suggestions for hghwy/sport-touring bike

[raylarrabee]

The new wife and I are moving out to the desert in CA, and I'm looking at buying a second bike to use as my daily commuter.  I would like to get something with a bit more oomph, a more comfortable seat and some wind protection.  

I'm 6'6", so the GS gets a bit cramped on longer rides.  I still want to keep it for when I go out into the twisty stuff, but I would like a second bike more suited to touring.  

I'm looking at something used, hopefully in the $3000-$4000 ballpark.  Ideally, something that's easy to work on as well.

Any suggestions?

[VTNewb]

Mine.

[ajgs500]

Vstrom 650

[Roadstergal]

BMW K75RTs are in that price range now.  I have a friend with one, and he works on it himself.  Having never owned one, since they are too damn tall for me, I don't know exactly how bad it is, but with a shaft drive and the valve covers on the sides, it looks pretty straightforward.

Very comfy and lots of wind protection - with the right fairing.  His looks like this one (but white).

[raylarrabee]

I have a German Shepherd, too, so it really would look like that.

[oppy00]

My dad has an R80RT, and it is really nice.  Not sure what they sell for, but I imagine they're around that range.  It looked almost identical to the bike RG is talking about, until dad wrecked it, now it is naked, and in my opinion MUCH better looking.  Very comfy, and great for long distance, but the GS is WAY WAY quicker, so as far as more oomph, I'm not so sure.  Another good thing about the R80RT is it is an aircooler boxer twin w/ shaft drive, so maintenance is fairly easy and cheap, unless the shaft goes bad.  Also BMWs have a big vintage following, so you can always find parts.


Now that I'm done whoring my dad's bike, if you want sport-touring with more oomph you could look at a used, Katana, or a Yamaha FJR 1200, or a Honda Pacific Coast (kinda a mini Goldwind, but good looking), or a VFR, or a big Bandit, or an SVS.  If you don't mind a cruiser, any metric cruiser over 750 would work great.  Their are a ton of bikes, some well known others not so much, that have a little more oomph than the GS, that you can pick up for your price range.  

The V-Strom 650 was an excelent suggestion, and if I wasn't  so short I would consider one for my next bike.

[Traveler]

I just sold my 92 BMW K75RT to buy a VStrom.
Here's why:
Cons: Expensive to get it worked on and parts are not cheap
        Heavy
        Electrics
Pros: Very good wind protection
       White Police models have cachet and move traffic aside easily, but are typically well-used
       Comfortable
VStrom: just the pros.
Moral - buy a VSTrom or look for a VERY well-maintained K75.

[Roadstergal]

The K-bikes are a totally different animal from the R-bikes.  The R-bikes are boxer twins, and I think the R80s you're referring to are airheads (air-cooled); the K-bikes are water-cooled inlines.

It's no secret that BMW places charge a buttload to work on their bikes.  But my friend (Dale, of UnofficialBMW.com), has had two K75RTs (he totalled the first one) and a K100 (bought it after the totalled K75, liked the 75 better, and got another 75), and liked them muchly; if you get the service manual and DIY, they're not bad.  Not as easy to work on as a GS in some ways, but a LOT better to work on than a modern BMW with servo-assist brakes and all of that crap.

[Jazzzzz]

one of these days when I have more money than I know what to do with, I'm buying an R1200GS Adventure and a K1200R.  Kickass adventure touring and  refined hooliganism.  In the meantime, I'll be waiting on a used V-Strom, even though I think they're one of the ugliest bikes ever.  Just can't argue with all that practicality.

[davipu]

there are lots of bandit 1200's running around here with for sale signs.

[werase643]

VFR750
why....
they don't friggin break, it's a Honda

[budget speed demon]

As soon as I read this topic I thought of the VFR750. my uncle has one and it is absolutly fantastic. I've ridden it a couple of times and I love it. its considered a "sport tour" but its basically a sportbike with some comfort built in. plenty of power, very relliable, the fairing on it is very well designed to keep the wind off of you, and its the most comfortable bike I've ridden. although his does have a corbin seat on it, so that might have had somthing to do with it. also insurance isn;t going to be as bad as a 1200 bandit... if thats even a consideration for you... just my 2 cents

[JamesG]

YZF600R
Very good, fully adjustable suspension.
Enough power to get you into trouble.
Light enough to be fun in the twistys (or track days) yet heavy enough to not get blown around on hiways.
Full fairings that move the air very well.
Good, couple year old examples can be had in your price range.

About the only down sides to the bike is a tempermental transmission, lots of expensive bodywork, and its so competent and smooth that its like a 2 wheeled sports car, theres nothing on it that HAS to be fixed.

[raylarrabee]

I'm going to check out a 2001 YZF600r this weekend.  I've looked for V-stroms, but there just aren;t many used ones on the market, and the prices are high.  As for the BMW's, there are a LOT of them used, but they are pricey, unless they have 50k+ miles.  For a daily rider, I'm not sure a super high milage bke is the right way to go, even if it's a BMW.

I'll let you know how the YZF is.

[VTNewb]

Mine.

[raylarrabee]

I just put a deposit down on a 2000 VFR800.  It's yellow and beautiful and I want to make sweet love to it.

Hopefully I won't kill myself.

Here's some pix  https://filebox.vt.edu/users/msimbula/VFR/


My GS will be up in the For Sale section ASAP.  It's green and beautiful and somebody out there will want to make sweet love to it.

[Rema1000]

Speaking of heavier bikes being better for cruising: if you just load a GS down with heavy luggage, would that actually make it more comfortable on an all-day ride?

(assuming Progressive springs in front, and maybe Bandit 600 shock in back).

[davipu]

tried that, it dosn't really work.

[pantablo]

I just put a deposit down on a 2000 VFR800.  It's yellow and beautiful and I want to make sweet love to it.

...

Here's some pix  https://filebox.vt.edu/users/msimbula/VFR/

that, my friend, is a very nice vfr750. better IMO than the 2002+ vfr800. no vtec or linked brakes. great bikes. theres a massive vfr discussion forum at vfrdiscussionforum.com or something witty like that.

congrats. you got it, right?

what part of the CA desert are you in again? up central CA isnt it?

[raylarrabee]

It's actually an 800 (a more honest name would be a VFR782, but I guess 800 had a better ring to it)...look in the lower left of the picture:




I'm picking it up tomorrow.  I wish the motor vehicle office was open on weekends!  Thanks for the link to the VFR forum.  Hopefully I won;t have to do anything to fix it anytime soon, but you never know.


About the move...we will be moving out to Lemoore, CA.  It's about 40 miles south of Fresno, in the middle of effing nowhere.  http://maps.google.com/maps?q=lemoore,+ca&spn=1.003039,2.572723&hl=en