Why did you choose the bike you have?
Discussion
Street Triple R
Of all the 'super middle-weight nakeds' I tested it was by far the best. The dealer told me it was warm and just enjoy myself for an hour, I pootled round town away from the dealer thinking it was fine and nothing special but within a couple of seconds of full throttle out of the 30 limit into an NSL I knew it was the bike for me.
Of all the 'super middle-weight nakeds' I tested it was by far the best. The dealer told me it was warm and just enjoy myself for an hour, I pootled round town away from the dealer thinking it was fine and nothing special but within a couple of seconds of full throttle out of the 30 limit into an NSL I knew it was the bike for me.
Harley Davidson XR1200
Wanted something less capable than my ZX6r to protect my license but not a full on cruiser, also had to hold its value .
Loads of torque, sounds great and its actually stops and can go round corner moderately quickly when required.
If i sold it today for what i paid 6 years ago it'd be the cheapest one on autotrader.
Wanted something less capable than my ZX6r to protect my license but not a full on cruiser, also had to hold its value .
Loads of torque, sounds great and its actually stops and can go round corner moderately quickly when required.
If i sold it today for what i paid 6 years ago it'd be the cheapest one on autotrader.
currently: 5vy R1 - was best looking Jap sportsbike of the time and I love R1's
MSX 125 - R1 and 1290 superduke are wasted commuting through London / very cheap / reliable / air cooled single = easy maintenance / fun
KTM 1290 Superduke - wanted a v-twin, was either that or a 1299 Panigale - have access to a Panigale and the KTM is hilarious.
next will either be an R1m for power, electric suspension and ability or V4 Panigale because its beautiful and will be my first Ducati / may sell the R1 after 7 years and get a Yam Tenere 700
MSX 125 - R1 and 1290 superduke are wasted commuting through London / very cheap / reliable / air cooled single = easy maintenance / fun
KTM 1290 Superduke - wanted a v-twin, was either that or a 1299 Panigale - have access to a Panigale and the KTM is hilarious.
next will either be an R1m for power, electric suspension and ability or V4 Panigale because its beautiful and will be my first Ducati / may sell the R1 after 7 years and get a Yam Tenere 700
Ducati Scrambler Classic.
No real interest in going fast on two wheels on the road. Love the modified scrambler retro stuff but I commute a lot so an old bike would have been too temperamental as I found out with an old bike.
The tyres are semi off road which was a bonus as the lanes I use are filthy.
Would like a sports bike for looks and noise though. Maybe take on track. An new Gen R1 or V4 engine bike would be nice.
No real interest in going fast on two wheels on the road. Love the modified scrambler retro stuff but I commute a lot so an old bike would have been too temperamental as I found out with an old bike.
The tyres are semi off road which was a bonus as the lanes I use are filthy.
Would like a sports bike for looks and noise though. Maybe take on track. An new Gen R1 or V4 engine bike would be nice.
Some nice choices here ....
Trackbike - Panigale 1199S, it was a steal (relatively) and I needed to retire the 999R as it was becoming too valuable to track.
Road - Multistrada 950, needed a replacement for the Hyperstrada 821 they had stopped making, its a bit too big but does its job.
Trackbike - Panigale 1199S, it was a steal (relatively) and I needed to retire the 999R as it was becoming too valuable to track.
Road - Multistrada 950, needed a replacement for the Hyperstrada 821 they had stopped making, its a bit too big but does its job.
KTM 1290 SDGT - I wanted a powerful upright touring bike that was a bit sporty and was good for someone 6'4". Loved the engine on the test ride.
KTM 690 SM-R - I wanted something fun on A and B roads without doing speeds that scare the s*** out of me.
Honda CB750 SOHC brat bike - in a moment of foolishness and despite being told to walk away when it started smoking on the test, I wanted something cool and retro to introduce me to working on bikes at home. Jesus. Having paid someone else to rebuild the engine and gearbox I have learned a valuable lesson.
KTM 690 SM-R - I wanted something fun on A and B roads without doing speeds that scare the s*** out of me.
Honda CB750 SOHC brat bike - in a moment of foolishness and despite being told to walk away when it started smoking on the test, I wanted something cool and retro to introduce me to working on bikes at home. Jesus. Having paid someone else to rebuild the engine and gearbox I have learned a valuable lesson.
klootzak said:
A surprising test ride.
Test rode a Ducati Scrambler somewhat under protest since I didn't really like the looks or hipster vibe it had. But it was brilliant fun to ride. Everything I wanted, in fact. Deal was done there and then.
In truth though, if the 797 Monster had been available at the time I'd probably have gone for that instead.
k
It was the other way around for me. I was convinced I wanted a scrambler but they didn't have one available for test so was told to take the M797 out as it 'has the same engine and similar characteristics'. i much preferred the look of the scrambler up to then, but used price range for the older monsters made better sense. Test rode a Ducati Scrambler somewhat under protest since I didn't really like the looks or hipster vibe it had. But it was brilliant fun to ride. Everything I wanted, in fact. Deal was done there and then.
