Coming out of Covid, Springtime, everybody's buying, not selling.

This is the current Vulcan I have.  Ignore the yellow lines, that was some photoshop I did to try and picture a paint job.

If I could get this with a more ADV or ST riding position, I'd be drooling.

If you can handle the weight you want a used ultra glide with a buddy highway seat. Puts you up high in a normal standard riding position and you can crush trips between states. 2013 with good service history would be decently cheap and you  can get service anywhere in the country. 950lb's though. 

This exact bike is the answer.  

2012 Connie

It's nicely under the budget limit, leaving money for a new top box, not too many miles, checks all boxes.

And it's brown.

That's it, that's the thread guys, I'm considering this one closed.

I'm currently riding an 04 FJR and a 95R1100GS.      The FJR is a much more upright sitting bike for me vs the Concours showing.

your mileage will vary.     The FJR/Concours/ST1300 bikes are all in the same bucket and very similar.  Lots of power, lots of storage.  Shaft driven and creature comforts in a neutral seating packages. 

Now,  if you are a taller guy,  the GS BMW is very nice with lots of leg room to stretch on.  The benefit of being a taller bike in traffic is nice for visibility as well.

cycle-ergo.com doesn't have a 2012 Connie but it has a 2011.  And the Connie has more favorable hip and knee angles with just a few more degrees of forward lean for the same 6' tall rider.  I know that site vs. reality is not the same in all cases but I imagine they're awfully close.  Find a brown FJR in budget and maybe.... 

Curtis, you're more than welcome to come take my Ulysses for a spin if you want to give the ADV thing a try.

It certainly has its share of "character", as Buells do, but for my day to day riding, which generally consists of commuting every day the weather is decent enough with some ~150-200 mile jaunts on weekends, plus the occasional longer trip, it just works really well while still being kind of fun and unique.