Used V-Twin 800 for single rider up to 1300 for you and a passenger. Can add saddle bags and a trunk when needed. You will tire of anything smaller. Had a Vulcan 800 a few years ago, seved its purpose. Like my Honda VTX 1300, too. V Twins are cheap and plentiful in the SE. Graduated to the Wing a year ago: not a good bike for inexperienceed riders. Have you youtubed the guy on the GoldWIng riding the Dragon's Tail? Was in your area today on I-77 and I-81: a little too cool today for me to ride on 2 wheels, though.
Help me choose a bike
- Thread starter cwing6
- Start date
- Status
Here's the type of bike I was suggesting, on the roads in your area. I was suggesting inexpensive japanese bikes rather than an expensive austrian one, but same idea. You'll have to decide for yourself what seems fun to you.
These threads can get long you see
I see some guys mentioned a GS500. I own one and would certainly recommend it to you, or anyone with a little experience.
It's comfy, plenty fast for the street, capable of riding with a passenger, going to track days, you name it...
I'd call it an all-rounder. I own a GS500F, the one with the fairing. It's got at least 44k miles on it now (that's what the odo says but who knows really, I'm the ~third owner).
The year before last I took the girlfriend (now fiancé) on it on holiday for a week. The bike didn't skip a beat in the summer heat hauling the two of us plus hard topbox and soft panniers with all kinds of stuff in them (ok no hairdryer but a week's worth of stuff with a girl
). Speeds sometimes above 90mph, most of the time around 75 though.
When I'm alone it has reached 110mph. All on closed private roads of course
One thing with them is you need to keep an eye on the oil level, take a look at it after every fill-up at the gas station (which for me happens after 220-250 miles). Not all of them consume, but most do (a little).
Hope I could help!
Oh and a pic:
https://scontent-vie1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t...amp;oe=59297D5A
I see some guys mentioned a GS500. I own one and would certainly recommend it to you, or anyone with a little experience.
It's comfy, plenty fast for the street, capable of riding with a passenger, going to track days, you name it...
I'd call it an all-rounder. I own a GS500F, the one with the fairing. It's got at least 44k miles on it now (that's what the odo says but who knows really, I'm the ~third owner).
The year before last I took the girlfriend (now fiancé) on it on holiday for a week. The bike didn't skip a beat in the summer heat hauling the two of us plus hard topbox and soft panniers with all kinds of stuff in them (ok no hairdryer but a week's worth of stuff with a girl
When I'm alone it has reached 110mph. All on closed private roads of course
One thing with them is you need to keep an eye on the oil level, take a look at it after every fill-up at the gas station (which for me happens after 220-250 miles). Not all of them consume, but most do (a little).
Hope I could help!
Oh and a pic:
https://scontent-vie1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t...amp;oe=59297D5A
As others have said, first thing to do is take a refresher course or two, just to update your skills.
Regarding the bike - try and take a decent test ride before buying anything. Small to mid-size cruisers are generally quite uncomfortable for long rides, so make sure it's really what you want. Also, scraping the pegs on every corner gets old pretty fast.
Two things I insist on having on my bikes is EFI and ABS. Nothing wrong with carbs, but as they age, they wear out and need fettling, whereas EFI is pretty well maintenance free. Consistent starting whether hot or cold too. The benefits of ABS are obvious - even more so for a returning rider.
Are you comfortable maintaining a chain? If so, I reckon a V-Strom 650 is the perfect bike for you. Later model ones have ABS. They can cruise at highway speeds all day even with a passenger, have a reasonable amount of wind and weather protection, good fuel range and will do some light off roading. There is loads of aftermarket support too.
Whatever you buy, go for something as standard as possible. Stuff like heated grips, top box, crash bars, a quality aftermarket muffler, etc. are ok, anything beyond that should have alarm bells sounding. Lastly, take a friend who knows bikes to look over any potential purchase with you. Good luck!
Regarding the bike - try and take a decent test ride before buying anything. Small to mid-size cruisers are generally quite uncomfortable for long rides, so make sure it's really what you want. Also, scraping the pegs on every corner gets old pretty fast.
Two things I insist on having on my bikes is EFI and ABS. Nothing wrong with carbs, but as they age, they wear out and need fettling, whereas EFI is pretty well maintenance free. Consistent starting whether hot or cold too. The benefits of ABS are obvious - even more so for a returning rider.
Are you comfortable maintaining a chain? If so, I reckon a V-Strom 650 is the perfect bike for you. Later model ones have ABS. They can cruise at highway speeds all day even with a passenger, have a reasonable amount of wind and weather protection, good fuel range and will do some light off roading. There is loads of aftermarket support too.
Whatever you buy, go for something as standard as possible. Stuff like heated grips, top box, crash bars, a quality aftermarket muffler, etc. are ok, anything beyond that should have alarm bells sounding. Lastly, take a friend who knows bikes to look over any potential purchase with you. Good luck!
My experience sounds very close to yours. Last year I was 54 and looking for my first bike. I took the MSF course (highly recommended), read a lot online about what a good first bike would be. Saw a great deal on a used Vstar 650 with only 570 miles on it and bought it. I put a little over 3,000 miles on it last summer and thoroughly enjoyed it. It's a little "buzzy" on the highway, so I wouldn't recommend it for long tours, but, the majority of my riding was a 20 mile ride to work on nice days. I would highly recommend the Vstar 650. It's not real powerful/quick, but, has no problem cruising at 75mph on the highway and is a pleasure on the 45 to 50 mph back roads and around town. And zero maintenance costs other than an oil/filter change and rear end fluid change.
[Are you comfortable maintaining a chain? If so, I reckon a V-Strom 650 is the perfect bike for you. Later model ones have ABS. They can cruise at highway speeds all day even with a passenger, have a reasonable amount of wind and weather protection, good fuel range and will do some light off roading. There is loads of aftermarket support too.]
