Need Advice on second bike....or keep current one

[dirtcheap]

edit:Not sure if I should be posting in the beginner section or experienced section, so if mod thinks it should be moved........please do!

Hi guys, I rode a lot of dirtbikes back in the day but never got my street licence till last april. I bought a new "old stock" Shadow RS 2010 for 6k out the door. I feel I got a pretty good deal. I rode it from April 1 2012 till December 19 (I am in Nebraska and it snowed on the 20th so I put her away) and get her back out again in mid March of this year. I have put 6k miles on it so far. It is my daily commuter to school. Its very sporty for a cruiser and I am generally happy with it but I have never been comfortable in the saddle, I feel like no matter where I adjust the bars I have to either lean forward to reach them or sit up strait as an arrow and scoot closer to the tank. Overall I would rate this bike as "fun as hell". It leans over pretty far and has nice pick up and go. I have taken a couple 200 mile trips on it to Iowa on small 2 lane highways and overall it does a good job cruising along at 70 mph. I get about 115 miles per tank (very small tank). It carves through traffic and is great in tight parking lots. Other than a few Harley dudes giving me some grief over a "plastic japanese crap" bike most people I run into like to pour over it and ask me about it. Over all I would give it a 8/10. Here is a short review if you are interested:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rbpqigG9tnc

Here is a picture of mine:



So the bottom line is: I think this was a great first bike, its not a rocket but it s torquey, it fairly nimble and does what I ask of it. But I feel I want something, maybe not so cruiser-ish.

So I have been looking at both the cb500x and cb500f:



I like the looks of both, I think the X would be a better all around bike but a little awkward in town and in tight motorcycle parking at my school, while the f would be a good in town bike, but maybe a poor choice for open highway/interstate travel. The smaller displacement kinda worries me as these look to be great starter bikes but maybe I am moving to sideways and not forward enough. Do you think I would outgrow these to quickly coming from a 750 shadow? I will hopefully get to test ride the f model this weekend but the x will not be at either dealer till end of June they both said. And a 8 mile test ride does not seem long enough to come to sound conclusion (at least for me).

Basically I don't want to go backwards and be stuck with an under powered bike, but these both look good and the price is right. Help!

[blues2cruise]

Comparing sport bikes and cruisers is like comparing apples and oranges.

Aside from the obvious physical differences, the gearing is different and the power to weight ratio is different and they are tuned differently.

Do you like the seating position on the sport bike? Do you like leaning more forward? Do you like having your feet behind you? How far do you think you could ride with your neck crooked?

As for the problem with your cruiser....the handlebars can be changed or risers can be put on.

Don't be worrying about what the HD riders tell you. They ride what they like and you ride what you like.

[BobK]

Don't listen to Harley riders! They don't know what they're talking about.

[Thumper]

If the bike is that much fun, slap some risers on the bars so that you don't have to lean forward or scoot...and that's a heck of a lot cheaper than a new bike. And seriously, if you don't like leaning forward on that bike, you're not going to like a sport bike. Risers are probably the answer.

[madjak30]

Neither one of these is a sport bike...the CB500X & CB500F are both standard bikes (used to be refered to as the UJM)
They are a very slight lean forward and the pegs are slightly forward of your hips. The only difference between these two bikes is the X has a higher suspension & seat, wider bars & more of a faring...there is one other in this trio, the CBR500R, which is sportier looking, but really is still a standard. (all the same bike with suspension & bodywork changes)

As for it being a step up or across...the HP will be slightly higher, probably in the neighborhood of 10Hp more...but torque will be slightly lower @ 30ish ft-lbs...but it weighs less, so probably a step forward but not by a whole lot.

Another Honda you might want to look at is the CBF600. Same category of bike, with a half faring...great bike, or the Kawasaki Er6-n. Another option is to go with a light adventure style bike like the Versys or V-Strom 650. More upright seating, more leg room, and a performance upgrade.

But if you are happy with the Shadow RS, just address the issues...but if it is just time for change, there are a lot of options to look at.

Bonnevilles are reasonably priced. If you still like the style of the RS but want change, the new Star Bolt is along the same styling and a definite upgrade.

Sounds like you need to tour the bike shops!

Have fun.

Later.

EDIT: You may also want to check out the Honda NC700C or X...rev range & riding style would be more what you're used to, fuel consumption is awesome & it looks very similar to CB500s