Middleweight sports bike/tourer?

[f2dz]

I'm looking at moving overseas later this year and already thinking about what bike I wanna get.

I'm currently on a supersport but am looking at something a bit more touring oriented without going too extreme. I'm still hoping to do some track time over there if I get the chance.

I've been looking at middleweight sports bikes, namely the Hornet 600, Yamaha Fazer 600/FZ6 (faired, not the naked version), Suzuki SV650, Suzuki Bandit or Kawasaki ERF650 (Ninja 650). I'm looking at bikes this size mainly because I'm hoping to get something fairly fuel effecient and easy-ish on tyres.

So I'm just after a bit of advice as to what people would recommend out of the above. I'm thinking of commuting on it, doing some touring (panniers and all) and the occassional blatt around a track or two.

Chur

[Gremlin]

Well if you want luggage for touring, best you check that the bike can take it. Soft throwover panniers are obviously reasonably easy, just make sure you protect the bike. Hard panniers require luggage racks, these would be specific to the bike. Check the likes of Givi to see if they have something available.

You've nailed a lot of the basics in bikes, Honda has a wider middleweight range with some CBR650F (or other weird combination of letters), plus the NC700/750, the SV650 has now been replaced and you don't seem to be considering Euro brands?

You need to take them for test rides to see whether you like them, not what we recommend.

[Blackbird]

Street Triple or Street Triple R? Power to weight ratio which matches a lot of the bigger sport oriented bikes and a pretty flat torque curve which means you have about 80% of max torque at not much over 3000 rpm - instant grunt. Handling is superb and the perfect trackday weapon too. I've notched up 60000 km on mine without any significant issues.

It tours well too - I have Ventura luggage and have done lots of touring and it was the most comfortable of all the bikes I've done the Grand Challenge 1000 miles in under 24 hours ride on. The seat does get a bit uncomfortable after 700 km or so but an Airhawk pad (about $150) fixed that completely.

If you want a fully-faired bike, a Daytona 675 is a beauty to ride but I personally wouldn't be able to tour on it...... owwwww...:crazy:

[f2dz]

Well if you want luggage for touring, best you check that the bike can take it. Soft throwover panniers are obviously reasonably easy, just make sure you protect the bike. Hard panniers require luggage racks, these would be specific to the bike. Check the likes of Givi to see if they have something available.

You've nailed a lot of the basics in bikes, Honda has a wider middleweight range with some CBR650F (or other weird combination of letters), plus the NC700/750, the SV650 has now been replaced and you don't seem to be considering Euro brands?

You need to take them for test rides to see whether you like them, not what we recommend.

I didn't jot down any Euro brands as I figured they wouldn't be in my budget and I also don't know a lot about any of them. I'm sure things may change once I'm actually over there.

Thanks for the tips - I'll definitely be test riding a couple before coming to a decision. Just trying to get a few ideas as to what bikes are stunners and which ones to steer well clear of.


Street Triple or Street Triple R? Power to weight ratio which matches a lot of the bigger sport oriented bikes and a pretty flat torque curve which means you have about 80% of max torque at not much over 3000 rpm - instant grunt. Handling is superb and the perfect trackday weapon too. I've notched up 60000 km on mine without any significant issues.

It tours well too - I have Ventura luggage and have done lots of touring and it was the most comfortable of all the bikes I've done the Grand Challenge 1000 miles in under 24 hours ride on. The seat does get a bit uncomfortable after 700 km or so but an Airhawk pad (about $150) fixed that completely.

If you want a fully-faired bike, a Daytona 675 is a beauty to ride but I personally wouldn't be able to tour on it...... owwwww...:crazy:

Probably both out of my budget. I'm only looking to spend 2,000–3,000 pounds. Not a chance I think I'd consider a Daytona 675, although that bike is great looking. Not suitable for the kind of riding I'm hoping to do.

Some older Triumphs may fit into my budget but I might be worreid about reliability from what I've heard, but I've never ridden anything Triumph.

[DamianW]

Street Triple or Street Triple R? Power to weight ratio which matches a lot of the bigger sport oriented bikes and a pretty flat torque curve which means you have about 80% of max torque at not much over 3000 rpm - instant grunt. Handling is superb and the perfect trackday weapon too. I've notched up 60000 km on mine without any significant issues.

It tours well too - I have Ventura luggage and have done lots of touring and it was the most comfortable of all the bikes I've done the Grand Challenge 1000 miles in under 24 hours ride on. The seat does get a bit uncomfortable after 700 km or so but an Airhawk pad (about $150) fixed that completely.

