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so I daily drive a cb500x everyday. However, I might sell it and get me a KTM690r so I can go on light ADV trips. Or maybe converting my CB500x into a Rally Raid for offroading trips
1.) I am looking for something I can tour across a few states in comfort - well when I have the free time; not often though. I am only looking at these 4 bikes because well, I realllly like the looks and I know some people tour lightly on these bikes. - I sat on all 4 and all are comfortable to be and have that upright positioning (newer ninjas 650 and 1000) ( i can attach luggage when needed or strap them on)
2.) i am looking for a bike with power.....of course; something that I can accelerate with that mid end power with ease on 6th gear 60 - 80 MPH. Just in case I need to escape danger or change speed when speed limits hit. Also, something that feels easy on the bike cruising at 80 MPH.
Of course, I love accelerating that 0 - 60 pretty quickly, so I do like that quick torque power.
3.) Another criteria I am looking for is a rear passenger. Something that my wife can be comfortable in with a rear seat back rest.
4.) Of course, this bike will be a daily for me as well, so would like a very reliable machine. I do know bikes reach 100k miles, but I think all these 4 will. Less maintenance, the better. Which also brings me to the Ninja 650 2017-2018....the MPG! my cb500x gets about 60MPG, which is super sweet! I know the ninja 650 is comfortable for me, but I dont know if it has that mid end high end power I am looking for. Say I want to gun it 60MPH to 80MPH..I want it to jump quickly there like the ninja1000.
after mentioning all of this, it seems the ninja1000 is meeting this criteria, but what scares me is the MPG. It is claiming about 30, which I get, it is a 1000. I know the 1000 has power for miles if I need to crank it and it is labeled as a "sports touring" and has adjustable wind screen and luggage mounts. It is also labeled as a 2 up! But still would like opinions.. on the ninja 650
never riding any of these, i am asking for opinions!
I forgot to mention, there is a highway I go on where the speed limit is 80MPH...So would also like a bike that does not feel like im over revving at 80 85MPH. My cb500x feels great at 65 70MPH but after that I dont like that revvy feel, event hough I know the bikes can handle it.
Your current bike can handle these duties. Not sure why you need a bigger bike. Why 900cc a 600-750cc bike can also handle this. Most of your mileage is in commuting not touring. Have you bought into the motorcycling marketing machine? What about the additional weight of the machines that you're looking it? You mention MPG being one of your concerns, bigger bikes get less MPG during commuting. Insurance also goes up on bigger bikes. Run synthetic oil in your current ride. Honda has the longest service intervals of all motorcycle brands. Good luck.
Your current bike can handle these duties. Not sure why you need a bigger bike. Why 900cc a 600-750cc bike can also handle this. Most of your mileage is in commuting not touring. Have you bought into the motorcycling marketing machine? What about the additional weight of the machines that you're looking it? You mention MPG being one of your concerns, bigger bikes get less MPG during commuting. Insurance also goes up on bigger bikes. Run synthetic oil in your current ride. Honda has the longest service intervals of all motorcycle brands. Good luck.
ya it can definitely do it, but I was thinking of making it into a rally raid build, so eventually I might need a new commuting bike.
My wife also is not very comfortable sitting in the back of this 500 for long :/ but heard the ninja1000 is comfy.
Anyhow, I do like power and even though the 500 is capable, I do crave power
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I had a 2015 Ninja 650, it got about anywhere from lows 40 mpg to mid 48mpg. Power was good not great, the engine braking was really bad or good depending on how much you like the bike stopping on its own easily.
I like the small inline 4, cause of the sound and feel better than a twin.
I won't get into semantics on the bikes you listed. If that's the suite, fine. Have at it.
In America, on-road, I personally like literbikes for day-to-day buzzing around, but I'm a suburbanite and used a Blackbird for commuting ten years. Wonderful bike for that, that just loped along. Nothing wrong with smaller. I've always been a big, powerful man and never had trouble muscling around a literbike. Smaller men, and obviously most women, have trouble and go for smaller due to weight. Just a thought.
I commuted on a GSX-R750 back in the day, in my 20s, when more hardcare and nimble. Nor could I afford multiple bikes. One to do it all, that was it until I started racing it and also started carpooling, solving the problem. Different time, for me.
Liter Adventure bikes could be on your list, but are not. I will only offer the observation they are remarkable multi-purpose, but do thousands of road miles like real champs. This, I've done on several continents, Ducati Multi and BMW GS1200. My '14 Multi Pike's Peak can be ridden X-country tomorrow and is also a great commuter. Fast as sin, too. Not as reliable as JPN. JPN bikes don't turn me on much anymore, because few are as versatile as Adventure from BMW, KTM, Triumph, and Ducati. The Super Tenare and V-Strom from Yamaha and Suzuki, respectfully, might be...I know little of these though.
To your points:
1) >800cc or so.
