How do you choose your bike?

[veeeffarr]

This is the problem I'm having! Heart was set on a VFR800, reading a few threads and am a bit disheartened to find out that the general consensus is that 'It's a boring old man's bike'

Did you go and sit on loads at dealerships? Did you test rides loads?

Test rides aren't an option for me, I don't have TPO insurance on other bikes and most dealerships around here won't let me testride anything!

T

[BanditBitch]

Why cant you test ride stuff at the dealers?? I know dealers say stuff like, you have to a full licence for a year before test riding, but thats rubbish, if they think they are going to get a deal..then you will soon get a test ride but probably an accompanied one....and the dealers insurance covers you to ride their bikes, so no worries on that score....but there will be a large excess in case you damage the bike.

[Finglonga]

[st3v3]

Just get it Tobes, if that's what you want. No-one else will be riding it for you will they?
____________________
Roger wrote: Women don't get damp for clingy puppies. Get some better happy pills, hit the gym & buy a medallion the size of a dinner plate. Job done

[Hairy Ben]

[stinkwheel]

[JonB]

AS tarty as it is, but looks play a huge part in the decision process of buying a bike.

Though in all fairness, the Bandit didn't really tick the aesthetic box when I bought it, but the longer I had it the more beautiful it became.

I can imagine test rides being an important factor. Riding the CB1300 makes me excited at the prospect of owning my own big bike.

Though my Dad is seriously considering chopping in the Honda for a Triumph Street Triple, that new 675 engined Speed Triple lookalike, so i'll end up having rides on that and might decide that I like the triple engine and get a Triumph myself later on.

Also Toby, why should it matter what other people think, people generally think that the Bandit is boring and incomparable to say a Hornet, but I had fun with it.
____________________
Be careful whose advice you buy, but, be patient with those who supply it. Advice is a form of nostalgia, dispensing it is a way of fishing the past from the disposal, wiping it off, painting over the ugly parts and recycling it for more than it?s worth.

[Harold_Shand]

I agree with all the above. Balls to what people think, that's part of having a bike and it's a fantastic thing that there's so many styles to suit the indivdual. Go with what you want not what the wankers in the magazines and the geeky, arrogant " I'm better than you because... " bikers say. The real world needs real world bikes. Get it and enjoy it and terrorise the sports bikes.
____________________
BCF's 6th favourite poster 2009-2010

Harold_Shand's theory might be the best explanation.

[Diggs]

I agree.

Something to bear in mind too is when looking for a second-hand bike there are few 'real' bargains to be had. Its well worth paying over the odds for an immaculate bike with 12 months MOT, new tyres etc, as to get an average bike to that standard will cost far more than the price difference...

Unless you want the bike as a runabout of course, in which case you can buy cheap and rn on a shoestring...
____________________
Now - Speed Triple, old ratty GS550, GSXR750M
Gone (in order of ownership) - Raleigh Runabout, AP50, KH125, GP125, KH250, CBX550, Z400, CB750FII, 250LC, GS550, ZXR750H1, Guzzi Targa, GSX750F, KH250 x2, Bimota SB6R and counting...

[mr.z]

If your not allowed to test ride anything your going to the wrong dealers, in fact dealers in general are shit, and i include .. well.. ALL of them.

Of the people who think its a boring old mans bike how many have actually ridden one? what is it being compared to exactly?
____________________
>RidingSkills<->Tech Tips<->MyBikes<

[BorderHooner]

What have others said that has maybe put you off a VFR?

What's yer budget and what do you expect from the bike?
____________________
Benelli. Happy as a pig in cacky.

[veeeffarr]

I suppose so!

Maybe many of the people who say it's boring are litre bike riders! I suppose it's all subjective!

I just feel like I want a new bike so badly but I can't decide what I want and what would be practical! (I ride everyday, for everything)

Half of the problem is that there are so many bikes to choose from!

T

[veeeffarr]

[Diggs]

From experience of riding one, I can honestly say that they are a cracking bike - comfortable, fast, good brakes & handling etc. If that is what you want from a bike then sod the rest... You'll pay a bit for servicing though...
____________________
Now - Speed Triple, old ratty GS550, GSXR750M
Gone (in order of ownership) - Raleigh Runabout, AP50, KH125, GP125, KH250, CBX550, Z400, CB750FII, 250LC, GS550, ZXR750H1, Guzzi Targa, GSX750F, KH250 x2, Bimota SB6R and counting...

[veeeffarr]

[Hairy Ben]

[Ant]

i normally have my heart set on a certain bike (zx10), look everywhere for the perfect one and then get offered a different bike at the right price! Which is why i brought the blade instead.
____________________
04 ZX10R ~

[TheShaggyDA]

For the longest time, dealers in the area wouldn't allow test rides, even on a new bike. Most of them have closed down now (wonder why? ) I found a dealer in the next town that's quite happy to let you take a bike out - all they ask is an hour's notice so that they can get them out of the row and check it over. I've taken a few out now, and it makes the process so much easier. When choosing a bike I can get anal, down to making spreadsheets of the stats, running costs, etc., but nothing beats actually riding the thing.

