Going from 1000cc to a learner bike? opinions please :)

[Addict]

Ladies and Gentlemen, been a long time since I have been on here, good to see the forum is still alive!

Wanted to get some opinions - the forums are the place to go these days.

I currently own a 2012 Aprilia Tuono but......it has dawned on me that the Tuono is much more bike than i can handle or use plus I don't ride it nearly as much as I should to warrant the money I paid for it (9k). So I am looking to change to a smaller CC bike.

I aim to sell or swap the bike for an older 600cc sports preferably a Daytona 675 or CBR600RR but end up with about 3k in my pocket after the trade, I have come to the conclusion - from extensive perusing on TradeMe and Facebook that the 600cc range seem to hold their value and I would be very lucky to get any cash from a trade to a 600 sports.

The next option is to go even further down the cc range into learner bike territory.
There is an offer on the table right now for a 3.5k trade for a 2020 KTM RC390.

Has anyone here been in a situation where they go from a 1000cc (170hp) bike to a 400ccish (44hp) bike?
Any comments on the transition?

When I do go out for a ride it is one of two types of ride - 30 minute highway into work or mild twisties for a couple of hours. Nothing super challenging or aggressive.

[speedpro]

I see full throttle, max rev, thrashes in your future.

[Gremlin]

I didn't realise how much of a torque snob I was until I rode a 390 (first small bike in a while). I thought the big bikes had OK torque. Uh no, they have a lot. Do the same on a 390 and be prepared to drop 2 gears on corner exit as there is no grunt (I rode a mates Duke 390). On the other hand, turn out of a street, ring it's neck through the first few gears (I had a shop CB250 single as a loaner) and you're still under 50kph. Try doing that on a Tuono

Only you can really know, through test riding. eg, I knew I had to step off a ZX10R I had, tried riding a 690SM, nope, hated it. Ended up on a 990SM, which was still ridiculous, but in different ways, and at least took away ludicrous speed...

[neels]

It's entertaining for a while riding a little bike after a big bike, then the novelty wears off.

I had a v-twin 250 for a while, after all it can't be that much different to a v-twin 900. It was, it's sold.

Middle ground of a 650 twin might be worth considering, the non LAMS ones tend to be a bit less spendy than the learner bikes.

[pritch]

It would be interesting to know your age. A man of my acquaintance, and of considerable means, owned a succession of big bikes. Toward the end of his riding career he was perfectly happy with one of the Honda 500 twins.

One warning that I recall from a magazine road test of the Aprilia 125, but which still applies. You need to be careful overtaking as the smaller bikes take longer. Because of that, and the slower acceleration, there can be a temptation to risk dodgy overtakes rather than slow down and wait.

[rastuscat]

I read recently that people have more fun getting 100% out of a smaller bike than 50% out of a bigger one.

Sounds sensible to me. In terms of LAMS bikes, the Triumph models look cool. I've also considered going to a Royal Enfield, but it's not that time yet.

The RE Continental looks cool, and people who own them love them. Probably confirmation bias.

[F5 Dave]

I’ve done the first option to midsized . . .actually I had a thing for 50cc roadbikes for the best part of a decade even before that now I think about it. I went to the Cold Kiwi 6 times on a Tiddler when I had a perfectly good 1100 tourer in the garage. But it ceased to be fun when everyone eventually stopped riding small bikes in silly ways.
Anyhoo, lets look at why we ride and why. Often people buy over powered bikes & if you aren’t riding regularly they are a liability.
I was riding heaps but got sick of the weight so despite several bikes in garage, moved my biggest roadbike down in Capacity to a 675 Street triple. I found it was more fun to ride in a semi legal fashion on the road. With a small screen it was quite happy to tour as well. The good thing about them is as they are lighter than litre bikes & have a good spread of power, your acceleration is still quite respectable.
I did question whether I should have got the Daytona every so often. But I think I made the better choice for 80% of the road riding these days. Also the Streets are not as high revving as the Daytona & less likely to be trashed or raced.
You will see I upgraded to a 765. It isn’t worth the extra money for the improvement. Unless you have the money which I inherited, and then it is totally worth it, but that’s another story. I would have happily kept the 675.
So you have to ask; how much is it worth to you to have a bike you don’t end up riding vs one you do? Question how else you could earn or save that $3000 or maybe $2000 if you trade well?

[release_the_bees]

I went from an SV1000 to an R3 for a couple of years. I wrote a pretty thorough review of the experience on here at the time. I'll see if I can track down my old post.

Edit: here it is: https://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/s...p?p=1131025673

I now have a second R3 and a Street Triple R 675. There were times that I missed the extra power a bit too much only owning the R3, but not half as much as I missed the extra agility of the smaller bike. My Street Triple is a very agile bike, but even compared to that the R3 is noticeably more flickable.

