father forgive me...

....for I have contemplated buying a(nother) Kawasaki.

In particular, having seen '05 new bikes for sale (from Lloyd Coopers)
for 5,799ukp, a Z1000.

Yes, it's more darsy-wibbling about which roadster/naked sports bike to
buy. As mentioned, I don't fit the bike I'd set my sights on (Ducati
Monster), so I've been looking into the other manufacturers' offerings
in this space.

Although I like the concept of a Tuono, they're really too ugly to
consider.

I like the look of the new Speed Triple, but they're very much
overpriced for what they are.

More off the beaten track, I do like the look of the KTM superduke, but
they seem to be fairly underpowered for a 1000cc v-twin, and I'm not
convinced about KTMs from a reliability point of view.

Fazer thous: old men's bikes.

What have I missed? I'm not looking for a B12 style muscle-bike, or
anything bloatier. Specifically for something modern, and
sports-handling oriented. I don't give too much of a **** about fuel
range or any of that bollocks - I want something that's good-looking
and fun to ride.

So, Z1000s: I've sat on one, and it fits nicely. Need to book a test
ride, though. It is a real pity they don't do them in orange any more,
though.

On the other hand, Z750s are very cheap (4,399ukp) - anyone have any
experience of them - presumably the motor's derived from the lump in
the 7R[1]?

The main problem I have with the 750, is that it's not the thou,
IYSWIM.

[1] a motor I'm already familiar with, and like the characteristics of.

 

No, it's a sleeved down z1000 lump.

 

Using the patented Mavis Beacon "Hunt&Peck" Technique, darsy

<Click>

BANG!

There. Sorted.

--
Wicked Uncle Nigel - Manufacturer of the "Champion-105" range of rearsets
and Ducati Race Engineer.

WS* GHPOTHUF#24 APOSTLE#14 DLC#1 COFF#20 BOTAFOT#150 HYPO#0(KoTL) IbW#41
SBS#39 Enfield 500 Curry House Racer "The Basmati Rice Burner",
Honda GL1000K2 (On its hols) Kawasaki ZN1300 Voyager "Oh, Oh, It's so big"
Suzuki TS250 "The Africa Single" Yamaha GTS1000

 

oh. Well, I might have to have a test-ride on one of them too.

 

I'll do you a deal - I'll stop posting "which bike" posts when you stop
"one of my shite old bikes handles funny" posts, OK?

Actually, now I've finally got the 'blade running properly again, I'm
very keen to get rid of it before the insurance runs out at the end of
the month, so aiming to do some sort of deal the weekend after next.

And then I'll stop.

Probably.

 

SV1000, Benelli TNT, that MV thingi, 900 Hornet. There's enough choice out
there to keep you dithering for ages...

 

horrific, and expensive. I should probably have also mentioned my
budget is 6K, tops.

see comments re Benelli.

The aim is to be able to say "Look Ma, no Hondas!" for a while.

as mentioned, ideally I want to be dither-free in a couple of weeks
time to avoid a messy insurance situation.

 

Using the patented Mavis Beacon "Hunt&Peck" Technique, darsy

Ooh, unfair! I've only posted one of those. You're getting OCD about
your bike choice. Again.

<disappointed groan>

--
Wicked Uncle Nigel - Manufacturer of the "Champion-105" range of rearsets
and Ducati Race Engineer.

WS* GHPOTHUF#24 APOSTLE#14 DLC#1 COFF#20 BOTAFOT#150 HYPO#0(KoTL) IbW#41
SBS#39 Enfield 500 Curry House Racer "The Basmati Rice Burner",
Honda GL1000K2 (On its hols) Kawasaki ZN1300 Voyager "Oh, Oh, It's so big"
Suzuki TS250 "The Africa Single" Yamaha GTS1000

 

Gayer.

It'd be a toss-up between the KTM Superduke and Speed Triple for me, with
probably the Speed Triple winning. If I hadn't already just bought a bike,
I'd be seriously considering one.

 

In lime green, certainly. The red and black are nice, though.

You're probably right, but I'll try and test-ride both the Z1000 and
Z750, just for comparison.

I probably do like the looks of the Speed Triple best, but I'm not
convinced they're worth the very large premium over the Jap bikes in
the ~1000cc roadster class. As per other post, KTM fail to convince
from a reliability angle, and there are very few dealers to choose from
for servicing etc (though Bracken seem to have a fair enough rep.).

 

Shame, you could've ridden it naked at people would have thought you
had matching leathers.

 

For full 'man and machine in perfect harmony' effect, he needs to look more
to lardier stuff, surely.

 

"750: slower and a bit shitter than the 1000" would be my guess.

What about ... a Buell?

 

Way to go on perpetuating the out of date meme thing chaps.

 

actually, yeah, the Buell City-X is on the shortlist. Again, really
need a test ride, and I'd have to admit the semi-transparent tank is a
bit pretentious...

 

I think you'll like the Zthou. I liked it and I don't like naked bikes.

The engine is fairly mental, but i've never ridden a blade so I don't
know how the power would compare.

I preferred it to to the XJR1300 if that helps.

Cheers,

Paul.

 

**** off Gollum ;-)

 

I think I'll like it too, but I'm fairly determined to get test-rides
on a bunch of different bikes then make up my mind.

 

"...and that's not bloody surprising"

 

I assume you've gone long on sawdust then.