FabSwingers.com > Forums > Bikers > So I need a new bike. Picking your brains.
So I need a new bike. Picking your brains.
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By (user no longer on site) OP
over a year ago
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So I have a poorly RRW and am in need of something that works.
I am torn between heart and head!
I need it for a 100m round trip to work weekdays, fun at weekends and for going up to Manchester every couple of months. So at least 500m a week with a good 750-1000 miles a week on occasion.
6k budget.
What are your thoughts?
Heart
Fireblade - had an RR9 but, had to sell to pay for babies. I LOVED that bike!
Speed Triple - needs no explanation.
Basically something uncomfirtable, fast and fun.
Head
Sprint ST 1050 - had an 08, was good but lacking in pace and handling.
Sprint GT 1050 - more luggage, heated grips etc. Comfy mile eater.But, but, but its big and well, a little slow.
VFR
Tracer
Your thoughts ladies, gentlemen and others.
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By *jcukMan
over a year ago
Solihull |
The Tracer might be a good compromise. I have an MT-09 and it's plenty fast and agile enough for me. With the Tracer side adding some comfort but based on the same engine. Might want the comfort seat though. |
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"So I have a poorly RRW and am in need of something that works.
I am torn between heart and head!
I need it for a 100m round trip to work weekdays, fun at weekends and for going up to Manchester every couple of months. So at least 500m a week with a good 750-1000 miles a week on occasion.
6k budget.
What are your thoughts?
Heart
Fireblade - had an RR9 but, had to sell to pay for babies. I LOVED that bike!
Speed Triple - needs no explanation.
Basically something uncomfirtable, fast and fun.
Head
Sprint ST 1050 - had an 08, was good but lacking in pace and handling.
Sprint GT 1050 - more luggage, heated grips etc. Comfy mile eater.But, but, but its big and well, a little slow.
VFR
Tracer
Your thoughts ladies, gentlemen and others.
"
Im going to go with a 1200 bandit. Personally I think the 600 is lighter and more fun. But for long distance riding, it would definitely be the B12. Xx |
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By * and BCouple
over a year ago
Durham |
"So I have a poorly RRW and am in need of something that works.
I am torn between heart and head!
I need it for a 100m round trip to work weekdays, fun at weekends and for going up to Manchester every couple of months. So at least 500m a week with a good 750-1000 miles a week on occasion.
6k budget.
What are your thoughts?
Heart
Fireblade - had an RR9 but, had to sell to pay for babies. I LOVED that bike!
Speed Triple - needs no explanation.
Basically something uncomfirtable, fast and fun.
Head
Sprint ST 1050 - had an 08, was good but lacking in pace and handling.
Sprint GT 1050 - more luggage, heated grips etc. Comfy mile eater.But, but, but its big and well, a little slow.
VFR
Tracer
Your thoughts ladies, gentlemen and others.
Im going to go with a 1200 bandit. Personally I think the 600 is lighter and more fun. But for long distance riding, it would definitely be the B12. Xx"
I went down that line sort of. From my fireblade which i loved and had for over 10 years went onto a large 1500 cruiser. Not good at being thrown about. Moved to a 1200 bandit, yes good with plenty of power, but the comfort for long trips without a fairing was hard work. Back to the drawing board. After a bit of thought I came up with the solution of buying the Pan. Job done, had that for over 10 years now. Been all over Europe and god knows how many bike rallies local and distance  |
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By *am450Man
over a year ago
North Kent/Greater London |
"Tracer 900 for sure, I have one. So much grunt from the triple engine, comfortable and a grin inducing ride at the weekends."
Ditto this  have an XSR900 awesome engine loved riding it until having a stroke at the end of December last year.. |
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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
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I had a FJ1100 it had speed handled brilliantly was very comfortable ride and it had speed, miss that bike. Used to go up and down to Wales on it from Stirling |
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By (user no longer on site) OP
over a year ago
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Thanks all! Its a hard one to choose! The big ZZ's, FJ's etc. Are good for 2 up and going the miles I want.
I just love a sports bike. The riding position, nose, handling. I liked my ST but, the only reason I had that was because of a big off and screwed my shoulders for 6months. That had some get up and go. It just was not enough!