In truth though, if the 797 Monster had been available at the time I'd probably have gone for that instead.
k
why THIS bike?
i looked at several M796's which were pretty shabby with owners that didn't fill me with confidence. i decided to go look at an M1100 Evo more out of curiosity than anything. turned out the seller used to manage the Ducati dealership before starting his own company running the national bike racing series, trackdays, tuition etc. he owns around 20 ducati race bikes and the 1100 had been his personal weekend ride.
on the test ride i found the torque and power delivery to be better than the 796 and with such provenance i knew i had to have it. it's been a great decision so far.
Harley VRSCF 2012 - after a big crash and 2 year break from driving/riding, learnt to walk again, but needed something comfy, feet forward but with enough poke to be interesting. Figured it looked good and would hold its value ready for when I got bored of it. 8 years/30k miles later still enjoy riding it, go touring on it every year 
MV Brutale 1090RR 2015 - wanted a "real" naked i.e. no fairings with plenty of performance that looked great, and a comfy upright riding position. 13k miles later its been faultless (touch wood!)
MV Brutale 1090RR 2015 - wanted a "real" naked i.e. no fairings with plenty of performance that looked great, and a comfy upright riding position. 13k miles later its been faultless (touch wood!)
Edited by bogie on Sunday 15th March 10:58
Ducati Scrambler Desert Sled.
Had looked at lots of retro style stuff, having had a capable but boring SV650 since new (2011). Pretty much gave up looking around and was out on a mission with my wife to find something a bit smaller for her. We were looking at Scrambler Icons but she wasn't really keen. Then there was the Desert Sled, just sat in the corner. At 6'4" tall myself, the jacked-up bike looked (and was) a perfect fit. It was a bit pricey, nearly £11k, and certainly enough to rein in any spontaneous purchase, so we left and went to On Yer Bike in Aylesbury - further wife-bike hunting...
They also had a Desert Sled. In black, it was the outgoing 2018 model (although brand new) and was priced down to £9k on zero percent finance. I rode it home a week later having got a very generous £2.5k for my unrecognizably modified SV - a bike I'd paid £4k new for 8 years earlier.
So that's why I bought it, because it was persistent. That was last March/April time - my wife is still looking for a new bike.
Had looked at lots of retro style stuff, having had a capable but boring SV650 since new (2011). Pretty much gave up looking around and was out on a mission with my wife to find something a bit smaller for her. We were looking at Scrambler Icons but she wasn't really keen. Then there was the Desert Sled, just sat in the corner. At 6'4" tall myself, the jacked-up bike looked (and was) a perfect fit. It was a bit pricey, nearly £11k, and certainly enough to rein in any spontaneous purchase, so we left and went to On Yer Bike in Aylesbury - further wife-bike hunting...
They also had a Desert Sled. In black, it was the outgoing 2018 model (although brand new) and was priced down to £9k on zero percent finance. I rode it home a week later having got a very generous £2.5k for my unrecognizably modified SV - a bike I'd paid £4k new for 8 years earlier.
So that's why I bought it, because it was persistent. That was last March/April time - my wife is still looking for a new bike.
700GS (my first proper bike)
Low Seat height that is all. Needed something to commute on, wasnt brave enough to pull the trigger on a 696 as the bike lives outside and commuted on A roads primarily.
700GS has ABS, traction control and heated grips as standard, together with a large screen and wind deflector things for my hands, it does the job more than adequately. 37k miles and counting.
I'll probably keep this bike until the man maths dictates an upgrade.
Low Seat height that is all. Needed something to commute on, wasnt brave enough to pull the trigger on a 696 as the bike lives outside and commuted on A roads primarily.
700GS has ABS, traction control and heated grips as standard, together with a large screen and wind deflector things for my hands, it does the job more than adequately. 37k miles and counting.
I'll probably keep this bike until the man maths dictates an upgrade.
Main thing for me was to have something different that you don't see often.
I test rode the 1299 ducati and while it was lovely I've seen plenty about.
Went to Ariel Ace but decided while it was unique I did not want a naked bike again.
I was unable to test ride the H2 but it ticked all the boxes I wanted. And still happy with it 4 years later
I test rode the 1299 ducati and while it was lovely I've seen plenty about.
Went to Ariel Ace but decided while it was unique I did not want a naked bike again.
I was unable to test ride the H2 but it ticked all the boxes I wanted. And still happy with it 4 years later
I had a Blackbird that I was getting a bit bored of (not the power, the day-to-day stuff), so I was looking around for something better for touring at a reasonable pace with a pillion, more sat up and more enjoyable at slow speeds. I had a look at Fazers, Tracers, and any adventure bike, then jumped on the Africa Twin deal when it came about, even though i'd never seen the bike for real. The first time I saw an Africa Twin for real was the day I collected it.
black-k1 said:
I wanted 160bhp+, around 50mpg, 200 mile range, all day comfort, fun on mountain passes, integral removable hard luggage and as many "toys" as possible. It came down to the SD 1290 GT or the H2 SX SE. The Kawasaki won!
k me they are ugly!!(I got the GT as it was £11k new!).
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