New (old) bike time

Luke

Luke

Luke

Soldato
Joined
19 Jul 2005
Posts
7,069
Location
S. Yorkshire
I'm now going to be commuting 40 miles each way on my bike and as much fun as the ZZR1100 is, the riding position isn't great for me and I want to go back to an upright traillie type bike. It is mainly motorway with an element of filtering through city traffic.
I need to do some work on the ZZR before selling it privately and have about £3k to spend immediately.
I've had a Transalp 650 and a Vstrom DL1000 in the past and for commuting I love the riding position and filtering ability.

Bikes on my list to look at are:
Transalp
TDM 850/900
BMW F650
Vstrom DL650

Anything else in that genre that are worth considering?

My requirements are:
Tall - I'm 6'2
Faired or semi-faired
Decent MPG (no singles)
Wide seat - I have a fat ass!
Grunt - I'm 20st, so no 400's!

Cheers
 
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Can't comment on the above but I would add the xlv 1000 varadero, very comfy, smooth, lots of torque, newer injection models get good MPG if you take it easy and for a big bike it is easy to drop it into corners, you'd be looking at about 4k for a good one.
 
Every review I've seen of the Varadero complains that the VTR derived lump is really poor on fuel.
 
Luke said:
Every review I've seen of the Varadero complains that the VTR derived lump is really poor on fuel.
Click to expand...

The old carb model (pre 04 I think) is really bad, about 30mpg. My dad can get a good 50mpg+ while touring scotland on his 55reg injection model.
 
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My concern would be you loosing out on the fun aspect of biking, going from 120 horses to 60 may help with the fuel bills but I wander if you'll be as inclined to want to go out for a blast at the weekend on something that isn't going to get the juices flowing as much

Anyhow I'm also large like yourself and got fed up with folding myself into sportsbikes and I now have a first generation Fazer 1000. It has masses of mid range so there's no need to rev it out if you want to be frugal, I can get 170 miles before reserve from the 21 litre tank, lighter riders report getting 190 or more. However come playtime the R1 derived motor is a hoot but expect the fuel consumption to drop dramatically if you get carried away.

Hope that gives you food for thought and good luck with whatever you settle on.
 
Sadly I never get time to ride for pleasure so dropping over 70hp isn't a concern. To be honest I had more fun on my old Transalp than I do on the ZZR. Mainly due to having less confidence on the ZZR than the smaller bike.

It's going to be a total commute tool, so boring isn't a problem.

What is the riding position like on the fazer? Any pressure on the wrists?
 
Should just about be able to find a Versys for that budget. 60hp on paper, but it's exactly where you need it. I didn't miss the extra power from the GSXR750 I sold for it
 
Luke said:
What is the riding position like on the fazer? Any pressure on the wrists?
Click to expand...

None that I notice, the riding position is upright so you don't carry any weight on your wrists like you would with a sports bike but if you have problems in that area it would be best to check any bike out. I'm sure a dealer near you would have one in stock as they were pretty popular (for good reason). If you wanted any more info pop over to the UK Fazer Owners Forum, the link is to the 1000 page.
 
Heart ruled head on this and I've just bought an Africa Twin.
I've always wanted one but found them too expensive.

I found one at a very reasonable price in great condition and will be picking it up on Saturday.

Not as much power as I'm used to, but enough for me and very comfortable too.

It's a very marmite bike, some love them and others loathe them. I'm the former!

Can't wait!
AT_lhs.jpg
 
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Picked it up today and am very happy with it.
The riding position is perfect for me and I can see me doing many many miles on it.
It came with a Scottoiler, Givi wingrack and boxes as well as a Givi tall screen (original also given).

The challenge now is to clear enough room in the garage for both bikes until I sort and sell the ZZR11.
 
Hey Luke does this mean new job? Congrats if so! :)

I used to commute on an SV650 but moved closer to work and I wasn't using it so got rid of it. Hope to have a bike one day in the future again though.

I'm liking the Africa Twin, looks in good nick
 
Yes, thankfully I was offeren a new job within a week or so of finishing my last one.
I'll be back in the F@H team at some point!
 
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