I just passed my mod 2. Now, what do I buy?

[growse]

Having passed the mod 2 this morning (hurrah! Examiner and instructor had a big argument about it, but that's another story...) I'm now thinking about going to test ride some bikes to see what's best.

I've got a shortlist of things to test, but would appreciate other people's input into things I may have missed, or options I'm looking at that are probably worth a miss.

List is:

1) Honda CBF1000 (yes, I know, but apparently it's very forgiving and rather easy to ride. Torque is apparently perfect for motorways)
2) Honda CB600 Hornet
3) BMW F800S / ST
4) Triumph Street Triple
5) Fazer 600

Hopefully, that should give an idea as to the sort of bike I want. I'm using it 95% for commuting on the motorway between Hertford and London, so need something that'll be comfy on the motorways but also pretty good through town. ABS is also a must, and whilst I'm aware the Street 3 doesn't have it, I want to see what it's like anyway.

Only other thing is I'm below average height, so don't really want an especially tall bike.

Right, any suggestions or advice is welcome. Ta.

*edit* budget is probably up to about £5k, but obviously happy to spend less if it's not necessary.

 

[Maccapacca]

I must say I'm seriously impressed with my BMW even though it's quite old, the ones I looked at at Motorad seem so good and highly specced, you could spend £3k on the bike £1k on alarms panniers heated grips taller screens etc and put a grand in the bank. I enjoy the upright riding rather than the forward head and back feet, used to make my arms ache after an hour or so

I don't think there is much between the fazer and the hornet the other three are all very different try test riding a few.

 

[Wolfchild]

Why ABS a must? Never had it on any of my bikes and quite frankly never will as makes you lazy in my opinion.

And the Street you wont like on the motorway, as good as it is on the twisties it does not have the torque and being naked is awful for commuting. I should know as have its big brother and can be a right chore.

Out of that list i would go for the BMW as enjoyed them when ever i have ridden them. SV650 not on list?

 

[growse]

A mate's got a 850GS, and he loves it. Too tall for me though. The problem with BMW's seems to be price - looking around at the market, 800S's start at £4500 and the ST's start above £5k (for a good one). I'm also liking the fact that they're belt drive (no chain maintenance! Whheeee!)

ABS is a must because the only time I've come off is when the front's locked up in the rain. I'm not sure how it makes you lazy, I guess it depends on how intrusive it is. I'm after the safest experience possible, so if ABS is the difference between binning it or keeping it together, then I'll take it. At the end of the day, if you're braking in the wet, you're never going to outperform an ABS system, unless you're obscenely good.

SV650 I heard was very tall, is this the case?

 

[Magic_x_uk]

I have been riding 1 year now. I have a fazer fzs 600 2003, love it, but my knowledge on bikes is limited. But this to me is a great 1st bike.

 

[Wolfchild]

I learned to ride 18 yrs ago so never enjoyed the feel of abs as can kick in when u dont want to when pushing on. Wet riding is all about planning ahead etc anyway, just like cars but totally understand if makes you feel safer as for new rider like you say could be your saving grace one day.

SV650 was not that tall and like most bikes you can get lowering kits for them, is good bike though so worth a look.

Defo take the street out though as will show you just how much fun can be had. Then buy it and take the train!

 

[growse]

I'll add the SV to the list.

And I'm really worried that I'll like the street too much. Oh

 

[Maccapacca]

I'll add the SV to the list.

And I'm really worried that I'll like the street too much. Oh

Probably for a reason the 600's are fairly dull

 

[growse]

Well, I've got a test ride booked on an F800R this Saturday (they didn't have any S or STs), so I'll see what the engine / fit is like. I'll see if I can get a test on the CBF1000 in the afternoon. Should be fun

 

[Griffo]

is the seat height for F800R roughly similar to that of the S/ST?

I'm 5'8 with a 30/31 inch leg and I could get both feed down on my SV650 Sport.

I think you should think carefully if you fall for the Triumph, the wind thing on lots of motorway usage may get annoying.

What aboot the Triumph Sprint ST? I believe there's a thread from a guy (Andri) who just got one, lovely fairing, lovely engine, lovely ABS, lovely...sound?

 

[Fireskull]

As much as I love the Street Triple I cant recommend it if your going to be commuting motorways all the time, sure your neck will get used to it but its still not a pleasant experience, definitely want something with a screen.

SV's are really low, why they are a popular bike for lady riders, not that the SV is a girls bike lol
Well maybe Dureth when he rode one...

 

[growse]

is the seat height for F800R roughly similar to that of the S/ST?

I'm told it is. On saturday, I'll make sure to sit on an S/ST as well as taking the R out.

I think you should think carefully if you fall for the Triumph, the wind thing on lots of motorway usage may get annoying.

I don't plan to spend any less than 3 hours testing each bike. I'll take it through london and out to the M25 and round a bit to see what it's like in different bits.

If someone's got any useful twisty roads near london that they'd test down, I'd be interested to hear. Round Egham way gets a bit exciting in some places...

What aboot the Triumph Sprint ST? I believe there's a thread from a guy (Andri) who just got one, lovely fairing, lovely engine, lovely ABS, lovely...sound?

I'll take a look at this one. Although I'd probably struggle on the insurance as it's grp 15.

