[30968]

First post. Too bad I have nothing to say.

 

[44066]

I bought a 2004 suzuki v-strom 1000 in July. it is the best do it all motorcycle ever.

in December I bought a 2005 Triumph Speed four, and I absolutely love it. If i had to choose between the two. . . I would probably keep the triumph the strom has a face only a mother could love the triumph is just too much fun in the twisties and relatively comfortable for a semi sport. don't believe all the bad press about bad F.I. Triumph rules! Bring it on mofo's.

 

[Vlad]

I'll take the bait. The difficulty is that there is no one bike for every purpose, or for everyone. There are very few sucky bikes out there.



Best street/commuter bike - Suzuki SV650

Best canyon dancer - Ducati 749

Best tourer - Honda Gold Wing

Best sport tourer - tricky question, either the VFR, the Aprilia Futura, or the BMW R1150RT (depends on height, weight, and your definition of beauty.

Best all around streetbike - VFR

Best sportbike - Suzuki GSXR 750

Best big scooter - tie between Honda Silver wing and Suzuki Burgman 650

Best cruiser/tourer - Harley Electra Glide

Best cruiser - Yamaha Road King



Just my thoughts.



Francis

 

[23063]

This one's easy for me. I like to work on bikes and lately I've been rebuilding my HD motor after 75,000 miles - top end only. I really like how easy it is to work on and solidly built-especially the clutch, gearbox and lower end. So that's the first requirement. Next it should be an old Triumph - very light in weight, excellent in handling and relatively convertable to commuting, touring or sport riding (as it was 40 years ago). Third it needs updating to modern spec in the engine, braking and suspension department, like my new Triumph. Finally, it should be mass-produced to lower price. So, I'm looking for a mass-produced Kenny Dreer Norton, <$10,000, with options for converting to touring, commuting or sport riding. And after 75,000 miles I can redo the head myself with few or no special tools. I'll sacrifice the race-replica bike option to get it.

 

[pated]

To me, the perfect bike would be the ZX-10R with relaxed, near standard ergos, slightly more wind protection, but the same weight. I would put a center stand on it and bungee hooks and ride it every day.

 

[30874]

Best Bikes

I've owned some ridden the others and wished for some of them, anyway here's my thoughts on the best motorcycles.

Best:

Canyon - Buell XB12R with Ducati 999S engine

Cruiser - 2006 H-D VRSCR Street Rod

Street Race - Kawasaki ZX 10R

Tourer - Honda Gold Wing

Sport tourer - Yamaha FJR1300

Street fighter - Buell XB12S with racing kit and 9,000 rpm redline

Old and neat - Honda CBX inline 6 cylinder

 

[50595]

I'd like to have a syncopated, loping, torquey, narrow-angle, single-crankpin V-twin in a standard bike with comfortable ergonomics, excellent brakes, and excellent cornering clearance.



The Buells are too cramped. The Street Rod doesn't lean far enough. The 90-degree twins like the Ducati and SVs don't have the syncopated charisma and low-end grunt. Sportsters are uncomfortable for long rides.

 

[leinj]

I'm not real knowledgeable here, but sounds like you just read off the specs of a Buell:



1. Low-tech simple Harley engine, clutch, gearbox, etc.

2. Light weight, excellent handling (according to reviews I've read), standard riding position available (don't know if it would do touring very well tho - luggage room?).

3. Thoroughly updated engine, suspension, and braking (compare to Sportster!).

4. Price? Not bad - xb9 for $8700, xb12 for $10,500 - pretty close to your requirements.



I'm on an SV myself, never ridden a Buell, but looked into them a lot - love V-Twins

 

[mile_eater]

Weapon of Choice:

It doesn't exist. Weapons are tools, and for different jobs, a different tools are needed.

But... Lets face it... we all have one job that we do more than others... and we all have priorities...

I may lust for 1000 different guns, but if I could only have 1, it'd be a Springfield 1911... because for me, defense trumps hunting.

