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I will be retiring in a few months and am thinking of enjoying myself by getting back into riding motorcycles. I had a series of small Hondas, an English Matchless, and Indian, and then a couple of Yamahas back in the 1960's and 1970's, the last one being a Yamaha 750 triple with shaft drive, bought in 1978 and kept for a few years.
I am planning to move to a small town of about 25000 people in an area with nice two lane roads, pretty countryside, and on the shore of Georgian Bay (Lake Huron), so plan to mostly take day rides to neighbouring towns, stop to look at a marina or waterfall or brewery or farmer's market, and maybe take a longer trip every now and again to watch a baseball game, visit my son in Toronto, watch a car race or something.
So mostly paved two lane roads, sometimes a gravel road or stretch of highway.
I would like to get smaller bike that is new, or a mid size only a few years old as I want to be sure it will be reliable. I think pretty much any modern mid size bike will feel smooth and have plenty of power for my purpose.
I don't want to spend too much, about $5,000 to $8,000, so if I find out this is not the right thing for me, or I have chosen the wrong bike, I can get rid of it without a huge loss. Or trade up for a better bike if it is the right thing!
1- I do not want a sport bike, narrow peaky power band and more performance than I need or want. I think a twin cylinder engine will give a nice broad power band.
2- I do not like the jacked up adventure bike look with a foot of daylight between the back tire and rear fender. I am not riding across Patagonia.
3-I do not need a 900lb touring bike with a full fairing and luggage room for a family of five people. If I want to go to Florida I will take the car.
I am not very keen on the low saddle and legs and arms stuck out front look of the cruiser style bikes, but they seem a sensible choice for the kind of riding I have in mind, just get a clear wind screen for a bit of protection from cold and rain, and that may be a good choice.
The Yamaha V Star 650 seems to fill the bill, but I would like some other suggestions... Honda NC750x maybe/ triumph Bonneville?
Forgot to mention, I am concerned about the lack of clearance when cornering on a cruiser type of bike. Some of the videos on Youtube show the trailing sparks like Halley's comet.
I am 5ft 11inches and weigh 170lbs, and I do not plan to have a passenger, so maybe I can set a little more preload and get enough cornering clearance. I will not be riding fast but I do want to have SOME fun!
Mid sized and has a comfortable seat, lighter weight, easier to carve a turn, gravel and fire roads become a destination rather than a panic, quiet motor and exhaust, less tiring, great bike for day tripping. I'm planning on replacing my GSX650F with one. Cheers!
All good ideas above, but +1 on the Honda 700x DCT...
Easy to ride, the OP's height will allow for both feet on ground, it runs down the highway and will not be a complete handful on non paved roads if ridden judiciously, won't break, etc.
A good friend has one and I have ridden his hundreds of miles, as we often switch scoots when we ride.
I have 3 sleds, but if I was buying a fourth, that would be the bike. New is real good, but there are lots of used ones out there, and unless the PO was an idiot, they hard difficult to break/abuse.
Glad the OP is getting back to riding...I've been stumbling down the two lane black tops for 53 years. Few hobbies/activities clear the head like a nice ride to nowhere, and back.
GL, mD
I was looking at Harleys before my wife told me she found a bike I needed to look at. Honda Valkyrie, I seen one in 1997 when they came out and drooled all over that bike. The one she found was low miles and low price; 26,000 and $3400.
Most sell for $5000+.
I was looking at Harleys before my wife told me she found a bike I needed to look at. Honda Valkyrie, I seen one in 1997 when they came out and drooled all over that bike. The one she found was low miles and low price; 26,000 and $3400.
Most sell for $5000+.
You got a great price on that bike, ferretkona, but that's not what I had in mind.
Maybe if I was towing a trailer with a 16 foot sailing boat....
Thanks for the other suggestions, I am doing some research into those bikes.
At this point leaning towards the CB500x as it seems to do most things pretty well, is pretty cheap, and seems to be a popular model, so easy to sell if I want to move up to something bigger in a year or so.
I have ridden a Suzuki V-Strom 650 a few years back and quite liked it, and it also has a big following, plenty of accessories available etc.
I had not considered the Street 750, nice looking bike but I feel it will not appeal either to traditional Harley customers or to riders of the "big four" Japanese brands. That might make it a good deal as a used bike though.
The Ducati Scrambler seems a bit exotic, and there may not be a dealer in quite a distance from Collingwood, Ontario, which is where I plan to go.
Thanks, guys, keep the suggestions coming.
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