If you want a fully-faired bike, a Daytona 675 is a beauty to ride but I personally wouldn't be able to tour on it...... owwwww...:crazy:

Brilliant bikes these Striple's but my only reservation is their fuel economy might not be the best for touring. On average I get 16km/litre out of my Daytona making the tank range about 260-270km. I'd imagine the Striple isn't too different.

Honda VFR800 worth a look?

Edit: For a soft luggage option have a look at Kriega (www.kriega.com). Brilliant modular system of interchangeable tank and tail bags in 5, 10, 20 and 30 litre sizes. IIRC they do larger sizes too. 2 x 10 and 1 x 20 litre bags strapped together are great for a week or two on the road.

[James Deuce]

BMW F800 range is worth a look. Performance isn't bad and luggage options depend on the model but all of them are available with panniers and topbox. The handle very nicely and are super economical.

[Blackbird]

Brilliant bikes these Striple's but my only reservation is their fuel economy might not be the best for touring. On average I get 16km/litre out of my Daytona making the tank range about 260-270km. I'd imagine the Striple isn't too different.

Yep, pretty much spot on. I once got just over 300 km between fills being super-gentle on the throttle when a garage I expected to be open in the middle of the night was actually closed :laugh:

[HenryDorsetCase]

Triumph Street TRiple/Street Triple R/Speed Triple



/thread

[eldog]

f2dz, I wish I had the guts to go overseas like you....

just a few thoughts

I assume its the UK you are going to, think about the seasons and when you can ride.
If its London they like Paris, Barcelona, Rome, Berlin all have excellent underground train services and the buses arent bad either. Been to all of these and had a great time (but not via bike - time was limited for me.

Ireland was like a saucer and a real pleasure to travel around, so simple.

I hope you get something reliable, I assume you will have to get insurance etc blah, blah. blah

You have plenty of shops here in Auckland to go and try different bikes to see how they fit.
If it was upto me it would be something like a Vstrom 650, SV 650, F700, F800 if you really want to travel.
A friend of mine had a DR650, a KTM 900 adventure and other bikes and fitted extra long range tank - he really did travel like Charlie Boorman and Ewen Macgregor all over europe etc all on his own, he has real balls that man - just ups and rides then stops and finds a job for a few months then off again..

I would seriously consider the weather before you go, it doesnt snow here in akl (well only once in while), hate for you to go and not be able to ride for as long as you think.

good on you for giving it a go :2thumbsup

[Moi]

I guess you already know of MCN (http://www.motorcyclenews.com/), well-worth having a look as they used bike listings...

[f2dz]

f2dz, I wish I had the guts to go overseas like you....

just a few thoughts

I assume its the UK you are going to, think about the seasons and when you can ride.
If its London they like Paris, Barcelona, Rome, Berlin all have excellent underground train services and the buses arent bad either. Been to all of these and had a great time (but not via bike - time was limited for me.

Ireland was like a saucer and a real pleasure to travel around, so simple.

I hope you get something reliable, I assume you will have to get insurance etc blah, blah. blah

You have plenty of shops here in Auckland to go and try different bikes to see how they fit.
If it was upto me it would be something like a Vstrom 650, SV 650, F700, F800 if you really want to travel.
A friend of mine had a DR650, a KTM 900 adventure and other bikes and fitted extra long range tank - he really did travel like Charlie Boorman and Ewen Macgregor all over europe etc all on his own, he has real balls that man - just ups and rides then stops and finds a job for a few months then off again..

I would seriously consider the weather before you go, it doesnt snow here in akl (well only once in while), hate for you to go and not be able to ride for as long as you think.

good on you for giving it a go :2thumbsup

Thanks bud, yea London for now but hoping to tour around once I get set up well enough. Definitely want to get a bike ASAP though.


I guess you already know of MCN (http://www.motorcyclenews.com/), well-worth having a look as they used bike listings...

Yep, usually read a bunch of their review. Cheers for the advice!

[pritch]

Some older Triumphs may fit into my budget but I might be worreid about reliability from what I've heard, but I've never ridden anything Triumph.

Give the 1960s ones a miss by all means but anything Hinckley should be fine. The suspension on Triumphs can go "baggy" but it probably won't be great on any of the other stuff you're looking at either. Older bikes may be cheaper in Britain but if they were ridden in winter the salt they put on the roads there can do a lot of damage.

[MarkH]

Honda VFR800 worth a look?


