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I've been looking at newer bikes , trying to pick out a fun reliable motorcycle for commuting and weekend rides.
I am usually a UJM person and prefer KZ's and CB's, but I am a fan of all standards and open to any suggestions on one. I like the 90s CB1000 if I could find one, and I love the look of the Eddie Lawson ZRX.
Does anyone have any info on how the new Triumph Bonneville stacks up , as far as cost of parts, repairs, and maintenance?
I like the rebel, even though I dislike the seating position and the styling is too "cruiser".
I need more than the single seater and prefer something more than a small twin, though.
Hmm, I'd probably go T120/Thruxton R. Would I buy one? No. I'd get a Street Triple. Costs less, better bike, but as far as doing the retro-ey thing the Bonneville line is okay. Haven't been on the new one. Supposedly with the T120 the suspension and brakes are good enough for what the bike is supposed to do you don't immediately have to go out and replace them as was the case the previous model. I'm not sure if they ever fixed the fuel injection either. Problem with the old model is once you did the basically mandatory power commander and suspension and brake upgrades while you had a solid bike it also had gotten expensive enough to not really be attractive.
I've been looking at newer bikes , trying to pick out a fun reliable motorcycle for commuting and weekend rides.
I am usually a UJM person and prefer KZ's and CB's, but I am a fan of all standards and open to any suggestions on one. I like the 90s CB1000 if I could find one, and I love the look of the Eddie Lawson ZRX.
Does anyone have any info on how the new Triumph Bonneville stacks up , as far as cost of parts, repairs, and maintenance?
Adventure bikes are the new UJMs, in my mind. They do most things well, none exceptionally so. Top end includes the BMW R1200GS, Ducati Multi, and others from KTM and similar. Ride one across Africa as I did, or Europe, or Australia. Or the CONUS, I made it about half way and back the other year. A Multi Pike's Peak is my garage at-current.
Might want to take a look at a BMW S1000XR as perhaps the ultimate manifestation of a UJM street/sport/adventure bike, 2016 style (or whenever they came out), emphasis on the "sport" part. Seems pretty useful, to say the least, for something almost all on-road vs. off. The minute you're offroad, you'd pray for a big twin-something like my Multi or a GS.
Of course, I've thrashed the crap out of a '15 BMW R1200 GS on Western Cape roads, so anyone suggesting they're "slow" is probably on glue or something. Lots to be said for tradition.
Location: We_tside PNW (Columbia Gorge) / CO / SA TX / Thailand
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fun reliable motorcycle for commuting and weekend rides
Certainly depends on how far of a commute / ride you like to take.
<100 mile rides and a 20 mile commute I get pretty good service out of my STANDARD thumpers.
1875 - 1990 XT and TT 500's
(a friend rode his to Alaska several times!)
Can get 70 mpg + IF you can keep the throttle reasonable... reliable?
no battery is a real plus. (I keep them in 3 states and fly around and ride them when the weather is conducive there. )
Magneto can be a plus
EZ to find parts (if you ever need any) I have needed very few in my 40+ yrs of owning / racing them
<300# Pack them around on the bumper of your SUV or campervan
Let sit for months / yrs and they fire on first kick
I've been looking at newer bikes , trying to pick out a fun reliable motorcycle for commuting and weekend rides.
I am usually a UJM person and prefer KZ's and CB's, but I am a fan of all standards and open to any suggestions on one. I like the 90s CB1000 if I could find one, and I love the look of the Eddie Lawson ZRX.
You can find a CB1000 or a ZRX easily if you're willing to have it shipped to you. Also, you can have a mechanic wherever the bike is located take a look at it to avoid buying a headache.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Malloric
Hmm, I'd probably go T120/Thruxton R. Would I buy one? No. I'd get a Street Triple. Costs less, better bike, but as far as doing the retro-ey thing the Bonneville line is okay.
I think the previous edition Bonneville had a good reputation for quality. The new ones are new, therefore need some history to to determine quality/reliability, especially since there's more electronic features on them. The Street Triple has a rep for being a ball to ride. They recently upped the cc's.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Blondebaerde
Adventure bikes are the new UJMs, in my mind. They do most things well, none exceptionally so. Top end includes the BMW R1200GS, Ducati Multi, and others from KTM and similar. Ride one across Africa as I did, or Europe, or Australia. Or the CONUS, I made it about half way and back the other year. A Multi Pike's Peak is my garage at-current.
Might want to take a look at a BMW S1000XR as perhaps the ultimate manifestation of a UJM street/sport/adventure bike, 2016 style (or whenever they came out), emphasis on the "sport" part. Seems pretty useful, to say the least, for something almost all on-road vs. off. The minute you're offroad, you'd pray for a big twin-something like my Multi or a GS.
The ADV bike do seem like the new UJMs. I say the original UJM concept applied to modern bikes like the Honda CB1000R, Suzuki Bandit, Kawi Z1000, Suzuki GSX750, Yamaha FZ900, etc are better unless a person wants to ride alot on gravel roads, badly maintained roads, dirt roads, etc.
BMW and KTM bikes have not been reliable in recent times from what I've read. The BMW R1200GS breaks down a lot.
Quote:
Originally Posted by whiteboyslo
I couldn't be happier with my Yamaha FZ09. If you want a more coventional look, you could go with its brother, the XSR900
They get great write ups.
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