End of pcp imminent - what next?
Discussion
I currently have a Z900 that has a few months left on the pcp, it's a good bike but I think I would like to go for something a bit different so starting to whittle down the options.
Bike will be used for the occasional commute, I can be needed in a couple of our offices that are a 40 mile round trip for each. One route is boring dual carriageway stuff but has the option of peeling off for something more pleasing, the other is a quite fun set of A and B roads. I'd like something for the local rides and also capable of a bit of touring as my daughter is getting to an age where I won't need to use all my leave to cover the school holidays and can start doing a bit of travel. Some level of more upright comfort and wind protection would be needed.
I have a superbike factory quite close by so I'm going to get a few options and then rule them in or out by getting a feel for the ergonomics. I have also found out that insurance on and adventure or sports tourer seems to be much cheaper, which is nice.
The list so far, mainly around 2021 onwards
BMW 850gs
BMW F900 XR
Yamaha Tracer 9 gt (I feel the 7 would get boring quickly)
Triumph Tiger sport 850 or 900
Found a 2016 ducati multistrada 950 with recent belts done, bit left field
Suzuki v strom, either 800 or 1050 re
Moto Guzzi v100 looks beautiful but probably not sensible
Ruled out any ktm/husqvarna due to reliability
Does anyone have any real world experience with the above or any others I should consider?
Hopefully i'll get to SBF at the weekend and start narrowing it down so I can have some test rides over the next few weeks.
Bike will be used for the occasional commute, I can be needed in a couple of our offices that are a 40 mile round trip for each. One route is boring dual carriageway stuff but has the option of peeling off for something more pleasing, the other is a quite fun set of A and B roads. I'd like something for the local rides and also capable of a bit of touring as my daughter is getting to an age where I won't need to use all my leave to cover the school holidays and can start doing a bit of travel. Some level of more upright comfort and wind protection would be needed.
I have a superbike factory quite close by so I'm going to get a few options and then rule them in or out by getting a feel for the ergonomics. I have also found out that insurance on and adventure or sports tourer seems to be much cheaper, which is nice.
The list so far, mainly around 2021 onwards
BMW 850gs
BMW F900 XR
Yamaha Tracer 9 gt (I feel the 7 would get boring quickly)
Triumph Tiger sport 850 or 900
Found a 2016 ducati multistrada 950 with recent belts done, bit left field
Suzuki v strom, either 800 or 1050 re
Moto Guzzi v100 looks beautiful but probably not sensible
Ruled out any ktm/husqvarna due to reliability
Does anyone have any real world experience with the above or any others I should consider?
Hopefully i'll get to SBF at the weekend and start narrowing it down so I can have some test rides over the next few weeks.
That’s a very broad spread, you’ll mostly get people recommending the ones they’ve owned or ridden.
By and large all the bikes in your list are perfectly fine. Some will be more reliable (most likely, no brands are perfect) than others, some will cost more/less to service. Some are more exciting than others. I’d also be a lot less concerned by the reliability of a brand new CFMoto built KTM 790 than I would a 10 year old Multistrada…
Have a sit on a few, narrow it down and decide what your priorities are.
By and large all the bikes in your list are perfectly fine. Some will be more reliable (most likely, no brands are perfect) than others, some will cost more/less to service. Some are more exciting than others. I’d also be a lot less concerned by the reliability of a brand new CFMoto built KTM 790 than I would a 10 year old Multistrada…
Have a sit on a few, narrow it down and decide what your priorities are.
H40405J said:
That s a very broad spread, you ll mostly get people recommending the ones they ve owned or ridden.
By and large all the bikes in your list are perfectly fine. Some will be more reliable (most likely, no brands are perfect) than others, some will cost more/less to service. Some are more exciting than others. I d also be a lot less concerned by the reliability of a brand new CFMoto built KTM 790 than I would a 10 year old Multistrada
Have a sit on a few, narrow it down and decide what your priorities are.
Amusingly the MCN long term test KTMs this year have had to go away due to electrical issues, and you'd assume that the press long termers get gone over with a microscope! By and large all the bikes in your list are perfectly fine. Some will be more reliable (most likely, no brands are perfect) than others, some will cost more/less to service. Some are more exciting than others. I d also be a lot less concerned by the reliability of a brand new CFMoto built KTM 790 than I would a 10 year old Multistrada
Have a sit on a few, narrow it down and decide what your priorities are.
OP: how did you find the Zed?
Marquezs Stabilisers said:
Amusingly the MCN long term test KTMs this year have had to go away due to electrical issues, and you'd assume that the press long termers get gone over with a microscope!
OP: how did you find the Zed?
It does everything well but the engine lacks a little excitement compared to something like a street triple. The power delivery is quite linear which was good for me stepping up from a CBR650, it's at the heavier end but still feels like you can chuck it around a decent A or B road. I have the standard one, the SE should be a decent step up with the better brakes and suspension.OP: how did you find the Zed?
I bought mine after a test ride on a Kawasaki experience day, I also rode the ZX10R which was incredible but also cemented my belief that the riding position was too compromised (crippling) when not on a twisty bit of road.
If I had the space and money I would consider the 900RS along with something a bit more geared to longer trips for a 2 bike garage.
It would have to be a bike with decent wind protection , as a owner of a z900 with no wind protection it spoils the bike for me, it may well be a age thing as I’ve had nakeds in my 20,s & a lack of wind protection didn’t bother me then , mid 60 ,s it does .