That's what I would look hard at if I was buying a bike in that size range right now.
Of course I do loves me a good Honda V4!

[ducatilover]

VFR, because thy rule.

[f2dz]

Definitely digging the look of those VFRs. I'm guessing they've got typical Honda reliability?

I'm assuming a V4 ain't so great on gas though, or am I wrong?

[MarkH]

I'm assuming a V4 ain't so great on gas though, or am I wrong?

I can't see why it would be thirstier than a similar size & power straight 4.
When I changed from the RF900R to ST1300 I found that at the same speeds I used less fuel - probably the newer tech with EFI compared to the older carburettor engine.
Still, going to a bike with over 300cc more engine and over 120kg more weight, I was a little surprised to find it more fuel efficient.

Maybe someone with a VFR800 could pitch in here and let us know how they find it on fuel economy.

[haydes55]

5.7-6.5L/100km average for VFR800 according to fuelly.com

St1300 4.9-6.6L/100km

5.5-6.8L/100km for the RF900

So much of a muchness. A gentle hand on the st1300 can get some impressive mileage. It's economy will depend on use, I think a Viffer would be redlined a bit more often than an ST.

But basically, no, the engine configuration and even capacity have little effect on economy.

[ducatilover]

Definitely digging the look of those VFRs. I'm guessing they've got typical Honda reliability?

I'm assuming a V4 ain't so great on gas though, or am I wrong?

Pre VTEC VFRs were the bestest for longevity. A handful of VTEC flavour ones have had cam chain tensioner issues.
Anything is shit on gas if you rape it :niceone:

[Vinz0r]

Pre VTEC VFRs were the bestest for longevity. A handful of VTEC flavour ones have had cam chain tensioner issues.
Anything is shit on gas if you rape it :niceone:

I ran out of gas on my VFR400 today at 220kms from a full tank!
Too much spirited riding I think, it's just so hard not to on that bike.

[Swoop]

I'm assuming a V4 ain't so great on gas though, or am I wrong?
You'd be surprised. Anywhere up to 370km from a tank.
Having said that, I emptied half a tank on a short, spirited ride recently. It's all in the control of your right hand.

Also, the vfr 750's are well worth a look if the price is right.

[mc4aregreat]

In the MCN there is a road test for 24 used 600 models. Look for link called
24 Motor Cycle News April 30, 2003 Road test which used 600.

http://images.mcn.bauercdn.com/upload/857/attachments/cbr600f2.pdf

[ducatilover]

I ran out of gas on my VFR400 today at 220kms from a full tank!
Too much spirited riding I think, it's just so hard not to on that bike.


:Punk: Good effort!
I found all my 400s were rubbish on gas. The GPZ, ZZR and CB all loved it, ZZR ran around 7L/100km, the CB high 5s. The ZZR was better on gas when I converted it to 600 and spanked it even harder, it managed 5.5/100km with a mix of normal shit and rape.

[f2dz]

Pre VTEC VFRs were the bestest for longevity. A handful of VTEC flavour ones have had cam chain tensioner issues.
Anything is shit on gas if you rape it :niceone:

Really lovin the look of those slightly newer VTEC VFRs moreso than the late 90s ones.

Might be slightly over what I originally wanted to spend but hopefully a younger bike might mean a bit more reliability, minus the mentioned cam chain tensioner issue.

Those meaty twin cans are also pretty suh-weet.

[DamianW]

I'm heading over to the UK in September to meet up with a few mates for a couple of weeks of touring around North Wales, Cumbria and maybe Scotland. A VFR800 will defo be on my bike hire options shortlist.

[imac]

If you are under 25 expect to get reamed for insurance. Expect to get reamed anyway in fact

[DamianW]

And the bike hire ain't cheap either - around £150/day and whatever security deposit £'s the hire shop withholds in the event of cosmetic damage from stone chips etc. There's one shop near Heathrow that's well known for very punitive hire terms.


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[SPman]

Yamaha FJ-09. Looking seriously............

[george formby]

Get a TDM. Cheap, effective, reliable. Does whatever you want to do when you ride. Tour, scratch, commute, gravel, very easy bike to live with and to drab for thieves. Sound great with decent pipes, too.
Just sayin.

[Icemaestro]

I ran out of gas on my VFR400 today at 220kms from a full tank!
Too much spirited riding I think, it's just so hard not to on that bike.

