What bike thread #47,864.5

[MC]

Sold my XR, still undecided about what to get next. Everyday it seems to be a different bike :?

What I want from it:
- Upright riding position or at least fairly upright
- As lightweight as possible
- Fairly narrow and a fairly small wheelbase, for filtering but also getting it into the garden, it was a bit of a squeeze with the XR
- Not sure on power, but something that's easy to ride around town, as that's where I'll mainly be using it

Budgets more what I'm willing to spend than what's in the piggy bank, but insurance is going to be the biggest factor, even tho I have a years NCD & full license now. IF I have to stay 3rd party (F&T) I'm not happy spending more than 2.5k

Bikes I've considered:
DRZ400SM - ticks all the boxes, apart from being too expensive for what they're, and maybe a bit big for me (would need to sit on one)

Hornet 600 - one of the last previous gen' models (05/06) or maybe the current gen'. Expensive to buy and insure, and probably too powerful for what I need, but I really really like them.

CRF250M - have a soft spot for these for some reason, I'm going to have a test ride on one soon as my license comes back. Downside's I'd probably have to buy a new one (3.5k) and therefore insurance will be a lot. Dunno that 23bhp will be powerful enough but I'll find that out on the test ride hopefully.

Other considerations:
GPZ500 - don't like the styling but they tick a lot of boxes

Bandit 600 - weigh the same as a small planet but I feel I have some unfinished business with this bike after taking my test(s) on it

Ducati Monster - think you'd only buy one for the badge & I don't really care about that, they look good (not just aesthetically) but expensive to run

BMW G650 xcountry/moto - like both, but they're rare & expensive, plus the xmoto might be a bit big

KTM Duke 390 - like everything but the price tag, and insurance

DT125x - if I ever see one of these at a reasonable price I'm buying it regardless :D
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Yamaha MT-03 '08 (crashed)
Honda XR-125L '04

[Conzar]

Hornet or Drz
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Current ride: ZX6R 636 ------- Previous:KTM EXC 450 Supermoto --- ZX6R B1H --Hornet 600--CBR 600--SV650
11:05:35 Rob Fzs: i just wanna own an rd350 valve before they send us to war with durkadurkastan

[instigator]

I'd suggest avoiding the bandit, it's anything but slim and light. It's a complete fat bastard that hasn't really progressed much beyond it's design in the 90's. If you have to get one, christ on a bike, don't spend near £2.5k on one.

Hornet 600 is fine, it's not really THAT powerful and infact, they are rather gutless. Not intimidating so you should be fine. I wouldn't call them particularly light or thin though.

[CG Sam]

Could check out the Yamaha TRX850, that's meant to be a fairly upright position. They look pretty cool as well
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CG125, SV650S, CBR600F, GSXR600 SRAD

[Baffler186]

[MC]

Looked at CCM's, mainly reliability & parts seem to be the issue, maybe good as a second bike when you don't need to rely on it. Seen the MT-03 was mentioned in your thread too. That sort of thing would be ideal, but they're a hell of a lot of money for what they're.
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Yamaha MT-03 '08 (crashed)
Honda XR-125L '04

[thewhyoffry]

Brother got his hornet in 08 and still loves it today. If I was going to get one I would deffo get a few years old one though the newer style ones are grim.
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The why of fry

[Rogerborg]

[Az]

Kawasaki ER6, I can't remember if they're wide bikes but they are a twin so can't be that wide or heavy. Has the upright position, within budget and I also believe they're cheap to insure.

What you want in a bike, seems to describe an SM… Light, thin, upright, narrow and not too powerful. As for which SM you can get within budget and is good for commuting I would't really know as I know fookall about SM's.
The only SM I can think of that i've seen out and about on my commute is an XT660X, unsure of how capable or good of a bike they are though. A quick look on gumtree also suggests they are within budget.

I also think any il4 will be hard to get into your garden if your XR struggled. Typically il4 commuter bikes are pretty heavy bikes but, if you do end up considering an il4, the XJ6's don't look too bad and even though i've only had a brief ride on one (2008 XJ6N), it didn't seem to be intimidating or too powerful for a new rider.

[Rogerborg]

Can you find a bike that's wider than its bars or mirrors?

Find bars that will go up your back passage sideways, fit them onto whatever bike you want.
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Biking is 1/20th as dangerous as horse riding.
GONE: HN125-8, LF-250B, GPz 305, GPZ 500S, Burgman 400 // RIDING: F650GS (800 twin), Royal Enfield Bullet Electra 500 AVL, Ninja 250R because racebike

[MC]