A what bike thread...

So my story is this, last week I sold my 2002 Suzuki GSX-R600.Unfortunately I was not able to ride this year and with college loans looming over my head I decided to part ways with the it... However, now I have a pocket full of cash and the decision of what bike to go after next year.

My problem is that I like too many different bikes. I miss my Triumph Speed Four but its reliability left much to be desired. Anyway my shortlist (as of now) are the Triumph Street Triple, Ducati Streetfighter 848, Hypermotard 796, Speed Triple, Z1000..and the list goes on.

Kind of looking for some ownership input if anyone has. Really thinking I would prefer a middleweight, but with prices of Speed Triples its tempting not to look at one. Always liked the idea of a sport/naked bike but sport bikes are always there tugging at me too. Decisions, decisions.

If you want a middle weight, hard to go wrong with a 675 Daytona.

I know nothing about any of those bikes, but I have ridden the Triumph Thunderbird Storm and it was pretty freaking awesome.

Friend has a speed triple and absolutely loved it. Zero issues so far.

I test rode a 675 when they were new, and I have a Ducati but neither model you are considering. Sorry I can't be much more help.

Based on the cars you have/had it sounds like a European bike would probably be something you would be interested in. Never heard anything bad about newer Triumphs, I think/hope they have improved quality from the Speed Four days.

Are you talking new or used versions of the bikes mentioned?

In reply to SEADave:

You know its pretty funny when it is said "The best thing that ever happened to Triumph was their factory burning to the ground" That happened in '04-5 iirc, and since then, they have built bikes with state of the art technology and such, so the reliability is way up versus before.

Used market is where I'll be searching. And yes,sportbikes are never out of the picture. Especially the Daytona 675

If I was looking new and naked, I'd give a serious look at Yamaha's FZ9. Very Serious.

Appleseed wrote: If I was looking new and naked, I'd give a serious look at Yamaha's FZ9. Very Serious.

I definitely agree. I'm not 100% sold on the looks but the specs are hard to argue with.

In reply to e23inGB:

Nor the fact that the FZ-09 is a monster of a middleweight naked bike....

It will be interesting to see what they start going for used. Anyone have experience with one? Is the suspension as bad as the magazines are saying?

In reply to e23inGB:

It is soft and therefore makes the bike more wheelie prone.....

As far as used small Ducati, good luck finding any. My wife was all for a 848 in 2010. She had a string of CBR 600s and wanted to stay in the middleweight category.

Problem was, the 848 was holding strong in the used market while the 1098 wasn't. she bought a well farkeled low mile 1098 for $1500 less then we could find a 848. I don’t think that Ducati sells many of the smaller ones, so you may be forced to look at a bigger street fighter or hypermoto.

My wife will never go back to a small bike. The power has corrupted her.

In reply to Rusnak_322:

I know I probably wont unless I get a bike for hooligan activities......

Yeah, it is hard to go back. Not having the power there when you want it is weird. The Tuono has spoiled me with the no downshifting thing.

yamaha wrote: In reply to e23inGB: It is soft and therefore makes the bike more wheelie prone.....

......You make it sound like that's a bad thing.

In reply to HappyAndy:

At least its power wheelies take place at lower speeds than my top of 1st(100), 2nd(120), and 3rd(140) power wheelies.......thats why I don't like wheelies.

FZ-07 has my attention/desire/heart right now. It makes a tick more power than my old nighthawk, has much better suspension and brakes, and weighs 120lbs less.

Bobzilla wrote: FZ-07 has my attention/desire/heart right now. Because I'm not manly enough for the fz-09

FTFY.....

I have read a few reviews that mentioned the FZ-07 may be the better bike overall than the FZ-09, despite the small price difference. One thing I know for sure is that it is no fun when your suspension isn't up to the level of your engine, maybe that is the issue with the FZ-09.

Japanese bike dealers around here don't allow test rides so I haven't had a chance to see for myself.

I bought a Z1000 new back in 2003 (I also have a new C14 and a few dirtbikes) and really like it.

That said, if I could do it over, I would be tempted to buy a more high performance liter bike and change out the bars. That way I have higher end parts/performance and still have comfort.

However, insurance rates may squash that idea.

rotard wrote: Yeah, it is hard to go back. Not having the power there when you want it is weird. The Tuono has spoiled me with the no downshifting thing.

Hows the tuono to live with? They are kind of sitting right in my price range at the moment. Ive ridden a few z1000s and never felt overwhelmed by the power. Thats one reason why Im kind of looking towards middleweights is I dont want to get into toomuch bike.

In reply to SEADave:

Well, its probably the slight difference in weight. The -07 uses the old school forks(non-inverted), and a few other weird things for a modern bike. Fit and finish is awesome, but the magazines are probably the ones that think anything more than a 600lb 60hp japanese standard is too much for anyone to handle. The -09 would be a much better bike to live with everyday. I don't think anyone wanting to tear up twisties would choose a naked yamaha anyways.

I wonder if anyone has swapped out a complete R6 or R1 front end on a FZ yet?

yamaha wrote:

Bobzilla wrote: FZ-07 has my attention/desire/heart right now. Because I'm not manly enough for the fz-09

FTFY.....

You can say whatever you want. I don't hop on a bike to see triple digits and do stupid E36 M3 with it. I'm on it for the experience of being on two wheels, and enjoying the ride with a little fun here and there on the roads that aren't straight.