2012 Motorcycle Thread.

[cbmstocks]

Well, no doubt the tiger would provide a better thrill when wound out .... but can you name me another bike that is as adventure touring capable as the storm 650, that will have anywhere near the operating cost over say 75 - 100K miles? Haven't ridden one yet (rain holding off test ride), so I'm open to suggestions.

Bikes don't have guts. Riders have guts ... to varying degrees ...
Exciting is what you do with the bike - as in the adventure part of adventure touring, or certified balls-out riding with relatively low horsepower such as this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2t2cb8tVlaQ

by gutless i meant slow.
that's a trials bike. completely different class of motorcycle.

depends on how much you wanna spend. new? used? my 955i was at 40k when i sold it and that is nothing compared to what a lot of people put on them.
the only thing that went wrong was the stator and regulator/rectifier. and that's because brits can't into electronics. but that was done at 21k and it was going strong when i sold it.

check this site out. i recommend

650gs
tiger 800
klr 650

like i said it all depends on what your price range is.

 

[knucklehead]

If you like thumpers and are after a dual sport then the Tenere (XT660Z) would be my choice. Unfortunately they don't sell them in the US as far as I know.

I'm shopping for one this weekend. I'm after a rough road tourer that isn't too shabby on motorways and carries a pillion in a little more comfort than the 250. Being a big single is part of the attraction.

I had previously considered the Tiger but prefer the simplicity of the XT.

Sounds like the Tenere would be great for you. There have been petition campaigns by riders trying to get it imported to the US, but no luck.
I get pretty jealous when I see a lot of the bikes that don't make it to the US market. Always had a thing for the MT-03, which looks like it would be a riot around town. Have considered taking a Europe riding trip with it, and bringing it back home with me.

I'm looking for a one bike solution for a practical daily ride, with comfortable long range adventure touring capabilities. In the US here, that means a lot of interstate miles. I've just thrown out the serious off road use part, because that conflicts too much with the road abilities. As long as I'm not limited to just paved roads, I can live with it. Looks like more than one cylinder is in my future.

 

[knucklehead]

by gutless i meant slow.
that's a trials bike. completely different class of motorcycle.

depends on how much you wanna spend. new? used? my 955i was at 40k when i sold it and that is nothing compared to what a lot of people put on them.
the only thing that went wrong was the stator and regulator/rectifier. and that's because brits can't into electronics. but that was done at 21k and it was going strong when i sold it.

check this site out. i recommend

650gs
tiger 800
klr 650

like i said it all depends on what your price range is.

Hey - missing my trials bike before it's even gone...
Still, with a street bike, apply yourself to the right set of twisties, and power can certainly diminish in importance.

My old DR is nearly as highway capable as the KLR, and -- WAY -- better off road. 10 years out of production, it rightly remains one of the most sought after dual-sports.

I'm looking for new, as I've always done. Trying to limit myself to one bike --which is the killer part. Looking for the on road comfort that I've never had.

I understand the UJM not cool thing, but I think you're cutting the storm a bit short. They did a nice job with the 2012 - UJM one notch better. Even scraped a lot of the ugly off.

I'm still tempted by the Tiger, and might go that way. Practical still favors the strom.

 

[cbmstocks]

i'm just partial to euro bikes. they just seem to have more character than their late model japanese counterparts.
my daily bike is a kawasaki w650 if that tells you anything about my bias..

 

[Signal-11]

I went tripping around Malaysia on my wee Yamaha XT250X - it's the supermotaded version of the XT, for those of you who have an idea of what I'm talking about.

Did 735kms over 2 days. I must say I'm quite getting into this small bike touring. While it isn't fast it handles the rough roads very well and the roads are rough. I do fancy a Tenere though.

I put about 900kms on a Yamaha AG200 over a few months on Congolese jungle trail riding in South Kivu over a period of a couple months. Small, low bikes are the way to go for serious off road riding.

i'm just partial to euro bikes. they just seem to have more character than their late model japanese counterparts.
my daily bike is a kawasaki w650 if that tells you anything about my bias..

That pic tells me a little bit about your taste in cars, too. Really? 9-2X?

BTW, you might want to consider stripping the GPS info out of your EXIF data before posting pics onto a public board.

 

[knucklehead]

i'm just partial to euro bikes. they just seem to have more character than their late model japanese counterparts.
my daily bike is a kawasaki w650 if that tells you anything about my bias..

Nice bike! No doubt about the character thing...
All my old rodie friends have passed the sport bike phase, and are now into exotics and classics (Nortons are popular). I really like the older bikes, but I'm glad I don't have to deal with the restoration and maintenance on them - I've seen some horror stories.
One recently got the new version of the Bonneville. I gotta say, I was absolutely appalled when I was told the carburetors were fake. I really admire the straightforward simplicity of the old bikes -- everything you see is there for what it does. There's a beautiful integrity to that --- and the fake carbs completely messed up my sense of it. Anyway ... I know why they did it, and I had a great afternoon riding around on it, so I guess I forgive them...

There seems to be about as many different ways of approaching motorcycles as there are riders.

 

[ixodes]

A lifetime enthusiast, I've been riding Ducati's for several years.

Having just sold my 999R Fila, I've got my order in and confirmed for an 1199 Panigale S Tri-Color.

Now it's just a matter of waiting.

Here's a stock photo for those who don't know what it looks like.

 

[cbmstocks]

I put about 900kms on a Yamaha AG200 over a few months on Congolese jungle trail riding in South Kivu over a period of a couple months. Small, low bikes are the way to go for serious off road riding.



That pic tells me a little bit about your taste in cars, too. Really? 9-2X?

BTW, you might want to consider stripping the GPS info out of your EXIF data before posting pics onto a public board.

sounds like an uncomfortable ride.

lol. this isn't a car thread, but i'll respond in kind. let me guess, vag enthusiast? i was tired of my stage 2 uncomfortable coilovered fxt so i sold it and bought this and the aprilia. snide remarks about my car are unnecessary. also, i'm not too worried about my gps data. i don't take too kindly to visitors on my property, so any problem would be handled accordingly.

Nice bike! No doubt about the character thing...
All my old rodie friends have passed the sport bike phase, and are now into exotics and classics (Nortons are popular). I really like the older bikes, but I'm glad I don't have to deal with the restoration and maintenance on them - I've seen some horror stories.
One recently got the new version of the Bonneville. I gotta say, I was absolutely appalled when I was told the carburetors were fake. I really admire the straightforward simplicity of the old bikes -- everything you see is there for what it does. There's a beautiful integrity to that --- and the fake carbs completely messed up my sense of it. Anyway ... I know why they did it, and I had a great afternoon riding around on it, so I guess I forgive them...

There seems to be about as many different ways of approaching motorcycles as there are riders.

true true. i didn't know the new bonnevilles had fake carbs. but fi is so much nicer. easier starting being the most glaring positive.

A lifetime enthusiast, I've been riding Ducati's for several years.

Having just sold my 999R Fila, I've got my order in and confirmed for an 1199 Panigale S Tri-Color.

Now it's just a matter of waiting.

Here's a stock photo for those who don't know what it looks like.

Image

jealous. how many miles a year do you put on your bikes in general? i can't wait to see what maintenance i'll have to perform on the aprilia after 2k miles a year..