Advice please - lightweight tourer?

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Dailaughing
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Advice please - lightweight tourer?

Post by Dailaughing »

Having had my ZZ-R attacked and killed (subject to autopsy) I find myself looking for a replacement. Out of interest although it was a stunning bike I was never completely happy with it as it preferred going well over legal limits rather than under and I am not good at resisting temptation. The plan a week ago was to get a 250 for me to use daily and save the ZZ-R for rideouts and touring even though I found my legs cramping on it.

Now that it is dead I can rethink and go completely for a tourer. For £1000 to £3000 I want a bike which is comfortable and sensible. This will be two people travelling hundreds of miles at steady speeds with luggage but at the same time I have no garage or even a drive to keep it. It may also be ridden by my wife if she does her direct access. I'll name the two current favourites and use them to explain my thinking.

1) Honda Deauville because it's a true tourer but without the unnecessary litre plus engine and it is unlikely to tempt me to naughtiness. Against it is the weight (not bad for a tourer but too much for me to want to get it down the garden path to work on it) and maybe it is too boring.

2) BMW F650ST/Strada because it is 50-60 kilos lighter even equipped with luggage and is the only road-specialised version of one of these versatile sorts of bike (supermotard?) I can find (apart from it's alter ego the Aprilia Pegaso). Against it is the engine which sounds worse than my ZZ-R at low revs (snatchy and rough). Also very few of these early ones around.

I thought about the SV650 but I'd want to go fast on that and it doesn't look great for pillion. Same for the ER-6F maybe but the older one at least seems a sensible bike. The Versys seems way to high and most of the semi-off road ones also have loads of added hardware I wouldn't use on road. Older ones such as the Diversion, Fazer etc. all seem to be sports tourers in spiriti if not in fact. Proper fairing is a must so Guzzi's etc. not ideal.

So, resist your heart and try to give me some more ideas of what to look for. What I really want is a GSX-R for my soul or an H2 and an R1 for brute force and finesse depending on my mood but I need to be realistic and act my age for once! If you don't help me out I'll end up on a Dullville.
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Still a BMW F650CS but what lightweight tourer will I get when I need a new one?
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MellowYellow
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Re: Advice please - lightweight tourer?

Post by MellowYellow »

Howzabout a 'WeeStrom (650) ?

CB 500 X ??
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Dailaughing
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Re: Advice please - lightweight tourer?

Post by Dailaughing »

Good point. I did briefly look at one but I have no real reason for not looking more. I think it was the overall impression that it was definitely aimed at those who liked the rough stuff and I don't (or if I did I'd want to be on a lightweight small capacity bike). Big front wheel suggests I was right.
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Still a BMW F650CS but what lightweight tourer will I get when I need a new one?
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billinom8s
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Re: Advice please - lightweight tourer?

Post by billinom8s »

i would go for one of the BMW adventure tourers

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/ ... &logcode=p" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
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Dailaughing
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Re: Advice please - lightweight tourer?

Post by Dailaughing »

That's what the Strada is but more tourer less adventure. Any bike is a compromise but these adventure tourers seem to offer too much adventure and less touring. Also looking at that pillion seat there just doesn't seem to be the room the Deauville offers never mind the padding.

I want an a road cruiser not a back lane or track beast. Am I being too judgmental? I was hoping to ride one to find out but I'm struggling to find any near enough for a quick jaunt tomorrow afternoon.

There is no rush though because if the insurance isn't sorted by the time we go on our tour at the beginning of August they'll have to hire me a BMW and I can spend 1,500 miles forming my own opinion;-)
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Still a BMW F650CS but what lightweight tourer will I get when I need a new one?
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TLS-Moose
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Re: Advice please - lightweight tourer?

Post by TLS-Moose »

One bike that hasn't yet been mentioned is the one that is generally touted as the ultimate all-rounder ..... Capable of carrying two people and a house-worth of luggage all around the world, yet also able to mix it on a spirited Sunday breakfast run ..... The VFR750/800 (depending on budget). A bike you can drop a nuke under and it'll still run, comes with the best build quality Honda is able to supply (better than most), and has a great exhaust note too .......

Anything but a Slumberville, please!
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Dailaughing
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Re: Advice please - lightweight tourer?

