Suitable Bike Challege

Theres a bloke a few threads down who wants to get rid of his F650 and get
something *with more cylinders*.

I still think you should get a cb400 (new style) or a hornet 250.

 

Ok I need to seek the knowledge of people with a lot more knowledge/recent
history of bikes now.

Probably bored you all (and self) to death with the stories of my back
problems, so won't bother with the details... just to say I am seeking
something light, upright, reasonable power, screen and looks ok with topbox,
oh and budget is about £3K. I'm now running out of ideas, tried the
following:

Aprilia Pegaso 650, nice height and weight, but told spares are a
nightmare - love the look

BMW F650, height ok, but heavy.

Cagiva Canyon 500, weight ok but way to high - love the look

Yamaha TDM 850, height ok, but heavy.

Suzuki Freewind 650, not tried it, but informed that they are not a good
choice - love the look

Suzuki V-Strom 650, perfect but to expensive.

So, this is the style of bike I'm looking for... any other ideas or am I
gonna have to settle for one of them.

Will perfectly understand zero response to this post coz even I am bored
with looking now!

All the best, David

 

The upright thing - this presumably is more upright than the Bandit or
is it just the weight of the Bandit that's troublesome for you? Perhaps
a stupid suggestion, but could you put higher bars on?

Sounds like you're a bit frustrated in your quest... I guess you want
power but without weight - was about to suggest a smaller trail bike?


--

jeremy
['75 RD250A ] | ['02 Fazer 600 in blue]
_______________________________________
jeremy at hireserve dot com

 

Have you thought about a (grey) cb400 ?
http://www.geocities.co.jp/MotorCity/1047/2wheels_images/CB400.jpg

 

The upright thing - this presumably is more upright than the Bandit or
is it just the weight of the Bandit that's troublesome for you? Perhaps
a stupid suggestion, but could you put higher bars on?

Sounds like you're a bit frustrated in your quest... I guess you want
power but without weight - was about to suggest a smaller trail bike?


I would prefer it a little more upright, like the Pegaso etc, but the Bandit
is way to heavy... top heavy really.

D

 

Transalp was too tall, will have a look at the others, Ta

D

 

I hesitate to point the finger - but isn't that the bunch that a
couple of people from here have had problems with, selling stuff that
turns out to be duff and refusing to refund and the like?

 

Transalp? Dominator? XT600,

Or try the softer 600s like a Thundercat. I had one for 2 years and it
isn't bad in its seating position.

Or.. SOBMW? weight is quite low down so may be more manageable.

 

Also found the following if you don't mind slightly bent/bruised

http://www.cheshiremotorcyclesalvage.com/600to750.htm

Theres an Africa Twin and a Tenere on there

 

I wouldn't believe everything you're told without researching it
properly yourself. People say MV's are a nightmare for spares too, but
that simply isn't the case; you just have to know where to look. The
Pegaso's been around for years, & it looks like Aprilia have sorted
their finances out, so if it's the bike that suits you best, find a good
one & buy it.

Have you tried a Cagiva Navigator? It might be a bit heavy, but carries
it low so doesn't feel too bad. The Cagiva group have done the deal with
Proton now so they have a pretty rosie future.

A BM R80/GS might be another option, if you can find one...

 

David Thomas wrote in

Dry weights: F650 177kg, Pegaso 161kg, Suzuki Vstrom 190kg (only 10kg
lighter than a Bandit)

Based on the above weights I'm surprised you found the BMW too heavy.
It's almost 30kg lighter than the Vstrom.

Am I right in thinking that you have decided that you do not want a BMW
and are looking for reassurance that buying an Aprilia is a sound
decision? It may not be sound but it probably is the right decision for
you. Sometimes you have to compromise practicality for desirability.

 

It seems to be where the weight is that makes a difference, if the weight is
low down it seems fine, but the Bandit seems very top heavy.

No, I have not ruled out the BMW because the weight is low down, but the
F650's I have tried (older one's) are around 190KG... maybe the newer ones
are lighter?

Suppose I should try a newer F650 out really.

D

 

Jeremy wrote

He could but he is frightened it will come out looking like a cruiser
and he thinks that people will point fingers at him and laugh. Well
have I got news for you DT, they already do.

 

Not sure, I don't recall seeing any problems reported but I would happily
bow to your superior knowledge if thats the case.

They aren't a million miles from where I work so if I was looking at one
from there myself then I would go and see for myself what state the bike
was in. Obviously not everyone is that local

 

Pip says...

You're dead correct. IIRC they also screwed Denise Fyffe[1] over with an
exhaust system for her old CBR400. When they replaced it after alot of
hassle she found very derogatory comments about her written on the
invoice as well. Not a nice company to deal with IMO.

Full details here:

http://www.google.co.uk/groups?hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&threadm=vyil9.162%
24CG7.8051923%40news-text.cableinet.net&rnum=10&prev=/groups%3Fq%
3Dgroup:uk.rec.motorcycles%2Bauthorenise%2Bauthor:Fyffe%26hl%3Den%
26lr%3D%26ie%3DUTF-8%26selm%3Dvyil9.162%2524CG7.8051923%2540news-
text.cableinet.net%26rnum%3D10

and here:

http://www.google.co.uk/groups?
q=group:uk.rec.motorcycles+authorenise+author:Fyffe&hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8
&selm=q5Um9.3216%24QZ7.21572745%40news-text.cableinet.net&rnum=8



[1] nggggggghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

 

David Thomas wrote in

Dakar is 177, cooking GS version is 175kg. Came out in 2000 IIRC.

You should be able to find some 3 or 4 year old ones around for under
£3k.

 

Aprilia's parts back-up is, um, variable.

Heavy? Not really. Good bikes.

See Aprilia comment.

Not the nicest of bikes to ride.

Noody, but nobody seems to have bought one.

BMW would be my choice.

 

Both are taller than the Transalp IIRC. Unfortunately, it seems that you're
looking for a bike that is tall enough to have a very upright seating
position while being quite low at the same time. A bit of a problem.

You might have to chose a low bike and try and get the back angle
more suitable by changing / rising / adjusting the handlebars.

 

Just how reliable are those figures, though? I would be very reluctant to
trust ANY manufacturer's claimed "dry" weight.