Its either compromise the ride or, compromise the comfort!! First world problems!!  |
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By *asher11Man
over a year ago
market harborough |
if your doing high mileages every week you need a reliable ,economical ,comftable bike thats easy on tyres and simple to service yourself the new panigale v4 should fit the bill its just finding one for 6k thats hard lol |
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By (user no longer on site) OP
over a year ago
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"if your doing high mileages every week you need a reliable ,economical ,comftable bike thats easy on tyres and simple to service yourself the new panigale v4 should fit the bill its just finding one for 6k thats hard lol"
 count me in!! |
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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
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Hayabusa?
Munches miles with ease, great wind protection, 200 miles to a tank of your careful (90 miles if you thrash it). 100 mph on the motorways with one hand on your hip easy.
Excellent commuter, I rode one everyday for 5 years and put 50k miles on it. Also took it to the nurburgring for a few laps.
All the power and torque you ever need, enough handling to get you knee down if you want some fun.
Very tuneable if you want to spend some money on it.
Gen 2's start at about £5k
Older gen 1's at about £3k
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By (user no longer on site) OP
over a year ago
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Have ridden a BBird, was fun but not for me, same with the busa! I do like the Thunderace though! But again, not really for me.
Want something a little more modern. I like being able to work on it but, can be an arse and a half if you HAVE to do it to regularly!
ARGHHH I am not going to decide until I am forced to! |
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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
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I'm a ST1050 rider and absolutely love it that big triple with the open pipe . I've sorted the suspension front and rear been all set up and with it carrying abit of weight makes it a very stable fast road bike.I've also had blades an 03 954 and a 08, I would have the 954 back in a heartbeat. |
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I ent through thhe same thought process.had sports bikes sports tourers but after a big off i couldnt ride them anymore looked at all sorts and ended up test riding a fz1 abs .i was sold within minutes silly fast ( detuned r1 engine) plenty comfortable solo or 2 up .easy for luggage and being half faired easy to service maintain.very underated bike imo |
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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
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"So I have a poorly RRW and am in need of something that works.
I am torn between heart and head!
I need it for a 100m round trip to work weekdays, fun at weekends and for going up to Manchester every couple of months. So at least 500m a week with a good 750-1000 miles a week on occasion.
6k budget.
What are your thoughts?
Heart
Fireblade - had an RR9 but, had to sell to pay for babies. I LOVED that bike!
Speed Triple - needs no explanation.
Basically something uncomfirtable, fast and fun.
Head
Sprint ST 1050 - had an 08, was good but lacking in pace and handling.
Sprint GT 1050 - more luggage, heated grips etc. Comfy mile eater.But, but, but its big and well, a little slow.
VFR
Tracer
Your thoughts ladies, gentlemen and others.
"
the naked BMW my mate has one and loves it |
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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
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I just bought a Suzuki B-King, an absolutely awesome bike. It has the comfort you need for long trips and bags of power that makes a lot of sports bikes look slow! |
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Tracer is good fun but the finish is a bit poor and may look a bit rough before it's time, especially with winter riding through salt. Tiger 1050 sport is a more durable machine and definitely got character |
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By *edyarisCouple
over a year ago
Middlesbrough or Ullswater |
Looking to upgrade to a comfy tourer for me and the wife but not sure what to choose. Most reviews seem to go for a BMW and you do seem to get a lot of toys on them but I stumbled on a website forum that said they're prone to having problems with the drive shafts which are expensive to repair, this maybe a bit of a biased view as it was a Honda st owners forum, and as I'd not considered the pan before it's now something else to look at and confuse things. Anyone know of any bmw problems or any advice on what to consider I'd welcome your views. |
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By * and BCouple
over a year ago
Durham |
"Looking to upgrade to a comfy tourer for me and the wife but not sure what to choose. Most reviews seem to go for a BMW and you do seem to get a lot of toys on them but I stumbled on a website forum that said they're prone to having problems with the drive shafts which are expensive to repair, this maybe a bit of a biased view as it was a Honda st owners forum, and as I'd not considered the pan before it's now something else to look at and confuse things. Anyone know of any bmw problems or any advice on what to consider I'd welcome your views. "
I bought triumph explorer 1200 xrx June 2018. Put my Pan European under cover and rode the triumph till October 2019. When covid hit and after initial lock down I decided to put Pan back on the road. Wow I forgot how nice it is to ride. Mrs F said she prefers it to the Explorer. We've been all over Europe on it since I bought it new back in 2009. The explorer is still an awasome bike and when I first got it I said it gave me the aggressive ride like I used to get with my fireblade which I sold few years ago (I loved that bike). To sum up you can't go wrong with a Pan European ST 1300 would highly recommend one. Bullit proof and an amazing touring bike. Two up, all camping gear on and up n over the Alps, unreal |
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By *edyarisCouple
over a year ago
Middlesbrough or Ullswater |
"Looking to upgrade to a comfy tourer for me and the wife but not sure what to choose. Most reviews seem to go for a BMW and you do seem to get a lot of toys on them but I stumbled on a website forum that said they're prone to having problems with the drive shafts which are expensive to repair, this maybe a bit of a biased view as it was a Honda st owners forum, and as I'd not considered the pan before it's now something else to look at and confuse things. Anyone know of any bmw problems or any advice on what to consider I'd welcome your views.
