Total Motorcycle Community Forums

Hi there from the northern part of Alberta,

At the persistence of my two boys, who now think I have the time, I am looking forward to getting back in the saddle again.

Things have changed a whole bunch since I rode last and it leads me to wonder what kind of bike out there is right for me.. I know, everybody's bike is the best, otherwise they wouldn't be on it long... right ??..

My one son rides a Honda, the other a Harley and both like what they have. I've got on my mind a 1100 - 1300cc. bagger and pretty much a solo rider when any distance would be involved.

From what I hear, its hard to find a "BAD NEW" bike out there anymore as markets have become real competitive and that's a good thing. HOWEVER - there must be things that you have heard of or found out the hard way yourself, about diff. makes and models... that have some not so friendly features.. Some advice in these areas would be really appreciated.

This looks like it is a good forum and I'm glad I found it.

Cheers for now and hope to be back soon....doug

Hi Doug! I know what you mean - so many bikes, so hard to choose!

I'm not an expert on 1100 - 1300 tourers so I'll leave some of the other compadres to give you a bit of help.

However, I can recommend the V-Strom. Total Motorcycle Mike had the 650cc version but there is also a 1000cc version available. 700 km's per tank (435 miles). Can't go wrong with that!

Welcome Doug to the community!

Boy, there are as many opinions on that as there are leaves on a tree!

I think the best bikes are those that have been around forever... (more than 10 years) with little changes here and there (if any). The Suzuki Savage 650 has been around since 1986ish, the V-Max since 1985, the Sportster... since 1957!

Mike

You have to choose a bike for your riding purpose, you want a bike for long distance touring, commuting to work, pleasure riding, high speed racing, do you ride on bad or good roads, single or 4 lane, passenger or riding solo, how many miles you're planiing on riding per year, one with heavy or light steering, geared low for climbing and desending steep hills, storage space, gas tank capasity, seating postion, you want to reach the handlebars with a straight or bent arm?
There is a perfect bike out there for everybody, but one thing I recommend without naming any make or model is any motorcycle under 700-750cc is big enough and powerful enough for anybody, you don't need that 1600-2300cc bike the smaller bike will do the same thing!

Hi Doug.

I too returned to biking after long gap (20yrs).
The only advice I can give you is get out & try as many bikes/styles as you can. Bikes have evolved so much it can be difficult to choose but as said above it depends on how you want to use it.

When I eventually decided on my Speed Triple I was a bit overwhelmed by the power, but 2 years on I love it even more. The main thing for me is that it feels the right size/height/weight but everyone is different.

Enjoy your search & if like here in the UK dealers are keen to get your cash, test rides should be easy to book. You can always buy 2nd hand after you have tried it!

Hey Doug--I bike in the Southwest--Albuquerque to be specific. I hadn't ridden since my college days and that was the late 80s. I found a 1986 BMW r80rt monolever for $2000 from a friend who had owned it and taken care of it for most of its life. It had 74,000 miles but was in top shape. I have since put @ $1200 into it but it is running great and is a great sport cruiser. It weighs 520 lbs. and is fairly nimble with the boxer engine which keeps the center of gravity lower. I am quite happy with the size, power, and reliability of it. These bikes tend to run a long time and keep their value. Inshort, don't discount a good used medium sized bike. It might work well for you. Safe riding.

Jonathan