I'm suddenly in the market for a new motorcycle. I've been riding my 2001 Suzuki GS500 for exactly 10 years now, and around 2am Saturday morning, an arson burned down the detached garage I park in.
pictures a neighbor took while we were out of town: https://m.flickr.com/#/photos/99830556@N04/sets/72157667990255436/
The toasted Civic in the garage is my wife's car. We'll shopping for a car soon, but my wife wants me to get a bike first
I was very happy with that bike. Some things I've liked over the years:
-Naked, as my first bike, it was bound to be dropped, and it was, and a couple dents in the tank later, it still ran great and the lower half only has minor scuffs, no major plastic panel repair.
-Parallel twin, it's been very easy to maintain, removing the tank and having fairly easy access to the valve cover. In addition, the GS500 was a relatovely narrow bike, allowing me to park in the garage behind my elent with space to spare.
-Reliability, in the time I've had my GS500, I've only needed to replace the battery once. I've only needed a jump a handful of times when I left some accessory on. I have friends with a triumph and Honda hornet that seem to have constant electrical issues which I attribute to all the electronics on board. My GS500 is carbureted and when the key is switched off, it's off.
-Stealthiness, a GS500 is by far not a flashy bike. I park it outside during work and barely worry about it being stolen.
So, with that all said, I'm looking for a replacement bike. My riding style is very slow and laid back. I commute about 12 miles round trip, almost 100% in traffic. I like a more upright position. It will be garage kept at home (once the garage is rebuilt) and I park outside on the street at work.
If I could create a motorcycle, this is what I would want:
-naked
-classic styling, round headlight
-parallel or V twin
-single sided swingarm (honestly, just for looks)
-400 to 900cc
-low maintenance or easy to diy
-not too large
-fuel injected for easier starts
So, at present, I'm looking at Ducati Monsters and Honda VFRs. I also have a small preference for Hondas. If Honda made a naked VFR or CB500, I would be all over that. I've always liked Ducatis, but they're a little flashier to me, plus I feel the reliability may not be as great and self maintenance may be tougher. I like Hondas old NT650, but they're getting older and are all carbureted. I like the CB1100 or 919/Hornet, but an inline 4 and no single sided swingarm are minuses.
My max budget is about 6k, I would spend twice that on a new bike, but to be honest, most new bikes I've seen aren't my style, with short pointy headlights, and to much plastic (like newer Ducati Monsters )
Am I missing any other bikes? Any other thoughts?
pictures a neighbor took while we were out of town: https://m.flickr.com/#/photos/99830556@N04/sets/72157667990255436/
The toasted Civic in the garage is my wife's car. We'll shopping for a car soon, but my wife wants me to get a bike first
I was very happy with that bike. Some things I've liked over the years:
-Naked, as my first bike, it was bound to be dropped, and it was, and a couple dents in the tank later, it still ran great and the lower half only has minor scuffs, no major plastic panel repair.
-Parallel twin, it's been very easy to maintain, removing the tank and having fairly easy access to the valve cover. In addition, the GS500 was a relatovely narrow bike, allowing me to park in the garage behind my elent with space to spare.
-Reliability, in the time I've had my GS500, I've only needed to replace the battery once. I've only needed a jump a handful of times when I left some accessory on. I have friends with a triumph and Honda hornet that seem to have constant electrical issues which I attribute to all the electronics on board. My GS500 is carbureted and when the key is switched off, it's off.
-Stealthiness, a GS500 is by far not a flashy bike. I park it outside during work and barely worry about it being stolen.
So, with that all said, I'm looking for a replacement bike. My riding style is very slow and laid back. I commute about 12 miles round trip, almost 100% in traffic. I like a more upright position. It will be garage kept at home (once the garage is rebuilt) and I park outside on the street at work.
If I could create a motorcycle, this is what I would want:
-naked
-classic styling, round headlight
-parallel or V twin
-single sided swingarm (honestly, just for looks)
-400 to 900cc
-low maintenance or easy to diy
-not too large
-fuel injected for easier starts
So, at present, I'm looking at Ducati Monsters and Honda VFRs. I also have a small preference for Hondas. If Honda made a naked VFR or CB500, I would be all over that. I've always liked Ducatis, but they're a little flashier to me, plus I feel the reliability may not be as great and self maintenance may be tougher. I like Hondas old NT650, but they're getting older and are all carbureted. I like the CB1100 or 919/Hornet, but an inline 4 and no single sided swingarm are minuses.
My max budget is about 6k, I would spend twice that on a new bike, but to be honest, most new bikes I've seen aren't my style, with short pointy headlights, and to much plastic (like newer Ducati Monsters )
Am I missing any other bikes? Any other thoughts?
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