Then I go through the whole "can I justify it, is it really the one I want, is it really so much better than the one I currently have?" deal. I do ask other people's opinions about my intended purchase, but really only listen to the people who actually have experience of the model. If a bike was viewed as an "old man's bike", I wouldn't care. Actually, that would probably be the clincher for me

I view the VFR as more a "rider's bike", purely because it doesn't attract the "gotta have this year's colour scheme R1/R6/Gixxer" crowd. I think people go for the VFR because it does what it says on the tin, and does it well.

[edit] Although both the XJ & GPZ were obtained by walking into the shop, falling in love and buying them
____________________
Current: CB500 Previous: CB100N, CB250RS, XJ900F, GT550, GPZ750R/1000RX, AJS M16, R100RT, Enfield Bullet

[i:6e3bfc7581]But still I fear and still I dare not laugh at the madman...[/i:6e3bfc7581]

[BorderHooner]

Go for a RR (92-99) Fireblade. I'm over the moon with mine. Riding position is more comfortable than the Firestorm I sold to buy it, handling is amazing and performance is there if you want it. Not that much heavier than a 600 though they are group 17 insurance.

Everyone who I've spoken with who has owned one in the past or runs one now says they are infact an all rounder in disguise and I'd agree.

Or buy the VFR. Just be happy and don't give a fuck about what everyone else says. Do what you want and be who you are, not who others percieve you to be.
____________________
Benelli. Happy as a pig in cacky.

[Diggs]

Thats a good point. VFR riders have kudos of a similar kind to e.g. Blackbird and ZZR1100 riders... they can 'do it', have 'done it' and don't feel the need to prove it all the time... if you know what I mean!
____________________
Now - Speed Triple, old ratty GS550, GSXR750M
Gone (in order of ownership) - Raleigh Runabout, AP50, KH125, GP125, KH250, CBX550, Z400, CB750FII, 250LC, GS550, ZXR750H1, Guzzi Targa, GSX750F, KH250 x2, Bimota SB6R and counting...

[veeeffarr]

[BorderHooner]

[colin1]

im a fan of test rides

dont buy the bike someone else likes

buy the bike you like

i liked the vfr750, but it wasnt the bike for me or suited to what i use bikes for

of bikes i tried, i probably liked the 98r1, the vfr750 and the thundercat best, but they werent right for what i wanted a bike for

i certainly wouldnt describe it as an old mans bike

its got a lot more useable torque than a sports 600, without revving its tits off. Its stable in corners, but still agile enough to be able to take the right line in.

its a bike which you can go fast with effortlessly, which means long distances wouldnt feel like a strain.

Think of it as a sports tourer.

A bike mag pointed out that although its got a bigger engine, its more economical at 80mph cruising than an r6 and its got lower insurance too.

old vfr750s can be got pretty cheap, but gsxr600f's and gsxr 750f's are also cheap and they are (close your ears bazza) crap in comparison

better to have a cheap, old, quality bike than a newer, poor, quality bike

try a few different bikes and you will get more of an idea of what you like

no matter how many you try, you wont have tried enough

i only tried out about 20 and so missed out on loads of possibilties that i only realised later.

personally, i think litre bikes make u lazy and take the thrill out in some ways, but 750 is only slightly lazy
____________________
colin1 is officially faster than god

[stinkwheel]

Another advantage with the perception that they're an 'old mans bike' is that the banzai-billy brigade don't buy them and wrap them round trees. This is reflected in the insurance loading.

Just something to bear in mind. When buying a bike of that age, condition and lower mileage take prescedence over a newer model. Say you had a choice between an 800 with 30,000 miles and a 750 that's two years older with 10,000 miles that's spent its life sat in a heated garage, I'd go for the 750. That's just my personal oppinion though.
____________________
“Rule one: Always stick around for one more drink. That's when things happen. That's when you find out everything you want to know.”
I did the 2010 Round Britain Rally on my 350 Bullet. 89 landmarks, 3 months, 9,500 miles.

[Diggs]

Yep, its all about condition and what consumables are needed. Remember a service, tyres, pads etc can put you back over £500. Better to spend a little more on one that wont need big spends in a few months time...
____________________
Now - Speed Triple, old ratty GS550, GSXR750M
Gone (in order of ownership) - Raleigh Runabout, AP50, KH125, GP125, KH250, CBX550, Z400, CB750FII, 250LC, GS550, ZXR750H1, Guzzi Targa, GSX750F, KH250 x2, Bimota SB6R and counting...