But 1 gun.... that's easy compared to the 1 bike discussion....

What would be MY bike???

2002 zx-9... the black and gold one... with a full yoshi exhaust.. removable hard bags... Zero grav windscreen, and a corbin seat...

Yeah... that would do me just fine.

 

[sarnali]

OK I'll bite. First off I'll say upfront that my Trophy is the best bike I've owned based on my criteria of reliability, comfort verstility and performance, so anything on the list is "in addition to".



The reality is I'm a man of fairly simple and pragmatic tastes so the ultimate exotica wouldn't really appeal to me from a practical point of veiw, That said my list would be;



Second bike (all round catagory): New Bonneville, shaved, ported and polished head, Norman Hyde TOGA pipes, drilled stock airbox (it rains alot here) dyno-jetted, IKON shocks, Progressive springs and valving, low black ceramic bars with Napoleans, D.I.D. rims and Thruxton fenders.



Second bike (teenage wet dream come true catagory)'72 purple and white Triumph Trident...my heart still races when I see one, James Bond would ride this bike...



Second bike (play bike catagory): New Tiger with TOR pipe for Forrest service roads and general riding around



Second bike (cruizin' catagory) New FXDX Sport Glide, pretty much stock, cammed, piped and jetted for gettin' out with "the boyz"



Second bike ('cause just lookin' at it gives me wood catagory): '04 Moto Guzzi V11 Pro Italia...'nuff said..



Second bike (ol' school cool catagory): box-stock gray '78 Low Rider. This is the closest the AMF Shovelheads came to perfection, honestly, too cool for school



Second bike (really neat catagory): '74 black BMW R90S The best bike to come from Germany IMO



Second bike (scare myself shiitless catagory): '05 GSXR 1000 I don't think my skills would exceed the bikes potential....



Third bike (dirty bike catagory): "73 390 WR Husqvarana for serious F.S. roads and "over the pass to Yakima" runs



Third bike ('cause I always wanted one catagory): '73 radial finned 250 coffin tank Maico moto-crosser in bright factory yellow



Third bike (park it in the front room and look at it catagory): '72 Bultaco 250 Pursang.. absolute raw sex on wheels....



This could go on all day so I'll leave it at that...

 

[tumbler]

fz6 with a less buzzy engine and more bottom end. hydraulic valve lash adjusters (I like riding much more than wrenching). Oh and analog gauges, digital sucks! And the most comfortable seat you can get. I have simple needs.

 

[kpaul]

2005 Kawasaki ZX-6R Ninja.

[*]The best 636 every made. [*]The best bang for the buck. [*]Can beat bikes that cost twice as much... [*]600s are the best buys in motorcycling and the safest.[*]Overbuilt for the street . [*]Superb handler, more than adequate power. [*]Can dominate track days in the right hands (Sean, SBP, etc.),

[*]Great comfortable commuter if you go to gym[*]Eats Buells for breakfast[*]Uses Ducati Twins for sparing partners.

 

[44510]

Yearning is an inherently human condition. And that’s what we’re talking about here – the constant yearning for a bike that satisfies us, theoretically, better than the one we already have (or have conquered, if you like). We mortals have fiscal constraints on our yearning, so we can’t recreate Jay Leno’s garage. My constraint is I can only have one bike if I want to keep my one wife.



When I went into the market last year to pick a bike, I put yearning aside and thought about the deficiencies in all the bikes I’ve had and came up with a list of requirements. Had to be lighter than a CB900, better wind protection than a VF500, more comfortable than a 750 ACE, and good ergos like a 250 dirtbike. Other stuff I wanted: drop-dead reliability, low initial & recurring costs, ready dealer support throughout the US, FI, good mpg, good range, great lights, and ability to carry lots o’ stuff. And, oh yeah, it had to be fun to ride.



