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I thought that was a good and carefully considered post eon.

P.S. ‘ Love your picture

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Been riding for over 3 years now (on 3rd bike) and commute 70 miles a day 4-5 days a week rain or shine all year. I sometimes get out in the countryside on the week-ends too. There’s no off season for us “riders on the storm” here in Norcal Age? Forty something. Did MSF BRC, have read quite a bit and do have some miles under my belt. I’d consider myself a novice rider and as I currently get 5 different bike mags a month, I guess that makes me an “enthusiast” too (well, most of ’em are cheap and I *am* going to not renew a couple of them).

No reason why someone who’s done some riding courses and read a lot of books and magazines can’t pass on received wisdom though, so even though the rider you refer to had less than a year’s actual riding, he may have been better informed on some topics than the guy who taught himself to ride 30 years ago (and never learned the right way) or the guy who’s been riding for 5 years but the only riding he does is posing around town on Sunny Sundays (maybe the latter don’t ride as long as 5 years but quit once the novelty wears off (or they fall off); ‘ don’t know.

Anyway, you get my drift…

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You can’t put an old head on young shoulders, although that’s often what we’re trying to do here.

Kinda fortuitous what happened to prevent you buying that CB900RR although I’ll bet it didn’t seem that way at the time.

Funny how things work out sometimes…

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Most dual sports are single cylinder which is a good engine configuration to provide the torque they need for off-road, but it leaves them at a loss in acceleration and at the top end. Fine for in-town and back road commuting, but not so good for the highway. The DRZ400 or even a single cylinder 650 (e.g. KLR650) might fit the bill. They are tall bikes though so unless you’ve got really long legs, you might find them difficult to learn on. Even though they’re fairly big engines, the bikes are light weight and not scary fast.

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I’ve haven’t ridden any of these three bikes, so I can’t answer your last question. The two Triumph’s (especially the speed triple) however, do have a reputation for being easy to wheelie (google it). They don’t call them hooligan bikes for nothing.

A lot of “bigger than beginner” bikes are deceptive as they can be as gentle as lambs when you keep the revs low, but when you twist the throttle, they’ll go into orbit.

All 3 of these bikes get great reviews, but going from a Nighthawk 250 to one of those Triumphs is quite a step-up the performance ladder.

Read some reviews and decide for yourself.

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giddyuppartner said:

“So what you are saying is that although the KLR has the same size engine, the sv650 is better tuned for the highways?”

Absolutely; what Matt said.

The KLR650 has a single cylinder engine (which is significant) and is designed as a compromise. It is a capable off-road machine, in which role it requires torque, which it delivers at the expense of top speed and acceleration. That said however, it does retain the ability to be ridden on the streets. It’s a do-it-all swiss army knife of a bike, not great at anything but competent to good at most things.

An SV650 on the other hand, is a pure street bike and everything about it is geared to street riding (including the tires). As such, it’s well up to cruising on the freeway at legal and supra-legal speeds, but as pointed out by others, it has no fairing for wind protection. There is a half-faired “S” version, but that bike puts you into a sports crouch which is uncomfortable to many; the standard SV650 is more upright.

(Second) bikes in the mid-range, with a fairly upright (more comfortable) riding position I would recommend are, in no particular order, SV650, GS500E or F, GSX650F, DL-650, FZ6, Ninja 500, 650 or Versys. I’m sure there are others that would fit the bill including many cruisers, but apart from the Kawasaki Vulcan 500 (Ninja engined), you’d probably want 750 c.c. or more in a cruiser (Honda make some solid cruisers in that capacity range).

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The drum brakes on the NH 250 are certainly not as good as disk brakes, but are adequate for the bike’s weight and power.

I don’t think you need to worry too much about the more powerful brakes on your next bike, just use them gingerly until you get a feel for them (which won’t take long).

If you go with a Triumph Speed (especially) or Street Triple, I think you’ll need to worry more about wheelies than stoppies.

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They’re gorgeous bikes and it felt surprisingly light in the showroom (without fluids) when I sat on one.

I was tempted to buy one after my Triumph Bonneville (which was my 2nd bike) but couldn’t justify the expense for a commuter bike that I’d be putting a lot of miles on.

Because there are variables amongst new riders (age, maturity, gender, weight, experience, attitude, etc.) we usually err on the side of caution and recommend a 250-500 c.c. as the generic “ideal” starter bike. You *can* learn on pretty much any bike but smaller bikes are *much* more forgiving.

You have the advantage of some experience, age (and therefore hopefully maturity) and a mentor. I’d still take an MSF Basic Rider Course if I was you. They’ll supply the 250 c.c. bike and might teach you some things that your mentor has forgotten or doesn’t know about. It’s surprising the number of experienced riders who don’t know about countersteering (who use some form of “Body English” instead) or (wrongly) never use their back brake, etc.

http://www.msf-usa.org

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What you were doing is called target fixation. You should look where you want to go and not where you don’t.

Actually, what the car driver was doing *may* have been good practice. MSF and others tell us that we should flash our brake lights when slowing down as a flashing light grabs the attention of the drivers behind more. I think you proved that.

Anyway, a lesson learned…

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Personally, I see no need to buy a bike as big as the Bandit 1250.

‘ Just uses more gas, is heavier, hotter (in heat), more cumbersome at slow speeds and has a lot more power than you’ll need or even be able to use; more expensive too. I think you’ll find that the SV650 (or any mid-range 600+ multi-cylinder bike) has plenty of power for what you want to do with it; and a lot more than the single pot KLR650 (great bike as it is for its intended purpose). I’m not talking about cruisers here, they are very different in terms of weight and required power.

