Lets play , What Bike !

[Bailey93]

Morning all, Going to be getting my first big boy bike soon after passing DAS. I'm looking for a jack of all trades [master of none]

- Comfortable on long journeys; Commuting, long distance journeys to the coast at weekends with the misses in tow and a couple of panniers for lunch coats etc
- Economical fuel wise [to an extent...]
- Powerful but not a rocket ship
- Able to hold its own at a track 4-5 times a year and not feeling like I want more [I know I will regardless of bike]
- Nice sounding [I accept this is a vanity thing, but I heard a ninja 300 the other day with an akra and it sounded like a moist fart]

I've found a few I like the look of;

CBR600RR but Im worried about wrist and back strain over long distance.... is it worth it for the fun that'll be had on track. Can be picked up fairly cheap good bang for buck

Tracer 900 Beautiful looking and sounding bike, but would be constantly worried about binning it on track

SV650 not a fan of the sound from a twin but its moderately powerful and gets good fuel economy [yawn]

F800gs baby to the great 1200gs comfortable for both rider and passenger lots of luggage options again moderate power and good fuel economy, but again a twin with the right exhaust I do like the sound of it [but would I look a tit on a track with it?]


Thanks

[MotorsportTom]

Those F800's can't be made to do anything fun....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=btRvVLA0KzM

What's your budget? Seems to be a spread of bikes.

What fuel economy are you after? Most bikes tend to do 40+ to the gallon if you're not on the stops everywhere.

You can have fun with anything on track I'm sure, I've seen loads of videos of almost any bike on track as well as few od bikes on track first hand.
If you are using it daily then worry about that and taking the misses out more than the few track days you are likely to do.

[Löyly]

You pose an interesting conundrum because you want so much from one bike. The overlap between comfort, lots of luggage options and great on track isn't all that huge anyway, especially when you factor in your stipulation that the bike not be super-powered (that rules out the K1300S, K1200S and the ZZR1400 sort of bikes). It's even more of an ask when you consider that you'll want something suitable for your missus to sit on


I'd struggle not to recommend the CBR600RR as they're such great bikes but obviously not made with touring or pillion riding in mind. With sports bikes, I wouldn't worry about long distance aches and pains unless you're really crossing continents, it's more the start of the journey when you'll feel stiff and achey, before you settle down.

[Tall_Paul]

Tracer 700?

As above, you can fun on any bike on the track.

[Dannaz]

I'm going to suggest the Honda VFR 800fi. Will tick all of the boxes you require in moderation and wont break the bank as a first post DAS bike

Not bad looking either

[Super Slo Mo]

Bit of an obvious suggestion maybe (especially since I have one) but what about a VFR800?

Fulfils most of your brief I think. Sounds fantastic with a mildly fruity can on it, reasonably comfy if you're not too tall (must admit it hurts me to ride it, but I am the wrong side of 40 so that probably has a bearing on it).

Handle reasonably well, certainly better than I can ride, and would probably be a lot better with new suspension (48000 miles on mine ).

Plenty of them about, and they're pretty well made into the bargain too. Mine runs perfectly, despite being somewhat scruffy and leggy.

[Sherpa]

I've got an F800GS at the moment (which I'm also selling) and it's a great bike, however it's tall. I'm 6'3" and i can't put both feet flat. It was my first bike as well, not overly powerful, but it's happy to cruise at 80, 2 up, with luggage on the French autoroutes.

I get about 54mpg no matter how I ride.

[Moulder]

Aprilia Shiver 750?

[trickywoo]

Z1000SX

[Mr2Mike]

An older Aprilia RSV1000 might be worth a look. Good handling, plenty of power, very comfortable for a sportsbike (and has a decent size pillion pad) and well built/finished. Mine was also amazingly good on fuel (50+mpg was quite easy if you didn't thrash the nuts off it), though it had a power commander fitted and had been properly set up on a dyno.

[trickywoo]

Mr2Mike said:

An older Aprilia RSV1000 might be worth a look. Mine was also amazingly good on fuel (50+mpg was quite easy if you didn't thrash the nuts off it), though it had a power commander fitted and had been properly set up on a dyno.