I bought triumph explorer 1200 xrx June 2018. Put my Pan European under cover and rode the triumph till October 2019. When covid hit and after initial lock down I decided to put Pan back on the road. Wow I forgot how nice it is to ride. Mrs F said she prefers it to the Explorer. We've been all over Europe on it since I bought it new back in 2009. The explorer is still an awasome bike and when I first got it I said it gave me the aggressive ride like I used to get with my fireblade which I sold few years ago (I loved that bike). To sum up you can't go wrong with a Pan European ST 1300 would highly recommend one. Bullit proof and an amazing touring bike. Two up, all camping gear on and up n over the Alps, unreal "
Thanks for that, I'll have to give it a closer look |
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I ride a Yamaha XJR1300. All day comfy and so much torque you could pull yer house along behind you.
Have you also considered a big trailie?
The Honda Adrica Twin 1200 or the KTM 990 Adventure..
I had a Transalp when I started and the tall trailie was quick, agile and comfy. I quite fancy one of theae two for my next bike. |
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By *rygveMan
over a year ago
The Shires |
I used to do something similar on my 08 R1200GS. Handy for a bit of green landing on the way home too. Only issue I had was with the ABS that cost £500. Servicing costs wasn’t too bad. No drive shaft issues. What have you test ridden? |
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By * and BCouple
over a year ago
Durham |
"Looking to upgrade to a comfy tourer for me and the wife but not sure what to choose. Most reviews seem to go for a BMW and you do seem to get a lot of toys on them but I stumbled on a website forum that said they're prone to having problems with the drive shafts which are expensive to repair, this maybe a bit of a biased view as it was a Honda st owners forum, and as I'd not considered the pan before it's now something else to look at and confuse things. Anyone know of any bmw problems or any advice on what to consider I'd welcome your views.
I bought triumph explorer 1200 xrx June 2018. Put my Pan European under cover and rode the triumph till October 2019. When covid hit and after initial lock down I decided to put Pan back on the road. Wow I forgot how nice it is to ride. Mrs F said she prefers it to the Explorer. We've been all over Europe on it since I bought it new back in 2009. The explorer is still an awasome bike and when I first got it I said it gave me the aggressive ride like I used to get with my fireblade which I sold few years ago (I loved that bike). To sum up you can't go wrong with a Pan European ST 1300 would highly recommend one. Bullit proof and an amazing touring bike. Two up, all camping gear on and up n over the Alps, unreal
Thanks for that, I'll have to give it a closer look "
I was going to sell the Pan last year so took it for an mot to put it up for sale. Forgot how smooth and powerful it is so couldn't sell it. So glad, as I've had a few great ride outs on it this year. Meant to say Mrs F much preferred being on the back of the pan to the adventure bike due to more comfort, less wind due to the great fairing, electric screen that gives you so much protection from the elements and the smoothness of it. |
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FJR1300 decent performance and handling. The hard luggage is great, especially,when it's torrential. Easy to manoeuvre. Low maintenance shaft drive.
VFR1200F The Gentleman's Express. Super quick, better brakes and handling than the Blackbird. Shaft drive too.