Mate has had 3 tracer 9,s and swears by them , he rode my z900 & liked it but said he couldn’t put up with the constant wind blast , according to him ( I’ve not rode one of his tracers ) the tracer sorts that issue .
Mate has had 3 tracer 9,s and swears by them , he rode my z900 & liked it but said he couldn’t put up with the constant wind blast , according to him ( I’ve not rode one of his tracers ) the tracer sorts that issue .
OP - if you`re already thinking about a Suzuki on your list, then do yourself a massive favour, and have a look at the GSX-S 1000GT. I`ve just bought one (dealer-demo), and honestly, what a bike ! Light and flickable, handles like a dream, and the power is exactly where you need it for the roads, nice and low-down in the rev-range.
Speaking of the power, Suzuki claim it`s "only" 150bhp, but it feels more like 170 to me, as it`s so responsive low-down, and so bloody quick.
The flip-side though, is that it`s very comfortable because the bars are high, and the pegs are low, so you can ride it all day, and if you buy the GT+, it comes equipped with some good-looking panniers too.
The dash is great as well - nothing too complicated like so many are these days - and it even has Sat Nav built in.
It`s a really great bike, and you should try one if you can. Enjoy !
JFI: My background is well over 30 years of riding, with a massive love for Sports-bikes when I was younger, and then onto the Super-nakeds in later life; most of which I`ve owned of the "usual suspects". This GT is the Sports-bike I wish had been invented when I could no longer ride them any longer !
Speaking of the power, Suzuki claim it`s "only" 150bhp, but it feels more like 170 to me, as it`s so responsive low-down, and so bloody quick.
The flip-side though, is that it`s very comfortable because the bars are high, and the pegs are low, so you can ride it all day, and if you buy the GT+, it comes equipped with some good-looking panniers too.
The dash is great as well - nothing too complicated like so many are these days - and it even has Sat Nav built in.
It`s a really great bike, and you should try one if you can. Enjoy !
JFI: My background is well over 30 years of riding, with a massive love for Sports-bikes when I was younger, and then onto the Super-nakeds in later life; most of which I`ve owned of the "usual suspects". This GT is the Sports-bike I wish had been invented when I could no longer ride them any longer !
As my plan of decorating my daughters bedroom today took longer than expected, I didn't get to go to sportsbike factory this weekend. Providing nobody puts any late meetings in my diary, I should be able to drop in during the week and get on a few to see what's going to work for me when it comes to riding position and first impressions.
I have a loose shortlist based on what they have in stock at the MK location including some of the above suggestions, it should help narrow things down and then I can arrange some test rides for what I've seen on autotrader. Free time over the next few weekends is limited so I'll have to look in a limited radius.
I have a loose shortlist based on what they have in stock at the MK location including some of the above suggestions, it should help narrow things down and then I can arrange some test rides for what I've seen on autotrader. Free time over the next few weekends is limited so I'll have to look in a limited radius.
Ghs said:
It would have to be a bike with decent wind protection , as a owner of a z900 with no wind protection it spoils the bike for me, it may well be a age thing as I ve had nakeds in my 20,s & a lack of wind protection didn t bother me then , mid 60 ,s it does .
Mate has had 3 tracer 9,s and swears by them , he rode my z900 & liked it but said he couldn t put up with the constant wind blast , according to him ( I ve not rode one of his tracers ) the tracer sorts that issue .
I'm the opposite. I quite like the buffeting as it's a natural speed limiter for me, stops me going silly speeds. I find on a a faired bike 100mph is fairly easy to reach without feeling like it's that fast.Mate has had 3 tracer 9,s and swears by them , he rode my z900 & liked it but said he couldn t put up with the constant wind blast , according to him ( I ve not rode one of his tracers ) the tracer sorts that issue .
The speed is much more apparent on the z900 compared to my old CBR, that was quite sedate at motorway speeds.
Back to the task at hand. I managed to get away from work and straight up to SBF this evening to look at a few bikes. I've ruled out the V Strom, Tiger 900 rally, Tracer 9 (that dash is even worse in the flesh) and probably most of the more sports tourer bikes.
The Tiger 900 GT Pro felt a decent fit, although not on the original shortlist the R1200GS was manageable on seat height and bars but probably a bit too girthy for my intended use and would have some significantbudget creep to get a later one with the tft, the 850GS was definitely the most comfortable and the riding position felt near perfect. Although I couldn't flat foot it wasn't off by much and doesn't give me any concerns.
I'll need to get the Z serviced and find some time to get a test ride to see if it's going to tick enough boxes, also find a Tiger 900 for a comparison.
Back to the task at hand. I managed to get away from work and straight up to SBF this evening to look at a few bikes. I've ruled out the V Strom, Tiger 900 rally, Tracer 9 (that dash is even worse in the flesh) and probably most of the more sports tourer bikes.
The Tiger 900 GT Pro felt a decent fit, although not on the original shortlist the R1200GS was manageable on seat height and bars but probably a bit too girthy for my intended use and would have some significantbudget creep to get a later one with the tft, the 850GS was definitely the most comfortable and the riding position felt near perfect. Although I couldn't flat foot it wasn't off by much and doesn't give me any concerns.
I'll need to get the Z serviced and find some time to get a test ride to see if it's going to tick enough boxes, also find a Tiger 900 for a comparison.
Gassing Station | Biker Banter | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff