2 wheeled equivelents?

[Rexsname]

Ooooh Ok, No not that kind of fast. You need to remember that I drive a Toyota Tacoma, I'm not used to fast. I went for a ride on a friend's Honda 750 (back when a 750 was a BIG bike) and it was so fast it scared me silly. I think we have a very different idea of 'fast' . Lets just say it's not my biggest priority.


REX

 

[Rexsname]

805Gregg,

I was hopeing you would have more to say, I'd like to hear your comments (and those of others). My thoughts have allways been, First a commuter bike. Second priority, A fun putting around, where does that go bike. And thirdly, a Go on a long ride for the weekend bike.

REX

 

[goodtimes]

I'm not used to fast. I went for a ride on a friend's Honda 750 (back when a 750 was a BIG bike) and it was so fast it scared me silly. I think we have a very different idea of 'fast' . Lets just say it's not my biggest priority.


REX

It is surprising just how fast you get used to, uh, fast.

When I bought my 650, it was plenty fast for me. When I bought the 800 (50% more HP, 20 extra pounds), it was WAY faster than I needed. Now (a short 2500 miles later)....ehh...not so fast. Sure, I could get in trouble, but the 60mph - 90mph "passing" time is, well...more than 2 or 3 seconds...so obviously, it is to slow....:bike_rider:

83hp + 450 pounds in the dirt is kinda fun....

 

[Rexsname]

Goodtimes,

I am suffering from a bit of analysis paralysis. I tend to think that a TW200 would be "the answer" for a short range commuter and occasional dirt explore bike. And then if I decide that I like riding, get a second street bike. I guess I'm still a bit leary of getting too much motorcycle and being scared instead of comfortable.

Thoughts?

REX

 

[R_Lefebvre]

Have you looked at adventure bikes? A V-strom or Versys? Maybe a KTM 690? I think bikes like these are the perfect "do anything" bike. Fast enough, but not too fast. Don't cost as much when you drop them. I think they'd be easy enough to learn on, but good enough to keep long-term.

I would never tell anybody what bike to buy but... cruisers and Harley's in particular are one thing I just don't "get". I was coming back from the cottage once in my Focus wagon family hauler. Wife, a kid and a dog with me. Kayak on the roof and loaded to the gunnels in back. I was severly held up on the twisty roads by some guy on a Harley Fat-something-or-other. He couldn't lean very far without scraping something.

I don't understand the "image" associated with them.

 

[goodtimes]

Goodtimes,

I am suffering from a bit of analysis paralysis. I tend to think that a TW200 would be "the answer" for a short range commuter and occasional dirt explore bike. And then if I decide that I like riding, get a second street bike. I guess I'm still a bit leary of getting too much motorcycle and being scared instead of comfortable.

Thoughts?

REX

A little trail bike would serve the short (non-freeway) commute and low speed exploring needs quite well. Taking it on the freeway would probably not be the most fun you ever had. Short exit to exit trips probably wouldn't be a big deal if traffic isn't bad...but state to state would be problematic.

So it really depends on what *you* want to do with it.

I like the bigger adventure bikes because I can run them hundreds, or thousands, of miles down the freeway to get to/from the area I want to explore, yet they are capable of taking on the relatively mild "off road" travel that I like to do, once I get there (by "off road", I am really talking about forest roads, semi or un-maintained dirt roads...generally not single track, or off track).

My F650GS was the first bike I had spent any time on in about 15 years. At 52hp, I never felt it too powerful. It had *enough* power, but not to much. I also liked the ergonomics (once I had them tweaked a bit). The bike fit me really well, and was very comfortable to ride, both on the street and in the dirt.

 

[805gregg]

Go to ADVrider.com more info there than anywhere. 45,000 members, and the ride reports are addicting, you want to know what it's like in another part of the world, there is someone out there riding there and posting a great ride report. I sorry for the bad refrences to HD, US made but stuck in the past. They are a big part of the reason we, in the US don't get alot of very cool adventure bikes. The rest of the world thinks all we want are cruisers. I want a new Yamaha Tenre or Honda Transalp, or maybe a Honda Africa Twin all great bikes we don't get. We do get every Jap cruiser though. Like I said before the Suzuki V-Strom has a big following and great realiability. I roade with a couple to Cedar City Utah, them 2 up on a 650, me solo on a 1000. I would cruise at 85-90 mph and they stayed right with me. We all went to a V-Strom ralley and afterword they contuined on to ride to ALaska and back to San Diego, no problems.

 

[goodtimes]

I sorry for the bad refrences to HD, US made but stuck in the past. They are a big part of the reason we, in the US don't get alot of very cool adventure bikes. The rest of the world thinks all we want are cruisers.

Unfortunately, they are right.

If there was significant market demand for more adventure bikes, we would have them. But, while the market is growing in the US, it just isn't there yet. Walk into any dealer and look around. With the exception of the F800GS, I see dual sports (large and small) sitting on the floor, waiting for someone to put down the money to take them home. Even the 800GSs I hear that other parts of the country have inventory sitting on the floor.

Look around the parking lots and freeways....90% of the bikes I see are either crotch rockets, cruisers, or monster touring bikes. Adventure bikes? Maybe one out of 20 (5%). The market is growing, and hopefully when the economy begins recovering, we will see more demand for adventure bikes...which will make it profitable for the big 4 to start importing some of the bikes that the rest of us want to see on US soil.