^^^ When I saw this thread title I thought of the Suzuki Vstrom DL650 as well. I owned an 08 DL l000 for several years. Awesome versatile motorcycles.
http://www.stromtrooper.com/
^^^ When I saw this thread title I thought of the Suzuki Vstrom DL650 as well. I owned an 08 DL l000 for several years. Awesome versatile motorcycles.
http://www.stromtrooper.com/
I have had a cb450sc Nighthawk for about 15 years. It is one of Honda's many bulletproof twins. I love my bike and it can cruise at 65 to 70 all day long but I would not take it on an interstate highway. I would get blown around by trucks and passing cars. I would recommend at least a 600 cc bike. I will not trade in my current Nighthawk but I wish I had purchased a 650 at the time. Good luck with your decision.
Last edited:
After 20 years of not riding a motorcycle, I bought a Kawasaki KLR 650 dual sport used. It was great to get me reacquainted with riding again. It was good anywhere but in the mountains or high speed interstate riding.
Last year, I sold the KLR and bought a used 2012 Suzuki DL1000 VStrom with 15000 miles. It looks new, and at $6000 was less than half the cost of a new one. It'll cruise at whatever speed I've got the guts for, has light off road capabilities, and gets 45 mpg. Suzuki also makes a 650 version that's very popular.
Definitely buy used though, as some people buy bikes and find out that it wasn't all they thought it would be, then sell cheap. Go to a few dealerships that allow test rides, and find what you like, then shop used.
Last year, I sold the KLR and bought a used 2012 Suzuki DL1000 VStrom with 15000 miles. It looks new, and at $6000 was less than half the cost of a new one. It'll cruise at whatever speed I've got the guts for, has light off road capabilities, and gets 45 mpg. Suzuki also makes a 650 version that's very popular.
Definitely buy used though, as some people buy bikes and find out that it wasn't all they thought it would be, then sell cheap. Go to a few dealerships that allow test rides, and find what you like, then shop used.
I currently ride a 2016 Kawasaki Versys 650 LT. It is a fun bike that is sporty around town, and competent at 65 mph. I'm 210 lbs, and the performance is enough to satisfy me. At highway speeds the economy exceeds 60 mpg. The suspension is fully adjustable, and I am well pleased with it. The crossplane Yamaha FZ-07 offers excellent performance, but I'm unsure about the suspension. The best advice I can give you is to test ride a handful of bikes to get a feel of whatever class you decide to buy.
Originally Posted By: Gillsy
I currently ride a 2016 Kawasaki Versys 650 LT. It is a fun bike that is sporty around town, and competent at 65 mph.
I rode a Versys for 3 1/2 years and 57k miles. It was a really good bike for most condition. Fun on backroads (which as I understood is most of what the OP is looking for), good cruising at 80MPH+, good touring, and good running to the store for groceries. Brakes and suspension weren't the best though reviews say they're better on your newer model.
In my previous posts I suggested the sort of bike I'd want if I never wanted to ride on the freeway. Though even riding only on backroads one might want the all day comfort and over 200 miles tank range of the Versys. With the increased tank size and improved fuel economy on the new model I'd expect 250 miles or more shouldn't be hard, depending on how you ride.
I currently ride a 2016 Kawasaki Versys 650 LT. It is a fun bike that is sporty around town, and competent at 65 mph.
I rode a Versys for 3 1/2 years and 57k miles. It was a really good bike for most condition. Fun on backroads (which as I understood is most of what the OP is looking for), good cruising at 80MPH+, good touring, and good running to the store for groceries. Brakes and suspension weren't the best though reviews say they're better on your newer model.
In my previous posts I suggested the sort of bike I'd want if I never wanted to ride on the freeway. Though even riding only on backroads one might want the all day comfort and over 200 miles tank range of the Versys. With the increased tank size and improved fuel economy on the new model I'd expect 250 miles or more shouldn't be hard, depending on how you ride.
- Joined
- Jul 2, 2007
- Messages
- 5,294
Ducati Multistrada 1200S.
I've had two, totalled both of them, but not the bikes' fault.
Think this through. Riding is serious business, know you know that, "just saying.". You've probably seen my crash thread on here, so it is true I'm in gun shy mode right now...
I've had two, totalled both of them, but not the bikes' fault.
Think this through. Riding is serious business, know you know that, "just saying.". You've probably seen my crash thread on here, so it is true I'm in gun shy mode right now...
I started riding back in 1983 in a Yamaha 250and I out grew it very quickly. I went with a BMW R100RT (1000 CC Touring Bike). I learned it, and had it for 10 years before selling it off when my kids were born. In retrospect, I think a lighter motorcycle would have been something I should have moved up to. Pay attention to the weight of the motorcycle, and how strong your body is. It matters when you are relearning. When I started up riding again about 4 years ago, my brother sold me his 1990 Suzuki Intruder VS1400. He let it sit for 5 years on a tender. It took a lot of riding for me to get used to that particular motorcycle, and to wring out the bugs it had from just sitting. Note, this is a 550 lbs cruiser with slightly "chopped" front end. It has strange handling at low speeds. After 4 years I moved up to a 2006 Suzuki C90T (VL1500). This one is 650 lbs dry weight. It handles much better being a touring bike. If you went with a C50 you would likely have a good time for a few short years, and when you feel ready, move up to a bigger ride if you like. Just my 2 cents. Basically, start light, change bikes as desired, avoid choppers and ride conservatively for the first 3000 miles, practice practice practice low speed parking lot maneuvers. If you put on new tires, they have injection mold lube on them, don't take hard curves for the first 200 miles. Good luck.
- Status
Similar threads