2) Ditto, if you have a passenger especially. I am huge fan of twins and triples on street and mild offroading due to the pull, aka grunt, plus tall first and second gears. That's straight out of dirt riding.
3) See above.
4) If you're a mileage junky, awesome. My Blackbird was going great at 60K miles and personally know a retiree who put 120K on one, almost as much on another, and they had life left. Do the maintenance, you're good. They are not cheap to maintain, do the cost per mile analysis. I put 50K miles on an ancient FJ1100, too, illustrating how long I've been in this game. State of the art, 1984.
A Ninja 1000 seems interesting, with bags. A "gentlemen's sportbike," love it. The Blackbird lives on, then, in a modern guise. Mine was worthless at 60K miles, be advised, and I sold it for $2,750. That's scrap/beer money, but I sure did get my money's worth out of that bike.
MT10 looks like a hooligan bike. Same with MT09. Ditto Z900. Missing something here: I'd not have my worst enemy as pillion on any of those. Not much to do with what you've asked for.
Lastly, yeah: my Blackbird never got great mileage, either, but damn if it wouldn't lope along at 85-100mph for hours, if I could get away with it (I was pretty good at not being busted, and in fact never was on that bike).
So...you knew the answer before the question was asked. Great. How about "none of the above", but that's not an option I guess? A GS 1200 would solve all that, in style, and be worth something 50K miles later with incredible aftermarket support...just sayin'. Amazing what I've puzzled out, decades later.
I won't get into semantics on the bikes you listed. If that's the suite, fine. Have at it.
In America, on-road, I personally like literbikes for day-to-day buzzing around, but I'm a suburbanite and used a Blackbird for commuting ten years. Wonderful bike for that, that just loped along. Nothing wrong with smaller. I've always been a big, powerful man and never had trouble muscling around a literbike. Smaller men, and obviously most women, have trouble and go for smaller due to weight. Just a thought.
I commuted on a GSX-R750 back in the day, in my 20s, when more hardcare and nimble. Nor could I afford multiple bikes. One to do it all, that was it until I started racing it and also started carpooling, solving the problem. Different time, for me.
Liter Adventure bikes could be on your list, but are not. I will only offer the observation they are remarkable multi-purpose, but do thousands of road miles like real champs. This, I've done on several continents, Ducati Multi and BMW GS1200. My '14 Multi Pike's Peak can be ridden X-country tomorrow and is also a great commuter. Fast as sin, too. Not as reliable as JPN. JPN bikes don't turn me on much anymore, because few are as versatile as Adventure from BMW, KTM, Triumph, and Ducati. The Super Tenare and V-Strom from Yamaha and Suzuki, respectfully, might be...I know little of these though.
To your points:
1) >800cc or so.
2) Ditto, if you have a passenger especially. I am huge fan of twins and triples on street and mild offroading due to the pull, aka grunt, plus tall first and second gears. That's straight out of dirt riding.
3) See above.
4) If you're a mileage junky, awesome. My Blackbird was going great at 60K miles and personally know a retiree who put 120K on one, almost as much on another, and they had life left. Do the maintenance, you're good. They are not cheap to maintain, do the cost per mile analysis. I put 50K miles on an ancient FJ1100, too, illustrating how long I've been in this game. State of the art, 1984.
A Ninja 1000 seems interesting, with bags. A "gentlemen's sportbike," love it. The Blackbird lives on, then, in a modern guise. Mine was worthless at 60K miles, be advised, and I sold it for $2,750. That's scrap/beer money, but I sure did get my money's worth out of that bike.
MT10 looks like a hooligan bike. Same with MT09. Ditto Z900. Missing something here: I'd not have my worst enemy as pillion on any of those. Not much to do with what you've asked for.
Lastly, yeah: my Blackbird never got great mileage, either, but damn if it wouldn't lope along at 85-100mph for hours, if I could get away with it (I was pretty good at not being busted, and in fact never was on that bike).
So...you knew the answer before the question was asked. Great. How about "none of the above", but that's not an option I guess? A GS 1200 would solve all that, in style, and be worth something 50K miles later with incredible aftermarket support...just sayin'. Amazing what I've puzzled out, decades later.
I still have an '85 FJ 1100, and, really it can do all the OP asks, and more, if you can find a good one, I am keeping mine, thanks. One note - the early FJ bikes have a 2-piece petcock design that's held together with some sort of glue, by now the glue is getting weak, you want to put some safety wire around that petcock. This is behind a body panel so it won't show, and anyway it beats having the petcock come apart while riding.
In my experience, if well cared for and maintained properly, most modern Japanese bikes will go 50K or more miles no problemo.
This would be a good question to ask at the ADV Rider message board. I’m personally not familiar with the bikes you mentioned outside of the Ninja 650, which probably wouldn’t give you much of a bump in power or pillion comfort from your current bike.
A BMW F800GT would easily check your boxes and then some...too bad you aren’t willing to consider other bikes.
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