 

[805gregg]

You are right of course, but BMW sells tons of ADV bikes in the U.S., enough to justify Kaw revamp the KLR, I think the Jap... got screwed when they brought the adv bikes over in the 80's, and they didn't sell. And now with all the smog crap they are gun shy. When the sales of cruisers slows, maybe they will see that BMW's big investment in adv bikes is paying off. We can only hope.

 

[jdlcruiser]

Go with the TW. I have had several bikes and currently own two and was just looking at the TW the other day. Fuel miser, low slung, tractor tires. Looks like a hoot. Then again I am getting ready to take a kick only XL on a 2000 mile trip next week. I was trail riding in Southern Missouri a few years ago and we were all on fast KTM and Yamahas and we came upon a gentleman on a smaller 4stroke with dual sport tires. The fact of the matter was he puts-ed up whatever he wanted to and had over five thousand trail miles on a six month old bike. Bottom line is to get out there and have fun on whatever.

 

[goodtimes]

Bottom line is to get out there and have fun on whatever.

True dat.

Roseann had just as much fun on her NX250 last weekend as I did on my 800GS.

:bike_rider:

 

[Rexsname]

I was reading the other day where someone compared a V-Strom to a Kia Sportage and a BMW 1200 RS to a Land Rover.


If I compare a TW 200 to a Samuri, what would be the the Motorcycle to compare with a BMW 635i or a Nissan 350Z Comfortable, sorta fast long range trips with a weekends worth of luggage?


REX

 

[motoexplorer]

Comparing the Vstrom to a Kia? Which Vstrom? Either way I dunno about that. The DL1000 Vstrom's engine is a direct descendant of the engine in the TL1000R Superbike. The DL650 Vstrom's engine comes directly from the SV650 one of most fun performance bikes ever produced. Is the Vstrom as off-road capable or as refined as the GS, not really, but still...a Kia? Maybe I'm under-appreciating Kia's.

I own both a DL1000 and a R1200GS. In some ways the bikes are astonishingly similar. In other ways they are astonishingly different. The GS has a level of refinement that the Suzuki doesn't have. Suzuki's have never had a level of refinement even compared to say a Honda or Yamaha. Suzuki has however won every AMA Superbike Championship since 1999 except for one year. Suzuki is very competitive in most all the motorcycle competitions they take part in.

As far as what would be the two-wheeled equivalent to a 6 series or similar? The most direct comparison would probably be the "sport tourer" motorcycle. Potential bikes (these are current gen bikes):

Honda ST1300
Yamaha FJR1300
Kawasaki Concours 1400
BMW R1200RT
BMW K1300GT

Of these bikes the traditional "standard bearers" for being the best of the ilk are the ST1300 (and it's predecessor the ST1100) and BMW R-RT series. For something even more sporty you could thrown the Honda VFR in there as well.

However, I would tell you that the GS is an extremely capable highway mount as well (as is the V-strom). With side cases, a good windscreen, and highway biased tires, they can eat up the miles. The GS is a great handling bike as well when the road gets twisty. Nor do you have to stop when the pavement ends...

Direct car-bike comparisons are difficult IMO though.

 

[Rexsname]

Please excuse my ignorance....But those seem like the rider would be leaning forward quite a bit. Dont your arms and wrists get tired supporting all of your upper body weight? Maybe I used the wrong cars as examples, or perhaps we have a different perception of the word "fast".

A couple of weeks ago Carrie and I took the Tacoma up to Canyon De Chelly. The truck ran just fine but we had quite a head wind so the cruise control had a hard time holding 75mph without downshifting. It was tiring to deal with the engine having to wind out all of the time. In my perfect world, this perfect bike would be able to sustain 75-80 mph with Carrie and I and our overnight or long weekend luggage.

As an aside, I sat on the Yamaha V-Star 1300 and it seemed to fit me pretty good.

REX

 

[goodtimes]

If you are looking for something that is going to run 2 up with luggage, on the freeway at/near the speed limit....that changes things.

You are now getting away from all of the small light bikes, and IMO, all the single cylinders. Even my 650GS, with it's 52 some odd hp, wasn't up to the task of pulling more than me and my junk down the freeway at 80mph. Even then, if it was hot out (AZ summer), it would tend to heat up, forcing me to slow down to sub-70mph speeds (and on I-10 between phoenix and tucson...that isn't a good thing).

Seriously, if I wanted to ride 2 up with gear, I would be looking at bikes like the R1200GS, DL1000 v-strom, etc. Just be aware that these big bikes are wallowing pigs in the dirt.

And yes, the sport bikes that have the really low bars are a pain to ride. You really don't want to support your upper body with your wrists, you use your abs and lower back for that. And yes, they will wear you out pretty quick. That is why you don't see a whole lot of them on long (multi-day) trips (yes, there are notable exceptions). Of course, you can put a different set of bars on them and that will help bring you back to an upright riding position (but the pegs are still in a bad spot, IMO).

All of the touring bikes will have an upright riding position....

So you really just need to figure out what you want to do...then go find 3 different bikes to fit those needs (because it WILL take 3 bikes to do it...).