I get about 200 to reserve regardless of how I ride it (track evening...200, commuting, 200) though as you say, maybe I ride the same everywhere ;-)


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[Icemaestro]

:Punk: Good effort!
I found all my 400s were rubbish on gas. The GPZ, ZZR and CB all loved it, ZZR ran around 7L/100km, the CB high 5s. The ZZR was better on gas when I converted it to 600 and spanked it even harder, it managed 5.5/100km with a mix of normal shit and rape.

Agreed. My cbr600f got better fuel consumption than the vfr400, and about the same as the bros 400. Best was the er6f though


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[f2dz]

If you are under 25 expect to get reamed for insurance. Expect to get reamed anyway in fact

Only just, but I was expecting it anyway. I get reamed for insurance here already.


And the bike hire ain't cheap either - around £150/day and whatever security deposit £'s the hire shop withholds in the event of cosmetic damage from stone chips etc. There's one shop near Heathrow that's well known for very punitive hire terms.

I figured this would be the case - won't be looking at hiring unless it's dirt dirt cheap. I won't be getting anything for the first few months but as soon as I'm settled in somewhere I'm planning on getting somethin.


Yamaha FJ-09. Looking seriously............

These are fairly new right? I'm guessing they'll be out of my budget.


Get a TDM. Cheap, effective, reliable. Does whatever you want to do when you ride. Tour, scratch, commute, gravel, very easy bike to live with and to drab for thieves. Sound great with decent pipes, too.
Just sayin.

Haven't looked into these at all but will add it to the list! Cheers!


Agreed. My cbr600f got better fuel consumption than the vfr400, and about the same as the bros 400. Best was the er6f though

Quite like the look of the ER6F and it would fit into my budget. Only thing I'd be worried about is if it could handle a bunch of luggage/panniers bolted to it.

[Gremlin]

If you are under 25 expect to get reamed for insurance. Expect to get reamed anyway in fact
When I was under 25, insurance said, ah, under 25. When I passed that mark, insurance said, ah, under 30. :eek5:

Now I'm just over 30... still costs because of the value of the bike and an incident or two :pinch:

[f2dz]

So long as the insurance isn't more than what I pay here I think I'll be alright. I pay $800 a year at the moment for full cover.

[Banditbandit]

Gawd .. I pay around $800 a year all up to insure two bikes ...

[haydes55]

So long as the insurance isn't more than what I pay here I think I'll be alright. I pay $800 a year at the moment for full cover.


I'm under 25 and pay just over $400 a year for full cover on a thou.

[Icemaestro]

Quite like the look of the ER6F and it would fit into my budget. Only thing I'd be worried about is if it could handle a bunch of luggage/panniers bolted to it.

I have been on trips with the wife on the back as well as pack rack and backpack? What would be your concerns? It has a decent amount of poke and a number of them come with pack racks, as well they have stock handholds that you could use to secure things on the rear seat if need be, and panniers are easy as to chuck off the sides...

[Gremlin]

Amateurs, I'm somewhere around $1200-1400 for a single bike, 1200cc... and over 30 :pinch:

[f2dz]

I'm under 25 and pay just over $400 a year for full cover on a thou.

I'm guessing some of the difference might come from insured value, plus perhaps area where I live. On paper my address probably looks sketchy to insurers but it's the polar opposite. My guess at least. Plus I don't know if not-at-fault accidents account to a higher premium but I'd assume not.


I have been on trips with the wife on the back as well as pack rack and backpack? What would be your concerns? It has a decent amount of poke and a number of them come with pack racks, as well they have stock handholds that you could use to secure things on the rear seat if need be, and panniers are easy as to chuck off the sides...

You've essentially answered most of my concerns right there. I've never ridden a bike with a top box/panniers either so I didn't know if these bikes had an allowance to fit them.

A mate used to have one though and I reckon they're tidy bikes.


Amateurs, I'm somewhere around $1200-1400 for a single bike, 1200cc... and over 30 :pinch:

Is it because your bike is worth a bajillion dollars perchance?

[Blackbird]

Is it because your bike is worth a bajillion dollars perchance?

It's the scrap value of all the iron work and accessories hanging off Gremlin's bike that does it :bleh:

[Firefly]

Agreed. My cbr600f got better fuel consumption than the vfr400, and about the same as the bros 400. Best was the er6f though


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What's your fuel consumption for your cbr600f?

[Banditbandit]

I'm under 25 and pay just over $400 a year for full cover on a thou.

So ... you need to grow up ... (hang on .. that's "grow older" ...)

[Icemaestro]

What's your fuel consumption for your cbr600f?

Roughly 21km/l


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