I'll second F5 Dave's experience with the Street Triple 675 it's a great bike that does everything well. I've done over 80,000 kms on my one now, all sorts of riding, and it's still in fantastic condition. The main reason for getting the second R3 was to keep some commuting kilometers off of the Street Triple, so that I can get a few extra years out of it. I also started doing track days, and wanted a bike that would be capable of doing the odd track day whilst still being a decent commuter bike.

While on that subject, the R3 is a bloody cheap track bike: I could ride from the shore to Pukekohe, do a track day, ride home and still have fuel left for the commute to work on Monday. The current Road 5 tyres have done 6 track days and 10,000 km of commuting and they still look like they've got plenty of life left in them.

[Blackbird]

Like F5 Dave and Release The Bees, I went from a big bike (1150 Blackbird) to a smaller capacity bike, a Street Triple. There were several reasons for this but in short, I didn't miss the big bike at all because my needs had changed. There's my comparison here if it helps: https://geoffjames.blogspot.com/2010...bird-some.html.

Cheers,

Geoff

[Addict]

Damn! you guys are awesome! so glad I put this question out here.

The whole pushing the bike to its limit thing is such a good point, I recall that my most enjoyable bike was a 96 CBR400RR, after some introspection, I think that is what I have been missing, the thrill of the "thrash" using all the power available.
Regarding the overtaking and committing to possible dangerous maneuvers, I don't think that will be a problem for me, i generally don't go past the speed limit due to learning a costly lesson - one month's licence suspension a few years ago
My age...knocking on 49 this year

Im starting to think the ktm swap might be a good idea and if after a while if i still miss the extra power i can always try to sell it and get a 600.

Financially its starting to look ok too.

Thanks all, much appreciate the thought-provoking opinions and humble advice.

[release_the_bees]

I'm the same as you, in that I generally stick to posted limits.

When I first transitioned from my SV1000 to my R3, I did notice that there were times when I entered corners far hotter than I would have on the bigger bike, purely to conserve momentum. It wasn't usually a big issue, but it did lead to a couple of "that was a bit quicker than I'm comfortable with" moments.

It doesn't happen anymore, so I obviously adapted to it, but it is something to be aware of.

Sent from my SM-S901E using Tapatalk

[R650R]

If you want to go smaller get a 400-800cc adventure bike. If it’s going to be slower and smaller it may as well be off road/gravel capable. It will do wonders for your riding and get you used to feeling bike moving around.
And there nothing like embarrassing a flash sports bike through the twisties on a badly surfaced windy road. If you know how to ride then a sports bike has to be doing silly speeds before they’ll get past you.

I’ve done the usual steps up to big bikes then went small now back at big cc. After awhile you miss serious HP that makes long distance rides less fatiguing.HP also allows you to put distance between you and munters you dont want to be around.

The best bike is one that you want to ride and anything new to you always gives that buzz factor.

[Berries]

Ask yourself why you ride a bike before you flog the Tuono. I am sure I can't be the only person who rides a motorbike for the rush they can give you. I really regret downsizing a couple of years ago, only by 60cc but it was a 50 percent drop in power and unfortunately a 50 percent drop in enjoyment and thus riding. Jeez, have never just taken it out for a blast because it just does not excite me. This is the first bike I have ever had that I can say that about.

Was going to buy a 2006 Fireblade last week but the sale of my own failed downsizing experiment KTM690 Enduro fell through. A learned friend when I first got into bikes in the 1980's told me there was no substitute for cubes. It took me many years to realise he was on to something.

Keep the Aprilia and get a GN250 to ride when you are depressed. Sorted.

[Kickaha]

Was going to buy a 2006 Fireblade last week but the sale of my own failed downsizing experiment KTM690 Enduro fell through. A learned friend when I first got into bikes in the 1980's told me there was no substitute for cubes. It took me many years to realise he was on to something.
.

He was wrong, although it depends entirely on what it's going to be used for to if it matters , if you can't get excited about riding a KTM690 I suggest medication

What Year, km, accessories, tyres, location, etc, I am interested in getting one

[Berries]

He was wrong, although it depends entirely on what it's going to be used for to if it matters , if you can't get excited about riding a KTM690 I suggest medication

What Year, km, accessories, tyres, location, etc, I am interested in getting one

The intent was to do some off road stuff with my lad but it never happened. I ride it like a sports bike so yes, it is fun when it lifts the front wheel when accelerating out of a corner but it all gets a bit flappy and vague at the front when speeds get interesting or you have a decent headwind.

2020 model with 9,000km. No accessories, basically bog standard and just run in nicely. On the OE tyres but I will need to replace the front one shortly, first time I have worn a front out quicker than a rear which must say something. I am just outside rat city Dunedin.