- This topic has 41 replies, 24 voices, and was last updated 15 years, 1 month ago by megaspaz.
What will your “upgrade” bike be?
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July 25, 2008 at 8:16 pm #1782WeaponZeroParticipant
With a few exceptions, I’m sure all of us are planning on eventually trading in our beginner bikes we currently own on something bigger, better, faster. Our “dream bike” you could say. What is yours? Tell us what about it makes it so desireable to you
Mine is a current gen or previous gen Honda VFR800FI Interceptor. I’ve always liked the Idea of a bike that had the look and performance of a sportbike but is comfortable enough and practical enough and smooth enough for touring and commuting, plus V-Fours are the coolest engines on the planet.
When I do eventually buy an Interceptor, I hope for it to be the last bike I ever own, and if something were to happen to it, I’d replace it with another just like it.
July 25, 2008 at 8:32 pm #9290ShannonGParticipantI keep upgrading the one I have!
July 25, 2008 at 11:56 pm #9302megaspazParticipantSame dealio as shannon… I’ve just been “upgrading” my current bike. I mean really… how much more than 650cc/135mph top speed do I need? The only thing I might be planning in the future is to get another sv, sv650sf, and use that soley for track.
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If there’s anything more important than my ego
around, I want it caught and shot now…July 26, 2008 at 1:43 am #9305MattParticipantI was going to say “my next bike will have adventure aspirations, a Wee-Strom or a Versys type bike”… except, I prefer the seating style of my ZZR-250, and I’ve already learned it can do dirt and gravel roads… so yea… I have no upgrade plan. I’m simply enjoying what I have (I just wish they made Trail Wing tires for it!)
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The problem with the internet: Everyone gets the same font size.July 26, 2008 at 4:16 am #9307CityHunter357ParticipantMaybe if I get better at this I’ll upgrade to a slightly larger cruiser…900 – 1100 range maybe? I don’t know…
–“You don’t get to be old bein’ no foo, see? Lotta young wise men that’s deaaad as a motha!#@% ain’t they?– Richard Pryor as “Mudbone”
July 26, 2008 at 4:30 am #9308AmorylParticipantI’ve been wanting to upgrade to a Virago/Vstar 250 from my current bike which is a NilSport Zed
July 26, 2008 at 7:25 am #9311WeaponZeroParticipantWell, my main reason for wanting to upgrade to a VFR is because i mainly want a sport touring bike, and an SV650 no matter how you mod it will never be a great sport tourer. Unfortunately there are no real sport touring oriented beginner bikes on the market. Sure, they can pull it off, but it’ll never be able to do it like a bike that’s purpose-built for it, no matter how you upgrade/mod it. I’m fairly certain there’s a reason that only large displacement bikes are made into sport tourers.
July 26, 2008 at 12:52 pm #9313MattParticipantTechnically, they did make a 250cc sport tourer, the ZZR-250.
What is a “sport tourer”? A bike that can tour comfortably for a long distance and be sporty in the twisties.
Frankly, there are two types of sport-tourers, big touring bikes with big sport bike engines (Concours, FJR, F800ST) and then are smaller sport bikes that are last gen, and have their head angles slackened and a more padded seat added (ZZR-600, Katana, VFR, although it was last a race bike 15 years ago and has just kept being developed as a road oriented bike).A motorcycle is a motorcycle. People ride up to Alaska on cruisers, gold wings, CBRs, R6s, Ninja 250s and DR200s. People have circumnavigated the world on old 350cc Enfields and Nortons.
What can a VFR do that an SV650 with a windscreen and luggage cannot do? Or a Ninja 650 with locking givi bags (which btw, really is all it takes to turn that bike into a sport touring ride, lots of people really like the 650R as a sport tourer).
Take pretty much any motorcycle, change the seat to an aftermarket, and maybe put bar risers on it, and then add luggage, and you have a bike capable of taking you across the country.
Heck, a guy just posted on Advrider about his multiple trips across the US on a stock ‘busa, with his girl friend pillion the whole way!
The reason big bikes are used as sport touring bikes is simple: People want to load up everything they can, while still accelerating like the bike is unloaded and cruise smoothly well above the speed limit.
If you want one of the best sites dedicated to sport touring (and in fact, the people who designed the Sport Touring Advanced Rider’s Training course) look at CanyonChasers.net – Read their trip reports, and look at the bikes that come with them on their trips. Yup, lots of proper sport tourers, but also full on sport bikes, old standards, everything but cruisers in their ranks ( http://www.canyonchasers.net/travel/2008/md08.php ).
Read the roadwarriors section of advrider, or the quest section of ninja250.org – every bike imaginable has gone on a long, fun and rewarding trip.
Thinking bikes have to fit into some nothing more than specific niche is glossy marketing.
Ride what you bring.—
The problem with the internet: Everyone gets the same font size.July 26, 2008 at 1:28 pm #9314BuddParticipantI don’t know how you upgrade from a ‘busa. I thought my next bike would be a ninja 500 but I sat on the 650 after having been riding and it felt really comfortable.
“I am the best I am at what I do, and what I do ain’t nice.”-Wolverine
July 26, 2008 at 3:44 pm #9317CBennettParticipantIf I can get a 500 Ninja,Vulcan,or GS 500( E or F) I probably will never upgrade..why would I need to? they will go the speed limit and give me decent MPG. Heck if I get a 250 Ninja,nighthawk,or Rebel and find it will do 65-70 MPH just fine im golden..thoes are the typical highway speeds everywhere I ride and they will get good MPG. So to be honest if I can get something that i find decent at 65-70 MPH(and more like 65 to be honest) and it gets good MPG Im good with that.
July 27, 2008 at 4:10 am #9347JimParticipantBeen eyeing a SV650 or a Ninja 650 in 2 or 3 years.
July 29, 2008 at 5:25 pm #9518mikestang89ParticipantIm going with either a v-star 650 custom or a boulevard s50. Man I love cruisers
July 30, 2008 at 3:52 am #9573six-shooterParticipantThinking about either a Suzuki C50, M50, or the Vulcan 900 custom… of course my 7 year old son wants me to get a Goldwing trike. Lol, I’m not that old yet… no offense to any Goldwing owners out there
July 30, 2008 at 4:20 am #9576SuperMotoRiderParticipantAprilia SVX 5.5
*drools*
July 31, 2008 at 8:17 pm #9685AnonymousGuestAccording to all the reviews (of people who’ve actually seen and ridden one), it’s just about the perfect all-rounder.
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