The only advantage when it comes to large capacity bikes is (a) for bragging rights and (b) for long distances with luggage and/or a passenger (i.e. carrying a lot of weight) although most 650+ multi-cylinder bikes can get by in that role too.

I’ve read that a lot of guys go up through the capacity ladder and then return to the 650ish c.c. class because they are just more practical than the big bikes.

Still, everyone’s different and if the Big Bandit pushes your buttons then go for it. It’s a great bike.

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Keep two seconds between you and the car in front (four in the wet).

It’s called “stopping distance” and most car and motorcyclists don’t know what it is.

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Well, as you know, my first bike was a Nighthawk 250 and my second was a Bonneville (‘just had to have a Bonnie), which I commuted on 5 days a week for two years (70 mile round trip, mostly freeway with much lane-splitting (California)).

For me, the Bonneville was a completely natural progression from the Nighthawk and I felt completely at home on it from the first time I rode it. They are similar bikes in some ways e.g. air-cooled parallel twin engine, upright riding position,”retro”. I note that for 2009, the Bonneville will be Fuel Injected (pumps disguised as carbs), so that will probably make it feel quite different to my carbureted one I think. Those in the showrooms right now probably have carbs though, so if you spring for a Bonnie, get a pre-2009 for the authentic Bonnie experience.

Back brake? Yeah, you could lock it up if you stomped on it, but no more than most bikes I would think. I changed my stock Bridgestone Battleaxe tires to the Metzelers which come stock on the Bonneville T100 and that definitely improved traction I thought (or else I just got better at braking). I wouldn’t let that put you off.

On the freeway, the Bonnie’s fine and will easily and comfortably cruise at 80 or more as is your wont. You’ll have to crouch to minimize wind resistance occasionally though; ‘ makes you feel like a cafe racer Accessory windshields are available if it bothers you (I never bothered). My only real complaints are that the bike’s kinda heavy (and feels it), the suspension can be punishing and the seat isn’t great. There’s no storage space under the seat and you need to use an Allen key to take it off! Also, it’s fine for an hour or so, but a 2 plus hour ride will leave you squirming. Pretty much all stock motorcycle seats are like that though; it’s just a case of degree (the Nighthawk seat was better). Triumph and others have alternative seats available (for a price of course). All in all though, I thoroughly enjoyed owning and riding my beautiful aluminium silver Triumph Bonneville and I don’t regret buying it whatsoever.

I recently sold the Bonnie (with 25K on the clock) and bought a Suzuki GSX650F. My justification for buying the Suzi was that I needed a bike primarily for my freeway commute with occasional week-end rides with the Wife as pillion. I also didn’t want to spend a lot of money on a bike that I would be replacing in a year or so (due to the high mileage I do). For my given criteria, I couldn’t wish for a better bike as it’s very comfortable, with good fuel economy (~50 mpg), fantastic road holding and can go like stink if you so choose. It definitely feels “safer”, lighter (although it isn’t much), and more refined at speed than the Bonnie and I can take the sweepers a lot faster than I could on the Bonnie.

That said, I think weaponzero (above) has a point though, with it’s I-4 engine, it just feels more like an “appliance” than a motorcycle if you know what I mean. A fantastic tool for the job, comfortable, planted, and very fast if you want it to be, but bland. I know that sounds contradictory, but it’s what I feel about it. I’m not a sport rider and don’t like scaring myself, so the “fast” part doesn’t particularly push my buttons (although I have my moments). With the Bonnie, I felt I had something special, the Suzi, I can’t get emotional about Maybe it’s just the novelty of motorcycling wearing off some, or maybe it’s because I’m an old fart who thinks that bikes should look and feel like a Bonneville or a Sportster

The other bike I was considering (after much research) was the DL-650 V-Strom but when I went to the Suzuki dealer, the GSX650F just felt more “right” to me. V-Strom owners love ’em though and they can be hard to find at the dealers due to their popularity.

I’ve never ridden a Triumph Tiger but have sat on one and yes, it is a big and tall bike (I’m 6′ with 31″ leg).

Whatever you get, have fun, be safe and thanks for reading my ramblings

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Norm said:

“I wanted something red and Italian that ended with an i.”

‘ Could’ve saved yourself a whole lot of money if you’d bought a salami instead

You’re right though, I recently swapped from a Triumph Bonneville to a Japanese sport bike and although the latter is streets ahead in virtually every respect, it just doesn’t have the character of the Bonnie.

Still, it’s horses for courses and my Suzuki is the better freeway commuter (which is 90% of what I do on my bike).

Shame I can’t have 2 bikes (or 3, or 4…).

Glad you like your new Duck and they too, have a whole lot of character.

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You probably haven’t heard much about it as it’s new on the market for 2008.

It’s based on the European model Bandit 650 but with a full fairing and a new inline 4 cylinder engine based on the GSX-Rs, but tuned more for torque than raw acceleration. That said, it’s good for 130+ m.p.h. at the top end (0-60 in 3.8 seconds).

I have one. ‘ Very smooth and linear power delivery and feels like it runs on rails at any speed.

http://www.cycleworld.com/article.asp?section_id=3&article_id=819

http://www.motorcycle.com/manufacturer/suzuki/2008-suzuki-gsx650f-review-83478.html

And some owner reviews:

http://www.powersportsnetwork.com/enthusiasts/review_list_vehicle.asp?veh=54896

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Andrew said:

“My bike was bought privately from a guy who does all his own work so there are no service records at all with mine “.

Every service involves at very least an oil and filter change, and often other item (air filter, plugs, etc.) replacement too.

Anyone who does their own service work should keep all receipts to serve as the service record (as should those who have it done at a dealer).

If there is no “service history”, then you should assume that there was no service done.

A verbal “service history”, like a verbal contract, is as worthless as a politician’s promise.

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