You must be the only person in the world to manage that. I seldom saw more than 30s MPG from a Tuono and often get 50+mpg from a gsxr 750 ridden on the same roads.

[Yeti97]

Considered looking at a faired Bandit 600/1200?

Pretty nippy but not exactly a rocket, great for long distances, pretty damn comfortable and I'm 6'3. Girlfriend never complains when on the back of my 600 Bandit either. However, yet to get any track use out of it but I'm sure it wouldn't disappoint.

Edit: Forgot to mention it sounds absolutely cracking with a different can on the end

[Gunk]

Moulder said:

Aprilia Shiver 750?

Great bike but patchy dealer network and fly by wire throttle problems which cost a bomb to diagnose, I nearly bought a GT a couple of years ago, it broke down on the test ride!

[cmaguire]

Triumph Street Triple R.

The only downside is a lack of wind protection.
Fills all your other requirements. I'm not in the habit of taking pillions but did so for the first time recently when me and a mate dropped off a bike I'd picked up for someone else and I ferried him back. Surprised me with how good it was two-up, even managing to upset a pedestrian who didn't appreciate the speed we were doing cranked over through an s-bend 60 limit.

[Mario149]

Can recommend my 2 first bikes....

Suzuki GSX650F for a jack of all trades at a cheap price: http://www.motorcyclenews.com/bike-reviews/suzuki/...

Or for more oomph with more style but less practicality/wind protection for some more money a Street Triple is nice, although the seat wasn't comfy after an hour or so for me. Daytona 675 loan bike I had was good with better wind protection although not as enjoyable as my Street Triple for everyday riding due to the less torquey engine and being less comfy. On a side note I'd have a Daytona but wouldn't personally have a 600cc 4 cylinder supersport unless you plan on riding around with your hair on fire.

Frankly, for a new rider anything with 80bhp+ is going to feel like a rocketship given my experience, so don't fixate on power

Edited by Mario149 on Friday 26th August 22:28

Edited by Mario149 on Friday 26th August 22:29

[Momentofmadness]

MotorsportTom said:

Those F800's can't be made to do anything fun....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=btRvVLA0KzM

What's your budget? Seems to be a spread of bikes.

What fuel economy are you after? Most bikes tend to do 40+ to the gallon if you're not on the stops everywhere.

You can have fun with anything on track I'm sure, I've seen loads of videos of almost any bike on track

Dylan Code looking impressive on a BMW F800S here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jidVde-dIYc


Or of course you could get one of these?



And at Cadwell Park https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HAeYAmd2OM0

Edited by Momentofmadness on Saturday 27th August 08:30

[Mr2Mike]

trickywoo said:

You must be the only person in the world to manage that. I seldom saw more than 30s MPG from a Tuono and often get 50+mpg from a gsxr 750 ridden on the same roads.

The guy I sold it to (VB on here) was also impressed with the fuel use. He also had a Tuono previously and the said the fuel economy was very poor.

[Gunk]

Momentofmadness said:

Dylan Code looking impressive on a BMW F800S here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jidVde-dIYc]

Judging by the rear carrier and long rear mud guard that's an ST he's riding. They are a hugely underrated bike, they lack a bit of power but handle well and the Brembo brakes are superb.

I remember a few years ago, a pal and I were on a ride out I was on my 50,000 mile ST he was on his brand new 675 Daytona and he struggled to keep up in the bends, we swapped bikes and he couldn't believe how confidence inspiring the ST was.

Shame they're blighted with a dull image and reliability problems, I enjoyed mine.

[TheCarMadDad]

I have a Tracer 900 and absolutely love it! There's quite a few people do track days on them without trouble.

Anyhow, for your requirements I would suggest a VFR750/800. Like you said, jack of all trades but master of none.....

[Tribal Chestnut]

Few years old FZ1-S

Does everything well enough - pretty comfy, looks ok, nice and practical, no one will nick it, could hold it's own on track in the right hands, won't worry about binning it.

Should be the MX5 of the bike world.