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New Bike Disease

2strokeYardSale

2strokeYardSale

Moab on my mind
Joined
Mar 29, 2007
Location
Northern Nevada
Moto(s)
shouldn't have cams!
Name
Yard Sale
I gots it bad.

I moved in December and now my commute is longer and almost totally freeway, with significant elevation change. One windy day my trusty WR250X wouldn't hold 65 MPH up the hill in top gear. I want something more suited to my commute, with the ability to do weekend sport rides. The fact is freeway commute traffic here never exceeds 65-70 MPH and frequently crawls at a fraction of the limit. Lane splitting is illegal but sometimes necessary.

Requirements:
  • Usable, flat torque curve with power at high altitude
  • Fuel capacity and economy for at least 150 miles per tank
  • Luggage capacity for a tail bag and/or saddle bags
  • Low maintenance, no dealer maintenance required
  • Long valve clearance check intervals (min. 15K miles)
  • Japanese but not Honda

Some candidates I've found ....

Yamaha FZ-09: Lacks a windscreen, expensive insurance, fuel economy not great, fuel capacity not great, kind of wide, borderline heavy, suspension is a downgrade from my current ride, dat killer motor, will probably end up in jail with a suspended license and a shit-eating grin on my mugshot

Suzuki GSX-S750: Lacks a windscreen, just another UJM inline 4, past the heavy zone, big tank

Yamaha FZ-07: Lacks a windscreen, great fuel economy, good fuel capacity, not too heavy, nice motor, tube frame and shit suspension are major downgrades from my current ride

Yamaha YZF-R3: Windscreen, great fuel economy, lighter weight, motor is only a slight upgrade from my current ride, tube frame and shit suspension are major downgrades from my current ride, cheap, cop magnet sprotbile appearance

What am I missing? Versys 650? Is there a Honda so great it would make me forget to hate them?

Should I get a used bike? Should I just continue to ride my trusty WR250X into the ground? It's tall to see over and ahead, dirt bars for leverage, fully adjustable long-travel suspension, adequate power up to legal speed, near zero operating cost. But it doesn't satisfy my new bike disease.
 
1290 SuperDuke. Misses one of your criteria (the dumb one) and blows the rest of them out of the water. Rather than buying any of those bikes you may as well buy an SV650 in comparison.
 
Suzuki Bandit, add a windshield and tankbag. Screw & locknut valve adj done in a couple of hours.
 
If they made an FJ-07 I'd suggest looking at it but I haven't heard of one. I'm not sure if the weight of the FJ-09 is a problem.

And Z3n, regarding the SuperDuke 1290, if he thinks the FZ-09 has expensive insurance I imagine the KTM will be a lot worse... same thing goes for losing his license on it.
 
Junkie said:
If they made an FJ-07 I'd suggest looking at it but I haven't heard of one. I'm not sure if the weight of the FJ-09 is a problem.

And Z3n, regarding the SuperDuke 1290, if he thinks the FZ-09 has expensive insurance I imagine the KTM will be a lot worse... same thing goes for losing his license on it.
Click to expand...

I got quoted for a 1290 a few months ago and it was cheaper to insure than a FZ-09. A lot of BARFers and other people I know have found the FZ-09 expensive to insure. But, plenty of folks on BARF have found reasonable insurance for their FZ-09s.

Between insurance and payments, the FZ and SD would have cost me close to the same every month.
 
i just got a FZ-07-it's amazingly smooth on the freeway,but headwinds are a problem.lot's of windscreens available.the dart flyscreen looks nice.suspension is good for about 6/10 and then it comes unglued in a big way.i'm going with traxxion dynamics damper and emulator kit and a base penske or ohlins-so it's about a $1000 fix.the fueling is the best i ever had-stock- on a efi bike and the motor is strong,and the bike is crazy light and can be made lighter without to much trouble-the rear seat and passenger pegs have nice attachments for soft bags.even with the suspension fix it's still the cheapest way to go on a new bike.i did spend a day on an FZ-09 and it is a much better bike,but it needs a lot more $ to get it right.if i were younger and had a little more patience i would have picked one up.
 
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MysterYvil said:
My Ninja 650 meets your criteria, but the Versys might suit your turf better.
Click to expand...


You should rent a few bikes and see what you like. You might like and ST1300 or maybe an F800GS. Who knows.

For example, I think the versys is one of the worst bikes I've ever ridden. Terrible brakes, awful suspension and couldn't grip it's way out of a velcro room with velcro tires but that's just me. Many people who are better riders than me love that bike, but had I bought it based on reviews I'd be miserable.
 
turboLT said:
For example, I think the Versys is one of the worst bikes I've ever ridden. Terrible brakes, awful suspension and couldn't grip it's way out of a velcro room with velcro tires but that's just me. Many people who are better riders than me love that bike, but had I bought it based on reviews I'd be miserable.
Click to expand...
I kind of liked the one that I took for a test ride. Obviously there is nothing exciting about the bike, but it seemed competent. You're not supposed to expect it to behave like a sportbike. :x
 
sounds like the Yamaha YZF-R3 is the perfect one for you. It'll have enough power to get you up that hill, have amazing mpg and you'll be protected from the wind.

Or you could wait until the honda bulldog comes out haha. That bike will be a 500cc tank with 90mpg.
 
They now make a Versys 650 "LT" (light truck?) that doesn't pretend to be an ADV bike as much and comes with hard bags. Not too shabby.

The FJ-09 would be stupid fun, but yes, it does use the gas (probably because it's so much fun to twist the throttle).
 
Junkie said:
If they made an FJ-07 I'd suggest looking at it but I haven't heard of one. I'm not sure if the weight of the FJ-09 is a problem.

And Z3n, regarding the SuperDuke 1290, if he thinks the FZ-09 has expensive insurance I imagine the KTM will be a lot worse... same thing goes for losing his license on it.
Click to expand...

My 1290 insurance is really cheap - most people don't wad them up, KTM plastics and common crash parts are generally pretty cheap, so insurance reflects that.

Serious talk though, Versys 650 sounds like the right choice. I really liked the one I put some miles on.
 
RightCoastBias said:
I got quoted for a 1290 a few months ago and it was cheaper to insure than a FZ-09. A lot of BARFers and other people I know have found the FZ-09 expensive to insure. But, plenty of folks on BARF have found reasonable insurance for their FZ-09s.

Between insurance and payments, the FZ and SD would have cost me close to the same every month.
Click to expand...

Not too surprising, really, when you consider the demographics of who is riding $17K European exotics vs. who is riding $8K UJMs. When you factor in age, riding experience, urban apartment buildings vs. suburban homes with garages, etc., it wouldn't surprise me at all if FZ-09s are getting wadded up or stolen a lot more frequently than Super Dukes.

To the OP, I second the recommendation that you consider the FJ-09. Better wind protection and cargo capacity, and all the reviews say they have largely addressed the fueling and suspension problems that FZ-09 riders and testers complained about.
 
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