I ended up with a 650 Strom and added bags, a bigger windshield, and Home Depot lowers onto the crash bars. This bike has kept my yearning in check. I still find myself relapsing and lusting after bikes (and now track days, thanks MO), but the gotta-have-it-now, drool cup response is tempered when I think of the shortcomings of my "lust bike" de jour. Throughout the lust episodes, I happily commute rain or shine on the Wee Strom and have never regretted buying it.



To improve the bike, Suzuki should add an ABS option and redesign it – I’m a firm believer that it costs just as much to make an ugly bike as a good looking one. Pity the Strom – it’s a bike only engineers can love (and we do).



For me, the 650 Strom (with some add-ons) is the synthesis of the SV650, VFR, and Connie.

 

[44510]

The gauges were a deal-breaker for me. What were they thinking?

 

[qidude]

standard bike/lopey V-twin

sounds exactly like the Yamaha MT-01 - if we could get it here.

 

[roadpilot]

Never mind the foray into never-to-be-built perfect bikes. If I had the money, I'd pay twice the price of a new bike to buy contentment with the bike I now have. 0-60 in about 3.65 seconds. All the clearance one could ever need on a deserted back road. The most unpeaky power curve of an engine. Unfortunately, contentment isn't for sale anywhere (you can't tell that to weekly Wal-Mart shoppers).As soon as Anybody makes the perfect bike for anyone, they'll price it out of reach of most riders. The few riders that can afford it will love it for a week or so, then go online to look for "better" exhuast, carb kits and/or power commanders. I really like my bike. Content with it? Well, not exactly. The worst 2 things about my bike are 1) it didn't make it into the "trinity," and 2) it is no longer in production. Nighthawk 750. Enjoy whatever bike you have and, please, do us used bike buyers a favor by never screwing with the carbs (unless you are the carb guy at the local bike shop).

 

[qidude]

650 V-Strom

I too have a 650 Strom, and regard it as the best all-arounder I have ever owned. I've added a few things like cptaebphd above, but I pretty much like it as is and don't want to mess with it too much. Its looks have even grown on me - go figure. On the days when I do fantasize about other more project-oriented bikes, there are a couple of things that I'd love to have.

Practicality notwithstanding, about the most fun I ever had buzzing around town, when I lived in the Bay Area, was on my '86 Yamaha SRX600. It was stock with a Supertrapp pipe (noticeable power gain, but more importantly, made it not sound quite so much like a lawn mower) and was a great, light, nimble, tractable bike for zipping around, lane splitting, and all that suicidal urban stuff I did in my misspent youth. Plus, I've always had a soft spot for thumpers.

Well, I happened to read recently about the MZ Scorpion Sport Cup. This bike seems just like the SRX but modernized - torquey Yamaha thumper engine, super light, great handling. My bike lust lit up like a Christmas tree. What a pity they just stopped making them a couple of years ago.

As a result, my fantasies are now revolving around an SV-650S (what the hell, love the engine in the Strom) to make into a barely street-legal trackday tool. Not a high priority, because the Strom satisfies so well on a daily basis. I'm just not sure I could stand to be seen on it at the track.

 

[44510]

Re: 650 V-Strom

But just think of the advantage we'll have riding the Stroms on the track -- the other riders will be laughing too hard to ride effectively.

 

[5709]

I'm on my 3rd VFR which pretty much answers the question about a favourite overall bike. Multi 8 -10 hour day trips are a pleasure as is the sound and overall goodness of the Honda.



My coolest bike was the 1971 Kawasaki H1A triple 2 stroke. No matter who I ride with or what a I am on, no other bike brought more attention from both cruiser and sport bike riders. Three months gone and it is missed.



Friends own a variety of HD and metric cruisers and it prompted me to purchse my first bike of this type, the Suzuki Volusia. I have been amazed at how well this MC handles and how much enjoyment it provides.



An enduro or dirt bike is next on the list to keep the VFR and VL800 company.

 

[kpaul]

650 V-Strom is the .. of motorcycles

Yep the Storm is the Subaru Forester of motorcycles...