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What bike would you suggest?

U

ultracyclist

New member
For commuting, afternoon rides, non-touring:

1.) 500-800cc
2.) chain, belt, or shaft
3.) "midway" foot controls, NON-cruiser (forward) , NON-gs
4.) upright riding position
5.) naked
6.) wet weight no more than 480 pounds
7.) new or used, but no more than 10 years old
8.) 30 inch seat height + or-, and the pillion is the same height as the seat.

Some of my riding friends have suggested an H-D 883, but that bike is 550#+.

I know that many of you have both owned dozens of bikes and now own several. So this should be interesting.
 
I have a 2003 F650 CS that fits the bill. Fun bike, larger than the Suzuki GS500 it replaced, comfortable in town, good at 70-80 MPH, though not sure for how long, I've been riding the 9 miles to work & like it better for that than my R1200RT.
 
an R850R fits most of your requirements except for the weight - may be a little more than 480lbs, and the seat height, but this can be modified.
regards,
Mark
 
Late model Royal Enfield 500cc thumper. Light, inexpensive and the newer models with fuel injection and electronic ignition are proving to be easy to maintain. Not a great highway bike but fun around town; and, they offer kits to turn it into a scrambler or other styles of bike.
 
How 'bout a Guzzi V-7 Classic ? (750 cc's) Great around town bike with a traditional seating position. Pretty light and easy valve adjust. Great gas miler too. Has a traditional seat and naked. All for less than $9000.00 suggested retail.
JD
 
There's a Kawasaki that comes with a Ford pick-up in the "Every Mans Dream...Right" thread.

:ha
 
too bad they still don't make the K75. that being said I also would lean towards the Suzuki SV 650. its a great machine, a lady that rides with us has one. of course I just added a K75 to my collection. :clap
 
Hey all; How about aGS500 Suzuki or maybe a Kawasaki Versys? Lot's of great suggestions here already, (several of them I'd like to have!!) Just make sure you don't get one too big or too slow. You feel intimidated with the first, and get bored with the latter, then you'd have to start all over again. Good luck, Dutch
 
Suzuki DL 650 - best bang for the buck IMHO:D... and FUN to ride. :thumb

not sure of the seat height, but I took the rubber blocks out from under the seat and it lowered it about 3/4" .
 
I've got two of the bikes that have been suggested above. You couldn't go wrong with either:

DSCN1690.jpg
 
although it misses the mark on two points ( weight and has a fairing) the new Honda NT700V is a sweet ride, feels much lighter than its stated 550 Lbs, does have good wind protection and is a fun ride and fairly narrow as bikes go that have any decent luggage. I've been having a total blast with the one I just got! :lol

Others have suggested the Bonnie, that would be a sweet ride as well, not sure about maintenance on the new ones or overall build quality, though they say they are much improved.

Things I would consider when shopping (as I recently was doing)
  • I'd always go with shaft drive first, dual arm swing arm preferable or belt drive as a second choice.
  • I prefer something with luggage, either built in or removable hard bags, back packs are a pain and it can get hot (along your back side) on warm days.
  • Water cooled motors are much better behaved in stop-and-go than air-cooled ones, though that adds weight.
  • I also decided to go with something brand new rather used, partly because I havenÔÇÖt had a new one in so many years, plus IÔÇÖll know exactly how it is maintained.
RM
 
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