Discussion
Been mentioned above but have you considered a cruiser style?
I had an off back in 2022, no where near as bad as yours but still ended up with a couple of broken vertebrae and some shiny new plates in my arm. Goal was back on a bike ASAP, adventure style and naked style a struggle the old back.
Ended up in Kawasaki and thought I’d try a Vulcan S to see if that was doable, a complete revelation! Could literally walk over the back end and sit down and found having feet slightly out front took a lot of strain off my back. Also for a cruiser, light enough to get off the side stand with one arm. Bought one and no regrets since.
Tried a friends Streetfighter the other day to see if was ready for a naked style yet, answer was a firm no!
I had an off back in 2022, no where near as bad as yours but still ended up with a couple of broken vertebrae and some shiny new plates in my arm. Goal was back on a bike ASAP, adventure style and naked style a struggle the old back.
Ended up in Kawasaki and thought I’d try a Vulcan S to see if that was doable, a complete revelation! Could literally walk over the back end and sit down and found having feet slightly out front took a lot of strain off my back. Also for a cruiser, light enough to get off the side stand with one arm. Bought one and no regrets since.
Tried a friends Streetfighter the other day to see if was ready for a naked style yet, answer was a firm no!
If it’s got 2 wheels and an engine and works for you, who cares what other people think?
There is so much prejudice in biking in this country, and it’s all a load of b
ks.
At Easter I had a house guest who arrived on a knackered Chinese 125, the sort that many ‘bikers’ would not even ‘nod’ to. This guy has done 20,000 miles on it in the last 18 months. His stories of riding every day in all weathers, crashing on the ice etc surely make him a “proper biker” regardless of the machinery used.
If a scooter suits your needs, great. The X-adv 350 and 750 both look ace machines, and will surely give shed loads of enjoyment. Good luck in finding your new toy, whatever it may be!
There is so much prejudice in biking in this country, and it’s all a load of b
ks.At Easter I had a house guest who arrived on a knackered Chinese 125, the sort that many ‘bikers’ would not even ‘nod’ to. This guy has done 20,000 miles on it in the last 18 months. His stories of riding every day in all weathers, crashing on the ice etc surely make him a “proper biker” regardless of the machinery used.
If a scooter suits your needs, great. The X-adv 350 and 750 both look ace machines, and will surely give shed loads of enjoyment. Good luck in finding your new toy, whatever it may be!
Rubin215 said:
Marquezs Stabilisers said:
Yamaha Niken?
This.A guy I instructed with had one for a while and said it was an absolute hoot to ride, he was amzed they weren't more popular.
Om said:
Heresy perhaps, but would one of the three wheeled bikes/scooters give you the additional stability whilst remaining fairly narrow for the commute?
We had a guy on our last tour on one of these, it looked a right hoot! You can drift it too.https://can-am.brp.com/on-road/ca/en/models/3-whee...
I'm sure that one of the 3 wheeled scooters had a lock you could apply when coming to a stop which prevented leaning, and therefore the need to put your foot down. I seem to remember it auto-released at something like 5mph. Could be a handy feature with your leg problems?
If it's a feature on one of the big scooters it could be ideal? As to scooters not being great, I've never had one but an ex-colleague used to commute on a Piaggio MP3 500 and it coped with rush hour inner London and M23 no hassle. It opened my eyes and the only thing that puts me off is that they're quite expensive compared to a traditional motorbike.
After reading your post I'd suggest a year on a scooter just to see if it's doable? Who cares what other people think and it could be a stepping stone rather than the end game anyway?
Good luck whatever you decide.
If it's a feature on one of the big scooters it could be ideal? As to scooters not being great, I've never had one but an ex-colleague used to commute on a Piaggio MP3 500 and it coped with rush hour inner London and M23 no hassle. It opened my eyes and the only thing that puts me off is that they're quite expensive compared to a traditional motorbike.
After reading your post I'd suggest a year on a scooter just to see if it's doable? Who cares what other people think and it could be a stepping stone rather than the end game anyway?
Good luck whatever you decide.
I'm another scooter fan, although I don't currently have one I probably will again in future.
For your Scandi trips the X-ADV750 could be good. I did a tour in Tibet a few years ago and we met a chap who'd ridden from Beijing on one - that's more than 3500kms on some pretty busy roads across China and then open, but poorly surfaced, twisities in the mountains. He loved it. He was probably 5'8" so it might not be perfect for a tall fellow, which I recall you are.
