• A few people have been scammed on the site, Only use paypal to pay for items for sale by other members. If they will not use paypal, its likely a scam NEVER SEND E-TRANSFERS OF ANY KIND.

Pondering a bigger bike

Looking at the specs on the new 2018 Goldwing, that is one impressive bike.
Still big and heavy.
 
dduelin said:
A fellow, a non rider, asked me the other day why I had two bikes. "You can only ride one at a time", he said, "I don't get it".

I said I have three counting the scooter and I have more than one bike because bikes are like tools, or guns, or pairs of shoes. Sure, one pair of loafers can work for every occasion and you can drive a nail, well sort of, with a box end wrench but to do the job right you learn what kind of hammer you need.
Click to expand...

+1 A lady at work was joking about me being single. I told her that I had four bikes in the garage. She said, "Why do you need that many? You can only ride one at a time."
I asked her, How many shoes doe you have? Well that was the end of the discussion.
 
Last edited:
StratTuner said:
Random thoughts on NC and bigger bike:

I was able to acquire a bigger bike.... used and a good price.... and I understand why you might want one.
Still, the NC is my favorite ride even though I won't be getting rid of the FJR1300 ($4300 with 35K miles) anytime soon.

bigger bike: smoother ride, shaft drive, fast as all get out, poor gas mileage (46mpg), adjustable windscreen

smaller bike: nimble ride, easier engine access, great gas MPG, fixed windscreen

Next Spring's cross country ride will be on the FJR.... for the sake of the smoother ride.. but it won't be as comfortable as the NC until I can add: heated seat, highway pegs, heated grips.

If I absolutely HAD to part with one, then the FJR would go.
Click to expand...


You seem to have the exact same taste as me Strat. As many of you know from my past posts... I am not a believer of the "Bigger is better" thinking. However, the FJR has always looked like a great bike and one that would be fun to ride cross country.

I wish they would sell more mid sized bikes (by US standards) in the US. I'm happy to see there have been more smaller and mid sized lately showing up. Flicking a 1300 into the corners is no where near as fun as flicking a lighter weight bike that has enough power into the corners. There is a trade-off on lighter bikes and wind buffeting on highways though. If you need to travel long distance on highways you need some weight to keep from getting blown around. For me that's not that much of an issue as I avoid highway travel as much as possible. Riding the back roads (even on long trips) is SOOOO MUCH MORE ENJOYABLE!!!

But whatever bike puts that big smile on your face when your riding it, is the one you should be riding... big small or medium sized. It's all about enjoying the ride!
 
FJR is a nice machine! The Concours I picked up is a lot like it and I can attest to it's fun factor on winding roads. It may be a bit heavy to roll out of my shed, but once aboard, it's a different experience.
 
I sat on an FJR and I can see why so many Iron Butt riders like it. The power and comfort look great.

I guess my wish is for Honda to combine the best elements of the NC, the Africa Twin, the VFR 1200, and the ST 1300 in a 550 pound four cylinder with shaft drive, dct, and cruise control. Maybe that would require expensive light weight metals or something. 650 pounds would be ok if it carried the weight low. I know Honda knows how to lose weight beyond just shrinking the gas tank, look at the cbr1000rr.

I mean, the Versys 1000 is 550 pounds with a four cylinder and luggage. Admittedly shaft drive and a DCT would probably add 50 pounds.
 
Last edited:
I kinda like the newer BMW R1200R line of motorcycles. A bit lighter than my NC700 by a few pounds but with 3x the horsepower. Shaft drive, cruise control, ABS, and a bunch of other options (GPS, traction control, Electronic suspension, etc), make it a compelling choice for someone looking for a lightweight, all arounder with some serious get up and go.

I know that the GS, GSA, K1600, and S100RR get all the press, but check out that little naked Beemer....

Not inexpensive and a scattered dealer network might be significant negatives though....
 
Last edited:
I have never had a BMW, though I test rode an 800 before buying the NC and liked it.
With those boxer engines, how do you mount highway pegs?
 
I have been looking up some info on the Super Tenere. Shaft drive, cruise control, not too heavy, upright position. Expensive. Wish it had DCT.
 
Quote Originally Posted by StratTuner:

"Shaft drive was more important than big, but you can't get shafts drive without going big.

I still dream of the BMW Pirsig wrote about in "Zen and the Art...",

Yeah, that was an R69S as I recall. "Clunky" barely does justice to those, and lacking speediness to a large degree. Their main benefit back then was that they ran longer between breakdowns than the other bikes of the day.
It would be decades before the propeller guys made the full package.
That, from a former Airhead owner who was sometime grateful they were so slow since the flexi-frames and moosh suspenders wouldn't have been able to keep up with any actual horsepower. I could tell you about this R100/7 I had.
 
Isn't the NT700V just 10cc more than the NC700X? There's a case where you wouldn't need to go (much) bigger to get shaft drive.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

admin
Rumor Has It: Kawasaki’s Got Another Hybrid In The Works
Replies
0
Views
130
admin
admin
admin
Rumor Has It: KTM’s About to Debut a 1390 SMT
Replies
0
Views
158
admin
admin
admin
Kawasaki 7 Hybrid / Z7 Hybrid Debuts to American Shores
Replies
1
Views
197
Lee_0123
Lee_0123
admin
KTM and Brabus to Continue Golden Era with a New Bike Project
Replies
0
Views
91
admin
admin
admin
Fast Filings: BMW Has a Monocoque Frame Design for Future EVs
Replies
0
Views
89
admin
admin
Back
Top