Post by Dailaughing »

I have looked at VFRs but I'm worried they are too good and will tempt me to naughtiness:-(

I agree about the exhaust note. Most Honda's bore me but the VFR sounds like a real bike (sound matters to me which is partly why the Deauville worries me). It's no lightweight and I'd rather go under 600 than over but you are right if a good one comes up I should not discount it. Cheers.
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Still a BMW F650CS but what lightweight tourer will I get when I need a new one?
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goatpants
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Re: Advice please - lightweight tourer?

Post by goatpants »

versys???? bit of a minger but good bike
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Tractorwackyracer
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Re: Advice please - lightweight tourer?

Post by Tractorwackyracer »

Hi I have had two vfr a 750 on a p plate and a vtec on a 07 both brilliant bikes i m o !! All bikes only go as fast as you make them have ridden the bmw 650 and hated it try before you buy
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Re: Advice please - lightweight tourer?

Post by skippy »

TLS-Moose wrote:One bike that hasn't yet been mentioned is the one that is generally touted as the ultimate all-rounder ..... Capable of carrying two people and a house-worth of luggage all around the world, yet also able to mix it on a spirited Sunday breakfast run ..... The VFR750/800 (depending on budget). A bike you can drop a nuke under and it'll still run, comes with the best build quality Honda is able to supply (better than most), and has a great exhaust note too .......

Anything but a Slumberville, please!

well of course i have to agree with moose.............. :mrgreen:
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CharlieChan
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Re: Advice please - lightweight tourer?

Post by CharlieChan »

Haha Slumberville, not heard that one for a while, don't forget Dullville as well :wink:

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Dailaughing
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Re: Advice please - lightweight tourer?

Post by Dailaughing »

Oi, stop bullying the poor thing. Nothing else we saw today had a decent pillion seat unless it was over 1000cc. Did see a f650cs at j&s and that road version (or strata/st) seem the best alternative so badger is still winning the most helpful suggestion competition. Just wish I could find one locally to try. Tried to get to Blast today but ran out of time.
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Still a BMW F650CS but what lightweight tourer will I get when I need a new one?
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TLS-Moose
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Re: Advice please - lightweight tourer?

Post by TLS-Moose »

The trouble is, pillion seats can be deceptive. Some can look big and sumptuous, but after half an hour have squirted down and the pillion finds themselves bouncing on the seat base. Of more importance is the layout of footpegs to seat and the height of the seat above the rider. The pegs need to be positioned to allow them to take some weight, rather than it all going through the pillions posterior, and the seat should be just high enough to put their head at the same level as the riders (as opposed to leaving them 6' above and getting all the windblast!

Something else to consider re engine size. The reason most tourers have larger engines is because they are designed to carry heavy loads and do it in a fuss-free, unfussed manner. It makes the pillions (as well as the riders) life more comfortable if you're not having to constantly change up and down the gearbox. A smaller engine will have to work much harder to cope with the load,which in turn can lead to the aforementioned year changes. Every year change means forward/back movement for the pillion.

As Mark has said, the bike will only go as fast as you are prepared to twist the throttle, whatever the engine size. You will no doubt find that even the largest bike has an automatic built in pillion speed limiter - usually expressing itself as a short,sharp, jab to the kidneys/ribs .... :))

Other bikes I've thought of .... BMW K75 (Possibly a little long in the tooth now), BMW R850RT (a bit bulky), Ducati ST2/ST4 (not as unreliable as you might think), Honda CBF600 (or the 1000 version!), Yamaha XJ900 (Diversion), or what about the new shape XJ600 if you need to stay small?
Of all the things I have ever lost, I miss my mind the most .....

Handle stressful situations like a dog - If you can't eat it or play with it, pee on it and walk away
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Tractorwackyracer
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Re: Advice please - lightweight tourer?

Post by Tractorwackyracer »

Some good choices of bike there moose !!! Don't discount larger bikes if there weight is low ie bmw850 there centre of gravity is low making them easyer to ride
also agree if two up go larger touring should be a pleasure not hard work!!!
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Dailaughing
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Re: Advice please - lightweight tourer?

Post by Dailaughing »

Can't disagree with Moose or KR except for the fact I have nowhere to put the bike. An F650 I could get down the public path and through the garden gate. A Deauville maybe but I'd rather not try. Anything bigger not a chance.
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Falmouth, Cornwall
Still a BMW F650CS but what lightweight tourer will I get when I need a new one?
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