For your Scandi trips the X-ADV750 could be good. I did a tour in Tibet a few years ago and we met a chap who'd ridden from Beijing on one - that's more than 3500kms on some pretty busy roads across China and then open, but poorly surfaced, twisities in the mountains. He loved it. He was probably 5'8" so it might not be perfect for a tall fellow, which I recall you are.
Wow. Thanks everyone for the replies, I appreciate every single one. I’ve had a busy couple of weeks work wise so haven’t had time to check back in. This evening I collected a car load of pallet wood for mixing in with the logs on the burner…
Anyway, some of my thoughts in response, now I’ve had a chance to read through and think about the suggestions so far…
The three wheel jobs like the Niken I know get great reviews, but as daft as it sounds, I have it in my head they’re a bit wider than I’d like. I need to do some research (aka Googling) to see just how wide they are. Probably no wider than my 2014 Triumph Explorer with the Givi boxes on. The Can Am things are definitely too wide though (and not cheap).
I’m not a fan of the cruiser option. One of my lingering issues is lower back pain (damage to the sacro-iliac joint - basically where the back of my pelvis is attached on the right hand side) and to be honest, I’ve never been a fan.
So that leaves me with the suggestion of a big scoot and from the suggestions here, it seems like that could be a good option, either as an interim measure to get my sea legs back then move back to a “proper” bike, or stick with it longer term. I just need to get over my perception of them being a bit st, so time to start trawling YouTube for big scoot reviews.
My plan now is to get the rest of my house sorted, get settled in the new role at work, then have a look at some test rides in a few months.
I’ll keep you all posted.
Anyway, some of my thoughts in response, now I’ve had a chance to read through and think about the suggestions so far…
The three wheel jobs like the Niken I know get great reviews, but as daft as it sounds, I have it in my head they’re a bit wider than I’d like. I need to do some research (aka Googling) to see just how wide they are. Probably no wider than my 2014 Triumph Explorer with the Givi boxes on. The Can Am things are definitely too wide though (and not cheap).
I’m not a fan of the cruiser option. One of my lingering issues is lower back pain (damage to the sacro-iliac joint - basically where the back of my pelvis is attached on the right hand side) and to be honest, I’ve never been a fan.
So that leaves me with the suggestion of a big scoot and from the suggestions here, it seems like that could be a good option, either as an interim measure to get my sea legs back then move back to a “proper” bike, or stick with it longer term. I just need to get over my perception of them being a bit s
t, so time to start trawling YouTube for big scoot reviews. My plan now is to get the rest of my house sorted, get settled in the new role at work, then have a look at some test rides in a few months.
I’ll keep you all posted.
Biker's Nemesis said:
Hey Dibs, when or if you get sorted, let me know and I'll meet you at the usual place for a cuppa. Jazoli is due some surgery too in the near future so he may or not be there.
Cheers BN, will do. As a side note, I know you like a fast ford, have you seen those Mk I and Mk II Escorts by MST cars? Bonkers. But brilliant!
https://mst-cars.com/
New Indian Scout seems to be getting some good reviews, and apparently pretty quick...and not just for a cruiser. Seriously low seat, narrow, and would seem to disguise it's weight very well with a real low CoG. And with the new model now out, presumably a few of the first generation ones coming up for sale second hand. The 'old' Scout bobber also had a real low seat. And I'm pretty sure both old and new models have alternative footrest, seat and bar positions so you don't need to ride feet-forward.
Or get something quite a bit older - I'm guessing a kick-start is out, but stuff from the 70s/80s is typically much smaller/lighter than today's stuff. Air-cooled RD350? Even an Enfield Bullet - a friend of mine in his 80s down-sized to a bullet and found it manageable.
Have been following the progress thread - good luck with it going forward and whatever you end up with.
Or get something quite a bit older - I'm guessing a kick-start is out, but stuff from the 70s/80s is typically much smaller/lighter than today's stuff. Air-cooled RD350? Even an Enfield Bullet - a friend of mine in his 80s down-sized to a bullet and found it manageable.
Have been following the progress thread - good luck with it going forward and whatever you end up with.
Dibble said:
So that leaves me with the suggestion of a big scoot and from the suggestions here, it seems like that could be a good option, either as an interim measure to get my sea legs back then move back to a “proper” bike, or stick with it longer term. I just need to get over my perception of them being a bit st, so time to start trawling YouTube for big scoot reviews.
Look up TMax reviews from Michael Neeves of MCN, he bloody loves themt, so time to start trawling YouTube for big scoot reviews. Gassing Station | Biker Banter | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff