QuestionHello Mr. Eilertsen, I am 20 years old and I have been off and on riding bikes since I was 11. I currently own a Honda XL600R dual sport, and I am looking into getting into something a little more sporty, but not quite something like a fast 600cc 4 cylinder just yet. I really want to travel up to Montana from Texas on my bike, and I've been looking into buying a new one. I found the V-Strom 650, and it looks like a pretty nice bike. I havn't seen one in person yet nor have I ridden one yet, but I was just curious if this is kinda the direction I need to be headed into. Like I said, I want something a little faster, smoother, and more sporty looking bike then I have now, and I really don't think a sport bike is what I need with my experience level. I really like the KTM Dukes also, but they are a bit out of my price range, but in any case any information would be greatly appreciated.
Austin
AnswerHi Austin
Some suggestions, both older and newer pre-owned bikes. These bikes score very, very well in the RIDE magazine survey (involves about 10 000 riders in the UK)
Sport Tourer bike catagory . . . . .
Honda VFR 800
Honda VFR750 '94-'97
Suzuki GSX 750F
Suzuki GSX600F
Kawasaki ZZ-R600
Standard bike type catagory . . . . .
Yamaha FZS600 Fazer
Some other thoughts
I personally like Honda because they keep their value very well because of their excellent build quality. You must be the first guy I have ever emailed who is so conservative when it comes to their capabilities! Usually I have to spend time telling beginners not to buy a high performance sports bike! Purely based on your attitude and years experience I would say you are ready to own any bike regardless of its performance.
Give my website a visit. It has hundreds of pages of info. Follow the 'motorcycle' link on the main navigation page
Regards
Steve
www.FlamesOnMyTank.co.za
Best biking site on the web!
