Day Dreaming at the moment...

[Mr OCD]

I'm currently very happy with my Thundercat - its a great bike but the next step for me when I'm ready is to go up in capacity / power...

Keeping in mind that the Thundercat is an excellent road bike and great for commuting and weekends out blasting over the Cat and Fiddle

What do YOU think I should consider next as an upgrade? - Budget would be up to £8k.

[y2blade]

Mr OCD said:

I'm currently very happy with my Thundercat - its a great bike but the next step for me when I'm ready is to go up in capacity / power...

Keeping in mind that the Thundercat is an excellent road bike and great for commuting and weekends out blasting over the Cat and Fiddle

What do YOU think I should consider next as an upgrade? - Budget would be up to £8k.

with £8k.......the bike world is your oyster

as you love your T/cat i get a demo ride on a FZ1/Fazer 1000 .... you should love that!

[Mr OCD]

y2blade said:

Mr OCD said:

I'm currently very happy with my Thundercat - its a great bike but the next step for me when I'm ready is to go up in capacity / power...

Keeping in mind that the Thundercat is an excellent road bike and great for commuting and weekends out blasting over the Cat and Fiddle

What do YOU think I should consider next as an upgrade? - Budget would be up to £8k.

with £8k.......the bike world is your oyster

as you love your T/cat i get a demo ride on a FZ1/Fazer 1000 .... you should love that!

The Fazer has little fazer protection though and although will get blasted for this I think the fazer is just ugly ... I'd like something sports orienated but is comfortable on long trips.

Alot to ask I know... was considering a Kawasaki ZX12R but think that might be a bit too much of a jump power wise?

[The T Boy]

I'm always punting my own bike but the Triumph Sprint gets the sporty but comfortable balance just right IMO.

Alternatively a Blackbird might fit the bill but I find the less upright riding position slightly less comfortable than the ST. Your own size and frame will have a big impact on what you find comfy.

[Mr OCD]

The T Boy said:

I'm always punting my own bike but the Triumph Sprint gets the sporty but comfortable balance just right IMO.

Alternatively a Blackbird might fit the bill but I find the less upright riding position slightly less comfortable than the ST. Your own size and frame will have a big impact on what you find comfy.

I have been looking at the Sprint actually... definately worth a consideration - hadnt thought of the Blackbird myself but isnt that too much of a jump considering I have only been riding 12mnths / 12k miles?

Hence was thinking something 750cc would be better? - Dont say a VFR either...

I'm 5ft 11 / 14stone / slim for comparison purposes.

[The T Boy]

My mate bought a Blackbird as soon as he passed his DAS. It's only as quick as you make it go and he's never had any problems with its size or power so you shouldn't discount it just because you've been riding for only 1 year. Attitude and common sense are key.

I'm 6ft but have relatively short legs and a longer body which is why the upright position suits me better.

Bike magazine did a comfort test recently where they had a dozen bikes and 5 different people - a tall skinny guy, a big fat bloke, a normal bloke, a shortarse and a laydee. Some prefered different bikes as you would expect but they all scored them out of 10 and the Sprint came out top (or 2nd) so I think it must be quite adaptive for different sizes.

As with all these things the only proper way is to book yourself some test rides.

And the VFR is quite good too althuogh I've never done serious distance on one.

[Hooli]

if a huge engine in a daftly powerful bike is comfy then ride it. you control the speed after all. 9 months after my DAS with no bike experience before i got a GSX1400 just in time to ride it all winter. no regrets at all, its the ideal bike for me & the fact its sooo comfy means i feel totally happy on it & my riding has improved for that reason alone.

[Mr OCD]

It will certainly help my options open anyway... I've just been looking at the BMW K1200S ... nice - But expensive I would have thought?

[black-k1]

Mr OCD said:

It will certainly help my options open anyway... I've just been looking at the BMW K1200S ... nice - But expensive I would have thought?

For around £8k you’ll get a good second hand bike with a pretty low mileage that’s been owned by someone who has never taken it out in the rain etc. If you want to sell it after say 2 or 3 years you will get more for it than you would for a new Jap bike that cost £8k so actually it’ll work out pretty good value.

Before you decide though, try a few different bikes to see what works for you. Try the likes of a ‘Blade or R1 as well as something like a Ducati or an Aprilia. Try a big sports-tourer like the K1200S or the Blackbird and try something like the BMW twins or a Triumph Tiger. Until you’ve tried a number of different bike styles and a number of different engine layouts you won’t really know what works for you.