As much as I love the Street Triple I cant recommend it if your going to be commuting motorways all the time, sure your neck will get used to it but its still not a pleasant experience, definitely want something with a screen.

Still, need an excuse to take one out though

SV's are really low, why they are a popular bike for lady riders, not that the SV is a girls bike lol
Well maybe Dureth when he rode one...

I don't want a ladybike

 

[Fireskull]

haha I'm joking the SV is a great bike it was my first bike bike after a 125 too!

Oh yea definitely take the Triple out I will probably guarantee you will love it but I personally cant stand doing 10 miles motorway commute on it lol, I take the back roads now and just leave a few min's earlier.

 

[growse]

Just took a Hornet 600 and a CBF1000 out for a play this morning.

First impressions:

Hugely different bikes. Whilst there's loads similar about them (you feel very much at home on either, if you ride a honda on a day-to-day basis), even a n00b like me can tell they're completely different things.

There's a lot of drama on the 600 - the clutch was quite bite-y, and the engine note, wonderful as it is, always reminds you that the engine is doing its stuff. You pretty much don't need a rev counter, you can feel and hear what's going on. There's a lot of fun to be had on the hornet, it's certainly the one that made me grin the most. It feels very modern, with the digital dash Not exactly comfortable to be slogging miles down the motorway on though.

By contrast, first impressions of the 1000 are one of grown up sensibleness. It purrs rather than screams and generally feels a lot more planted and stable. The clutch is a lot smoother and the riding position a lot more forgiving. It didn't make me grin as much, but it'd be far more obvious a choice for my needs (commuting, including motorways).

That said, I got back to the showroom and the salesman pointed out that whilst the first impression of the 1000 is sensibleness, it's a bit of a hooligan underneath, and plenty fun on the back roads when you want it to be.

So, out of those two, the obvious choice is the CBF1000. But I'd want to test ride another one, this time down the back roads.

Tomorrow, the F800R!

 

[Griffo]

What about the K1300S... or am I just being silly?

Good review by the way, thank you. Looking forward to the next episodes.

 

[PieEater]

first impressions of the 1000 are one of grown up sensibleness.

This seems to be the opinion of most people that test ride the CBF1000, and to be honest I doubt that it will ever have you grinning as much as the Hornet on the same roads regardless of what the sales bloke says. To me bikes should be fun, inspiring and leave you with a grin when you get off them. I once made the mistake of buying a bike that was the sensible option and regretted it almost immediately. I'm not advocating you get the Hornet just suggesting that your first impressions of the 1000 were probably spot on and that you consider if that's the type of bike you want.

 

[growse]

What about the K1300S... or am I just being silly?

Good review by the way, thank you. Looking forward to the next episodes.

K1300S is probably a bit ambitious as a first bike Something tells me insurance might be an issue...

This seems to be the opinion of most people that test ride the CBF1000, and to be honest I doubt that it will ever have you grinning as much as the Hornet on the same roads regardless of what the sales bloke says. To me bikes should be fun, inspiring and leave you with a grin when you get off them. I once made the mistake of buying a bike that was the sensible option and regretted it almost immediately. I'm not advocating you get the Hornet just suggesting that your first impressions of the 1000 were probably spot on and that you consider if that's the type of bike you want.

I absolutely hear what you're saying. Don't get me wrong - the 1000 was oodles of fun (I ride a 125 day to day). Just not as fun as the hornet. The Hornet seems to be designed to sing along between 7k and 13k rpm (The noise!) whereas the CBF is happier grunting between 3k and 7k. The handling on both of them felt quite similar, although they had different riding positions - from memory the 1000 is only 20kg heavier (240 vs 220). It does feel more stable, but I'm assuming that's a little the extra weight, and a little the faring.

Bear in mind that I'm going to be doing about 90% of my time at motorway speeds on the A10/M25/M11. That said, there's nothing about the 1000 that won't tickle me if I decide to come home the long way. If I decide I really *really* like coming home the back way, I can just sell it and get something more silly.

I did only spend about 45 mins on both this morning (boo). I've got as long as I want on the F800R tomorrow, although I'm limited to 100 miles (more boo!). I'll be doing a run down to BMW Guildford and back with a mate who's having his F800GS serviced (he gets an S1000RR for the day ). I'll post here when I get back

 

[4T5]

Only other thing is I'm below average height, so don't really want an especially tall bike.

You should try a Monster.

 

[spp]

I use to ride a cbf1000, 90% of that was motorway riding, and it was a great bike for that. It's ok down the twisty roads, but I always felt it ran out of oomph quite quickly. Think it made about 90bhp, where the original fireblade engine made something like 160, so quite a detune. The cbf has adjustable seat height, bars and screen, making it ideal if your not "average" rider height.

 

[growse]

You should try a Monster.

When I win the lottery

I use to ride a cbf1000, 90% of that was motorway riding, and it was a great bike for that. It's ok down the twisty roads, but I always felt it ran out of oomph quite quickly. Think it made about 90bhp, where the original fireblade engine made something like 160, so quite a detune. The cbf has adjustable seat height, bars and screen, making it ideal if your not "average" rider height.

96bhp I think. I "got the impression" p) that it'd do three figures effortlessly, so I've mostly got the feeling of "it'll do well to get better at riding on".