CBF1000 or F800GT? Or another easy sport tourer?

[FretGrinder]

[cdlxxvi]

Re Tracer (or other adventure bikes): I am reluctant to go back from sport tourer to adventure because:

* I find s-t position comfy enough
* I like lower CoG, feels nimbler when manoeuvring and stabler at speed, especially on a windy day
* Shorter suspension = less dive when braking and not much difference in ride comfort unless on very bad tarmac

Now the only adventure I have much experience on is the rather ancient KLE - are things very different with the modern ones?

[Polarbear]

[Enduro Numpty]

V-Strom 1000!

Ticks all your boxes. Comfortable, easy to ride and tour on, lovely well proven V twin engine and superb handling. Very rarely do I take to a bike as quickly as I took to the V-Strom. After 5 minutes on a demo the decision was made and I bought one there and then. I use mine mainly solo on Scottish Highland roads and easily do 400-500 miles in a day without touching a dual carriageway. If the wife decides to come and we take the luggage there's simple suspension adjustment.

A great bike - highly recommended

[cdlxxvi]

I test rode the VFR800. I started with the bike that excites me most to avoid making the final decision while still hot from it.

Straight upon hitting an open road it became obvious that with my height comfort is an issue.

Considerable buffeting right at the helmet level; at NSL (I wouldn't of course even think of speeding) it was downright annoying.
Position is definitely more forward than on the previous VFR, so it wasn't nice on the wrists as well.

Do bar raisers make any difference? If not, then it ends here.

If yes, then what matters: the engine is otherworldly.

WHAT it does is immensely solid: predictable, smooth, responsive, certainly powerful enough for me.
But HOW it does it is a mix of porn, magic, and drugs. While super cultured at cruise, under acceleration the sound goes from drunken woodpecker to a table saw around 7k rpm, and even after it calms down its potential madness is constantly felt. It may be 105hp, but it makes a show as if it had many times more; it's just a bit mad and I love it.

Other than that it feels very tidy; turning, stopping, switching all very predictable and competent.

I'l be off to BMW soon, then Kawasaki.

[martin734]

ST1100/ST1300. My ST does everything I need a bike to do. It is very comfortable, totally reliable as long as you carry out basic maintenance and plenty fast enough. It is not the most exciting of bikes to ride but it does everything well. There is a reason the emergency services and breakdown companies used them for years.
____________________
Current bike: ST1100 "Big Red"

[cdlxxvi]

F800GT impressions.

The combination of lightness & agility in town/bends with comfort & stability on the road is astounding. Standard seat is fine, standard screen just right (I tried also touring screen and it's worse with my height, delivering turbulence straight to my helmet's face), position is great.
Seems capable of munching through hundreds of miles at a stretch without any fatigue. I guess (not that I would try!) that it stays stable and pleasant way beyond NSL.

I love it being a bit oddball with the wrong side exhaust, scooter tank and asymmetric snout.

What's worse: terrible tiny speedo, and I'm not a fan of its twin; it's objectively very competent, but feels not eager; sounds strained and unnecessary loud, as if it was struggling.

I'll give Z1000SX a try for completeness and choose then.

[ThunderGuts]

I was looking for a bike with similar requirements; loved the VFR800 but found the riding position a bit too sporty. Tried a VFR800X Crossrunner and it was perfect - bought one with no regrets.
____________________
TG.

[cdlxxvi]

After some soul searching I decided to exclude some practicalities from the equation and replace with desirability.
So I'm having a VFR1200 because I always wanted one, and what was stopping me before isn't really that important right now.

- It looks and feels like a villain machine. Especially in black - Agent Smith would ride one.
- It has a V4 I suddenly fell love with when trying the 800. Its sound, feel and power are a riot.
- At reasonable road speeds it's completely calm and stable. I look forward to hundreds of miles in one go.
- Position is a little more relaxed than on 800; I may fiddle with a higher seat & screen, but stock isn't bad.

The downsides - fuel consumption, heaviness at low speed - don't matter because I won't commute on it.

If it turns out as reliable as people say it is, it may stay around for a long time.

[kgm]

Fair. Although I'd you liked the 800 except from the riding position I'd always say it's worth giving the Crossrunner a try. I just don't get why they haven't sold better, they ride great. I prefer the crossrunner handling and riding position to the normal VFR, it's more flexible.

[stinkwheel]

[cdlxxvi]

[cdlxxvi]

[ThunderGuts]

My CR does mid 50s to the gallon in mixed riding, probably more if I tickled it along gently (hard to resist playing with that engine though). Range is pretty good to be fair. It feels tall-ish when stationary but it's the easiest bike for slow speed riding I've ever ridden; weight is a number, it'll matter if it gets dropped but you don't feel it (suspect it's COG is pretty low). I rode it along the A55 in the dark in late December, freezing temperatures, and it was perfectly comfortable (the fairing is very effective at deflecting the wind around you). Post 2017 (?) models got an adjustable screen which is way better than the fixed one on the earlier CRs.

FWIW I looked at the 1200 but didn't like it; it felt somehow more outdated and the engine is a different beast, more torquey and less revvy than the 800. I prefer the styling of the 800 too and you get the snazzy LED headlights. I expect there's an update of the 1200 due at some point which might address some of these things.

If you've not tried it, I'd suggest you test ride a CR. They're really very awesome bikes.
____________________
TG.

[Vracktal]

If you have the budget for it i'd skip over the F800GT and go for an R1200RS, same sort of riding position but i've found it had better wind protection and a significantly smoother engine over the vibey paralell twin.

Away from BMW i'd trend toward the consensus and suggest the Z1000SX, just ditch the hideous stock exhausts for something tidier and it cleans the look up a bit.
____________________
2007 BMW R1200R: On road
2009 BMW G650X Challenge: On road
1975 Norton Commando 850: Off road, awaiting recommissioning

[ThunderGuts]

[cdlxxvi]

[Kris]

[cdlxxvi]

[TaffyTDM]

Has a triumph sprint 1050 been thrown at you? Looking at them myself as a replacement supercommuter

[positron]

[Freddyfruitba...]

[positron]

[Mart_er6]

[Nayaiutb]

Mk2 CBF if you can, The pegs on the f800 seemed a bit further rearwards. The Mk2 CBF has a much better dashboard as well. The F800 the clocks are tiny and miles away, wasn't impressed by the mirrors either Again tiny and miles away. I ended up with a Mk1 CBF (couldn't afford a mk2) and it's very enjoyable for someone that isn't into sports bikes.
____________________
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Not as young as I used to be