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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
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I suspect you may go out with the intention of buying something advised above. But then do completely the opposite as “shiny bike syndrome” gets you
All I’d say is, make sure it has a fairing... |
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By *edyarisCouple
over a year ago
Middlesbrough or Ullswater |
"I suspect you may go out with the intention of buying something advised above. But then do completely the opposite as “shiny bike syndrome” gets you
All I’d say is, make sure it has a fairing... "
There is always that shiny bike problem along with the for just a few hundred quid more I can get... I'm sure the wife will keep me and the wallet in check when I come to making the decision |
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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
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"I suspect you may go out with the intention of buying something advised above. But then do completely the opposite as “shiny bike syndrome” gets you
All I’d say is, make sure it has a fairing...
There is always that shiny bike problem along with the for just a few hundred quid more I can get... I'm sure the wife will keep me and the wallet in check when I come to making the decision "
So effectively, it’s going to be a joint decision
Far be it from me to suggest you ensure the good lady gets some retail therapy, then go bike hunting  |
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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
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Gsxr with top yoke conversion with renthal bars can ride all day long still have the looks off a sports bike and the power and easy to covert back for track days thats what i have a gixer 1000 and it does ot all now with top yoke convertion  |
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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
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if your doing miles the best bike (and i know this may sound boring) is the bmw F900XR.
add all the extras like dynamic suspension and quickshifter it becomes a fantastic bike thats quicker than you think. plus its very comfortable and eats up miles.
can recommend the street triple if you want a naked hoon type bike.
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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
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OP. If you still haven't decided test ride a zzr1400. I had exactly same Head v Heart decision to make 5 years ago and eventually decided on the zzr as a compromise.
Would I make the same decision now? Yes, I'm on my second one already. I do high milage so swapped it before it became worthless.
Bar riser, double bubble screen, auto chain oiler and heated grips fitted but otherwise pretty much standard. I do have a touring and playing out exhaust though. Standard cans are v quiet, too quiet and too huge, so when not touring I have some much nicer looking ones on it that happen to be a bit louder
It keeps the other half happy being comfortable on long trips through Europe and with top box, panniers and tank bag its not a bad tourer at all.
The daily work commute puts a smile on my face everyday, before home working became a thing anyway, and for pure pleasure riding its a blast.
OK, its not the most practical (head) bike you can get but it has to be one of the best compromise bikes that can munch up huge millage trips without killing your back, wrists or arse but still give you a none stop grin when the back seat is empty and you're out for fun
Depending on your age insurance isn't too bad either, I get around 42mpg when behaving (touring) and a pair of Pilot Road 5s every 3.5 - 4k don't break the bank either.
Servicing costs have been reasonable over 5 years for a bike which is fundamentally mental at heart.
As someone has already said the biggest problem with the bike is not losing your license. Fast speeds are too easy and the comfort and stability mean you don't even realise your one blue light away from having your license taken away forever. |
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I have a Suzuki Bandit S 1250 GT and I think it ticks most of your boxes.
Being the GT version means it has fairing. I would say sports styling with touring comfort.
You can get luggage for it and the 1250cc engine is quick when you want to have a bit of fun, but lazy enough to cruise at normal speeds. |
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"I have a Suzuki Bandit S 1250 GT and I think it ticks most of your boxes.
Being the GT version means it has fairing. I would say sports styling with touring comfort.
You can get luggage for it and the 1250cc engine is quick when you want to have a bit of fun, but lazy enough to cruise at normal speeds."
The 1250 gt comes with full luggage side and top boxes |
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VFR800 vtec, just sold mine as I need a car now. But it was great for munching up the miles, always started on the button and with a decent top box travel around Europe easily. It won’t hurt your licence either.
Personally I’m looking at a Speed Triple in the future as they’re perfect for my style of riding. |
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By *VLouiseTV/TS
over a year ago
Worcester |
I’m in a similar situation.
I’ve been without a bike for about two years now. Can’t decide what I want (I would Love a Rocket lll but refuse to pay £20,000 for a bike).
Struggling with wrists and thumb joints these days so I’ve resigned myself to the fact that it’s going to have to be something more upright.
My master plan is to arrange to go to Fowler’s in Bristol and spend the day test riding various bikes before I make a decision.
They are dealers for loads of brands so you get the option to try lots of different makes and models without the gap if you go to individual dealers. |
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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
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With a 6k budget I'd say FJR1300.
Big, comfy and sports bike fast.
Leccy screen, panniers and heated grips as standard from 2006 too.
The motors are unburstable.
I've had two and have a mate who's put 250k on one. |
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